Accelerated Bachelor of Science (B.S.)/Master of Arts (M.A.) in Economics

Virginia Commonwealth University

The accelerated B.S. and M.A. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. and M.A. in economics in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Students in the program may count up to 12 hours of 600-level graduate courses toward both the B.S. and M.A. degrees. Thus, the two degrees may be earned with a minimum of 138 credits rather than the 150 credits necessary if the two degrees are pursued separately. Students holding these degrees will be more competitive when seeking positions requiring the acquisition, manipulation and analysis of data. While undergraduates are required to obtain some data skills, the M.A. program is far more focused in this area with a course in mathematical economics and three econometrics classes. Furthermore, two of these econometrics classes require students to gather data, perform analysis and report on that analysis. Such practical skills are highly valued in the labor market.

School of Business