masters in economics (math?)

artless
Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:13:40 +0000

hi guys,

I was unable to find a good grad student economics forum so I’ll post this here, hoping we have some economics grad students around.

How much math is required for masters in economics?

I have a degree in psychology, looking at career options. In one college career website, I put in my info (e.g. MBTI: INFP; interests: Investigative, artistic; minimum avg salary: >60k, etc) and one of the few options that met all my criteria was becoming an economist.

But the site said that economy requires “medium” amount of math. Here, “low” means, for instance, counting out change to a customer; “medium,” calculating the size of a house in square footage, and “high,” creating a new mathematical model to solve a complex engineering problem.

I did exceptionally well in high school math (A+) but undergrads was quite a bit harder (As and Bs in my two first year calculus courses and four stats courses in 2/3 year required for my psych degree). But I don’t have the math aptitude for engineering or complex mathematical modeling or something like that.

I keep hearing conflicting accounts of the level of mathematical skill required for grad school in economics. But if it’s doable, it would be a good fit for someone like me who is an introvert, intuitive, and interested in work that pays well, allows flexibility, and has good working conditions. I would just need to take two years worth of undergrads in economics, then a single year of grad school.

I appreciate your help and guidance guys.