Graduate Programs
At the graduate level, the Department of Economics offers a Ph.D. in Economics, as well as several Master’s degrees in Economics, including an M.A. in Law and Economics, an M.A. in Applied Economics, and an M.S. in Applied Economics and Predictive Analytics. The Financial Engineer publishes rankings of professional masters programs in finance and business that are widely circulated. Based on these rankings, the SMU M.A. in Applied Economics program is currently ranked #31 in the nation (out of 157).
The Ph.D. program has a long and distinguished history. In 1959, the Department of Economics became the first department at SMU to offer a Ph.D. The first Ph.D. degree was conferred in 1963, which was also the first Ph.D. granted in any field by a university in Dallas. In 1966, the Department of Economics conferred the first Ph.D. at SMU to a woman. Ever since, the department has maintained a small and vibrant Ph.D. program that attracts students from all over the world. Recent graduates have gone on to tenure-track positions at institutions such as the Appalachian State University, Auburn University, Bowling Green State University, University of Cincinnati, University of Dayton, University Nevada-Las Vegas, and the University New Hampshire. Other graduates have gone on to positions at the World Bank, Bank for International Settlements, Fannie Mae, and Exxon-Mobil.
The department has an active external speaker seminar series and internal brown bag workshop where faculty and Ph.D. students present ongoing research.
M.A., M.S. Programs Ph.D. Program
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Annie Williams
"SMU Department of Economics challenged me to become a better student and I learned real life applications that prepared me for immense opportunities for post graduate careers."
Brook Elias
"I really appreciate all of the dedicated Economics Department staff for putting in their time and effort to make me the most successful person I could become."
Dasha Flowers
"The wide variety of topics I covered during my time with the department has provided me with the knowledge to have intelligent conversations with professionals of many backgrounds."
Sarah Luckey
"I am so thankful for the way that my professors made the effort to get to know me personally and began to actually care about my wellbeing not just as a student, but as a person."
Shaun Reid
"The SMU Economics Department gave me the opportunity to challenge myself and prepared me very well for life after college."
Tooba Faizan
"Throughout my experience at SMU, the Economics faculty played an integral role in ensuring students were adept with skills to become global leaders."