M.A. (Population Dynamics Option Non-Thesis)

The Population Dynamics Option (PDO) is open to M.A. (non-thesis) students in Economics specializing in Population Dynamics. The purpose of this program is to provide graduate training in demographic methods (including life table analyses) and enhance students’ knowledge of critical population issues. As such, students will be required to take a course on demographic methods and a course in microeconomic methods relevant for population studies.

In addition, students will take one complementary course in Economics, which focuses on a particular population issue such as population health, migration, aging, family dynamics, and labour markets and skills acquisition. Students will attend at least five of the seminars given the Social Statistics and Population Dynamics Seminar series. Research topics must be related to population dynamics and approved by the PDO coordinating committee. Please visit their website for more information on the Population Dynamics Program 

The program requirements are:

  1. Successful completion of the following courses with a grade in each of at least a B- (65%)
    Required courses in Economic Theory (12 credits)
    • ECON 610 Microeconomic Theory 1
    • ECON 620 Macroeconomic Theory 1
    • ECON 661 Applied Time-Series and Forecasting
    • ECON 664 Applied Cross-Sectional Methods
    Required courses in  Microeconomic Methods and Demographic Methods (6 credits)
    • ECON 742 Empirical Microeconomics
    • SOCI 626 Demographic Methods
    9 additional credits of approved courses including ECON 665.
  2. The Research Paper must be on an approved topic related to population dynamics.
  3. The Non-Thesis program requirement is 45 credits (27 credits course work and 18 credits research paper). An average grade of B (70%) in approved courses is needed for graduation.
  4. Residency requirement for the M.A. degree: Three full-time terms of residency (at least 12 credits) one of which is the summer term. Students are expected to complete the M.A. Non-Thesis requirements in one calendar year.
  5. A student who fails (receives a grade less than 65%) one graduate course may be asked to withdraw from the M.A. program. The Department may allow the student to write a supplemental examination, re-take the course or, if the course is not a required course, substitute the failed course. A student with two failures in the graduate program (eg two separate courses; a course and its supplemental examination) must withdraw from the M.A. program.
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