This challenging 10-month, full-time master's degree program is recognized as a STEM degree, and is offered at the Washington, DC campus. The Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance (MIEF) positions early- to mid-career professionals to excel in rigorous economic and financial analysis roles. The curriculum prepares students to understand advanced economic theories, master professional quantitative economics and econometrics skills, and assess a wide range of international economic and financial scenarios. Students in this cohort-based program take courses together that increase in complexity throughout the year.
Economics knowledge, analytical abilities and the capacity to apply economic analysis to real-world problems give our students a distinct professional advantage. Whether students are interested in pursuing a career in international finance, public policy, economic development, or research, the MIEF program provides students with a firm grasp of the theory and tools of international economics and finance.
Students in the MIEF program are encouraged to work with career counselors in the Office of Global Careers and faculty in the International Economics department to explore career options, attend career treks, build professional networks, and improve professional skills.
Degree Requirements
Campus: Washington, DC
Credits: 56
Duration: 10 months, Full-time
Course delivery: In-person
Curriculum
The MIEF degree is conferred upon successfully completing fourteen courses totaling 56 credit hours. In designing their academic plan, students are required to take the core MIEF courses, but students also choose a combination of international economics electives.
The program requires fourteen core courses, including three quantitative methods courses, five economics electives, skills workshops, an applied research project and the capstone course. Students are required to have a minimum 2.67 cumulative GPA to graduate.
Coursework begins with a six-week summer term starting in mid-July, and follows the school's regular fall and spring semesters with the addition of a January intersession. The capstone course is completed during the spring semester.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | ||
| Summer (6 weeks) | ||
| Macroeconomics | 4 | |
| Microeconomics | 4 | |
| Quantitative Methods I: Basic Econometrics | 4 | |
| Fall (14 weeks) | ||
| Quantitative Methods II: Econometrics | 4 | |
| International Finance | 4 | |
| International Trade | 4 | |
| Economics Elective | 4 | |
| Economics Elective | 4 | |
| January Intersession (2 weeks) | ||
| Applied Research Project 1 | 2 | |
| Skills Workshop | 1 | |
| Skills Workshop | 1 | |
| Spring (14 weeks) | ||
| Select one of the following Quantitative Methods III courses: | 4 | |
Big Data Analytics (Data Mining) | ||
Cross-Sectional and Panel Data Econometrics | ||
Empirical Economic Forecasting and Modeling | ||
Macro and Financial Time Series Econometrics | ||
| Economics Elective | 4 | |
| Economics Elective | 4 | |
| Economics Elective | 4 | |
| Capstone | ||
| Policy research project | 4 | |
- 1
Applied Research Project begins in the fall semester and continues into the January intersession. Credits are earned at the end of January intersession.
Sample Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced International Macroeconomics | 4 | |
| Advanced Topics in Trade Theory | 4 | |
| Business Strategies for Global Financial Institutions | 4 | |
| Central Banking in Emerging Markets | 4 | |
| Cost-Benefit Analysis | 4 | |
| Credit Markets & Credit Risk | 4 | |
| Development Finance | 4 | |
| Economic Development | 4 | |
| Environmental Economics | 4 | |
| Financial Decision-Making | 4 | |
| Game Theory | 4 | |
| Global Risk Management and Valuation | 4 | |
| Impact Evaluation in Development | 4 | |
| International Economic Policy | 4 | |
| International Financial Markets | 4 | |
| International Financial Organizations: Institutions and Analytical Methods | 4 | |
| Investments: From Theory to Practice | 4 | |
| Project Finance | 4 | |
| Quantitative Global Economics | 4 | |
| Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing | 4 | |
| Sustainable Finance: Applications and Methods | 4 | |
| Topics in Growth and Development | 4 | |
Note: Course offerings subject to change
Intersession Skills Workshops
Students take two intersession skills workshops to expand their professional skills and knowledge related to careers in international economics. Past workshops have covered working with economic and statistical analysis tools such as EViews, MATLAB, PcGive, Python, R, and Stata, as well as address topics related to working in strategic consulting, investment banking, and business strategy roles.
Capstone Course
Students apply the knowledge, skills and tools they have learned in the MIEF program to address an international economics issue impacting the public, private or nonprofit sector. Examples of topics include current account sustainability, exchange rate exposure, investment case studies, studies on financial markets and growth and debt sustainability studies.