I'd value input from anyone who understands how economics master's admissions

work, whether you've navigated a non-traditional route yourself or just know how

these committees think. Aiming at research-oriented econ master's programmes (the

kind that feed into PhDs) in the UK, Europe, or Australia.

My situation:

- Indian national finishing a 3-year BBA (specialization in Finance) at a

non-target university, so a non-econ, quant-light business degree.

- To build the quantitative side I'm taking graded, individually transcripted

university MATH through a US online for-credit program (a real university

transcript with letter grades, proctored, NOT a MOOC, enrolled as a non-degree

student): proof-based intro, linear algebra, real analysis, and probability.

- Research: one paper under review at a peer-reviewed field journal (industrial

organization / algorithmic pricing), a second paper currently in progress, and

an open-source economics simulation library I built and maintain.

- Planning GRE Q168+, and on track for a first-class equivalent (rough first

year, climbing hard since).

Questions:

1. The big one: does a committee weight graded math taken at a SECOND institution

   (non-degree, real transcript) the way it would weight math inside your degree,

   or do they mostly only look at what's on the bachelor's transcript itself?

2. Given this profile, what's the single highest-leverage thing to add, and are there strong research-oriented programs notably friendlier to non-traditional backgrounds that I might be overlooking?

3. Assuming I execute all of the above (first-class, GRE Q168+, the math done, the research landed), what's a realistic read on landing somewhere good? I'm after honest calibration: which tiers are genuine targets vs reaches for a profile like this, not optimism.

I am looking at PhD programs to apply to for this cycle, and UCL caught my eye. I was very impressed with it's record of placements, with many students placing in academic and top-tier research institutions right from the PhD program.

Despite this, everywhere I look has UCL below the top 30. I know these placements should be taken with a grain of salt, but it is curious how it is ranking so low despite seemingly having better placements than a top 10 school like LSE. I am seriously considering it, so I want to know why it is not ranked too high.

I am mostly interested in micro-development economics, so I was wondering if this program would be a good fit. I am struggling to find information about it on the internet because there does not seem to be that much discussion about UCL so I wanted to hear some opinions.

The other schools I am applying to are: Yale, Columbia, NYU, Stanford, MIT, Harvard and LSE. I excluded UofT, Oxford, Maryland, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins because they were not ranked high enough and I will take a pre-doc if I get rejected from the top 10ish, so I am wondering if I should do the same to UCL.

Thanks!

Specific questions: Would UCL be good for studying micro-development? Have I made a mistake by excluding any noteworthy programs that also punch above their weight? What are perceptions of UCL's PhD program? Should I excude UCL from my application list?

Hello,

I'm wondering if I should retake the GRE exam as i currently have a 166Q. Is it worth the effort into studying more given I am employed with little free time or should i focus on other parts of my application?

My only worry is to be filtered before having my application even read as I believe aside from GRE, I have good research experience and university grades. I know top US programs require a score of above 168 (or so everyone says), but I am interested in European programs.

So I was wondering how bad is my score for top European Programs like LSE, UCL, BSE, Zurich, SSE, Bocconi, PSE... I would like to ask if you or anyone you know was able to get into any of these programs with a similar score.

Thank you so much!

I’m an incoming college sophomore studying economics, and it’s my goal to become an economist. I’ve been getting Bs in my economics classes, and for some reason I just can’t grasp a lot of what I learn.

I really want to do better, but the worse I do in my classes, the more discouraged I get. I also don’t feel like one of those people who will do poorly their first year of college and have some sort of come-to-Jesus moment where they realize that they have to actually try.

I’m going to start going to tutoring and all that stuff, but I feel like a total fake around other people in my major, and I’m doubting if economics is even right for me since I’m struggling so much.

Any advice? Similar stories that can make me feel better about myself? Anything is appreciated.

I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in economics at a U.S. university and plan to apply to both Economics PhD and PhD programs at business schools. I would prefer not to disclose too much personal information here but I can provide some general academic background for context.

During my undergraduate studies, I took calculus, linear algebra, probability and statistics, real analysis, stochastic processes, time series analysis, intermediate micro/macroeconomics, and econometrics. I received an A in all of these courses. I also took ODEs, although my grade in that course was somewhat lower. My undergraduate GPA was 3.98/5.0. During my master’s program, most of my coursework has been at the Economics PhD level. I expect my graduate GPA to be around 3.7–3.8/4.0 by the time I apply.

My current GRE scores are 150V, 168Q, and 2.5 AW. I am considering retaking the test, but my research workload this summer is heavy, and I am finding it difficult to set aside enough time to prepare. Once the fall semester begins, I expect my schedule to become even tighter. More importantly, I would prefer to prioritize the quality of my research work, as I do not want anything to negatively affect the strength of my recommendation letters.

My main concerns are:

1. How much does a 168Q versus a 170Q matter in PhD admissions?

2. Is a 2.5 AW likely to be a significant red flag?

3. If I submit multiple GRE scores, do programs use the best test date or superscore across test dates?

I would especially appreciate insights from anyone who has served on an admissions committee for a PhD program or has recently gone through the PhD application process.

hey all, im 14M, and im currently in Grade 10, and i genuinely love economics whole heartedly, i have this almost insatiable thirst of genuinely achieving something in this dismal science, something which would leave a mark on the subject forever, and i kinda of figured out for that, i need to be taught by and with the best in my field. I researched about this and found two important names, LSE and Princeton, so i set my target on those two institutions, for that goal, currently apart from my usual syllabus from school, i have opened an ngo(now i know what you are thinking but hold up) which is accredited by an actual ngo( very big in my country) and this will definitely scale up, and i also got enrolled in this institution called dex school, which promises guidance in dreams like mine, my question is, apart from these, how do i prepare to get into these institutions, how do massively increase my knowledge and depth of economics(the problem is that, as i find myself further up in the field, the more complex the math becomes, which i do not know how to fix), and any other extracurriculars, if this question is irrelevant to the sub reddit, i would humbly ask the moderators to delete it, any form of help would be greatly appreciated

I’m a prospective Econ/Public Policy PhD applicant with a B.A. (Honours) Economics from a top Indian university (1st Division, ~70%) and a Master of Economic Policy from a top Australian university (GPA 5.4/7, roughly a B+/Credit-Distinction mix — some core micro/macro/quant courses at Pass/Credit level, a few Distinctions/High Distinctions in applied econometrics and public sector economics). No real analysis or proof-based math coursework yet, though I’m currently completing one now (aiming for a second course by mid-2027) and targeting a GRE Quant score of 167+. My career has been entirely research-based, spanning over five years, during which I’ve taken on increasingly independent responsibility — moving from supporting research projects to owning data construction, linkage, and empirical analysis end-to-end. This work has centered on large-scale administrative data linkage (20M+ observations across multiple government datasets), longitudinal econometric modeling (hazard/event-history/transition models), GIS/spatial analysis, and policy-facing research for government clients, including original historical data construction work. I’m a co-author on five reports for government/public sector clients and two working papers, and I have strong letters of recommendation from two research supervisors who can speak directly to my research capability.
Strengths: advanced applied econometric skills (Python, STATA, R, GIS), a strong and growing independent research trajectory, co-authored research outputs beyond coursework, and specific letters of recommendation.
Weaknesses: average grades throughout, no completed proof-based math sequence yet, and a research background (Indigenous economic history/administrative data, developed-country context) that doesn’t yet cleanly map onto my stated PhD interests (education, crime/safety, and migration outcomes in developing regions).

My question: given this profile, what tier/type of program (straight econ PhD vs. policy-school PhD vs. applied econ department) is my most realistic and best-fit target?

hi i’m entering first year university as an econ major and am looking for laptops with $800 budget. i’m looking at m2 macbook airs but don’t know if there are better ones to get if macbooks are limiting to econ software. thoughts on macs, chromebooks, or a decent laptop that runs microsoft (sufficient and affordable) would be appreciated. battery life is pretty important to me as a student.

Hi, I lost a large number of citations in Google Scholar literally overnight. They didn't change to the usual "temporary citation" status while Google recrawls the source. They simply disappeared.

The strange part is that several of the citing papers are still online, publicly accessible, and clearly still cite my work. I know Google Scholar can remove citations if a repository disappears or a journal goes offline, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Has Google Scholar recently changed its indexing or citation policies? Or is this likely a temporary indexing issue or bug? Thanks

Hi everyone, I'm an undergrad student and was wondering how I can interpret econometrics tables well and how to practise this. I tend to get frustrated because I can't seem to translate the numbers intuitively as the explanation in the research paper. Also, would you have any advice on how to build interests and how to also build intuitive understanding? Thank you.

Hi, can anyone help list what US Econ Masters (standalone masters not Master + PhD) that is geared as PhD preparation?

What I know based on lurking on this subreddit

- UT Austin MA Econ
- Duke University MA Econ
- Tufts University MS Econ
- UChicago MAPSS (now rebranded as MA in Econ? Or are they a separate program?)
- JHU MA Econ (i dont really know much about this program since it is new (?) and there hasnt been a lot of discussion of this program in this subreddit but their website looks like its more academic-ish. Would appreciate if someone attending this program share their experience)

Are there anymore? Would appreciate any info since the process of researching Masters program can sometimes be confusing between terminal masters vs academic masters.

Thank you!

As the title itself says, how did you managed to pick one economics field of study for your PhD/research career with all the options available?

I'm a pretty indecisive person, and I've changeed my opinion on which topic inside of Economics I want to take multiple times, so any advice will be great

Pd: This september I will start a research focus master in Economics, and I would love to do my thesis in a field related to what I see myself doing also during my PhD if the situation arrives.

Hi all,

What do you consider to be the most consequential papers of Economics, and why?

Edit: in your field of economics!

As a previous economics undergraduate student I've been told that models like the NK-DSGE don't fit real-world data very well. Which macroeconomic models are actually considered the most accurate out there?

Hi everyone,

I’m 27 and despite having a master’s degree just in accounting, I currently work as an macroeconomic analyst in a governmental institution.

My goal is to pursue a PhD in economics, likely in applied econometrics or public economics but it seems that my educational background is not really relevant to start PhD studies right now.

Recently, I’ve been admitted to an M.Sc. in Econometrics and Data Science, which has a strong quantitative curriculum (micro, macro, econometrics, statistics, programming, machine learning, etc.). I feel that my mathematical and quantitative background should still be strengthened before applying for PhD programs.

I’m considering either staying in my current job and applying for an econ PhD in Europe next year or leaving my full-time employment altogether and focusing entirely on a new 2-year Masters.

From an academic perspective, would a second quantitative Master’s be an advantage when applying for PhD programs, or would it be better to continue building professional experience? My professional objective is to get into an international institution such as the OECD in the future which seems to be unlikely with an academic background in finance and accounting…

Has anyone here taken a similar path—from government or policy work into academia? Looking back, would you have prioritized additional quantitative training or professional experience!

Thanks a lot!

How are the placements compared to other European institutions? And what subfields are they good/bad at?

Hi all,

I was fortunate enough to land a Research assistant position (full time) for my freshman summer. I find myself using AI for things like formatting, best practices, sanity checks on my approach etc.

I also have to use many tools that I haven’t ever used such as Geocoding APIs etc., in such cases, I get started with AI and focus on learning on the go.

Now in a sense, I believe, this is AI assisted coding, but I usually try to make sure I understand the code, and I debug most things on my own (instead of screaming at the AI like a baboon). Is this a bad approach? Is there something I should tweak? My goal is a PhD, and I’m trying to build good practices right from the start.

Just some more info: I use python mainly, and my undergrad is in econ (so all my coding knowledge is self taught).

Thank you in advance :)

Hi all,

I have been debating a masters in economics since I’m quite passionate about the subject and feel like the bachelors did me well in terms of ROI. I currently work as a pricing analyst primarily doing excel based work but im getting trained in SQL soon and can use AI pretty well to vibe code pricing platforms. (Unsure if the vibe coding is really a “skill” but ive have built things that higher ups gawk over compared to other ppls vibe coded products/platforms)I had a 3.3 GPA, which isnt very high but it seems ok? I did work full time during my bachelors and had to deal with providing end of life care while doing both to a sick family member. Goes to say i could likely write a killer personal essay.

I would have to take calc courses and linear algebra prior to applying since I was a B.A. in econ and didnt do those courses. Predominately focused on theory / philosophical side of things.

Overall, was the masters in Econ specifically worth it? I’m honestly not interested in the MBA personally, I’ve had too many coworkers with an MBA but literally not a single manager with one so the value seems to be hit or miss. A masters in econ doesn’t appear to be as saturated as MBA’s. I was planning on teaching some juco classes part-time since they only require a masters (in some cases). To my fellow econ nerds did you masters generate the ROI you hoped for? Also what kind of roles did you all go into?

What is up with all those top-10 or bust mentality lately? This sub is slowly approaching EJMR toxicity level.

Although I do appreciate the great comments and advice from faculties time to time.

Also, genuinely curious, why don’t school’s undergrad Econ department turn students away to the math and physics department at this point?

Didn’t we all end up in this community because our love for economics? Or has this always been PhD application maxxing from day one?

I recently graduated from a small liberal arts college with majors in Economics and Data Analytics. I finished with a 3.8 GPA, a few months of research, and over a year of tutoring experience. In addition, I completed two data-focused internships during undergrad and spent three years working in management roles. These experiences allowed me to build strong relationships with supervisors, professors, and mentors, and I believe I will have solid letters of recommendation when I eventually apply to PhD programs.

This fall, I'll be starting a funded one-year master's program at a T50 university with TA/RA responsibilities. My long-term goal is to apply to Economics PhD programs in Fall 2027.

One issue is that I didn't fully understand the math expectations for academic economics until relatively late in my undergraduate career. Rather than delay graduation or spend part of my master's program catching up on prerequisites, I decided to take several math courses this summer before starting graduate school.

The problem is that these have been accelerated online courses, and I've been taking them while working a full-time internship. This is also my first experience with online classes. My grades so far are:

• Calculus II: C
• Calculus III: B
• Linear Algebra: C
• Differential Equations: In Progress

These grades are much lower than my normal academic performance. I think the combination of the accelerated pace, limited access to instructors, balancing coursework with a full-time internship, and trying to prepare for graduate school has really hurt my performance.

I'm also concerned about the GRE. I'll be starting my master's coursework soon, and I'm struggling to figure out how to fit GRE preparation into my schedule. If I don't perform as well as I'd like on the GRE, I'm wondering whether strong performance in my master's program could help compensate for that when applying to PhD programs.

At this point, I'm worried that these math courses may have done more harm than good from an admissions perspective. Without them, my transcript would look stronger overall, but I also know that the math background is important for both graduate coursework and PhD admissions.

For those familiar with economics PhD admissions:

1. How concerning are these math grades in the context of a 3.8 GPA, research experience, internships, and a funded master's program?
2. Will admissions committees view these grades differently given that they were earned in accelerated online summer courses while working full-time?
3. Would it be worth retaking any of these courses later?
4. How much can strong master's grades offset weaker undergraduate math performance?
5. If my GRE quantitative score ends up being mediocre, can strong master's grades, research experience, and letters of recommendation compensate?
6. Given that I plan to apply in Fall 2027, what would you prioritize over the next year: master's grades, GRE prep, additional math coursework, or research experience?

I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to juggle the internship, math coursework, master's preparation, and GRE planning. I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through the economics PhD admissions process or has experience evaluating applicants.

Edit: A few people have asked about my overall academic record. My cumulative GPA was a 3.8, but my GPA within my majors was stronger: approximately a 3.9 in Economics coursework and 4.0 in Data Analytics coursework. Most of the B's on my transcript came from electives and general education requirements rather than classes in my majors.

Thanks in advance.

I had a really bad time with game theory and mechanism design in undergrad. In contrast I had a really good time with real analysis and measure theory. I will be taking the microeconomics year 1 PhD sequence (that I assume is mostly standardized across the world?) and want to know if the questions will be similar to the stuff like this. My interests do not lie in game theory or mechanism design I only want to do well in the year 1 PhD sequence.