The M.S. program in applied economics and finance is a one-year program that provides analytical graduate training designed to prepare students for careers in business, international and domestic banking, consulting firms, government, and nonprofit organizations. The program combines core training in economic theory with meaningful applications that students are likely to face in their professional careers. Students have an option to choose one of three tracks: applied economics, finance or general emphasis. Compared to a typical M.A. in economics, our program has a more applied orientation. Compared to most M.B.A. programs, our program provides more training in economics, statistics, and econometrics. The curriculum stresses mastery of core principles in micro and macroeconomics and finance. In addition, each student learns how to solve practical problems and to communicate the results clearly. The emphasis of the program, and perhaps its greatest strength, is exposing students to cutting edge data analytics approaches, advanced econometric techniques, statistical and data analysis software packages (R, Stata, Python), and large-scale financial and microeconomic data sets throughout their coursework.

International students in the M.S. program are eligible to apply for optional practical training (OPT) through the Office of International Education. Our M.S. program in applied economics and finance is also eligible for the OPT STEM Extension. For more information please visit the International Scholar and Student Services website.

Past graduates of this program have gone on to successful careers in the private and public sectors with placements at a diverse range of companies and institutions, including tech giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google, Twitter; smaller tech firms such as ZipRecruiter, Zillow, Expedia; biotech and industrial companies including Genentech and Toyota; financial companies including traditional such as Bloomberg, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, new such as SoFi, as well as regional and foreign commercial banks; all of the "Big Four" accounting firms; and government and regulatory institutions such as Federal Reserve, the California Franchise Tax Board, State Bar of California, and local governments and agencies. Other graduates have gone on to earn Ph.D. degrees in economics.