2023 Best Online Master's Degrees in Economics

Liberty University (LU) is a private, Evangelical institution based in Virginia that offers an online Master of Business Administration - Economics focusing on traditional micro and macro policies and how trade policies are affected by global economic trends. This is a 45-credit program that generally takes full-time students two years to complete. Students may transfer previously earned credits into this program, up to 50% of the degree total.

LU's distance learners access the Canvas learning management system to participate in classes. Online economics courses include Global Economic Environment, Money and Captial Markets, Microeconomic Theory, and International Economics. Students also learn how to use statistical analytical software.

Potential students should note that LU is not an LGBT-friendly institution. According to its 2022-2023 Student Code, "statements and behaviors that are associated with LGBT lifestyle are prohibited."

Southern New Hampshire University Online (SNHU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Applied Economics that helps students build skills in data collecting and processing, building advanced economic models, formulating hypotheses, and presenting findings. Graduating requires completing 36 credits, taking some full-time students as few as 15 months. Potential jobs that graduates may pursue include budget analysts, financial analysts, and market research analysts.

SNHU uses Brightspace to deliver its online curriculum. Applied economics distance learners take courses such as Game Theory and Industrial Organization, Applied Econometrics, Mathematics and Statistics for Economics, and Microeconomics Theory and Analysis. This coursework culminates in a capstone project.

Prestigious Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Applied Economics with four focus areas: (1) applied macroeconomics, (2) applied microeconomics, (3) financial economics, and (4) quantitative methods. Full-time students can finish this 30-credit program in as little as a year. Students can also earn complementary credentials along with their degrees, such as an MBA or certificates in investments and financial management, which can save time. They may also complete an optional culminating experience — a thesis — as an additional course.

JHU administers its online programming through the digital platform Canvas. Depending on the focus area, online graduate-level financial economics courses may include Monetary Economics, Political Economy, Economics of Derivatives, and Bayesian Economics.

Alternatively, JHU offers an online Master of Science in Financial Economics.

Pennsylvania State University (PSU, also known as Penn State) is a public institution offering an online Master of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development that allows students to learn by applying knowledge and experiences to actual issues real communities face. Graduating requires 30 credits, which takes full-time students about two years and finishes with a culminating experience. Students can earn a Community and Economic Development graduate certificate while completing their degrees online.

PSU uses Canvas to deliver online coursework and instruction. Distance learners in the online master's degree in community and economic development choose classes, such as Topics in Economic Development, Resilient Communities and Environments, Principles and Practice of Planning, and Entrepreneurship in the Community. PSU graduates with this master's degree are eligible to pursue jobs as advocates, organizers, volunteers, and publicly appointed servants in a variety of spaces, ranging from neighborhood development to refugee support.

Northeastern University Global Network (NEUGN) in Boston is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Commerce and Economic Development, a STEM-designated graduate degree. It includes concentrations in economic analysis, economic entrepreneurship, data analytics, and financial economics. Students must complete 45 quarter credits (30 semester credits) to graduate, which may be done in as little as a year of full-time attendance. Students with a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification will receive ten credit hours of transfer credits, saving them time and money.

Canvas is the learning management system NEUGN uses for online curriculum delivery. Depending on the concentration, courses in the online master's program in commerce and economic development include Open Economy Macroeconomic Analysis, Economics of Human Capital, Predictive Analytics, and Managerial Finance. Alumni work in both the public and private sectors in the fields of international trade and economic development.

The University of Missouri (MU, also known as Mizzou) in Columbia is a public institution offering an online Master of Arts in Economics focusing on globalization and big data usage. This 30-credit program takes two years to complete on average, with students generally taking one or two classes per term.

MU delivers its online curriculum to distance learners via Canvas. Those enrolled in the online master's degree program in economics take elective courses such as Economics of International Trade, Public Economics, Public Budgeting and Taxation, and The Banking System and the Money Market. Career prospects include data scientist, quantitative modeling analyst, energy markets manager, and economic development incentive specialist.

Chicago School of Professional Psychology Online (TCSPP Online) is a private, nonprofit institution offering a unique online Master of Arts in Behavioral Economics that explores consumer, social, cognitive, and consulting psychology along with human decision-making, negotiation, and marketing. Students complete approximately 30 credits, which takes two years of full-time study, culminating in an applied research project.

Canvas is the learning management system that TCSPP uses to deliver its online programming globally. Online graduate-level behavioral economics courses include Consumer Motivation, Choice Architecture, Fundamentals of Behavioral Economics, and Brain and Behavior. Potential careers include policy advising, market research analysis, behavioral finance, and consulting.

Purdue University - Main Campus (PU) in West Lafayette is one of 15 campuses in the Purdue University system located throughout the state. It offers an online Master of Science in Economics through the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business (formerly known as the Krannert School of Management). Specializations include business and data analytics, financial economics, and public economics and policy. Graduating requires 30 credits and generally takes two years with a full-time commitment. Graduate candidates usually have 3-5 years of work experience when entering the program.

PU uses Brightspace to deliver online coursework and instruction to its distance learners. Depending on the specialization, students in the online master's degree program in economics take courses such as Statistical and Machine Learning, Financial Econometrics, Personnel Economics, and Wage Discrimination.

The Midwest's Emporia State University (ESU) in Kansas is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Informatics - Quantitative Economics focusing on transforming raw data into decision-making information. This 36-credit, STEM-focused graduate degree program takes two years if attending full time. Potential careers include legal informatics (legal documents analysts, case management consultants, and legal investigators), market research, account management, and competitive intelligence (knowledge management officers and sales force analysts). Students can choose a thesis or practicum/internship to finish the program.

ESU uses Canvas to deliver its online curriculum to distance learners. Online quantitative economics courses include Economics of Crime, Health Economics, Labor Economics, Industrial Organization, and Statistics in SAS. Some potential career choices for graduates include market researchers, account managers, research economists, and case management consultants, to name a few options.

West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) is a Hispanic-serving, public institution in the suburbs of Amarillo offering an online Master of Science in Finance and Economics for graduate candidates interested or already working in finance institutions or departments, community service occupations, economic and financial consulting, and academia. This program may also be ideal for students interested in pursuing law school. Graduating requires a minimum of 36 credits, generally taking two years of full-time enrollment.

WTAMU uses Canvas for online coursework and instruction delivery. Distance learners choose one course in each study area, including corporate governance, asset valuation, corporate finance, international business, and quantitative analysis. These courses may include Advanced Business Forecasting, Multinational Finance, Financial Management of Health Care, and Problems in Government Finance and Fiscal Policy. The goal for graduates with an online master's in finance and economics is often to pursue a career in business, including the global business environment.

Located near our nation's capital, George Mason University (GMU) in Fairfax, Virginia, is a public institution offering an online Master of Arts in Economics focusing on economic theory through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The curriculum fuses the scholarship of public choice, Austrian, and experimental economics. Students must complete 30 credits and an economics capstone. Full-time students can finish in two years. Students are expected to complete at least one semester of calculus and statistics and intermediate micro and macroeconomics courses before enrollment.

GMU delivers its online coursework and instruction via Blackboard. Online graduate-level economics courses include Gender Economics, Casual Inference in Economics, Comparative Economic Systems, and Market Process Theory. Those who earn GMU's master's in economics are eligible to pursue careers as actuaries, senior consultants, statisticians, and economist analysts.

Georgia Southern University (GSU) in Statesboro is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Applied Economics (MSAE), providing a foundation in business and policy-making processes through the Parker College of Business. Graduating requires completing 30 credits and taking approximately two years of full-time enrollment. Prerequisite courses include statistics, calculus, and micro and macroeconomics. Students can also earn an online graduate certificate in applied economics and transition into the MSAE program. GSU accepts up to six transfer credits from other graduate-level Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited programs.

Georgia Southern delivers online coursework and instruction via Folio. MSAE distance learners take courses such as International Economics, Economic Forecasting, Health Economics, and Behavioral Economics.

Grand Fork's University of North Dakota (UND) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Applied Economics & Predictive Analytics for graduate candidates seeking data analytics, data consulting, and forecasting careers. This 30-credit STEM-designated program takes full-time students approximately two years. Students can access live recordings of seminars through the Korus Seminar Series in Economics & Finance. They will also have the chance to conduct research through the Institute of Policy and Business Analytics.

UND delivers its online coursework and instruction to distance learners via Blackboard. Online MSAEPA courses include International Money and Finance, Quantitative Methods for Impact Evaluation and Causal Inference, Demographic Methods for Economists, and Econometrics.

West Virginia University (WVU) is a public institution in Morgantown offering an online Master of Science in Economics that helps students become high level quantitative economists in areas of expertise, such as public finance, health economics, and regional economics. Students must complete 30 credits, which those attending full-time can do in as little as a year. WVU offers a military discount for veterans and military students.

WVU uses eCampus to deliver its online curriculum to distance learners. Online graduate-level economics students engage in courses such as Data Management, Health Economics Theory and Practice, Economics of Labor, and Public Economics Theory and Practice. This online master's program culminates in a three-credit practicum.

Located in the heart of our nation's capital, American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., is a private, nonprofit, United Methodist-faith-based institution offering an online Master of Arts in Economics with a specialization in Applied Economics that balances foundational economic theory with quantitative and analytical application. Individuals attending full-time may finish this online advanced degree in 20 months.

AU provides distance learners Canvas access to participate in classes and receive instruction. Its online master's degree program in economics includes courses such as Labor Economics, Survey of Economic Development, Public Economics, and Financial Stability and Growth. Students will also be able to learn Stata, a state-of-the-art statistical software tool unique to the industry.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNC Greensboro) is one of several campuses in the state's public university system. It has an online Master of Arts in Applied Economics instructed by PhD-holding faculty members who previously taught at many of the Ivy Leagues and other prestigious universities, like Stanford and Johns Hopkins. The Bryan School of Business and Economics offers this online graduate degree. Full-time students can complete this 30-credit program in as few as three semesters.

UNC Greensboro's online students use Canvas to access online curriculum. Those enrolled in the online master's degree program in applied economics take courses such as Empirical Health Economics, Times Series and Forecasting, Predictive Data Mining, and Introduction to Cost Effectiveness. The curriculum also includes an optional internship.

SUNY Empire State College (SUNY Empire) is a public institution in Upstate New York offering an online Master of Arts in Community and Economic Development, integrating the development of social capital and community capacity with a community's economic growth. This is a 30-credit program that full-time students can complete in about two years and culminates in a professional project. Students can also incorporate a graduate certificate into the program to earn an additional credential.

SUNY Empire uses Moodle to deliver coursework and instruction to distance learners. The online master's degree program in community and economic development includes courses such as Overview of Social Entrepreneurship, Economics of Poverty & Discrimination, Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility, and Population Land Use & Municipal Finance. Graduates may find work in the field of economic and community development.

Massachusett's Endicott College (EC) in Beverly is a private, nonprofit institution offering a unique online Master of Business Administration in Maritime Economics that focuses on ocean sciences, maritime regulatory environment, port and shipping operations, and waterfront planning. Graduating requires 36 credits, which may be done in less than two years of full-time enrollment. EC courses last six weeks, and there are eight start times annually.

Canvas is EC's digital learning platform for online content delivery. Online maritime economics distance learners take the following concentration courses: Ocean Sciences, Maritime Regulatory Environment, Port and Shipping Operation, and Waterfront Planning. Graduates may pursue managerial roles, from managing a nonprofit organization to leading advertising and marketing campaigns in the field.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy that focuses on global drug policy, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmacy management. This non-thesis program is intended for part-time students, many of whom work in the field and seek career advancement. It requires completing 36 credits, which students may finish in two years.

MCPHS administers its online instruction through Blackboard. Online pharmaceutical economics and policy courses include Comparative Pharmaceutical Healthcare Systems, Regression Analysis in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, Market Access Pricing & Reimbursement, and Introduction to Health Economics and Outcomes Research. The program ends with a capstone project.

Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello is a public institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Economics. This allows master's students to target their studies based on their interests and goals. Graduating requires completing approximately 48 credits, though courses may be waived for students who have completed equivalent work as part of their undergraduate studies. It takes full-time students two years on average to graduate.

ISU uses Moodle to deliver online coursework and instruction. Online MBA distance learners choosing the economics emphasis take courses such as Accounting for Governmental and Not-for-Profit Entities, Managerial Control Systems and Corporate Responsibility, Fraud Examination, and Legal Environment of Accounting, depending on online availability. Potential careers students may strive for in this program largely depends on the emphasis chosen, which includes operations management, informatics marketing, accounting, economics, finance, and more.

As an undenominational faith-based institution of higher learning, Colorado Christian University (CCU) offers an online Master of Science in Economics focusing on economic development through a biblical worldview to help care for the least advantaged. Students must complete 30 credits, which some may do in as few as 15 months. Courses last between five and seven weeks and are taken one at a time.

CCU provides online learners with Blackboard access to participate in class and complete assignments. The curriculum for the online master's degree program in economics includes courses such as International Trade and Globalization, Econometrics, International Finance, and International Political Economy. The program culminates in a capstone.

Similarly, CCU offers an online Master of Business Administration - Economics for those who desire a greater emphasis on the business side of things.

Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) in Philadelphia is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Applied Health Economics and Outcomes Research with two tracks: the (2) Industry Track helps prepare students to manage industry research, and the (2) Research Track trains students on how to conduct research. It's designed to be completed in two years due to its accelerated format, even though students only take one course at a time. This online master's degree program consists of ten courses and a capstone project.

TJU distance learners access online programming via Canvas. Depending on the track, graduate students enrolled in the online AHEOR program participate in courses such as Economics of Health Insurance, Subjective Outcomes in Health Evaluation, Epidemiology for Outcomes Research, and Fundamentals of Data Wrangling. The careers of TJU alumni are largely dependent on which track they chose.

Laramie's University of Wyoming (UW) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Services Administration - Health Economics & Outcomes for students interested in career advancement in health institution leadership. While most coursework is completed online, two on-campus intensives are required during the first and last semesters. Students complete 30 credits to graduate, which takes about two years if they attend full time.

UW's online students use Canvas to access distance learning. Online students participating in the health economics and outcomes track take courses such as Empirical Analysis for Health Services Administration, Intro to Biopharmaceutical Marketing and Production, Prescription Drug Costs, and Patient Reported Outcomes. This degree program often leads students to engage in the healthcare sectors, especially senior managerial and planning roles.

The Midwest's Wright State University - Main Campus (WSU) in Dayton, Ohio, is a public institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Business Economics through the Raj Soin College of Business. It helps prepare students with a cross-functional understanding of the business environment and global marketplace opportunities. Graduating requires completing between 33-46.5 credits (11 - 16 courses), which may be achieved in two years of full-time attendance.

WSU uses Pilot — powered by Brightspace — as its software for online program delivery. Online MBA students take courses in the business economics concentration, such as Econometrics and its Applications, Problems in Economic Development, Comparative Capitalist Institutions, and Economics of Innovation.

Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is a public institution in New Jersey offering an online Master of Public Service Leadership - Community and Economic Development to help students prepare for public service careers and job advancement in government agencies, nonprofits, and philanthropic and nongovernmental organizations. Students complete 36 credits, which typically takes two years of full-time study. This online graduate-level program culminates in a public service capstone project.

TESU delivers its online curriculum via Moodle. The online community and economic development program courses include Leading Strategic Change in Public Service, Program Analysis and Evaluation, Community and Economic Development and Leadership, and Practical Grant Writing. This program helps prepare students for careers in public service across a wide array of sectors, including government agencies, nonprofits, and nongovernmental organizations.

Located in historical and multicultural New Orleans, Tulane University (TU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Public Administration - Economic Development through the School of Professional Advancement. Graduating requires 36 credits and takes approximately two years if attending full time. While this program is online, students must complete a residency in New Orleans. Students with less than three years of relevant work experience must complete experiential, site-based learning.

TU uses Canvas for online curriculum delivery to distance learners. Those enrolled in the online MPA program take courses such as Elements of Economic Development, Economic Development Challenges and Civic Resilience, Economic Development and Urban Transformation, and Social Equity and Economic Development. The curriculum prepares students for public leadership positions, such as public finance managers, public affairs specialists, and corporate responsibility managers.

Kentucky's Murray State University (MSU) is one of several campuses in the state's public university system. It offers an online Master of Science in Economic Development that introduces students to issues in city and urban planning, demography, economics, infrastructure, and political science to help them learn to create innovative solutions. Thirty credits are required to graduate. Courses are 7.5 weeks long so full-time students can finish in a year. Students may be able to waive credits for relevant work experience. An online Master of Science in Agriculture - Agribusiness Economics is also offered for students interested in economics specific to this industry.

As with many universities, MSU uses Canvas to deliver online coursework and instruction. Online economic development graduate classes include Cost-Benefit Analysis, Economic Impact Analysis, Economic Development Methods, and Economic Development Data Analytics. Students also complete directed study and an internship.

Western Illinois University (WIU) in Macomb is a public institution with an online Master of Business Administration - Economics for students with business and non-business backgrounds. Graduating requires 33 credits, generally taking two years of full-time status. However, some students may be required to complete prerequisites based on undergraduate coursework.

WIU delivers its online program content asynchronously via Brightspace. However, some courses may be taught as livestreams that can be accessed as schedules allow. Online MBA students in the economics concentration choose from courses such as Game Theory, Energy Economics, International Monetary Economics, and Small Community Development.

South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Economics through the Ness School of Management and Economics. Concentrations include Agricultural Business, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Business Economics, and General Economics. Students choose between two options: Option A is worth 30 credits and requires a thesis, while Option B is 32 credits and requires a research/design paper.

SDSU utilizes the Desire2Learn (D2L) LMS for online curriculum delivery. Distance learners use D2L to access online graduate-level economics courses, including Bioenergy Economics/Sustainability, Labor Law and Economics, Resource and Environmental Economics, and Investment Science. This online coursework helps prepare master's graduates for careers as a food and agribusiness analyst, commodity market analyst, and even a wealth and investment manager, among others.

An online accelerated master's program is also offered for undergrads who have completed at least 60 credits of undergraduate coursework.

Roman Catholic University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) is a private institution offering an online Master of Arts in Economics grounded in the liberal arts and ideal for progression to a doctoral program as well as career advancement in the international sector of the economy. Graduating requires 30 credits, generally taking full-time students two years and culminating in a thesis. UDM's online master's degree in economics costs almost 50% less than its on-campus equivalent.

Blackboard is LMS UDM uses. Students in the online master's degree program in economics take courses such as Theory of International Trade, Economic Development, Economics of the Public Sector, and Money and Capital Markets. This well-rounded curriculum helps prepare students for jobs as business managers, economists, policy advisors, and more.

Additionally, an online Master of Arts in Financial Economics is also offered.