Overview 

The Department of Economics offers a suite of Graduate Certificates (GCs) designed to provide rigorous, graduate-level training in economics. 

Each Graduate Certificate comprises three graduate courses (12 units) drawn from the Applied Track of the Master of Economics (ME) curriculum. Courses are taught by Department faculty and are subject to the same academic standards, assessment processes, and quality assurance mechanisms as the ME programme. Completed GC courses may be stacked towards an ME degree, subject to University regulations and minimum grade requirements. 

The Graduate Certificates are intended for anyone who

• is seeking advanced training in economics to further their professional ambitions;

• wishes to strengthen their analytical and theoretical foundations in economics;

• would like to pursue a Master of Economics degree through a structured stacking pathway.

An undergraduate training in economics is helpful but not essential to be successful in this programme.

Programme Structure and Duration 

Academic Load: 12 units
Number of Courses per Graduate Certificate: 3 graduate-level courses
Number of Intakes per Year: 2 

Normal Candidature Period:  24 months (full-time); 36 months (part-time).

Courses follow the regular academic calendar and are conducted during standard semesters. 

To be awarded a Graduate Certificate, a student must successfully complete the three prescribed courses and attain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. All courses are assessed with the same academic rigour as those in the Master of Economics programme. 

Where permitted under University regulations, a required course may be repeated once if the minimum grade requirement is not met. No more than half of the unit requirement may be repeated. 

Admission Requirements  

Applicants should possess: 

• A good Bachelor’s degree (at least an average grade of B or equivalent) in economics or a related field (e.g., finance, accounting, mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, operations research, political science) and 

• Adequate preparation in quantitative methods. 

Applicants may also be considered if they hold: 

• A Bachelor’s degree and a relevant Graduate Certificate with a minimum GPA of 3.00, or 

• Other qualifications deemed acceptable by the Faculty. 

Where required, applicants may be asked to complete a placement test or demonstrate readiness for graduate-level coursework. 

Double Counting Between Graduate Certificates 

Courses completed for one Graduate Certificate may be counted towards another, provided the second certificate exceeds 8 units, and a maximum of 4 units may be double-counted.

This provision does not alter Master of Economics graduation requirements, which remain governed by the policies relevant to that programme.

Admission to the Master of Economics via Graduate Certificates 

In addition to the existing admission criteria for the Master of Economics (ME), applicants who have successfully completed any of the above Graduate Certificate programmes may be considered for admission to the ME programme. 

Admission conditions include: 

• Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate with a minimum course performance as specified by the Department; 

• Satisfaction of prevailing University admission requirements (including English language requirements where applicable)

Completion of a Graduate Certificate does not guarantee admission to the ME programme. Admission remains competitive and subject to Department approval. Where necessary, admitted students may be required to complete bridging courses if their Graduate Certificate pathway does not fully cover ME core theory requirements.

Upon admission to the ME programme, completed courses will count towards ME graduation requirements in accordance with the approved curriculum structure and University regulations.

Graduate Certificates