Master of Economics
The Department of Economics offers a Master of Economics coursework programme with two tracks:
Career-Oriented Track (Applied Economics)
This track is for individuals who wish to become professional economists or economic consultants, or who wish to work for government agencies. It is designed for students who wish to apply economics to a wide range of challenging situations facing firms, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
Academic-Focused Track (Quantitative Economics).
This track is for students who wish to acquire more profound knowledge of advanced economic theory and analytical and quantitative methods. It prepares students for doctoral studies in economics and careers that require more rigorous training in advanced economic theory and analytical and quantitative skills.
*Applicants should declare their preferred track at the time of application, and also indicate whether they are willing to be considered for the other track. Students may only apply to transfer to the other track before commencement of their second semester, subject to review and approval by the Master of Economics Committee. The Master of Economics Committee will consider the students’ applications based on their academic performance. For example, the students on the AE track should have completed at least all core modules – EC5101, EC5102 & EC5103 before they submit the requests for a transfer to the QE track. No revert of track will be allowed once approved.
| Part Time | Full Time | |
| Normal Duration (in years) | Recent statistics show that in the past five years, about 50% of the full-time students completed the programme within one year and about 90% of the full-time students completed the programme within one and half year. | |
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Maximum Duration (in years) include the time allowed for approved study leave but may exclude periods of leave of absence subject to Faculty approval. |
4 | 3 |
| Minimum Workload (per semester) | 4 MCs | 12 MCs |
| Maximum Workload (per semester) | 12 MCs | 20 MCs |
*Please note that some classes for the Quantitative Economics track are offered on weekday daytime.
For module registration, please refer to here for more details.
The assessment for each module will be based on a combination of examination and continuous assessment (CA).
Examinations for coursework are usually held at the end of each semester of study. You are not permitted to repeat any module that you have taken previously and passed.
| First Semester | Second Consecutive Semester | Third Consecutive Semester | |
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To continue in a Master's programme, a student may not have
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CAP below 3.00 (but ≥2.50) Academic Warning |
CAP below 3.00 Academic Probation |
CAP below 3.00 Academic Dismissal |
|
CAP below 2.50 Academic Probation |
CAP below 2.50 Academic Dismissal |
Termination of candidature will result if a student fails to maintain the minimum CAP as stipulated.
Where a module is required for the graduate candidature and the minimum grade is not met, a student may repeat:
- the same module (core or elective) only once. The improved grade point of the repeated/replaced module will replace the weaker one in the CAP computation in the semester in which the successful attempt is made; and
- one‐third of the curricular requirements not exceeding three modules, whichever is lower.
Students are required to complete the following to be awarded Master of Economics (Applied Economics) or Master of Economics (Quantitative Economics):
- Complete and pass 40 MCs (10 modules).
- Obtain a minimum CAP of 3.00; and
- Where applicable, obtain satisfactory grades (at least grade C) in the graduate English modules conducted by the Centre for English Language Communication at intermediate level.
(International graduate students who are not native speakers and/or from non-English medium universities who take the Diagnostic English Test (DET) will, if not exempted from the programme, be channelled to the relevant level of the Graduate English Course, depending on their results. They must pass that level before being allowed to move on to the next. To find out more details, please click here for DET and here for Graduate English Modules)
The breakdown of the MCs to be completed is:
Graduate students are not required to apply for graduation in the system. The degree will be conferred automatically after fulfilling graduation requirements.
| Term | Date(s) on which degrees are conferred |
| Semester 1 | 31 January (end of Semester 1) |
| Semester 2 | 30 June (end of Semester 2) |
| Special Term Part 1 or Part 2 | 31 August (end of Special Term 2) |
For enquiries related to:
Academic transcript and degree scroll & collection, please refer to Registrar’s Office webpage for more details.
Commencement, please refer to Commencement website.
If you require further clarification, you may email to commencement@nus.edu.sg.
Important Note: University reserves the right to withhold the release of the exam results, academic transcript and degree scroll until all outstanding payments are cleared.
For students who are Conferred/Awarded or will be Conferred/Awarded their degrees, please refer to the Graduation webpage for more details on cancellation/surrender of your Student’s Pass (Under ‘Important Actions for Conferred/Awarded Students’).
For more information on Student’s Pass matters, please refer to the Office of Student Affairs’ website.
Full-time students are only allowed to work a maximum of 16 hours (paid or unpaid) a week during NUS term time, as they are expected to commit themselves to at least 40 hours of study per week.
However, the University strongly discourages full-time students from taking up employment during term time that might interfere with their studies. Students should note that commitments from employment will not be accepted as valid reasons for absence, uncompleted work, late submission of work, or poor performance, and may lead to exclusion from certain full-time programmes.
During the University’s vacation time, full-time students are allowed to work a maximum of 44 hours (paid or unpaid) per week.
For more details about NSWS, please click here - > Student Access -> select On- Campus / Off- Campus -> Policies, Pay Rates & User Guides.
*From August 2019 intake, "Master of Social Sciences (Applied Economics)" was renamed as "Master of Economics". Two specializations are offered in this programme: "Master of Economics (Applied Economics)" and "Master of Economics (Quantitative Economics)".