Skip to main content

Your Path Through the Program

This page traces the degree from arrival to completion and points you to the detail page for each stage.

Coursework​

Most student start the program in the fall semester but actually begin with ECO 740—an online math boot-camp course—in the summer term prior to their first semester and build out their required courses and electives from there.

See Courses for a list of required courses, their typical schedule, course paths, elective options, etc.

A tentative plan of study​

Early on, plan out your courses in advance to build a tentative plan of study and discuss it with the Graduate Coordinator. This is a working schedule, not yet the official form; the sample plans give you a starting point. Pre-approve your choice of electives with the Graduate Coordinator, particularly any non-economics courses, before you enroll in them.

The culminating experience​

Every student completes a culminating experience. By default you are in the Capstone Experience subtrack, completed in ECO 795. The Professional Paper and Internship options require the Graduate Coordinator's pre-approval, and the culminating experience need not be completed in your final semester (see Program Requirements).

Forms and paperwork​

The Plan of Study Parts I and II and the Culminating Experience Results Form are completed sequentially and must all be submitted and approved by the end of your last semester. The exact forms and their timing depend on your subtrack (see Forms).

Final semester and graduation​

In your final semester you submit the required forms and apply for graduation (see Graduating).

Graduate College references​

The Graduate College publishes program-wide milestone guidance. Because the QBE program has no thesis, only some of it applies to you.

  • Study Timeline — the Graduate College's master checklist of milestones from your first advisor meeting through degree conferral, naming the forms and timing rules for each. Their master's sequence is largely thesis-oriented.

    The items that apply to QBE* are the advisor meeting, the Plan of Study, the graduation application and the Culminating Experience Results Form. The advisory committee, prospectus, thesis defense, iThenticate, format-review and ProQuest steps do NOT apply, except that the Professional Paper track is the one QBE option that involves an advisory committee and prospectus.

  • Completing Your Program — a short hub that distinguishes graduating (fulfilling your academic requirements) from participating in Commencement (the ceremony), and routes you to the graduation application, the deadlines calendar and regalia information. Use it as a navigation hub; the specific requirements live on the pages it links.