With more than 100 students in its graduate programs, enrolment in economics is growing in numbers and diversity, says professor Marcelo Arbex.

“We have been attracting students from all over the world,” says Dr. Arbex, economics graduate director. Besides Canada, master’s students have come from Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Suriname and United Arab Emirates.

The Master of Arts program offers traditional rigorous training in theory that prepares the students for doctoral study and work in non-academic sectors.

“Small class sizes give our students the opportunity to work closely, in and out of the classroom, with faculty members,” he says.

The second year of the new Master of Applied Economics Policy program has 42 students, with its inaugural class graduating this fall. Bridging theory and practice, it is intended primarily for those who want advanced training in economics to qualify for jobs requiring greater expertise than is provided by an undergraduate degree. It also suits those who wish to study economics as a complement to their work in another field — public health, natural resources, industrial relations or business.

Arbex says the department is also offering a new stream of courses that provide students majoring in other disciplines a non-technical approach to understanding issues in economics. Options include Life Choices and Economics, Games and Behaviour, Microeconomics for the Real World and Macroeconomics for the Real World.

“These exciting elective courses are designed to give students an intuitive way to master and apply concepts they will experience during their careers,” he says. “Economics is important beyond the classroom or lab setting.”

Find more information about the Department of Economics on its website.