Levy Economics Institute of Bard College Announces Launch Of 3+2 Program Leading To Master Of Science Degree in Economic Theory and Policy

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — In fall 2015, the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College will launch a 3+2 program that will enable qualified and highly motivated Bard undergraduate students in economics or a related field to obtain in five years an accelerated bachelor of arts degree and master of science degree in economic theory and policy, along with extensive research experience. The 3+2 M.S. program will prepare students to pursue careers in public and private sectors as analysts, researchers, and consultants, and provide them with advanced knowledge, course work, and research experience to succeed as Ph.D. candidates.

The Master of Science in Economic Theory and Policy is a two-year degree program designed to meet the needs of economics undergraduates interested in graduate-level research. Course work is devised to equip students with the theoretical knowledge of economics as well as skill in practical research applications using advanced software tools such as STATA, SAS, and Eviews. Students will also be able to attend the various conferences that the Levy Institute hosts as both educational and networking opportunities to meet future employers and/or faculty and researchers from other universities. Bard students interested in the new 3+2 M.S. program should apply in their junior year. Completion of Bard distribution requirements, successful Moderation into a program of study, and approval from their undergraduate adviser is required to qualify. Interested students should inquire as soon as possible to ensure they meet all requirements. Qualified non-Bard undergraduates wishing to take advantage of the 3+2 option may transfer into the program prior to their junior year. Students who have received an undergraduate degree from another institution may apply directly to the master’s degree program. In keeping with the academic structure and rigor of Bard College, the M.S. program will remain highly selective, with a small student-to-faculty ratio.

The application deadline for fall 2015 is January 15. For more information on the Levy Economics Institute Master of Science in Economic Theory and Policy 3+2 program, including program requirements, course schedules, faculty, and scholarships, visit www.bard.edu/levyms; contact [email protected]; or phone 845-758-7776.

Levy Economics Institute Master of Science in Economic Theory and Policy

Designed to meet the preprofessional needs of undergraduates in economics and related fields, the Levy Institute’s innovative master of science degree program in economic theory and policy draws on the expertise of select Bard College faculty and the scholars of the Levy Economics Institute, an economic policy research institute with more than 25 years of public policy research experience. Headed by Levy Institute Senior Scholar and Program Director Jan Kregel, the M.S. curriculum emphasizes empirical and policy analysis through specialization in one of five Levy Institute research areas: macroeconomic theory, policy, and modeling; monetary policy and financial structure; distribution of income, wealth, and well-being; gender equality and time poverty; and employment and labor markets. During the two-year M.S. program, students are required to participate in a graduate research practicum carried out by Levy Institute scholars and faculty. While students may concentrate on individual specializations, the program’s core empirical competencies offer them a strong understanding of economic and policy models at both the macro and micro levels, with direct application to a broad range of career directions. This approach is particularly relevant in international settings, such as NGOs, government agencies, multinational firms, and global agencies such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and World Bank.

Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

The research and policy work of Levy Institute scholars spans a broad range of issue areas, featuring distinctive strengths in macroeconomic theory and policy analysis and the development and exploration of alternative measures of economic well-being and poverty, with applications for international comparisons and developed/developing world policy study. Their work also provides students with a unique focus on investigating the roots of financial crises and the reshaping of the financial regulatory structure. The Institute has already adapted some of its research to the classroom through its intensive summer seminar, an annual program thematically centered on the groundbreaking research of the late Levy Distinguished Scholars Hyman P. Minsky (financial fragility and financial structure) and Wynne Godley (stock-flow consistent macromodeling). The Institute also engages in research partnerships and collaborates with outside policy-making organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme and the International Labour Organization, offering students in the M.S. degree program an opportunity to be immersed in an environment in which leading scholars confront pressing economic problems at both the theoretical and policy levels.

The Levy Institute’s main research and conference facility, located on the Bard College campus, includes a library of 10,000-plus print volumes dedicated to economics, finance, and policy—a collection specifically suited to the areas of specialization in the M.S. program—as well as the collected papers of Minsky and Godley. The Institute also subscribes to more than 10,000 journals, with the great majority available online, and to proprietary international financial statistics. All of the Institute’s own research publications are available on its website, www.levyinstitute.org. Graduate students also have access to software packages with dedicated servers, including STATA, SAS, and EViews, offering computing power and speed.

Bard College

Founded in 1860, Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, is an independent, nonsectarian, residential, coeducational college offering a four-year B.A. program in the liberal arts and sciences and a five-year B.A./B.S. degree in economics and finance. The Bard College Conservatory of Music offers a five-year program in which students pursue a dual degree—a B.Music and a B.A. in a field other than music—and offers an M.Music in vocal arts and in conducting. Bard also bestows an M.Music degree at Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bard and its affiliated institutions also grant the following degrees: A.A. at Bard High School Early College, a public school with campuses in New York City, Cleveland, and Newark, New Jersey; A.A. and B.A. at Bard College at Simon’s Rock: The Early College, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and through the Bard Prison Initiative at six correctional institutions in New York State; M.A. in curatorial studies, M.S. in economic theory and policy, and M.S. in environmental policy and in climate science and policy at the Annandale campus; M.F.A. and M.A.T., at multiple campuses; M.B.A. in sustainability in New York City; and M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in the decorative arts, design history, and material culture at the Bard Graduate Center in Manhattan. Internationally, Bard confers dual B.A. degrees at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, Russia (Smolny College), and American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan; and dual B.A. and M.A.T. degrees at Al-Quds University in the West Bank. The M.A.T. and environmental policy/climate science M.S. programs also offer 3+2 options.

Bard offers nearly 50 academic programs in four divisions. Total enrollment for Bard College and its affiliates is approximately 5,000 students. The undergraduate college has an enrollment of more than 1,900 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. For more information about Bard College, visit www.bard.edu.

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(1.12.15)

This event was last updated on 01-12-2015

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