Masters in Economics

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ADMISSION PROCESS TIMELINE:

Application Opens: December 11, 2024
Last date for form admission: Jan 3, 2025
Entrance and Interview: Jan 4, 2025 (Saturday)
Admissions for selected students (First round): Jan 5, 2025 to Jan 15, 2025
Rolling admissions for vacant seats (if any) after first round of admission
Class starts: Third week of February

Overview of the Program

The Master’s in Economics (MECON) at Kathmandu University is a two-year graduate program that offers rigorous training in core economic theory and students with strong applied quantitative research skills. The program is designed to develop analytical tools for understanding and addressing a wide range of socio-economic issues globally, with particular emphasis on challenges relevant to the Nepali context. Through foundational courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics, students gain a deep theoretical grounding, while elective courses offer exposure to diverse applied fields such as environmental economics, energy economics, public policy, development economics, and international trade and finance. The curriculum includes hands-on research training, fieldwork, computer lab sessions, and a dissertation component, ensuring students are well-prepared for academic and professional careers. The program is inclusive of students from non-economics backgrounds and is delivered by a dedicated and accessible faculty, complemented by guest lectures from experts in academia, government, and development sectors.

 

Objectives of the Program

• Develop a strong foundation in core economic theories, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics.
• Provide exposure to a wide range of applied economics fields such as environmental economics, energy economics, public economics, and development economics.
• Offer opportunities to specialize in monetary economics, financial economics, international trade, and international finance.
• Build students’ research skills through a compulsory course in applied economic research focused on causal analysis, preparing them for dissertation.
• Make students capable of advance data analysis skills using software like R, Python, and STATA
• Foster critical reasoning and the ability to apply economic theories to real-world problems and professional settings.
• Prepare students for diverse career paths in academia, government, international organizations, and the private sector
• To provide an opportunity for students with undergraduate degrees in economics or related fields to prepare for a PhD in economics in Kathmandu University or other institutions

 

Program Highlights

• Inclusive and Rigorous Curriculum: Designed to build strong theoretical foundations while accommodating students from diverse academic backgrounds.
• Applied Focus: Covers a wide range of fields including environmental, energy, public, development, monetary, and international economics.
• Research-Driven: Emphasizes empirical analysis through a core research course and final-semester dissertation.
• Dedicated Faculty: Delivered by highly committed, accessible, and student-focused faculty members.
• Practical Exposure: Includes fieldwork, computer lab training, and guest lectures from experts in academia, government, and development agencies.

 

Career Prospects

Graduates of the Master’s in Economics program at Kathmandu University are equipped with strong analytical, quantitative, and research skills that prepare them for a wide range of professional and academic careers. With a solid foundation in economic theory and applied fields, along with practical research experience. Graduates are well-positioned to contribute effectively in both national and international settings across public, private, academic, and development sectors.

• PhD and Academic Research: Pursue doctoral studies in economics or related disciplines in Nepal and abroad.
• Government and Public Policy: Work in economic analysis, policy design, and program evaluation roles in government ministries and public institutions.
• Development Sector: Join national and international development agencies in roles related to policy research, monitoring and evaluation, and program implementation.
• Private Sector and Consulting: Work in economic consulting firms, financial institutions, or corporate strategy roles requiring data-driven decision-making.
• International Organizations: Engage with global institutions such as the UN, World Bank, or ADB in research, analysis, or policy advisory capacities.
• Think Tanks and Research Institutions: Contribute to evidence-based research and policy advocacy in independent or university-affiliated think tanks.

 

Teaching Methodology

• Approach: Lectures, seminars, problem solving, research, publication, real life problem solving, computation, lab work.
• Class sessions: Except dissertation and independent studies, all courses are of three credit hours. 48 hours student -faculty contact hours per credit. Three hours per week with the exception of intensive courses (2-3 weeks courses), field visits and lab sessions.
• Assessment system: In-semester and end-semester examinations, classwork and homework assignments, project and field works and presentations, publication quality term papers when applicable; publications.
• Evaluation scheme: In the Master’s in Economics program, student performance is evaluated by faculty through presentations, term papers, assignments, viva, and end-semester examinations. The weightage of these components varies by course, as determined by the instructor. A four-point letter grading system is used, with final grades based on scores from various evaluation segments at the end of each semester.

Course Structure

OUTLINE OF THE CURRICULUM

First Year First Semester
Courses with credits	Course Learning Outcomes
MECO 517 Mathematics for Economists (3)	Differential and integral calculus, linear algebra and optimization
MECO 518 Statistics for Economists (3)	Probability theory, distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, multivariate analysis
MECO 513 Economy of Nepal (3)	Nepal’s economic history and economic development, structural transformation in employment and production; development planning and policy
MECO 511 Microeconomics I (3)	Consumer preferences, constraints and optimization, demand functions; firm’s production function, cost function, cost minimization and profit maximization; factor markets; Market equilibrium in perfect competition and monopoly; Efficiency and equity; market failure
MECO 512 Macroeconomics I (3)	National income accounting, General equilibrium model, AD-AS model, Monetary policy: loss function and monetary rule, growth theories

 

First Year Second Semester
Course with credits	Course Learning Outcomes
MECO 521 Microeconomics II (3)	Game theoretical tools to study behavior in strategic settings; cooperative and non-cooperative games, games with imperfect information; games with incomplete information; firm behavior in oligopoly, duopoly with price and quantity competition, carteling; bargaining and contract theory
MECO 522 Macroeconomics II (3)	Balance of payment in general equilibrium, DGE models, fiscal policy, Long run economic growth
MECO 523 Development Economics I (3)	Concepts of development; comparative economic development; classical theories of economic growth and development; contemporary theories of development and underdevelopment; population and demography; poverty and inequality
MECO 524 Econometrics I (3)	Regression model specification, misspecification testing, identification, maximum likelihood estimation, casualty, DID estimation.
MECO 525 Public Economics (3)	Theory of welfare economics, efficiency and equity considerations of markets; market failure including public goods and externalities, public finance and the welfare and distributional impacts of taxation and other public policies

 

Second Year First Semester
Courses with credits	Course Learning Outcomes
MECO 616 Advance Economic Research (3)	Research paradigms and research methods implemented in economics. Prerequisite of scientific methods, types of relationships: causality and correlation. Students will learn about various experimental and non-experimental research designs.
Elective I (3)	The details of each elective is provided in the attached program proposal.
Elective II (3)
Elective III (3)
Elective IV (3)

 

Second Year Second Semester
Courses with credits	Course Learning Outcomes
MECO 621 Dissertation (6)	Students are required to write a dissertation equivalent to six credits.

 

Elective courses (3 credit each)*

Course Code	Course Name	Course code	Course Name
MECO 611	Labor Economics	MECO 623	Economics of Money and Banking
MECO 612	International Economics	MECO 624	Economic History
MECO 613	Monetary Economics	MECO 625	Economics and Law
MECO 614	Econometrics II	MECO 626	Project Appraisal
MECO 615	Financial Economics	MECO 627	Health Economics
MECO 616	Advance Economic Research	MECO 628	Energy Economics
MECO 617	Industrial Economics	MECO 629	Fiscal Federalism
MECO 618	Public Policy	MECO 631	Development Economics II
MECO 619	Environmental Economics	MECO 632	Experimental and Behavioral Economics
MECO 621	History of Economic Thought	MECO 633	Independent Study
MECO 622	Agriculture Economics

 

Admission Requirements and Process

Applicants must have an undergraduate or equivalent degree in any discipline from a recognized institution with a minimum aggregate of 45% or a CGPA of 2.0. Candidates awaiting final results may also apply for provisional admission. However, they must submit proof of having successfully completed their undergraduate degree within 15 days of the result publication for formal registration.

Student Support and Resources

• Student Welfare Council (SWC): Offers opportunities to collaborate with peers from economics and other departments through academic and extracurricular activities, including sports.
• Kathmandu University Economics Society (KUES): Brings together undergraduate and graduate students to organize events such as talks, seminars, and research-sharing sessions featuring alumni and guest speakers.
• The Economic Review: A student-led magazine under KUES where students can participate as authors, editors, or contributors.
• Library Access: Provides a wide collection of books, journals, and academic resources to support learning and research.
• Additional Resources: Computer labs and field visits to enhance hands-on learning and practical application of classroom knowledge.
• Research and Teaching Opportunities: Students may be offered roles as research assistants or tutors, depending on need and availability of resources.

 

Contact Details

Email: econ@kusoa.edu.np

Phone: +977-9701002621