Center for Economic Research & Graduate Education - Economics Institute

Program Facts

The graduate program in Economics consists of 5 required content courses, 3 required Applied English Skills courses, and 5 elective courses. Studying full-time, students finish the program in less than 12 months.

We conduct a Preparatory Semester to give more students a chance at succeeding in the MAE program. The Preparatory Semester prepares students for the rigorous American-style study in English that characterizes the MAE program. The Preparatory Semester is required for some students.

We also offer full faculty support if a student wishes to complete a thesis. Thesis work is in addition to the MAE program curriculum.

The MAE program is career-oriented as an applied program and it is also academically demanding. Graduates leave the program confident in the skills they have mastered through our careful attention to quality teaching.

For dates and deadlines for the upcoming or current year, see the MAE Academic Calendar.

 

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Nobel Laureate James Heckman giving a seminar at CERGE-EI

 

Course Schedule

Fall

Microeconomic Theory

Macroeconomic Theory

Quantitative Methods 1

Applied English Skills 1

Spring

Quantitative Methods 2

Elective 1

Elective 2

Elective 3

Applied English Skills 2

Summer

Elective 4

Elective 5

Project Seminar

Applied English Skills 3

 

Electives are chosen and designed to qualify each student for a particular Specialization. The exact electives offered each semester depends in part on enrollment and student interest.

 

Example weekly schedule of classes (Fall Semester)

 

Monday

10-10:30 Microeconomic Theory

13:30-15 Macroeconomic Theory

Tuesday

10-10:30 Applied English Skills

13:30-15 Quantitative Methods 1

15-16:30 Quantitative Methods 1 exercise session

Wednesday

10-10:30 Microeconomic Theory

13:30-15 Macroeconomic Theory

15-16:30 Macroeconomic Theory exercise session

Thursday

10-10:30 Applied English Skills

13:30-15 Quantitative Methods 1

15-16:30 Microeconomics exercise session

 

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One of our larger classrooms at CERGE-EI

 

Specializations and Electives

Below are some examples of the Specializations we can offer. A student won't always take all the electives listed under each Specialization and new Specializations can be created.  The specialization is in addition to the Masters of Applied Economics degree.

  • Specialization: Financial Economics
    • Financial Econometrics
    • Banking and Financial Markets
    • Corporate Finance
    • Asset Pricing
    • International Finance
  • Specialization: Public Policy
    • Applied Microeconometrics
    • Program Evaluation
    • Labor Market Economics
    • Environmental and Resource Economics
    • Health Economics
    • Education Economics
  • Specialization: Macroeconomics and Forecasting
    • Time Series Econometrics
    • Monetary Theory and Policy
    • Banking and Financial Markets
    • Economic Forecasting
  • Specialization: Corporate Economics
    • Law and Economics
    • Industrial Organization
    • Corporate Finance
    • Corporate Governance
    • International Finance
  • Specialization: Quantitative Methods
    • Applied Microeconometrics
    • Program Evaluation
    • Time Series Econometrics
    • Financial Econometrics

The list below is a selection of the possibile electives that might be available.

Financial Econometrics
Banking and Financial Markets
Corporate Finance
Asset Pricing
International Finance
Applied Microeconometrics
Program Evaluation
Human Capital and Labor Markets
Environmental and Resource Economics
Health Economics
Education Economics
Time Series Econometrics
Monetary Theory and Policy
Economic Forecasting
Law and Economics
Industrial Organization
Corporate Governance
International Finance
Housing and Real Estate
Development Economics
Law and Economics
Transition and European Integration
Central and Eastern European Economics

 

Fall Semester

The MAE degree economics graduate program starts with the Fall Semester.

All students take the same set of four courses during the Fall Semester. Students must attend all four of these courses at one time. This semester contains the basis of the Applied Economics degree.

The Fall Semester includes courses in Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and the first of a two-course Quantitative Methods series that teaches students important, practical, quantitative research skills.

Students also attend the first course in the three-course Applied English Skills series to both increase their general knowledge and ability in English and to better perform on high-level tasks in English associated with academic and professional communication.

 

Spring Semester

Students finish the two-part Quantitative Methods series and continue with the second Applied English Skills course in the Spring Semester. In addition, students enroll in three electives of their choice, usually directed towards a certain specialization.

Typically a wide variety of electives is offered each Spring Semester. However, the electives offered can vary from semester to semester. The offer also depends on student interest and enrollment.

Students can start part-time study in the Spring Semester if desired. However, because certain courses are offered only during certain semesters, students should think ahead about course selection when enrolling on a per-course basis.

For example, if a student decides to take only two electives in the Spring Semester, to complete the degree, the student will have to enroll in Quantitative Methods 2 and Applied English Skills 2, which are only offered in the Spring Semester. So that student would have to wait at least until the next Spring Semester to take these courses and finish the program.

 

Summer Semester

In the Summer Semester, the student takes another two electives. Required courses include the Project Seminar and the last of the Applied English Skills series. The student must produce a substantial written product by the end of the Project Semester. This written Project must be approved by the supervising professor and the Program Director.

Typically a wide variety of electives is offered each Summer Semester. However, the electives offered can vary from semester to semester. The offer also depends on student interest and enrollment.

Students can continue part-time study in the Summer Semester if desired. However, because certain courses are offered only during certain semesters, students should think ahead about course selection when enrolling on a per-course basis.

For example, if a student decides to take only two electives in the Summer Semester, to complete the degree, the student will have to enroll in the Project Seminar and Applied English Skills 3, which are only offered in the Summer Semester. So that student would have to wait until the next Summer Semester to take these courses and finish the program.

 

Part-time study

 

Students are required to attend the Fall Semester full-time. This means they must attend all four Fall Semester courses at one time in the Fall Semester.

After the Fall Semester, students can choose to take as many or as few courses as they want, as described above. Students can choose to take no courses during a semester. "Part-time" study means taking anything less than the full schedule of Spring or Summer Semester courses on the normal course schedule.

Studying part-time extends your time to graduation and it also complicates your course schedule. There is an administration fee charged each semester the student is not enrolled in any courses. All of the requirements for the degree must be completed within four years of enrollment.

 

Thesis

Completing a thesis is not required to gain the MAE degree, and normally is not part of the program. A student may choose to do a thesis if the student wants a more research-intensive degree program or if the student is afraid the degree will not be nostrified without a thesis.

The requirements and procedure for completing the thesis are agreed upon for each student’s individual needs. The student will need to have a faculty supervisor, and the Program Director has to approve the study plan.

The thesis is always completed after all other courses are finished. A student who completes a thesis still has to complete the Project Seminar and write the Project.

Students are not required to be resident in Prague when they are doing their theses. It is possible to graduate with the MAE degree and receive the diploma and complete the thesis after.

 

Graduation Requirements

The graduate economics program consists of 5 required content courses (including the Project Seminar), 3 required Applied English Skills courses, and 5 elective courses.

Students are required to pass all the required courses to gain the MAE degree. Courses are evaluated on the American letter-grade scale: A, B, C, D, F, with “+” or “–" possible for each grade except F. A passing grade is any grade except F.

Students must also pass all the courses within four calendar years from the start of the program in the Fall Semester. For example, if a student starts in September 2012, the student must pass all courses by the end of August 2016.

If a student fails a course, it is possible to make up the course to gain the necessary passing grade. Students must pay additional tuition for the make-up course. If a student fails an elective course, the student can replace that grade with a passing grade in another elective course for the purposes of graduation.

If a student does not follow the payment schedule, their student status will be terminated, and their possibility of completing the program and gaining the MAE degree will be canceled.

The Preparatory Semester is not part of the MAE degree program, so it is not included in the Graduation Requirements.
 

 

Preparatory Semester

The Preparatory Semester is not part of the MAE degree program, but it is closely linked to the MAE program.

The goal of the Preparatory Semester is to make sure all admitted students are prepared to succeed in the MAE program from the very beginning.

 

Preparatory Semester in Economics

Most applicants are required to complete the on-line Preparatory Semester in Economics. This course is on-line so the student can complete the course work from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. However, the student must be present in Prague for the final exam (entrance exam) in late August or early September.

For well-prepared students, this course will not take much time to complete. For less-prepared students, the Preparatory Semester in Economics helps students become more familiar with principles in Economics so that they can succeed in the MAE program.

 

Preparatory Semester in English

The Preparatory Semester in English helps students increase their language ability to prepare them for full-time study in English.

Students might be required to take the Preparatory Semester in English if they do not have a high-enough ability in English to successfully begin the program in September.

When offered in the in-person format, the Preparatory Semester in English is an intensive course where students will learn and use academic and professional English on a daily basis. It is not a course for beginners, but rather a course for intermediate or lower-intermediate students who need to improve their basic proficiency in order to start a graduate program entirely in English.

In-person assistance with the on-line Preparatory Semester in Economics is available to students attending the Preparatory Semester in English in Prague.

When the Preparatory Semester in English is offered on-line, it is less demanding and focuses on reading and writing skills.