This part of our site gives detailed information about the study program for people interested in studying in our masters program in Prague. The MAE is a Masters in Applied Economics program leading to excellent jobs in economics.

Apply now! Go to the Admissions page for instructions and the application form.

Please navigate on the left to specific topics about the program.

Students meeting with Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, who is a member of the CERGE-EI Executive and Supervisory Committee and visited CERGE-EI in October 2011 for our 20th anniversary celebration.

Who is the MAE program for?

Typically, and certainly in Economics, an American “MA” degree is on a higher level than Central and Eastern European “Masters” degrees. Therefore, the MAE graduate program in Economics can be appropriate both for Bachelors and Masters graduates from Central and Eastern Europe.

Students who have a Bachelors degree in Economics will be interested in continuing their education in a program that furthers their knowledge and dramatically improves their career prospects.

Students who have a Bachelors degree in a field other than Economics might be interested in changing their career path from what they studied for their Bachelors to a more interesting and lucrative career in Economics, Finance, or a related field.

Part of the attraction for all students is the American style of education and study in English, in addition to gaining an American degree in Applied Economics.

Some students might be interested in gaining a U.S. degree for a much lower tuition than is charged in the U.S. and to do so at a university in Prague.

Charter and accreditation

CERGE-EI, a New York state educational institution, has an absolute charter from the Board of Regents of the Education Department of the State of New York in the U.S.A. to conduct the MAE degree program. The MAE diploma is issued by CERGE-EI under the authority granted by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York in the U.S.A.

The CERGE-EI MAE degree and diploma is technically the same as a diploma/degree from any of the hundreds of USNY-approved universities and colleges. In the U.S.A. and worldwide, the degree and diploma from the CERGE-EI PhD/MA/MAE program will be recognized as a U.S. degree and diploma.

You can see the listing of the CERGE-EI MAE program on the New York State Board of Regents list of chartered programs at their web site (www.nysed.gov/COMS/RP090/IRPSL3?PROGCD=32146). CERGE-EI also has charters for its PhD and MA programs.

The New York State Education Department is part of the University of the State of New York (USNY), one of the most complete, interconnected systems of educational services in the United States.  The Board of Regents oversees and creates policy for all of USNY. The USNY organizational chart can be found at www.oms.nysed.gov/orgchart/.

A charter is comparable to “accreditation”. “Accreditation” is of course the more conventional term.

• Charter:A grant of authority or rights from a superior organization.
• Accreditation: One organization certifying the competency of another organization.

A “charter” is more reputable than “accreditation”, since a charter assumes a closer relationship between the “parent” and “child” organizations.

The charter that CERGE-EI holds from the Board of Regents of USNY  is “absolute” in that it is permanent. Originally we had a temporary charter and after five years were further approved to gain the absolute, or permanent, charter.

The “USNY” is not a university in the traditional sense, but rather the body that oversees all New York educational institutions. USNY is not SUNY, UNYP, CUNY, or NYU. However, the SUNY and CUNY universities and colleges are run under USNY’s oversight, just like the CERGE-EI MAE program is.

If you have any questions or concerns about our U.S. charter, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The MAE program currently does not have accreditation with the Czech government. It is only a U.S. degree program. We plan on applying for accreditation in the near future. In the meantime, we expect that it will be possible to “nostrify” your MAE diploma with a European university after graduation. The MAE program will have a standard method to get this nostrification by the time of graduation, and will guide you through the process.

Entrance to the CERGE-EI building in the center of Prague