There are many schools in the United States that offer summer courses in economics and two of the more popular choices are Harvard University and Boston College. Both institutions have long, established reputations in quality academic learning and are frequented by both visiting foreign students and students from other universities cross-enrolling for the summer. These schools also offer courses that suit the schedules of working professionals looking to take part-time courses after office hours, so finding a suitable schedule is not hard.
Summer courses normally do not have strict admissions requirements. Most schools will only need the student to log on to the school's website, create an account and choose the specific classes that he wants to take for the summer. Some require the student to appear before before the admissions committee for an interview. Typical tuition fees for summer courses in economics that last up to four weeks are in excess of $2,000 so planning ahead is important.
On any given summer, schools like Harvard and Boston College can offer up to thirty economics courses. Choose one that fits your specific need. Typical offerings include introductory, intermediate and advanced courses on microeconomic or macroeconomic analysis, the economics for monetary and banking institutions and an in-depth look at labor markets. Other courses are on international corporate governance and the global financial crisis. More recent courses include environmental economics and health economics, which provide useful knowledge for currently growing trends in environmental awareness and healthy lifestyle choices.
Universities that offer short-term summer courses usually do not offer any scholarship. However, there are many organizations and corporate bodies that do. If your current employment is in the lines of finance and economics, you can request your employer to pay for the course. There are also organizations that offer grants to members of the underrepresented minority groups such as African-Americans and Hispanics. The American Economic Association has been offering a Summer Training and Minority Scholarship Program since 1974.