According to Education Portal's website, economics masters programs across the country require a student to have a bachelors degree in a related field such as finance, economics or business before an application will be considered. Additionally schools require a score on the Graduation Record Exams of greater than 1,000 with high marks on the quantitative and analytical portions, three letters or recommendation and even a few years of experience in the field of economics. These requirements are in place to ensure that students applying for advanced degrees have a sincere commitment to the field and have shown the potential for greater successes.
Program curriculum in economics at the graduate level can be highly tailored to suit a student's individual goals of study. A masters in economics at The New School emphasizes a student's analytical skills amidst an array of discipline concentrations such as urban economics, finance, classic political economy, development economics and others. A graduate student's relationship with faculty is much more personal than at the undergraduate level as graduates will often be involved in teaching lower level courses or conducting research under faculty supervision. This allows a graduate student to gain insight into his specific area of study that would not otherwise be available.
Thanks to the development of the internet, students are now able to complete coursework in either a traditional residency setting or through online attendance. Schools such as Kaplan University offer a master's degree in economics that students may complete solely online allowing them the flexibility to schedule classes around work and other necessities of a full working life. Online education represents only a small portion of the economics field and students can find a wide variety of universities that require traditional classroom attendance.