MA & MAEP Frequently Asked Questions

Prospective applicants who lack some background in the discipline they wish to enter should consult the Undergraduate Calendar with regard to Continuing Student status. A continuing student is a university graduate who is not currently enrolled in a degree program, but who wishes to take one or more undergraduate classes. View more information.

At McMaster, a Continuing Student is defined as a graduate from an undergraduate program, who wishes to take more undergraduate courses, either out of general interest or to upgrade or obtain courses required for future applications to graduate studies or other professional programs. To be eligible to take courses as a Continuing Student you will be expected to have an undergraduate university degree and at least a C average, with no failures, in your final year’s work (or the equivalent, in the case of a degree taken through part-time studies), and academic records which are satisfactory to the Department and the Office of the Associate Dean of the appropriate Faculty.

*Please Note: not all courses are available to Continuing students and course prerequisites for selected courses must be met. Also note that admission as a Continuing student does not guarantee registration in courses of interest to the student. More information about this can be found here.

While the Department of Economics offers courses in many related interdisciplinary fields that you can take while pursuing your MA and MAEP, we do not offer specialized degrees. With such a large variety of course options available, you will likely find courses that suit your interests.

No, a GRE exam is not required for any of the graduate programs in the Department.

Offers of admission are normally sent out mid-March to mid-May.

Yes, part-time study is often available for our programs. The permissible time is 5 years from the initial registration. However, please note that most courses are taught between working hours (very few courses are available in the evenings) and generally no financial aid is available to part-time students.

No.

Yes, you can, however if you are accepted into the program, you will be asked to provide an up-to-date, official transcript and proof of graduation.

Once you are accepted into the program, you will be asked to provide an official transcript, sent directly from the issuing institution in a signed and sealed envelope or via email to econgrd@mcmaster.ca.

We will review your application only when your documents are complete. We strongly recommend you check your application portal periodically to make sure there are no pending recommendation letters needed.? We will send email reminders to both you and your referees to submit the letters as soon as possible.

Applications will not be reviewed until they are complete and all official documentation has been received by the Department.

The Department of Economics does not postpone or carry forward applications.

While reference letters can be used to supplement referee information, all referees will also be asked to complete a form online and may include questions specific to individual graduate programs.

The Department of Economics does not pre-screen potential applicants.

Official documentation must be sent by the Institution via a signed/sealed envelope to the address below. Alternately, Universities can send the official transcript via PDF to our email address econgrd@mcmaster.ca.

Graduate Program
Department of Economics (KTH-426)
McMaster University
1280 Main St. W.
Hamilton, ON L8S 4M4