Program Description

Economics is a powerful tool for scholars and educational practitioners who wish to develop a better understanding of educational institutions and decisions. The program in Economics and Education at Teachers College was one of the first of its kind and has maintained its position of leadership in this rapidly growing field.

Graduates hold teaching positions in university and college faculties, and administrative or research positions in a variety of settings, including foundations, government departments, and international agencies. Increasingly, schools and universities are appointing economists with a special appreciation of educational goals and procedures to conduct institutional research. Some have gone into private business.

Students in the program develop an array of skills in the application of economic concepts and theory, in benefit-cost analysis and other evaluative procedures, and in the statistical treatment of mass data. Within broad college and university guidelines, students may pursue individually designed programs that satisfy their unique interests and career objectives.

With the help of an academic advisor, students select courses from those offered within the program of economics and education and supplement these with courses outside the department, including courses offered in other schools of Columbia University.

Master of Arts

The objective of the 32-point Program in Economics and Education is to equip educational professionals and policy-makers with the skills required for the effective design and implementation of educational policy. The program has a strong emphasis on the financial, managerial, and developmental challenges facing educational institutions in developing countries and economies in transition.

The program can be completed within one year and is highly focused to accommodate the demands of promising professionals and policy-makers. The course of study is designed to convey the lessons of educa-tional research and practice as well as management science through the intensive study of actual educational policy successes and failures. The curriculum of the program assumes that students possess some measure of intellectual maturity and exposure to the problems of educational policy-making.

Currently, a limited number of scholarships are available through the Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program. For information about the program, call the Program Coordinator.

Master of Education
This 60-point program is intended for individuals interested in the applications and practices in the economics of education. The program is flexible and is designed by the student, under the guidance of the academic advisor.

Doctor of Philosophy
This 75-point program is intended for individuals who want to acquire advanced training in the theory, methods, and practices in the economics of education. It is a selective program to prepare individuals for leadership roles in teaching, research, or administrative settings.

The coursework for this program consists of three parts: core courses, courses in research methods, and courses in a specialized area of study. The available specialized areas include: education and economic development, education and transition to work, economics of higher education, educational finance, economic evaluation and cost analysis in education, economics of urban and minority education, economics of educational technology, teachers labor markets, and others.