Admissions

Admission Requirements

MA. Admission to the MA program requires a bachelor’s degree with evidence of scholastic distinction. Applicants to the program must be familiar with elementary calculus, elementary statistics and microeconomic theory at the intermediate undergraduate level.

MDE. The MDE program gives priority in admission to middle-level technical and professional personnel from all branches of government service whose current or future work involves development planning, policy analysis, applied economic research, or project development. While those who are officially nominated by their agencies are given preference, the program is also open to other qualified applicants from the private sector.

The applicant should (a) possess at least a bachelor’s degree, supported by a strong academic record; (b) have a minimum of two years’ experience in work related to development planning, policy analysis, applied economic research, or project development; (c) show adequate verbal and quantitative proficiency as reflected in a required admissions test; and (d) for government agency nominees, have regular appointment or be in line for such regular appointment. The Graduate Admissions Committee administers the aptitude and achievement test, interviews the applicants, and selects the successful nominees.

PhD. Admission to the PhD program would normally require the applicant to have completed the 24 units of course work in the MA (Economics) program with a weighted average grade of 1.5 or better.

Admission means that the Department considers it likely, on the basis of the student’s previous academic performance, that he would be able to undertake successfully the second year of course work and the comprehensive examination, and to produce an acceptable dissertation.

A student whose record is inadequate for the doctoral level is required to complete all requirements for the MA (Economics) degree before he/she can be considered for admission to the PhD program.

In exceptional cases, a highly qualified person who holds a master’s degree in economics from another institution may be admitted directly to the PhD program. In this event, he may be awarded credits of at most 18 units toward the unit requirement for the PhD degree.

Application Requirements

MA. The following documents must be submitted with the accomplished application form:

  • Transcript of Records on the courses taken by the applicant at the undergraduate and/or graduate level
  • Diploma or equivalent document certifying that the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s degree
  • For foreign applicants whose native language is not English, a certification of scores obtained in TOEFL with a minimum required score of 250 in the computer-based test
  • For foreign applicants without fellowship assistance, a certification from a reputable bank in their country about their capability to finance the travel, education, personal and other expenses they are expected to incur while studying in the Philippines.
  • A fee of P500 (or US$20) for the processing of application.

Shortlisted applicants to the Master of Arts in Economics program shall be required to take an entrance examination which is usually scheduled in March prior to the start of the academic year. Alternatively, they may submit their GRE or GMAT scores obtained in the last two years.  The interview for the shortlisted applicants is scheduled a few days after the entrance examination.

MDE. The following documents must be submitted with the accomplished application form:

  • Transcript of Records on the courses taken by the applicant at the undergraduate and/or graduate level
  • Diploma or equivalent document certifying that the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s degree
  • For foreign applicants whose native language is not English, a certification of scores obtained in TOEFL with a minimum required score of 250 in the computer-based test
  • For foreign applicants without fellowship assistance, a certification from a reputable bank in their country about their capability to finance the travel, education, personal and other expenses they are expected to incur while studying in the Philippines.
  • A fee of P500 (or US$20) for the processing of application.

Applicants are required to take an entrance examination which is usually scheduled in March prior to the start of the academic year. Interviews are scheduled a few days after the entrance examination.

For information about fellowships and financial aid, click here.