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The Master of Arts in Economics will begin accepting applications for enrollment in Autumn 2026. Students interested in enrolling the MAE in 2025 should apply through the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences Economics Track; enrolling students will be given the option to transfer to the MAE.
The Master of Arts in Computational Social Science (Economics Track) is currently accepting applications for enrollment in Autumn 2025.
All applicants must apply using our online application system.
Application Deadlines
There are three application rounds:
- Early Action – November 14th
- Round 1 – January 7th
- Round 2 – June 2nd (International students requiring a University sponsored visa are strongly encouraged to submit by May 1st)
Application Requirements
All supporting material – including letters of recommendation, transcripts, supplemental material, and writing samples – must be submitted electronically with your online application. The Division of the Social Sciences allows for a short grace period of about one week for receipt of recommendations and required test scores. Materials that arrive more than a week after the deadline may place your application at a significant disadvantage.
The Admissions Committee evaluates all official transcripts of academic work, candidate statements and essays, letters of recommendation, performance on any required standardized test, and any special factors brought to its attention. The committee considers each application on the basis of all materials submitted and does not automatically eliminate applications based on grade point averages or test scores.
Current UChicago College students applying to the BA/MA: View BA/MA application requirements on the Division of the Social Sciences website.
Unofficial transcripts are required from all prior post-secondary institutions attended. Transcripts are not required for an institution if all grades are reflected on the transcript for a different school (for example, when a student has transferred or participated in study abroad).
To better assess the level of their prior training, candidates will be asked to upload syllabi and exam prompts (in English) for the most advanced economics coursework they have taken in econometrics, microeconomics, and macroeconomics.
Master of Arts in Economics (MAE)
Please provide a 1-page candidate statement that discusses your post-graduation plans and how the resources that the Master of Arts in Economics will make available to you will help you achieve them. You may want to discuss the coursework you would like to complete in the context of your career goals and your prior background.
If applying to the Research Intensive Track, please submit an additional 1 to 2 page statement that discusses the research plan you wish to develop while a student in the MAE program:
Provide a description of 1 or 2 research topics that you would like to pursue and explain how your prior research background supports them.
Place the research questions in context of the coursework that you plan to complete during your MAE year.
Provide the name of a member of the research faculty who you believe will be the ideal advisor and explain why.
Master of Arts in Computational Social Science (MACSS-Econ)
Your statement should cover 1) any specific research experience you have in the context of your plans for our program; 2) any specific professional experience you have that would benefit the program and that our program would help enhance; 3) your planned research in MACSS Economics, explaining in detail any paper or project plans you might already have in mind.
Master of Arts in Economics (MAE)
Please submit a 5-to-10-page class paper that demonstrates your ability to synthesize research.
If applying to the Research Intensive Track, please also submit a journal-length article that showcases your ability to conduct independent research. This article should, ideally, be an undergraduate thesis in Economics or the equivalent. It should include a literature review, a blend of modeling and empirical work, a clear identification strategy (if it is an applied economics article) and a discussion of the main results.
Master of Arts in Computational Social Science (MACSS-Econ)
A writing sample helps us understand your abilities to develop and answer a research question. Please provide a single-authored, double-spaced writing sample of no more than 30 pages. This writing should ideally showcase your ability to a) develop a research question, b) connect it to relevant social scientific literature, and c) answer that question using computational methods. More than one document may be uploaded, if two or three shorter papers will best show your research abilities.
Upload a current resume or CV that reflects your work experience, education, community service, professional honors, and any other relevant information.
Recommenders must submit letters through the online application. To submit your application, you must provide the names and contact information for three recommenders in the application portal. You can submit your application prior to the actual letters being received, but you must list the names and contact information for three recommenders in order to submit. We allow a grace period of one week for receipt of recommendation letters after our deadline; applications incomplete after that grace period may be at a disadvantage in the review process.
Guidance for who to select as a recommender, as well as best practices for requesting letters, can be found on the Division of the Social Sciences website.
We ask you to answer the following question in a few paragraphs: What are the most important challenges you have faced, as an individual, in your educational path to date? How have you tried to meet or overcome those challenges?
GRE scores are required for all applicants. Please submit scores to institution code 1832 (any department code is acceptable).
Applicants who do not qualify for a waiver of the University’s English proficiency requirement must submit official IELTS/TOEFL scores. Acceptable test variations, score requirements, and a detailed explanation of the waiver options can be found on the Division of the Social Sciences website.
A non-refundable application fee is required of all applicants. Application fee waivers are available; learn more about available application fee waivers on the Division of the Social Sciences website.