Frequently Asked Questions about the MA Program

1. What is the typical profile of a successful applicant?

   Successful MA applicants have qualifications well above our minimum requirements. Most of them have the following characteristics:

   • average GPA in the last year of undergraduate studies above A-
   • average undergraduate CGPA above the mid-point between B+ and A-
   • advanced micro and macro theory courses with at least A-
   • advanced econometrics course(s) with at least A-
   • several courses on mathematics (e.g. calculus, linear algebra, real analysis,...) with high marks
   • high GRE scores (above 162 for the quantitative reasoning test and above 4 for the analytical writing test)
   • strong and informative letters of recommendation.

   Since we receive over 25 foreign MA applications for each available slot, we seldom admit a foreign applicant in our MA program who does not exceed all the items in this profile. (The grades mentioned above are expressed using the grading scheme at the University of Toronto. Grades from other schools will be converted taking into account both their grading scheme and the rigor in which it is applied.)
2. What makes the MA program attractive?

   • The MA program offers rigorous courses in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, econometrics, and a wide variety of fields, suitable as preparation both for research work in the private and public sectors and for doctoral study. Virtually all courses, including all core courses, are taught by full-time faculty members.
   • The Department of Economics at the University of Toronto is one of the top departments in Canada, and is highly ranked among departments across the globe.
   • The University of Toronto offers outstanding research facilities, including one of the top-rated research libraries in North America.
   • The university is located close to the center of Toronto, a vibrant city that is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world.
3. If I complete the MA program, will I be able to get into a good PhD program?

   Students who excel in our MA program can typically gain admission to excellent PhD programs.

4. Where do graduates of the program obtain jobs?

   Graduates of the program who take jobs rather than continuing to a PhD program typically take jobs in either government agencies (like the Bank of Canada, Stats Canada, the Competition Bureau, Finance Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Finance), financial corporations (like banks), or consulting firms. You can see a list of recent placement of our MA students at https://www.economics.utoronto.ca/index.php/index/graduate/maPlacement

5. Where do graduates who continue to a PhD subsequently study?

   Our graduates have gone on to PhD programs in Canada, the US, and elsewhere, including many of the very best programs worldwide. A few students each year continue to our own PhD program.

6. What are the criteria for admission?

   Please see our page on admission requirements.

7. What courses should I take to improve my chance of being admitted?

   We put most weight on your grades in rigorous courses in economic theory, econometrics (or statistics), and mathematics. You should take advanced (third and fourth year) undergraduate courses in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and econometrics (or statistics), and as many advanced mathematics courses as you can handle.

8. How much does tuition cost? Do you offer financial aid?

   Tuition fees for the university are given on this page. Funding in the form of admission awards, TAship or other, is available for competitive applicants. All students admitted to the program are eligible to apply for Teaching Assistantships; in recent years, all students have received such Assistantships.

9. Do I need to take the GRE?

   If you do not have a degree (undergraduate or graduate) from a Canadian university, you must take the GRE. If you do have a degree from a Canadian university, you are strongly encouraged to take the GRE, especially if your undergraduate degree is not from a university from which we get a large number of applications.

10. Do I need to take the TOEFL?

    Please see our page on English requirements.

11. Do you ever make exceptions to your rules about the GRE and English Language Tests?

    No, we never make any exceptions to any rule or deadline.

12. Do you accept late applications?

    No, we do not accept late applications, regardless of the reason for the lateness (and in particular, even if the lateness is due to circumstances outside your control). Given that unexpected events can occur (especially when you are trying to meet a deadline!), please set yourself a personal deadline a week or two before ours.

13. Can I take PhD level core courses to fulfill the MA core program requirements (MA micro, MA macro or MA econometrics)?

    Students with very strong analytical and quantitative background preparations may be permitted to fulfill core courses requirements by taking the corresponding PhD level core course sequences (ECO2020H and ECO2030H for microeconomics, ECO2021H and ECO2031H for macroeconomics, or ECO2400H and ECO2401H for econometrics). To make this substitution, the student will be required to take the PhD level ECO1011H (mathematics and statistics course), and must obtain written permission from the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to starting the mathematics and statistics course in August.

14. Do I need to take PhD level core courses in my MA program to apply for the PhD program in the future?

    No.

15. Is there a separate admission process for "doctoral stream" applicants who want to continue into a PhD program after their MA degree?

    No. However, within a week of your submitting the university's form you will receive an email message with a link to a supplementary application form. You can indicate there whether you plan to apply to a PhD program after you complete your MA degree.

16. Can more than two letters of recommendation be submitted for me?

    No.

17. If I send you my transcripts, will you be able to tell me whether I will be admitted?

    We can determine whether you will be admitted only after you submit a formal application. We cannot make any assessment based on your transcripts or other partial information.

18. Are applications from foreign students evaluated in the same way as applications from Canadian students?

    Yes, we use the same criteria to evaluate all applications. However, the university gives us quotas for the numbers of foreign and Canadian students we can admit, and the quota for the number of foreign students, as a fraction of the number of applications from foreign students, is much lower than the quota for the number of Canadian students as a fraction of the number of applications from Canadian students. As a result, foreign students who do not have very strong qualifications have no chance of admission.

19. I'm not sure if your program is the right one for me. Can I talk to someone about it?

    Your decision about whether our program is the right one for you depends on many factors that we cannot assess in a short conversation. The professors writing letters of recommendation for you are in a better position to give you this advice. We are very happy to answer specific questions about our program that are submitted on our contact page. If we believe that a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting would be helpful, we will let you know.

20. My grades are below your minimal requirements. What can I do to upgrade my skills?

    If, after obtaining a Bachelor's degree for which your grades are below our cutoff, you take advanced economics and math courses and do extremely well in them, we will count those courses when computing your average grade. However, please bear in mind two points. First, most students we admit have grades considerably above our minimum requirements; we reject many students whose average grades are above our cutoff. Second, if the average grade in your Bachelor's courses is below our cutoff, then our program is probably not right for you.

21. I have a three-year Bachelor's degree from a university in continental Europe. Does that degree satisfy your minimal requirements for admission?

    A three-year degree from a university in continental Europe does not satisfy our minimal requirements for admission. However, we encourage applications from students with such degrees. After a student with such a degree applies, we evaluate their academic record with all other applications. If we believe we should offer the student admission, the School of Graduate Studies reviews their academic preparation to determine if they are admissible. (We cannot provide any evaluation before an application is submitted.)

    (Please note that the UK is not part of continental Europe; a British three-year degree does satisfy our minimal requirements.)

22. Do I need to submit a Statement of Purpose or writing sample?

    No. Not only do you not need to submit them, but we do not accept them. We accept only the materials we explicitly ask for.

23. I am an undergraduate at U of T. Do I still need to provide you with an official transcript?

    You would still need to upload an unofficial electronic transcript in your application. If you did your degree at the University of Toronto and began your studies after the year 1998, we are able to retrieve your official transcript and there is no need to send an official copy. If you began your studies at the University of Toronto before 1998, please make arrangements to have your official transcript sent to us directly from your issuing institution.

24. When I sent my transcripts I forgot to include the information sheet. Is that a problem?

    No. We prefer to have the information sheet, but we can make do without it.

25. When I submitted my application, I mistakenly said that I would pay the application fee offline. What should I do?

    You cannot change the payment method once you have chosen it. After checking the box, you have 10 days to get your payment to SGS. It should be sent by courier to Support Services, School of Graduate Studies, Room 103, 63 St. George Street, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2Z9, Canada. (Tel: 416-946-3420; Fax: 416-946-0992)

26. When I uploaded my transcript during the application process, I uploaded the wrong file. What should I do?

    Please send an email to: gr.admission.economics@utoronto.ca and submit a message on our contact page and we will reset your application, so that you can upload a new file.

27. My referee doesn't have an institutional email address, as required on the application form. What should I do?

    We only accept institutional email addresses. We do not accept gmail, yahoo, or hotmail email addresses.

28. I didn't ask my referee in advance and now s/he says s/he would rather not submit a reference letter for me. Can I add a new referee?

    Submit a message on our contact page giving your name and the name and email address of the new referee. Once you have paid the application fee and your application has the status "Documents Pending", we will enter the new referee for you.

29. Do my references all need to be academic? Can some be professional? What are the repercussions? What if I can’t find an academic reference?

    Academic references are preferred. In their absence, please try to find references what can speak to your academic abilities.

30. How much is the application fee? Can it be waived? Can it be refunded?

    The application fee is $125. It cannot be waived. There are no scholarships for the application fee. The application fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.

31. Are applications for full-time and for part-time study considered in the same way?

    We use the same criteria to evaluate applications for both full-time and part-time study. However, we are currently very restricted in the number of part-time students we can admit.

32. If I apply to the Law and Economics combined program and am rejected by Law, is it still possible that I will be admitted to the general MA program?

    Yes.

33. Do you consider only the GPA in my final year, or the GPA for my entire undergraduate degree?

    We take into account all your grades. We are especially interested in the grades you obtained in economics courses---especially challenging ones---whenever you took them, but we also take into consideration your grades in other subjects.

34. Can you tell me the average GPA and GRE scores of applicants who are offered admission?

    No, we do not make that information available.

35. How long does the MA take to complete if it is taken part-time?

    As a part-time student, you may take either one or two courses per semester. Thus a part-time student normally takes between four and eight semesters to complete the degree. (The time limit for completing an MA as a part-time student is 6 years.)

36. Can I apply to take MA courses as a non-degree student?

    Yes. The application deadline is the same as the application deadline for our MA program. A non-degree student who is subsequently admitted to our MA program may ask for up to two semester-courses that s/he has passed as a non-degree student to be credited towards the MA. Such credit is subject to the approval of the both the department and the School of Graduate Studies.

37. My current transcript shows courses in progress. Should I submit another transcript when new grades become available?

    Yes. When new grades are available, please send us an email at: gr.admission.economics@utoronto.ca with your full legal name and applicant number.

38. I applied for this program previously. Can I re-apply without re-submitting my documents?

    No. You would need to submit a new application, resubmit your documents with it, and pay the application fee.

39. When will I know the decision of my application?

    The Admissions Committee normally starts to make first round offers from mid-March through early April and may continue with subsequent rounds of offers until June. All applicants will be notified either with an offer of admission or rejection of their application by the end of June.