Overview

Why Study at Umass Amherst’s Department of Resource Economics?

Our department provides state-of-the-art training in empirical microeconomics and applied econometrics. We produce outstanding researchers and industry leaders in four fields of concentration:

  • Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
  • Empirical Industrial Organization
  • Experimental and Behavioral Economics
  • Health Economics

Our program offers Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. An accelerated 4+1 Master’s option is also available. Program information can be found here.

We take pride in the placement of our graduates. The Master's program prepares our students for careers in marketing, resource-based industries such as electric utilities and petroleum, government environmental policy positions, and economic consulting. Doctoral program graduates typically find employment in research positions in industry, academia, and government. Our department is classified as STEM, which allows international students to obtain a work permit (OPT) for up to three years after graduation.The placement information for our recent graduates can be found here. Job market candidates can be found here.

Our faculty members are involved in cutting-edge research projects that affect real change in the world. Much of the research work in the department is done collaboratively with graduate students. You may find the list of the recent publications by our faculty here.

Generous funding opportunity is available to successful applicants for both PhD and Master programs. PhD applicants are granted financial assistance in the form of a teaching or research assistantship for 5 years conditional on satisfactory progress. Master’s students may be offered acceptance with or without funding. More details about funding can be found here.

Our graduate program attracts students from all over the world. Our program strives for a talented and diverse class of students and faculty to enhance the experience of our teaching and research programs.

The Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts is a beautiful place to live with excellent social, cultural, and recreational amenities in a New England town and rural setting. The campus is 2 hours from Boston and 3 hours from New York City. The University is part of the 5-College Consortium system which provides local access to a wide range of cultural and academic events.

Feel free to navigate our website to learn more about the structure of our graduate program, as well as more information on the research our faculty and graduate students carry out.

Applications to the program are due on January 1st for fall admission. More about how to apply can be found here.

For further questions, interested students can contact our Graduate Program Director, Dr. Nathan Chan (GPD@resecon.umass.edu).

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