M.A. Analytical Political Economy

The MAPE differences:

• Courses everywhere: Our students develop their economics knowledge through rigorous graduate courses offered by the Economics and Political Science departments, but they do not stop there. They may enroll in advanced mathematics, statistics, and computer science courses that count toward MAPE requirements. Subject to advisor approval, practically all students branch farther out to take graduate classes in the Sanford School of Public Policy, the Fuqua School of Business, the Law School, the Nicholas School of the Environment, and the School of Medicine, among others.  
   
• Research opportunities: MAPE is designed to enhance research competence. Students take courses that require challenging research papers. In addition, Duke faculty regularly hire MAPE students to work as research assistants, enabling them to strengthen their applied skills and tools. The rigor of the MAPE curriculum is recognized not only by MAPE’s parent departments, Economics and Political Science, but also by other Duke units. Many of our recent students have held research positions in Duke’s public policy and business schools. Research assistantships are paid positions. They help students defray the costs of pursuing a MAPE degree.
   
• Teaching Assistant (TA) opportunities: Very few master’s programs give their students opportunities to work as a teaching assistant. We are different. Many of our master’s courses select their TAs from second-year cohorts of our master’s programs. Working as a TA enables students to deepen their learning of materials. It provides opportunities to develop leadership skills. Finally, it allows students who wish to enter a PhD program to signal their ability to communicate ideas clearly and compellingly. The last opportunity is especially valuable to international students. Like a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship is a paid position.
   
• Diversity of student interests: MAPE students share a passion for understanding the interactions between economics and political science. But their interests are quite varied. Some pursue research-intensive experiences; others explore internships. Some deepen their exposure to advanced economics; others broaden their knowledge of political science. Some choose courses that build theoretical capabilities; others are drawn to policy-oriented courses. MAPE supports all such paths. Subject to program requirements, students can develop their own interests. Because of this feature, the program is ideal for students who have not yet settled on a career path.
   
• Career vs. further education: Upon entering the program students are split roughly equally among those who are certain to go on to a PhD or other post-MA program; those who are certain to work in consulting, a think tank, government, or business; and those who are yet undecided. Toward completion of the MAPE program, roughly 40% decide to seek a post-MA degree, usually a PhD; and about 60% opt for a professional career outside of academia. MAPE values this diversity of goals. We believe in letting you discover the path that suits you best through the rich experiences provided by our program, including interactions with other students. Whatever goals you select, MAPE advisors and faculty will assist you in reaching them.   

30 credits in graduate economics and political science, or related areas, are required. They must include:

ECONOMICS: At least 12 credits in economics graduate courses selected from the subfields of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics, with no more than 6 credits in any one of the three sub-fields. The courses listed below are highly recommended, but others can be substituted with the approval of the program co-directors.

POLITICAL SCIENCE: At least 12 credits in core political science graduate courses, normally including POLSCI 745. The following courses are highly recommended, but others can be substituted with the approval of the program co-directors.

• Microeconomics
  • ECON 605 Advanced Microeconomic Analysis
  • ECON 601 Microeconomics 
  • ECON 701 Microeconomic Analysis I
  • ECON 705 Microeconomic Analysis II 
• Macroeconomics
  • ECON 505 International Trade and Policy
  • ECON 506 Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance
  • ECON 555 International Trade
  • ECON 602 Macroeconomic Theory
  • ECON 606 Advanced Macroeconomics I
  • ECON 652 Economic Growth
  • ECON 656S International Monetary Economics
  • ECON 702 Macroeconomic Analysis I
  • ECON 706 Macroeconomic Analysis II
• Econometrics
  •   ECON 608 Introduction to Econometrics
  •   ECON 612 Time Series Econometrics
  •   ECON 613 Applied Econometrics in Microeconomics
  •   ECON 703 Econometrics I 
  •   ECON 707 Econometrics II
• Political Science
  • POLSCI 522S Comparative Party Politics
  • POLSCI 538 Machine Learning and Text as Data
  • POLSCI 632 Computational Political Economy
  • POLSCI 644S The Political Economy of Inequality
  • POLSCI 645S Political Economy of Growth, Stabilization, and Distribution
  • POLSCI 646S The Politics of European Integration
  • POLSCI 705S Political Economy of Macroeconomics
  • POLSCI 715 Core in Political Institutions
  • POLSCI 725 Research in Chinese Politics
  • POLSCI 730 Formal Modeling in Political Science
  • POLSCI 745 Core in Political Economy
  • POLSCI 748 Causal Inference
  • POLSCI 762 The Political Economy of Institutions
• Every student must pass a qualifying exam in political economy. This exam tests for competence in core themes of the MAPE program, including microeconomic and macroeconomic policy. The exam is administered by the Department of Political Science at the end of the final semester of enrollment in the program. It is reviewed by the co-directors of the MAPE program as well as a third reader from the Political Science department.
• Every student must pass a final portfolio review conducted by the student’s committee. The portfolio provides a record of the student’s learning and research in the program. It must include the following items: final versions of all papers; slides from oral or written presentations; updated resume or CV that meets professional standards; transcript; account of career goals; and a self-evaluation of program performance. The portfolio review is administered by the Department of Economics. More information about the portfolio can be found on the Resources for Current Students website.
• Every student must participate in a the 4-hour Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training during orientation week and must take 1 RCR forum, which is a 2-hour course (either GS 711 or GS712).
• Every international student must meet the English Language Proficiency requirement.

Independent Study

Students may take up to 6 credits in independent study or research with faculty of the Department of Political Science and/or the Department of Economics. Interested students must inquire with the appropriate faculty. Typically, faculty will ask for a plan of inquiry not covered by existing courses. 

Program Length and Residency

Requirements of the program may be completed in either three or four semesters.

• Students planning to apply for doctoral studies are strongly advised to use all four semesters and plan their studies accordingly in consultation with the MAPE co-directors. They will meet qualifying exam and portfolio requirements toward the end of semester four. A student taking the political economy qualifying exam in semester four must be enrolled in at least one course and remain in residence during that semester. Any travel potentially in conflict with this requirement must be cleared in advance with a program co-director. 
• Students planning to complete the program in three semesters must plan their studies accordingly in consultation with the MAPE co-directors. They must also ask the program co-directors for permission to take the fall semester’s qualifying exam no later than October 1. Approval is contingent upon anticipated fulfillment of all other program requirements at the end of the fall semester.  

It is the policy of The Graduate School that undergraduate courses (499 or lower) do not count towards the MA degree or a student's GPA. Courses that are cross-listed as both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses count towards the MA degree and a student's GPA only if they have a separate, more rigorous syllabus for graduate students. It is the student's responsibility to verify that this is the case before enrolling in any cross-listed courses.

Mentoring relationships with faculty form an important element of the graduate education experience.  Mentoring is most important for students conducting research or other independent work. The Political Science and Economics Departments both have mentoring statements that are somewhat applicable, but these are largely aimed at PhD students. Nonetheless, you should review these statements for Economics and here for Political Science, as much of the commentary is highly appropriate and will not be repeated here.

Many mentoring interactions occur in the context of your own research as you go through the program and interact with course instructors and other faculty.

Given the limited length (3-4 semesters) of the MAPE program, the deep mentoring relationships that are formed during doctoral study are modified at the master’s level. However, an outstanding feature of the MAPE program relative to most if not all peer programs is that a substantial amount of structured mentoring exists.

A mentor works with you as you develop your individual goals and plan how to achieve them.  A mentor also evaluates your work and gives constructive feedback to help you focus intellectually and become more effective. Your primary mentors are, in order of importance:

• The MAPE Directors of Graduate Study (DGS) in Economics (currently, Timur Kuran) and Political Science (currently, Daniel Stegmueller), who serve as your academic advisors;
• Any faculty in Political Science and Economics for whom you are serving as a research assistant.

In addition, many MAPE alumni are willing to share with students their own experiences and give advice on career trajectories.

Completing the Graduate Program

You may view your graduate program as a sequence of steps or milestones in addition to coursework. Please refer to the program requirements for MAPE milestones.

Graduate Program Offices

The graduate program office (DGS office in Political Science; EcoTeach in Economics) is here to assist you as you progress through your program.  We handle various administrative details for you to manage your funding, receive credit for your work, and complete your degree. The office also manages an administrative process when you enter the program and when you apply to graduate, and also plays a role in courses, exams, internships, fellowships, and other matters.   A designated faculty member from each department serves as Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), and works with a staff assistant (DGSA) and Graduate Program Coordinators.

We ask you to help us help you. In particular, we expect you to know your degree requirements, plan ahead, follow our administrative instructions carefully, meet all relevant deadlines, and be responsive to our communications with you on your department email address.  In particular, students who get into trouble with meeting a degree requirement often say that they were unaware of what was expected of them, or that their advisor failed to push them to complete it.   It is your responsibility to know the requirements for your graduate program and to work with your advisor to meet them.

You should ask the DGS/EcoTeach office for help when you need it.  We can answer your questions and address situations that might arise.  If you feel that something is not going well or that you are blocked from your goals, then you should talk to us.  We will help make a plan to address the issue and connect you with other resources in the University as needed.

Your communications with the DGS/EcoTeach office are confidential, except that we are mandated to request help from a University office for certain equity issues and risks, such as situations involving harassment or a risk of violence.

In particular, you should contact the DGS/EcoTeach office to help you if you feel that you are treated unfairly or unprofessionally, that others are not meeting their responsibilities to you, that expectations set for you are unclear or unreasonable, or that you are encountering a hostile work environment or other unhealthy or unsafe conditions.  If you prefer, you may instead contact other offices or resources at Duke for help. For example, you may connect at any time certain Duke University resources for wellness or counseling, or the Office of Institutional Equity, or the Graduate School (TGS) or the Chairs of the Political Science and Economics departments. These offices and others publish web pages and other outreach to help you find them and understand what services and confidentiality they provide.

The Faculty

The Graduate School (TGS) outlines responsibilities of faculty members and students in mentoring roles and in all of their various roles and interactions.  That document also summarizes responsibilities of the graduate program and TGS, and a process for appeal of grievances to the Chair and Dean if the DGS is unable to resolve the situation. 

To summarize using language from that document, faculty are expected to: respect your interests/goals; assist you in pursuing/achieving them; provide clear expectations on your responsibilities as a student and expectations for the work you undertake with them; evaluate your progress and performance in a timely, regular, and constructive fashion; avoid assigning any duty or activity that is outside your interest or responsibility;  be fair, impartial, and professional in all dealings with you; avoid conflicts of interest; and ensure a collegial learning environment of mutual respect and collaboration.

Naturally, you share the faculty's responsibility by taking the lead for your own success, communicating your needs clearly, being appropriately professional, honorable, and respectful in your dealings with others,  and doing your part to promote a collegial and respectful learning environment for everyone.

In an academic environment, students and faculty are free to choose how to meet their goals and responsibilities to one another.  When you interact with faculty in any of their roles, you must be mindful that they balance their time spent with you against their other responsibilities, goals, and interests.  They choose how much of their time to allocate for you.  Their choices are based in part on the significance of their responsibilities to you in a specific role.  For example, your advisor for a research project may delegate some of their mentoring responsibility to guide your work and monitor your progress to other members of the research group.   Committee members may take a more or less active role depending on the nature of the project and milestone.

You in turn are responsible to make efficient use of the faculty time that you request, and to talk to the DGS office (in Political Science) or EcoTeach office (in Economics) if you feel that you are not getting sufficient attention.