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M.Sc. and Extended M.Sc. Requirements for Domestic Applicants

Thank you for your interest in our M.Sc. in Economics at Carleton University! 

The Department of Economics has recently announced that we are moving our current Master of Arts in Economics to a Master of Science in Economics to better reflect the mathematical, statistical, computational, and data science elements of our master’s program. 

We have updated our graduate school application and our Department of Economics website to reflect this change. The official Carleton University Graduate Calendar will not be updated until July 1, 2026. The changes to the programs listed below primarily involve the name change of the M.A. to the M.Sc. and the option to complete an elective course in economics, statistics, mathematics or data science. 

All other concentration and specialization requirements remain the same as listed in the current graduate calendar. 

The 5 core course requirements listed below are common to all our master’s programs:

Students may choose from one of the following program elements:

The following information (below) will assist you with: 

Admission Eligibility

Please note that the admissions committee does not review any qualifications without the receipt of a formal application but the information in this section will help you to self-assess your own academic background.

Students in Carleton’s undergraduate economics programs who are interested in pursuing our M.Sc. in Economics prepare by taking the courses listed below (PLEASE NOTE the prerequisites for each course). If these courses (or equivalents) have not been completed with minimum grades in the B+ range or higher or are not in progress by the time an M.Sc. application is submitted, the applicant may be required to complete or repeat any or all of the courses listed below which may be included in an offer of admission to Carleton’s Extended Masters of Science in Economics (EM.Sc.), providing the applicant is meeting the other admission criteria, including the B+ CGPA requirement, calculated using a student’s grades in their last 20 courses completed. 

Should you require further study in micro and/or macroeconomics at the intermediate level and/or introductory econometrics to qualify for the courses below, you may check Carleton’s Public Class Schedule for course availability.

If you need to further your studies from outside of Ottawa, the courses below are linked to our course syllabi for comparison. If you are not sure that the course(s) you want to take from another university meet our requirements, please send the syllabi to economics@carleton.ca for evaluation. 

The mathematics covered in Carleton’s ECON 3001: Mathematical Methods of Economics (or equivalent math such as MATH 2004 or MATH 2000) must be completed prior to admission to Carleton’s Extended M.Sc. in Economics.

Admission Criteria

To be considered for admission to our M.Sc. in Economics, students typically have completed the equivalent of a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree (four years) in Economics with an average overall grade of B+ (77-79%) or the minimum Carleton University equivalent Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 9.00 out of a maximum of 12.00.

Credits completed outside the degree will also be counted. The last 20 courses are identified simply by counting back in chronological order. Find out more about Carleton’s Grade Point System.

A grade of B+ (77-79%) or higher is also required in each area of advanced coursework in macroeconomics (ECON 4021), microeconomics (ECON 4020), and econometrics (ECON 4706).

As the M.Sc. program is automatically course-based, applicants do not need to secure a supervisor. If an applicant needs to list a supervisor for a scholarship application, they may list the M.Sc. Program Supervisor, Professor Maya Papineau. Once a student has completed their core course requirements with minimum grades of A- or higher, they may submit an application to complete the thesis option or a directed research course.

Program Length

Full or part-time status is established at the time of admission. Please note, students who apply to study part-time are not eligible for funding, awards or scholarships.

Application Information

How to Apply

Admission Documents

Application fees are determined by the central university administration and they do not grant fee waivers.

Official Transcripts

Offers of admission come with the condition to submit official copies of your transcripts and can often be the source of delay. Therefore, it is highly recommended that official transcripts are requested immediately after being offered admission. Transcripts may be either sent electronically (preferred) from the institution using a third party transcript company such as MyCreds, Parchment, and National Student ClearingHouse, to graduate.studies@carleton.ca or a hard copy by post in a sealed university envelope. Hard copies must be mailed directly to Carleton from the institution in a sealed official envelope. If possible, please ask the institution to ensure that your name and Carleton User ID is noted on the outside of the envelope. 

Official transcript(s) must indicate that your degree has been conferred. The mailing address is:
Graduate Admissions
512 Tory Building, Carleton University,
1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1S 5B6

Transcripts from Outside Canada

All offers of admission that require international transcript verification will be completed through the World Education Services (WES). The required WES report will be the ICAP Document-by-Document evaluation. This evaluation includes the verification of international transcripts, a copy of the verified transcript, and an assessment of the educational credential in Canadian terms. Please review your country specific document requirements for the WES ICAP prior to starting your application. Applicants should submit all post-secondary transcripts to WES for verification and evaluation. If you already have a WES evaluation (USA or Canada), you can add Graduate Studies at Carleton University as a document recipient.

For the purposes of the application, unofficial copies of your international transcript(s) or WES evaluation may be uploaded with your application documents. Unofficial transcript(s) must be in the original language and also include a certified translation to English.

Please note: Carleton University reserves the right to verify any documentation for accuracy. Verification may include contacting the institution that issued the document, contacting the Ministry of Education in the country concerned, contacting the appropriate Embassy or Consulate, consulting a certified government translator and/or requesting third party verification by an authorized educational service agency.

English Language Proficiency

Applicants whose first language is not English and who have studied (full-time, non-ESL) for the last three years in a university in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, or any other country in which the primary language is English and where the language of instruction in the relevant educational institution is English, may qualify to be exempt from submitting language scores and should complete the Confirmation of Language Proficiency form and upload it with their application documents. 

Applicants whose first language is not English and do not qualify for the exemption mentioned above, must satisfy the proof of language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

Please note: The scores above reflect that Carleton’s Department of Economics requires a higher level of understanding of the English language than is published in the Graduate Calendar Regulations.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for the M.A. Program. However, it is recommended that applicants with degrees from universities outside Canada (especially from very different university systems) take the GRE so as to enable a more accurate assessment of their backgrounds: GRE® Information and Registration Bulletin

Funding and Scholarships

Funding is offered upon admission and no additional application is needed.

There is no guarantee of funding upon admission.

Your chances of receiving financial assistance are greatest if your undergraduate degree is from a Canadian university and your undergraduate average (calculated using your last 20 completed courses) is A- or higher.

Domestic applicants may be offered a teaching assistantship valued at approximately $12,900 and/or a graduate scholarship between $2,000 and $5,000.

Funding offered at the point of admission may be combined with internal and/or external awards. Students are responsible for independently researching and applying for these awards.

For information about departmental donor-funded awards for current students, click on the button below.

[ADD BUTTON HERE: See Admissions Funding.]

Students studying full-time should plan to work no more than 10 hours a week to supplement their living expenses during the fall and winter semesters. Students are expected to attend every class to ensure academic success. Missing class or coursework may jeopardize degree completion. Students are required to maintain a minimum B- (70-72%) in all courses to continue in the program. 

Tuition Fees and Payment

Costs and Fees for Study at Carleton

If students are admitted to the Extended M.Sc. degree and require additional courses at the 4000-level, these requirements will extend the duration of the program by 1 term (half a year) to 2 terms (1 year) adding both time and cost.

Graduate students pay a flat fee for full-time or part-time studies which is determined at the time of admission. 
Students admitted with full-time status pay the same tuition regardless of whether they register in 2, 3, or 4 courses. Registration in more than four 5000-level courses per term is strongly discouraged. Students admitted with part-time status are permitted to register in a maximum of 2 courses per term.

Tuition Fee Information

Use the Fee Estimator here and input the following:

Term: Most recent fall/winter term available 
Level: Graduate
Year of Study: First Year
Full/Part Time: Full Time
Number of Courses: 1 (If your status is Full Time you can enter any number and the fee will remain the same.)
Residency: Select Ontario or Other Canadian
Program: Select “All other Masters Programs”
Include UPass Fee*: Yes
Include UHIP Fee: No

*The UPass provides access to public transit around Ottawa. Student parking on campus is extremely limited.

Then click ‘Estimate My Fees’. The number generated reflects the amount of tuition for ONE TERM ONLY. Use the total provided and multiply that by the number of terms required for your program to get an estimate of your entire cost.

Full-Time study:

Multiply by 2 if admitted directly to the M.Sc. in Economics, typically completing 4.0 credits (8 courses) over 2 terms (fall and winter).

Multiply by 3 or 4 if completing the Extended M.Sc. in Economics requiring up to 5 additional courses which may include ECON 4001, 4002, 4020, 4021 and 4706.***

***NOTE: The number of credits for students admitted with additional EM.Sc. course(s) at the 4000-level will be determined at the time of admission.

For information about fees for part-time students, please visit the Fee Estimator Guide.

The summer term (May to August) for our M.Sc. in Economics, including all concentrations and specializations, is considered a regularly scheduled break. Students maintain their full-time or part-time status (determined at the point of admission) in the summer term despite not registering in any courses. 

Dates and Deadlines

Incoming students should read through the following checklist before contacting campus offices with questions.

New Student Checklist

Public Class Schedule

Carleton University has a Senate-approved policy on academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Contact the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities

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