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MA Requirements for International Applicants

Thank you for your interest in our MA Economics at Carleton University! 

The deadline for applying for winter 2026 admission was August 1, 2025.

The deadline for applying for fall 2026 admission will be February 1, 2026.

Please note that we cannot review qualifications without the receipt of a formal application. However, the information below may assist you in assessing your own academic background based on our admission criteria.

Typically, Canadian undergraduate programs in economics place a greater emphasis on advanced microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, mathematical economics, and econometrics than do most programs outside Canada. If you believe the courses you took as an undergraduate are equivalent or very similar to Canadian undergraduate courses, the best thing to do is to provide us with the course syllabi. This information can be used to evaluate the courses. Syllabi can be uploaded with your application or emailed directly to me. 

Students in Carleton’s undergraduate economics programs who are interested in pursuing our MA in Economics prepare by taking the courses listed below (NOTE the course prerequisites). If these courses (or equivalents from your university) have not been completed with minimum grades in the B+ range or higher or are not in progress by the time an MA 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 in Economics (EMA), 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 economics at the intermediate level or even introductory statistics and econometrics to qualify for the courses below, please check Carleton’s Public Class Schedule for course availability.

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 masters (EMA).

Admission Criteria

To be considered for admission to our M.A. in Economics, typically students must 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.

Country-Specific Grade Point Requirements

The GPA is calculated using the applicant’s last 20 courses completed, based on most courses being completed in one semester or worth 0.5 credits. 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.A. 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 MA Program Supervisor, Professor Maya Papineau. Once a student has completed their core course requirements, they may submit an application to complete the thesis option or a directed research course providing they have completed the master’s level micro theory, macro theory and econometrics with a minimum grade of A- or higher in each.

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.

Internship Placement Program

Carleton’s M.A. Internship Placement offers students paid and unpaid employment opportunities. Most of these are at government agencies such as Human Resources Skills Development Canada, Industry Canada, the Competition Bureau, Finance Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The Internship option is available to full-time students in the M.A. program who are eligible to work in Canada. Registration in the Internship option requires departmental permission and is limited by availability of placements.

Application Information

How to Apply

Admission Documents

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

Application Checklist

Official Transcripts

Offers of Admission come with the condition to submit official copies of your transcripts and can often be the source of delay for study permit approvals if the conditions are not satisfied promptly. 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 WES. The required WES report will be the ‘ICAP Course-by-Course’ 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. This evaluation provides the verification that Carleton requires, while being offered at a lower cost for applicants. 

The completed evaluation on final and conferred transcripts must be sent electronically to Carleton via WES. Official transcript(s) must be in the original language and include a certified translation if the transcript is not in English.
Please review your Country specific document requirements for the WES ICAP prior to starting your application. If you already have a WES evaluation (USA or Canada), you can add Carleton University, Graduate Studies as a document recipient.  Note that the evaluation must be a WES ICAP evaluation. Applicants are encouraged to submit all post-secondary transcripts to WES for verification and evaluation, regardless of the specific degree that is being requested from Graduate Studies.

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:

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 without additional application. Please note that there is no guarantee of admission or funding. International students should ensure they have secured sufficient funding before they apply for admission. As per the International Student Service Office (ISSO), international students should have a minimum of $22,000 per year to ensure they can cover fees and living costs based on the Government of Canada’s website:

Proof of Financial Support

Our International Student Funding Budget is highly competitive. If eligible, an international funding package consists of a teaching assistantship valued at approximately $13,000 and a departmental summer scholarship of $2,000. Funding may be combined with External Awards and Internal Awards. 

[ADD BUTTON HERE: See Admissions Funding.]

Your chances of receiving financial assistance are greatest if your undergraduate degree is from a Canadian university and your admission average is A- or higher.

Students should plan to work no more than 10 hours a week to supplement their income during the fall and winter semesters to ensure enough time to focus on their studies.

Terms/Conditions of Admission and Funding

Graduate Awards and Funding

Financial Assistance for International Students

Scholarships and Money Matters

External Awards

Tuition Fees and Payment

For information on topics like accommodations and financial assistance, please see our FAQs.    

If students are admitted to the Extended MA (EMA) 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.

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 International
Program: Select “All other Masters Programs”
Include UPass Fee*: Yes
Include UHIP Fee: Yes

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

Then click ‘Estimate My Fees’. 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:

x 2 if you plan to complete 4.0 credits (8 courses) for the direct MA over 2 terms.

x 3-4 if you plan to complete 4.0-6.0 credits (8-12 courses) for the EMA over 3-4 terms.

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

For immigration purposes, the summer term (May to August) for the M.A. Economics, including all concentrations and specializations, is considered a regularly scheduled break approved by the University. Students maintain their full-time or part-time status (determined at the point of admission) in the summer term regardless of whether they are registered (or not) in courses.

Cost and Fees of Study at Carleton

Study Permit Information

We strongly advise our international students to request a 2-year study permit.

NEW Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regulations regarding Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) came into effect January 22, 2025.

If you have not applied for a study permit prior to January 22, 2025, and you are not in a PAL exception category listed on the IRCC website, you’ll need to obtain a PAL from Carleton University.

Steps for PAL from Carleton University

Note that a tuition deposit of CAD$2,000 is required to obtain a PAL. The tuition deposit requirement cannot be waived. It is mandatory, cannot be waived, and is non-refundable, except in cases where a study permit is denied.

Applicants need to accept their offer of admission and pay the CAD $2,000 tuition deposit. Once these conditions are met, Carleton will initiate the PAL process automatically. Within approximately 7-10 business days after the deposit payment has been received, applicants will be able to access their PAL in Carleton Central, along with their offer of admission. Notifications are not sent when the PAL is added to their account, so applicants must check Carleton Central a week after the deposit payment has been received by Carleton. 

Please note:  Wire transfer payments can take up to 14 days for verification.
This verification time may delay issuance of the PAL.

Questions related to study permits, Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) should be sent to Carleton International Student Service Office (ISSO): isso@carleton.ca

Incoming students should read through the following checklist.

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

Dates and Deadlines

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