Master of Professional Economics programme postgraduate SME meeting on 31/05/2016

Adrian Slack – Programme director

Debbie Turner – Senior Administrator

Paul, Jane and Nick

Nick's notes

Background

Programme started 3 years ago

Still building student numbers

Prompted by Government Economics Network (GEN)/Treasury demand

The initial focus was on policy wonks, also business

For content and language Adrian recommends looking at the brochure: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/vbs/study-careers/publications/MPE.pdf

Entry

A background in economics, a BComm with a bit of microeconomics, a bit of macroeconomics

If people are just short of the requirements he'd like them to get in touch

Programme attributes

Course-based Master's

Not a step to a PhD ('terminal qualification' - yikes)

Family/nesting

The Certificate is a 'gateway drug' - students can sell the cheaper certificate to their employer

Most go on to do the PG Dip or Master's

Entry requirements are easier for the Cert and Dip

They use the term 'staircasing' but are not sure if students understand it

They let people do individual courses as a Certificate of Proficency

Benefits

Practical/applied (the term 'applied' could be confusing as it's sometimes used to mean 'econometrics')

Less about the mathematics, more about the practical - students need reassurance they'll be able to handle the maths (cf. Honours, which is 100% theory and applied maths)

Courses are very unusual (even unique) in New Zealand

1/3 theory 1/3 taught applications, 1/3 hands-on applications

Hands-on includes things like time in the computer lab, or using Excel to build economic tools - practical but campus-based - don't have placements yet but aiming to get good connections with industry

Develops your career

Adds economics to your toolkit

Flexibility - Adrian does his best to accommodate student needs, describes the programme as 'demand driven'

Aims to take smart graduates and teach them to think from the clients' point of view

You can do courses from other qualifications (e.g. Applied Finance)

Can start in any trimester though it's usually 1 and 2

Top staff

Peer networks

Students

25% international, 75% domestic

Domestic

Almost all part-time

From law, big engineering firms, lots from Statistics and MPI and other government departments

Many are employer-funded

Common questions

Entry requirements (especially from international students) - Will I get in?

People stories

Adrian has a student in mind for a story which shows how demand driven they are