Frequently Asked Questions
Program prerequisites are listed in the UMaine Graduate Catalog.
Unfortunately, no. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, we cannot respond to requests to review transcripts, resumes, etc., before officially submitting your application.
Information on the University of Maine’s minimum English proficiency test scores is listed in the UMaine Graduate Catalog.
Yes, unofficial transcripts are sufficient for the application. However, you must submit your official transcripts to the Graduate School before you can start.
No. If admitted to the program, we will match you with a faculty advisor.
The application deadline is Jan. 15. The School of Economics reviews applications in late fall and early spring. Admission and funding decisions are made in early March.
No, we do not typically admit economics students to start in the spring semester.
Our acceptance rate varies by year. In some years, roughly 50% of our applicants are admitted. However, our assistantships are limited and competitive, e.g., in some years, less than 6% of those who applied received an assistantship.
We typically have 20-30 graduate students in the School of Economics (around 10-15 students in a cohort). Graduate-level economics courses are small with approximately 6 to10 students per class. Some graduate courses are cross-listed with an upper-level undergraduate class and can be larger.
Please visit the University of Maine’s Graduate School website for up-to-date information on the application fee.
Unfortunately, the School of Economics does not grant application fee waivers.
We do not have a Ph.D. program in Economics; however, we support students interested in interdisciplinary degrees, like the I-Ph.D. (Interdisciplinary Ph.D.) or a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences (EES). The I-Ph.D. allows students to develop skills in two disciplines (e.g., recent graduates combined Economics with Psychology, graduating with an I-Ph.D. in either Economic Psychology or Behavioral Economics). With the EES Ph.D., students with an environmental background can combine environmental science with economics and policy coursework, allowing them to excel in environmental policy and management careers.
We offer a limited number of research and teaching assistantships to top-performing applicants. You do not need to submit a separate or different application to be considered for funding. Simply check the box on the UMaine Graduate School application that asks if you are interested in being considered for funding.
Outside the School of Economics, you may want to consider funding opportunities from the University of Maine and the Graduate School.
The application deadline is January 15. Applicants must submit all required application materials by this deadline to be considered for admission with financial support.
Interested students must apply using the University of Maine’s Graduate School online system.
If you have a question that is not answered on our website, please send a detailed message to um.grad.economics@maine.edu.