Econ Real Talk

MS Co-Research

 

 

This class is restricted to a select group of advanced undergraduate majors.  Participating BA/BS students enroll in undergraduate research, ECON 491. The course provides students the opportunity to work closely with the instructors and other faculty applying what they have learned in economics. As a capstone class, students integrate the technical knowledge they have gathered in their coursework, including micro- and macro-economics, financial economics, econometrics, forecasting, and other analytical tools. This work culminates in the production of a major research paper, utilizing published data, and professional literature, both printed and electronic.

 

For the co-research project, graduate students are asked to volunteer to work with an advanced undergraduate student on their capstone project. These upper-level undergraduate students are selected by the economics undergraduate advisors based on academic performance and their interest in doing research. One graduate student and one undergraduate are teamed up based on their areas of interest and form their own co-research group. They write a joint paper, and make a combined presentation. They are graded not only on the substance and written quality of their research, but also their presentation and teamwork. Both students benefit in that international graduate students receive help with their language, presentation and writing skills, and undergrads get the experience of working on a comprehensive research project, and being exposed to advanced modeling and econometric techniques.

 

Student Learning Objectives

Students are expected to use many of the techniques and knowledge acquired through their coursework in their major in the capstone project. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Identify and clearly describe a research project’s objectives, and specify a useful model based on academic theory and empirical work.

• Identify the relevant & valid information/data sources to support an in-depth economic study.

• Use the skills and tools studied during major coursework to analyze the data and all background material effectively, and generate valid report findings.

• Organize a convincing summary description of study findings and/or conclusions.

• Prepare professional written reports and presentations describing report findings, with well-designed visual aids and confident personal presentation skills, and

• Exhibit excellent teamwork skills through the appropriate delegation and fulfillment of responsibilities, and the support of team morale and cohesiveness

 

If you are interested in this opportunity, feel free to email either Sarah Ura (sura@tamu.edu) or Dr. Doug Eckel (doug.eckel@tamu.edu).