Master of Arts - Economics

Economics is the study of how people behave and how societies allocate scarce resources among competing uses.

Every day, people and society are confronted by choices. Should you go to university or start a career? What should you do with your next dollar? Should the government raise the minimum wage, or not? How do we address the big issues in the world such as poverty and climate change?

Economics is the study of how people and societies make such decisions in the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Central to economic analysis is the study of how people respond to incentives in a market economy, how these incentives may be modified by government intervention, and whether and how government intervention is warranted. 

At Canterbury, emphasis is placed on the three core areas of study. These are:

• Microeconomics - examines the behaviour of individuals, households and firms, and their interactions in markets. Microeconomics examines economic choices in decentralised markets and reaches conclusions about economic welfare. Markets which are regulated by government, or have only a few participants, or are characterised by different amounts of information, are also examined.
• Macroeconomics - examines the performance of an economy as a whole, and provides insights into the reasons for fluctuations and trends in national income, unemployment, inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates. It also involves examination of a government's taxation, expenditure, monetary and exchange rate policies.
• Econometrics - brings economic theories to the data. It is the study of methods aimed at i) testing economic theories and ii) providing quantitative information on economic relationships for policy analyses and decisions. Courses provide both an accessible amount of available econometric methods, and numerous illustrations of these methods with applications to real data sets in hands-on laboratory classes that introduce students to the latest developments in computing and web technology.
• Finance is available as a major in the Bachelor of Commerce and the Bachelor of Science. It is also available as a minor in the Bachelor of Arts degree.

Study opportunities for Economics students include hands-on learning in internships or consultancy projects and a study tour to South America.

Graduates will find careers in a wide range of sectors depending on their interests and complementary skills. Industries that employ Economics graduates include banking, insurance, the energy sector, government and policy, education.