Overview
The 4+1 Accelerated MSPO Pathway provides motivated undergraduate students pursuing the B.S. in Agricultural and Applied Economics or B.S. in Agricultural Business Management the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree within five years. Specifically, UW-Madison undergraduate students that graduate with their AAE bachelor’s degree in the Spring semester can complete the AAE Master’s of Science in Agricultural Economics—Professional Option (MSPO) within just 12 months following graduation.
Undergraduate students that wish to pursue the 4+1 Accelerated MSPO option should complete AAE 636: Applied Econometric Analysis and AAE 637: Applied Econometrics II with a grade of “B” or better by the end of their senior year, and graduate with an overall GPA of at least 3.0. The seven credits from AAE 636-7 will reduce the total required credits for the MSPO degree from 30 to 23 allowing 4+1 Accelerated students to complete the MSPO degree within 12 months after completing their bachelor’s degree.
UW-Madison undergraduate students from related departments outside of AAE may also petition to enroll in the 4+1 Accelerated MSPO Program and their applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Curriculum
Required Courses by End of Senior Year (7 credits):
- Fall (3 credits):
- AAE 636: Applied Econometric Analysis I (3 credits)
- Spring (4 credits):
- AAE 637: Applied Econometrics II (4 credits)
Minimum Requirements for Completing MSPO Degree (23 credits):
- Summer (3 credits):
- AAE 718: Data Science for Agricultural and Applied Economics (3 credits)
- Fall (9 credits):
- AAE 635: Applied Microeconomic Theory (3 credits)
- AAE 720: Seminar in Quantitative and Applied Economics (1 credit)
- AAE 723: Professional Development for Applied Economists (1 credit)
- Electives in AAE (4+ credits)
- Spring (11+ credits):
- AAE 721: Writing and Speaking for Applied Economists (1 credit)
- AAE 724: Practicum for Applied Economists (4 credits)
- Complete one of the following:
- AAE 625: Agribusiness Economics and Management (3 credits)
- AAE 706 Applied Risk Analysis (3 credits)
- AAE 719: Applied Business Economics (3 credits)
- Electives in AAE (3+ credits)
Application and Admission
Undergraduate students that are interested in the 4+1 Accelerated Pathway should complete an interest form by the end of their junior year. After review, approved students will be given permission to enroll in the core MSPO graduate courses, AAE 636: Applied Econometric Analysis and AAE 637: Applied Econometrics II, during their senior year.
4+1 Accelerated students should then apply for the MSPO program by June 1st of their senior year by submitting an official UW-Madison Graduate School Application. However, AAE undergraduates that complete AAE 636 and AAE 637 with a grade of “B” or better and have an overall GPA of at least a 3.0 will be automatically recommended for admission into the MSPO degree program with a streamlined application process.
4+1 Accelerated students that want to enroll in MSPO should submit the following with their application:
- CV or resume
- Two academic letters of recommendation
Cost of Study
The MSPO program costs $1,500 per credit. (More information on the full cost of study at the University of Wisconsin is available here.) U.S. citizens and permanent residents that enter the MSPO program through the 4+1 Accelerated path are eligible for scholarships at the rate of $500 per credit. To be eligible, students must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.4 or better. In addition, 4+1 Accelerated MSPO students can transfer up to 7 undergraduate credits, leaving only 23 credits remaining to complete the degree. Therefore, the total tuition cost for 4+1 scholarship recipients is only $23,000 (versus the standard tuition cost of $45,000).
For questions regarding the 4+1 Accelerated MSPO Program, contact Jordan van Rijn at vanrijn@wisc.edu.
