The Levy Economics Institute 3/2 BA/MS program allows admitted students to earn their BA in the concentration of their choice from Simon’s Rock and an MS in Economic Theory and Policy in 5 years.
The MS program at the Levy Economics Institute offers rigorous training in economic theory and method that can serve students well in careers in research, policy, and finance. The program builds on the strengths of the economics program at Bard College at Simon’s Rock as well Bard College's main campus in Annandale. Students enter the Levy Economics Institute directly after their junior year at Simon’s Rock.
Students aspiring to participate in the Simon’s Rock/Levy Economics Institute 3/2, BA/MS Program should follow a relevant road map with respect to curricular requirements, in collaboration with the Simon’s Rock/Levy Economics Institute 3/2 Program Coordinator, Tai Young-Taft, as well as in consultation with the admissions officers at the Levy Economics Institute. Course syllabi to course requirements will be subject to review by the admissions officers and the program director at the Levy Economics Institute as part of the admissions process.
In particular, following the Bard College Annandale Campus 3/2 admissions requirement that “undergraduate major and distribution requirements [must be completed] within the allotted three years,” Simon’s Rock students must complete 90 credits, the requirements for the AA, and any relevant Concentration requirements in the three years at Simon’s Rock, except for the Senior Thesis. The MS program requires a 2nd year research project, which, subject to relevant approvals, will double as the Senior Thesis. Although the student will not receive credit for the thesis, their committee will decide on a grade that will factor into whether the student can graduate with honors, as in the Columbia/Simon’s Rock 3/2 Engineering program.
In addition, following Levy MS Admissions Requirements, as “recommended to have completed
300 level courses in economic theory, and have a solid understanding of statistics,
econometrics and knowledge of multivariate calculus,” students should expect to pursue
(1) introductory and intermediate microeconomic and macroeconomic theory courses,
(2) statistics and econometrics courses, (3) Calculus I, II and Vector Calculus (along
with its prerequisite [if taken at Simon’s Rock], Linear Algebra), and (4) economics
courses taken at Bard-Annandale during the Junior year. Note admissions is competitive
and completion of the course requirements does not guarantee admissions.
An example road map for the 3 years at Simon’s Rock, presuming an Economics Concentration
(though this would not be necessary), would then be:
Year 1
Fall Spring
Seminar I Seminar II
Principles of Economics Microeconomics or Macroeconomics
Calculus I Calculus II
Elective Elective
Year 2
Fall Spring
Linear Algebra Vector Calculus
Related Field Course Microeconomics or Macroeconomics (not taken Year 1)
Foreign Language Requirement Foreign Language Requirement
Art Requirement Methodology of Economics Requirement
Elective 300-Level Economics Course Requirement
Year 3
Fall Spring
Economics Course at Bard Economics Course at Bard
Statistics I Statistics II
Natural Science Requirement 300-Level Economics Course Requirement
Elective Elective
Per the website, the two years at the Levy Economics Institute would then (with core requirements indicated by asterisks) be:
Semester I
• Advanced Macroeconomics*
• Advanced Microeconomics*
• Research Methods I*
• One Elective
Semester II
• Monetary Theory and Policy*
• Research Methods IIA: Stock-Flow Consistent Modeling Methods* or Research Methods
IIB: Introduction to Stock-Flow Modeling and Public Policy Analysis*
• Two Electives
Semester III
• Research Workshop I*
• Macrodynamics and Modeling*
• Public Economics*
• One Elective
Semester IV
• Thesis Seminar*
• Research Workshop II*
• Two Electives