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Business Economics (MABE)

Business Economics (MABE)

Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Lazaridis School of Business and Economics

waterloo

Completion of our Master of Arts in Business Economics (MABE) program will put you on track for a career as a professional economist in the private or public sector. Our strength is the combination of business economics with training in economic theory, quantitative methods and applied research.

The structure of our program ensures flexibility in your education, allowing you to cater your education to your career aspirations by taking economics courses, MBA electives or courses from Laurier’s Master in International Public Policy at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Small class sizes: average of 25 in the last ten years.

More than 80% of students received financial support in the last five years.

Endorsed by the Canadian Association for Business Economics.

Program Details

Program Structure

MABE is a full-time program, normally completed in 12 months, with an additional four to eight months for those accepted into the co-op option.

You will complete the equivalent of nine one-term courses, including six required courses that provide you with advanced knowledge in economic theory, applied economic analysis and quantitative methods.

In your final term, you will complete a major research paper related to one or more of your courses or your work term experience.

Fall Term

Economics core courses:

EC620: Microeconomics
EC640: Macroeconomics
EC665: Econometrics

Winter Term

One Economics core course and two electives:

EC665: Forecasting, Time Series Analysis, and Survey
Two Electives

Spring Term

A Master Research Project plus one elective

EC681: Research Paper and Seminar
One Elective

MABE students may take two elective courses from a graduate program outside Economics including MBA, Master of Finance, and Master of International Public Policy (MIPP) programs.

Research Project

The Master Research Project is designed to teach students to do in-depth research in an economics topic of their choosing. Each student is advised by a faculty member with expertise in the student’s research area.

Co-op Option

Develop the skills employers are looking for with the co-op option. Our co-op option adds valuable professional experience and expands your network in just four or eight months, in addition to your 12 months of coursework. This option will also give you the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you acquired in the classroom, to acquire new insights, and to enhance your employment prospects.

The Canadian Association for Business Economics, with a membership of more than 1,000 professional economists across the country, has enthusiastically endorsed this program, provided advice on the curriculum and confirmed the need for economics graduates with the skills this program develops.

Research

Faculty Research Interests

Our faculty are engaged in a wide range of research, including international and development economics, econometrics, financial economics, health economics, industrial organizations economics, labour economics and law and political economy.

Institutional Research Centres

Laurier’s Department of Economics is associated with several research centres, including the Laurier Centre for Economic Research and Policy Analysis, the Centre of International Governance Innovation and the Viessmann European Research Centre.

"Our MABE program combines an academically rigorous curriculum with a hands-on approach. A co-op option provides students with professional experience to complement the in-class training."

Wing Chan, program director

Admissions

Take the first step in your graduate education and apply to one of our graduate programs. Follow our three-step admission process — we’ll walk you through how to apply and prepare for your first day as a graduate student.

Start: Fall (September) only
Format: Full-time
Application opens: TBD
Application deadline: Aug. 15 (domestic students); April 30 (international students)

Your Next Steps

Apply Now Tuition and Funding Faculty and Staff

Join us for an upcoming information session

Hosted virtually on Zoom at 4:30 p.m. Please register:
Thursday, Jan. 26; Thursday, Feb. 9; Tuesday, Mar. 7

Questions? Contact MABEInfo@wlu.ca.

"Immerse yourself in all Laurier has to offer while completing your graduate education. Enjoy the journey – remember to have fun too!"

Paula C. Fletcher, associate dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Waterloo Campus

This program is available on Laurier's Waterloo campus.

Laurier's Waterloo campus is home to more than 19,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Tucked into several city blocks, this campus is walking distance to your classrooms, food, and various campus amenities.

Laurier is a leading force in research among Canadian universities, and many of our research centres and institutes are housed in Waterloo.

Learn more about Laurier's campuses.

Tuition and Funding

Regardless of the type of graduate degree program you intend to pursue, financial planning is important. At Laurier, we want to provide you with as much information as possible about a variety of scholarship and funding opportunities and equip you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.

"MABE is an excellent choice if you are interested in economics and seeking a more in-depth understanding. Completing this program helped me think more strategically and make decisions to maximize the outcome. The 8-month co-op term also enriched my career portfolio, allowing me to land a job immediately after graduation."

Yalian Xu (MABE '22), Economist, RBC

Careers

Graduates of our program have pursued successful careers in economic policy analysis, economic forecasting, industry and market studies, financial markets and institutions, strategic planning and public policy.

Recent graduates have been employed by:

Bank of Canada
Bank of Montreal
Deloitte & Touche
Dun & Bradstreet
Federal Express
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
Ministry of Finance
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Statistics Canada
TD Bank Financial Group

Your Path to Post-Degree Success

ASPIRE is Laurier's professional skills development training program for graduate students. The program helps you craft an individualized, extracurricular learning plan tailored to your professional journey and entry to the workplace.

Research Chat

A podcast showcasing graduate students' research and experiences at Laurier.

Laurier 601

Laurier's incoming student support program will help you transition into graduate studies.

Q and A with MABE Alumna

International graduate shares why Lazaridis MABE was the right fit for her

Research Chat

A podcast showcasing graduate students' research and experiences at Laurier.

Laurier 601

Laurier's incoming student support program will help you transition into graduate studies.

Q and A with MABE Alumna

International graduate shares why Lazaridis MABE was the right fit for her

Faculty

Learn about the interests of our faculty members. If you are looking for more information about this program, have questions, or want to set up a meeting, contact a member of our team.

Hideki Ariizumi
Associate Professor

Health economics

Nicholas Bedard
Assistant Professor

Market design
Mechanism design
Game theory

Jeff Chan
Assistant Professor

International trade
Labour economics
Empirical microeconomics

Wing Hong Chan
Professor
Master of Arts in Business Economics Program Director

Econometrics
Derivatives
Risk management
Asset pricing models

Edda Claus
Associate Professor

Applied macro and monetary economics
Financial economics
Applied econometrics

Nikolai Cook
Assistant Professor

Environmental economics
Education economics
Reserach transparency

Jean Eid
Associate Professor
Associate Chair, Department of Economics

Industrial organization
Health economics
Applied microeconomics
Applied econometrics

Azim Essaji
Associate Professor

International trade
Economic development
Law and economics

Maria Gallego
Professor

Political economy
Public economics
Elections
Game theory

Ken Jackson
Associate Professor

Development economics
Institutional development
Foreign aid

Ridwan Karim
Assistant Professor

Development economics
International trade
Political economy

Jerzy (Jurek) D. Konieczny
Professor

Macroeconomics
Monetary economics
Fiscal and monetary policy
Pricing
Great Recession

M. Antonella Mancino
Assistant Professor

Labour economics
Economics of crime
Applied econometrics

Colin Mang
Assistant Professor

Consumer technolgy adoption
Labour economics
Economics of education

Brian McCaig
Associate Professor
Director, Laurier Centre for Economic Research and Policy Analysis

International trade
Economic development
Economics of Vietnam

Logan McLeod
Associate Professor
Chair, Department of Economics

Health economics
Health policy
Determinants of healthy behaviours

Juan S. Morales

Political economy
Development economics
Applied microeconomics

William Morrison
Associate Professor
Research Director, Lazaridis Institute for the Management of Technology Enterprises

Transportation economics
Behavioural economics
Industrial organization

Christine Neill
Associate Professor

Labour economics
Public economics
Education
Public policy

Muthoni Nganga
Assistant Professor

Economics of education
Economics of gender
Economics of labour

Ke Pang
Associate Professor

Monetary economics
Open-economy macroeconomics

David Rosé
Lecturer

Economic history
Applied microeconomics
Financial development

Tammy Schirle
Professor

Canadian retirement policy
Gender equity in the labour market
Poverty and inequality

Christos Shiamptanis
Associate Professor

Fiscal policy
Macroeconomics
European
Monetary Union

Pierre Siklos
Professor

Monetary and fiscal policies
Time-series modelling
Forecasting

Justin Smith
Associate Professor

Economics of education
Labour economics
Empirical microeconomics

Tracy Snoddon
Associate Professor

Public economics
Taxation

Stephen Snudden
Assistant Professor

Macroeconomics
International economics and finance
Income and wealth inequality

Zijian Wang
Assistant Professor

Macroeconomics
Monetary economics
Search theory

Randall Wigle
Professor

Economics of environmental and climate policy

Yan (Wendy) Wu
Associate Professor

Corporate governance
Financial crises
Applied option pricing

Steffen Ziss
Associate Professor

Mergers
Vertical restraints and contracting

Staff

Helen Kaluzny
MABE Program Assistant

Join us at Laurier

Business Economics (MABE)