2021 is already off to a strong start for the Masters in Applied Economics program at Boston College. With a substantial January cohort of 31 new students, the program continues to expand.
“I am continually impressed with the caliber of students the program attracts,” says program director Dr. Aleksander (Sasha) Tomic. “We’re very excited about this new cohort.”
A Perfect Fit
The online MSAE program continues to thrive welcoming another talented, diverse new cohort. “It’s a perfect fit,” says Dr. Tomic. “We built our Master’s in Applied Economics Program from the ground up with a student-centered, industry-aligned approach.”
The spirit of innovation that inaugurated the program is alive and well. Career development, student support, and a curriculum designed by leaders in the field continue to define the program.
Spring Cohort: Diversity and Experience
Students in the Spring cohort range in age from 21 to 65, reflecting the program’s cross-generational. Job titles among the cohort cast a wide net across sectors public and private — from education to communications and media, resource management, public utilities, entrepreneurship and technology, even space:
- History and economics teacher with Excel Academy Charter High School
- Research Associate, TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College
- News producer; WMUR, Manchester, New Hampshire
- Senior Data Analyst with the Grant County Public Utility District
- Hatchery Technician; Island Creek Oysters
- Founder & AI Technologist; Peridot Neuron
- Auditor; NASA
- Quality Control Specialist; Turner Broadcasting Systems
- Analyst to Director: Wells Fargo
The breadth and scope of experience demonstrate the diversity and caliber of students of whom Dr. Tomic speaks.
Career Development
Since the beginning, Dr. Tomic and his team made career development central to the program.
“We are unwaveringly student-focused in everything we do,” Tomic says. “The program’s success hinges on the success of each student.”
Industry alignment is more than a tagline, but a “living, breathing” component of the MSAE program. With each passing semester, this alliance grows stronger.
For example, career events this semester include an event where students turned the tables on the typical career fair. Students got behind the booths to showcase their work as recruiters circulated to see what these students have to offer. It works because industry leaders work closely with program staff, ensuring that students are prepared to take on leadership roles in their fields. Instead of job-hunting, this is opportunity hunting – which problem do I want to solve?
Individual support and mentorship round out the program’s unparalleled student engagement. The point is not just providing course content, “not just talking at” students, but preparing them to become leaders and changemakers.
Real-World Economics
It is an exciting time for an economist. An excitement rooted in an understanding of what economics is and what it can do when applied to real-world problems and individuals’ lives.
Applied economics is the science of the possible, and “thinking about the way things fit together,” says Dr. Tomic. In a complex, rapidly changing world, figuring out how things fit together is critical. Economics supplies us with a model for a functioning society. Applied economics makes that model work and finds new ways to fit things together when it doesn’t.
Dr. Tomic and his dedicated, experienced staff are happy to welcome the next cohort of students ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century.