University of San Francisco Reviews of Master's in Economics

"College is a great, but expensive way to explore and learn about the world and yourself."

"The International and Development Economics (IDEC) program at USF is a great place for those interested in field experience and economic development. As with most programs-you'll get out of it what you put into it. Professors have their own interests and may put them ahead of your thesis projects, but that is very common in academia. The summer abroad requirement is really the highlight of the whole program allowing you to gain valuable field experience you might want to show off in future career opportunities. Once you enter the job market, you might find USF teaches in other statistical programs than what is more in demand. I'd suggest doing problem sets in R as well as STATA. With the opening of a similar program across the bay in Berkeley I think they've tried to up their expectations for students in recent years."

"The program has been very rigorous so far, and really opens your mind up to the world of economics and development. You quickly become conversant with important papers and authors in the economic sphere, and your professors make sure that you thoroughly understand a topic before they move on."

"I love that my program requires us to do field research in a developing country and to write a thesis paper. All the alums I have meet says this has given them a competitive edge in the marketplace. The finding a place to live in San Francisco was difficult and the cost of living is outrageous. USF does have graduate housing, but not for married couples."

"Good program. The financial aid (based off of the calculated cost of living) is about $10k too low."