4+1 Accelerated MSPO Program

Program Overview

The 4+1 Accelerated MSPO Program at the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AAE) at UW-Madison 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)
  • AAE 722: Machine Learning in Applied Economic Analysis (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

Interested undergraduate students will need to apply for the MSPO program by March 31^st of their senior year. However, AAE undergraduates that complete AAE 636 and AAE 637 with a grade of “B” or better and overall GPA of at least a 3.0 will be automatically recommended for admission into the 4+1 MSPO Accelerated Program with a streamlined application process.

Requirements for admission include:

• UW-Madison Graduate School application
• CV or resume
• Two academic letters of recommendation
• A University of Wisconsin-Madison transcript showing an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.

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.