Woods College of Advancing Studies Graduate Program

Colleges and Universities A-Z Boston College
1

Hello everyone,

I am seeking a program for an MS in Economics and it is to my understanding that the Woods College of Advancing Studies offers this in Applied Economics.

A very large concern of mine is the limited information given by BC about this college. With some searching it seems like this college is not “like” the other colleges not only in terms of culture/demographic but also prestige and quality. I have read that the college targets an older crowd who may wish to complete a degree later in life or part time. This is not my mission at all, but I was wondering if I could still take advantage of this program.

Boston College is ranked 19-25th for a Graduate Economics Program but I am now assuming that this is exclusive to the PhD offered by the college of arts and science.

I would contact the admissions office myself but I dont want to give an impression of being snide, asking if they have the same prestige as the rest of the colleges.

Does anyone now in 2017 know anymore about this college and what weight it may have on a resumé?

2

Sure, you can apply, but if its not your mission, why would you? Wood College targets non-traditional students, with classes offered in the evenings and on weekends.

If you desire a typical MA/MS in Econ, why not apply to the regular program?

3

@iTutorMath:
Bluebayou worded it well.

Can you share why you are seeking the Woods College?

4

It is to my understanding that Boston College does not offer any other MA/MS in Economics, only the PhD program.

5

^^you are correct. If you must be in Boston, look into Boston Univ and Northeastern, both of which offer a MA in Econ.

6

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am the Director of the MS in Applied Economics at Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College.

Dear iTutorMath,

First of all, please feel free to reach out to our admissions office and do not worry about appearing snide, we will gladly answer all your questions.

Woods College does focus on non-traditional students, and all our courses are in the evenings and some on weekends, with quite a few courses available as hybrid and online. However, we do have full-time students, especially in our Masters programs, and especially in MS in Applied Economics (MSAE).

You are correct that Economics department does not accept applications for terminal Masters degrees, and we are the only terminal masters program in Economics at BC.

However, we do have quite a few students pursuing the degree full-time. This Fall’s incoming class has average age 25, with average quantitative GRE score in 84th percentile. Majority of students are full-time students. We are a STEM-designated major, and we have placed our graduates with employers such as State Street (Center for Applied Research), Panera Bread (Senior Data Analyst), and Amazon (Business Intelligence Unit). We have placed students into PhD programs, although that is not our main focus.

We are also one of 5 University Partners for National Association for Business Economics CBE initiative (https://nabe.com/CBE_universitypartners) and were one of the co-hosts of their career fair: https://nabe.com/careerfair2017.

I hope I have answered your questions, and I will PM you my contact details if you have any further questions.

7

Thank you @bostonecon for that great reply.

Since there are several questions about the Woods College every year, can you comment on the differences in student life?

For example, the traditional full time BC day students largely on campus and participate in all the normal undergraduate activities.

Is there campus housing for the Woods College students or do they primarily commute to classes?

Thank you.

8

Hi JPM50 - Thank you for your question. This is now the Associate Dean of Enrollment at the Woods College, and I’d be happy to chat at any point (wcasadm@bc.edu). We do not offer on campus housing for Woods College students, however they can participate in the majority of clubs, organizations and activities on campus (they cannot participate in D1 athletics). Undergraduate degree students can utilize the Career Center, Learning Center, as well other resources on campus.

Many Woods College students that take advantage of our Off Campus Housing Office and find housing in Brighton, Newton, or elsewhere near the campus.

Boston College in general does not offer housing for graduate students, so Woods graduate students also live off campus.

Please let us know of any other questions. The Woods College is an incredible community - we offer the atmosphere of a small college within the environment of a large university. We would be happy to answer any questions about the differences and similarities between Woods and the full time day school.