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Business Forecast Luncheon Highlights Economic Outlook for 2026
Local business leaders, policymakers, and community members gathered to find out: what economic trends are likely to shape the economy in 2026?
02/12/2026
Master of Science in Economic Analytics
The digital revolution ignited an explosion of data. The availability of data is no
longer a constraint to answering important questions.
The critical constraint is now the ability to analyze, digest, visualize, and ultimately
harness the data to drive decision making in business, science, and society.
The Master of Science in Economic Analytics is an intensive 10-month program that will guide students through economic modeling and theory to computational practice and cutting-edge tools, providing a thorough training in descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics.
Just the Facts
How Much? How Long?
Who can enroll?
NWA Community
What makes Northwest
Arkansas special?
Courses and Schedule
What coursework is required for this degree?
The Walton Advantage
Students are increasingly choosing the Walton M.S. in Economic Analytics to gain in-demand data and economic modeling skills in a fast-paced, STEM-designated program that delivers strong career outcomes and immediate impact.
Real-World Analytics
Build the ability to translate complex data into strategic decisions through a STEM-designated curriculum that blends economic theory with applied analytics and business impact.
Accelerated Momentum
Complete your degree in just one year through a focused, full-time program designed to develop advanced analytical skills quickly and position you for immediate career growth.
Master of Science in Economic Analytics Playlist
Frequently Asked Questions
Just the Facts: Master of Science in Economic Analytics
Program Length
One Year
This two-semester program begins in August and ends in May. (one academic year)
Start Date
Fall
New cohorts begin each Fall Semester for this degree program.
Admissions Info
Do I Qualify to Enroll?
Complete your undergraduate degree and meet additional requirements. View Requirements
Entrance Test
GMAT or GRE
Students may be eligible for a GMAT/GRE test waiver with a 3.2 undergraduate GPA or 3 years of professional work experience. Please review our full master's admissions policies.
Application Deadline
International applicants: February 15
Priority (domestic applicants): April 15
Final (domestic applicants): July 1
Total Estimated Cost
$21,512.70*
*In-state tuition and fees. Additional tuition costs applied for out-of-state and
international students.
View cost details
Class Profile
Current Students
View a listing of current Master of Science in Economic Analytics Students.
News and Notes: Master of Science in Economic Analytics
Turning Data Into Action: Economic Students Tackle Real-World Challenges
The Department of Economics at the Sam M. Walton College of Business will host the 2025 Economic Analytics Poster Session from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 25, in Willard J. Walker Hall 203 (Hembree).
04/17/2025 | By Meghan Perry
The Northwest Arkansas Community
Join a supportive and engaging community located in the vibrant business network of Northwest Arkansas, with over 300 Fortune 500 companies with a presence in the region.
Business leaders and Walton alumni are closely connected to the college, not just during your studies, but throughout your career.
How Do I Apply?
Admission to Walton College masters programs is selective. Enrollment in each program is limited.
Current Student Listing
Wondering who you’ll meet in class? Get to know our current students.
Hear From Our Alumni
How has an economic analytics degree helped you?
Courses and Program Schedule
To obtain the Master of Science in Economic Analytics degree, students must complete the following 30 hours of coursework.
Core Courses
ECON 52603: Applied Microeconomics
The framework for this course is the economic way of thinking. Both the theory and application of important economics questions are presented, showing students the applicability of various economic methodologies in a number of different contexts. To gain competence in the applied side of economic analysis, students will use MS Excel or other software to apply class concepts to solve concrete problems.ECON 57403: Introduction to Econometrics
Introduction to the application of statistical methods to problems in economics. Graduate degree credit will not be given for both ECON 47403 and ECON 57403.ECON 57503: Forecasting
The application of forecasting methods to economics, management, engineering, and other natural and social sciences. The student will learn how to recognize important features of time series and will be able to estimate and evaluate econometric models that fit the data reasonably well and allow the construction of forecasts. Graduate degree credit will not be given for both ECON 47503 and ECON 57503.ECON 57803: Applied Microeconometrics
This course covers the principles of causal inference. Methods include panel data models, instrumental variables, regression discontinuity designs, difference-in-differences, and matching. Emphasis on developing a solid understanding of the underlying econometric principles of the methods taught as well as on their empirical application.ECON 58103: Economic Analytics I
Part one of the capstone in the Masters in Economic Analytics. The course provides an overview of modern statistical learning methods, including Machine Learning, along with hands-on experience of in-depth analytics exercises using real data. Students will be given a set of datasets early in the semester and will use them for in-class exercises, assignments, and a class project. Students will make use of the most advanced learning libraries available in Python to gather and organize data as well as to train, validate, and test their empirical models.ECON 58203: Economic Analytics II
Part two of the capstone in the Masters in Economic Analytics. The MS in Economic Analytics is a professional degree primarily designed to lay a strong foundation for a career in economic analytics. The career preparation culminates with a capstone project. In this course, students work in small teams to (i) develop capstone topics, (ii) formulate hypotheses related to their projects, (iii) find appropriate datasets, and (iv) analyze their datasets to test hypotheses using the econometric models/techniques that they have learned over the course of the program.ECON 58303: Data Exploration and Communication for Economics
The course focuses on developing the skills to acquire, prepare, explore, and analyze different types of data, and communicate the results. Topics include understanding the structure of business and economic data, preparing data for analysis, fundamentals of exploratory data analysis, and presentation and communication of the results.ECON 58403: Economic Policy and Data Analysis
The course focuses on developing economic and data analysis skills to understand international, national, and regional macroeconomic policies. It emphasizes the use of data and economic theory to study macroeconomic indicators, macroeconomic topics such as national and regional income growth, monetary policies, employment, exchange rate regime; and other policy issues such as migration, environment and agriculture, and urban development.ISYS 51003: Data Analytics Fundamentals
Fundamental knowledge and skills in several major areas of business data analytics. Emphasis on the management and use of data in modern organizations, intermediate & advanced spreadsheet topics; relational databases & SQL; and programming (such as Python).ECON Elective
3 hours of approved ECON elective.Program Overview
The Master of Science in Economic Analytics is an intensive 10-month program that will guide students through economic modeling and theory to computational practice and cutting-edge tools, providing a thorough training in descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics.
Students will be equipped with a solid knowledge of econometric and machine learning methods, optimization and computing. These big-data skills, combined with knowledge of economic modeling, will enable them to identify, assess and seize the opportunity for data-driven value creation in the private and public sectors.
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| Program Director: Jingping Gu Associate Professor jgu@uark.edu |
Program Highlights: Skills, Tools, Certifications
- STEM designated degree
- State of the art Econometrics, Forecasting and Analytical Techniques
- Emphasis on Applied Economics and Economic Modeling
- Capstone course on Economic Analytics
- Training in Python and R
- Certified Business Economist exam offered on campus, in partnership with National Association for Business Economics (NABE).
4+1 Option
The 4+1 program option will allow well-prepared undergraduate students to begin graduate courses during the last year of their undergraduate studies.