Applied Economics (MA)

The Master of Arts in Applied Economics (MAE) program is designed to equip students with the analytical tools necessary to address significant socio-economic challenges in contemporary society. The curriculum emphasizes the role of economics in policy formulation across diverse fields, including regulation, healthcare, environmental policy, poverty, and labor issues. Students have the opportunity to specialize in one of two concentrations: Policy Analysis or Environmental, Resource, and Development Economics.

Program Overview

• Core Focus: Students will engage with pressing questions such as:
  • The economic impacts of climate change.
  • Improvements to the healthcare system.
  • Regulations surrounding cannabis.
  • Financial instruments for risk diversification in the modern economy.
  • Economic development strategies for Indigenous communities.
• Skill Development: The program hones students' proficiency in economic analysis and prepares them to apply this expertise to current economic policy issues in Canada and globally. Instruction is provided by faculty committed to pioneering research in these topics.

Degree Requirements

To graduate, students must accumulate a total of 24 credit hours, which includes:

• Core Courses (12 credit hours): Students are required to complete five essential MAE courses.
• Electives (12 credit hours): The remaining credit hours can be fulfilled by selecting courses from a list of electives in economics and related disciplines or by engaging in a faculty-supervised research project or practicum.

Sample Courses

• Cost-Benefit Analysis and Valuation Techniques: This course delves into the measurement of costs and benefits for project and policy evaluation, addressing empirical methods for estimating various values and applying these concepts to issues in environmental and public expenditure analysis.
• Competition Policy: A study of modern industrial organization theory focusing on the operations and regulations of imperfectly competitive markets. The course investigates business practices through the lens of industrial organization theory and regulation.
• Politics of Urban Development: This analysis of urban growth emphasizes its impacts on residents and explores the use of urban development tools by municipal governments, acknowledging the associated political conflicts.

Additional courses include:

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Applied Econometrics
• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• Topics in Public Economics

Admission Requirements

Candidates must possess, or expect to acquire by September, an undergraduate degree in Economics with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.5 scale. It is advisable that applicants have completed coursework in Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Calculus, and Statistics during their undergraduate studies.

Applicants lacking sufficient background in economics may be eligible for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Economics, where the Economics Department evaluates equivalency for degrees obtained outside Canada.

• English Language Proficiency: Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate their English proficiency in accordance with the University's requirements.

Application Process

1. Submit an online application.
2. Include the following documentation:
   • Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.
   • Contact information for two references who are familiar with the applicant's academic work, providing letters of recommendation.
   • Evidence of English language proficiency, if applicable.
   • Additional supporting documents such as a CV or résumé and proof of permanent residency, if relevant.

Start Date: September
Application Deadline: Completed applications and all supporting documents must be submitted by February 1.

This program not only positions graduates for careers in various sectors—including private, public, non-governmental, and not-for-profit organizations—but also facilitates their pursuit of further academic endeavors, such as PhD programs in Economics.

The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg) is a vibrant, inclusive, and research-active university located in the heart of downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with roots dating back to 1871. Home to 9,000 students and more than 60,000 alumni, UWinnipeg offers undergraduate and graduate programs across six faculties in a welcoming campus community known for dedicated, accessible faculty, a strong liberal arts tradition, and a deep commitment to community engagement, truth and reconciliation, and equity.

Situated in one of Canada's most multicultural cities, UWinnipeg reflects the diversity of Winnipeg and actively creates outreach programs to support accessible post-secondary education for students from traditionally under-represented backgrounds, including mature students, Indigenous students, immigrant students, and refugee students.

Mission

The University of Winnipeg is committed to excellence in post-secondary education through undergraduate and selected graduate programs, rooted in the liberal arts and culminating in degrees in Arts, Business and Economics, Education, Kinesiology and Applied Health, Science, and Theology. In pursuit of its mission, UWinnipeg is guided by the knowledge that its primary responsibility is to its students, to whom it strives to offer a community that appreciates, fosters, and promotes values of human dignity, equality, non-discrimination and appreciation of diversity. The university views both accessibility and excellence as equally important goals, and works to make the university as accessible as possible while maintaining high standards of academic quality.

In the practice of scholarly enquiry through both teaching and research, UWinnipeg provides students with breadth and depth of knowledge, the skills to communicate effectively and make informed decisions, an understanding of the ethical problems facing society, and an appreciation of their responsibilities as citizens of the world.

Strategic Mission

To inspire learning, research, and collaboration that empower students, faculty, staff, and partners to positively transform communities and contribute meaningfully to society.

Overarching commitments

• Academic Freedom: upholding the right to explore, challenge, and communicate knowledge without constraint
• Accessibility and Excellence: fostering welcoming learning environments while upholding rigorous academic standards
• Community Engagement: cultivating respectful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial relationships within and beyond the university
• Advancing Truth and Reconciliation: leading reconciliation by honouring Indigenous knowledge, committing to Indigenous excellence, strengthening Indigenous partnerships, and embedding these values across the university

Strategic Plan 2025–2030: Meeting the Moment

UWinnipeg launched its new strategic plan, Meeting the Moment, in October 2025, developed through 18 months of extensive community consultation. The plan is organised around five pillars:

• Academic Excellence and Innovation: championing innovative, diverse, and inclusive academic environments that equip faculty and students to transform communities in Winnipeg and beyond
• Research and Innovation: exploring new pathways and sparking innovation to create a meaningful future for the university community
• Truth and Reconciliation: becoming a leader in nurturing ethical and collaborative environments that advance Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenisation and Indigenous excellence
• Community and Belonging: building strong, inclusive relationships across campus and beyond
• Sustainability and Stewardship: ensuring the university's long-term capacity to serve its mission across financial, environmental and institutional dimensions

Faculties and academic structure

UWinnipeg offers undergraduate and graduate programs across six faculties:

• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Business and Economics
• Faculty of Education
• Gupta Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Theology

Across these faculties, UWinnipeg offers over 40 undergraduate programs in a variety of three-year, four-year and Honours Bachelor's degree formats. Several programs are unique in Western Canada, including the Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights and the Master's in Development Practice with a focus on Indigenous Development. In 2025, UWinnipeg launched its first doctoral program, the PhD in Bioscience and Policy, marking a new milestone in the university's research trajectory.

Unique programs

• Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights: one of only a small number of standalone Human Rights undergraduate degrees in Canada.
• Master's in Development Practice (Indigenous Development): unique in Western Canada, focusing on community-centred, Indigenous-led development practice
• PhD in Bioscience and Policy (launched 2025): UWinnipeg's first doctoral program, combining biological sciences with policy analysis and application
• Indigenous Studies: a dedicated undergraduate program reflecting UWinnipeg's deep commitment to Indigenous knowledge and reconciliation

History

UWinnipeg's roots extend back to 1871, when Wesley College was founded, followed by Manitoba College. The two colleges merged in 1938 to form United College, which became the University of Winnipeg in 1967. This heritage gives UWinnipeg more than 150 years of continuous operation as an institution of higher learning in Manitoba, rooted from its earliest years in the liberal arts tradition and a commitment to serving the Winnipeg community.

The UW Collegiate

Uniquely among Canadian universities, UWinnipeg operates its own high school on campus: The UW Collegiate, offering Grade 9 through 12 programs to secondary students in an environment of academic freedom, mutual trust and critical thinking. The Collegiate's philosophy emphasises the development of mature, self-directed individuals and provides a direct transition pathway into post-secondary education at the University of Winnipeg. The Collegiate is led by its own Dean and maintains its own distinct academic mission within the broader university community.

Professional, Applied and Continuing Education (PACE)

UWinnipeg's PACE division delivers industry-aligned certificates and diplomas for working professionals, career changers and lifelong learners, with more than 600 full-time and part-time programs, courses and seminars available across business, computing, health, education and other fields. PACE is located in the Buhler Centre and has been serving the professional learning needs of Manitoba since 1972. It includes formal transfer pathways allowing PACE graduates to continue into undergraduate degree programs at the university.

Research

UWinnipeg is a research-active institution that excels in innovative scholarship of discovery and integration. Research priorities include Indigenous studies, the biosciences, environmental science, and the social sciences, with faculty engaged in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiry. The university is committed to knowledge mobilisation: moving research out of the academy and into the community through collaborative partnerships and applied projects. The 2025 launch of the PhD in Bioscience and Policy signals a significant expansion of UWinnipeg's formal research capacity at the doctoral level. Canada Research Chairs and major tri-council funding are active across the university's faculty complement.

Campus and community

UWinnipeg's downtown campus occupies a mix of heritage and modern buildings in the heart of Winnipeg, steps from the Exchange District, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and the vibrant cultural and commercial life of a city of over 800,000 people. Campus facilities include the Duckworth Centre (athletics), the Richardson College for the Environment and Science Complex, the Axworthy Health and RecPlex, the Library and Archives, an Art Gallery and Anthropology Museum, and extensive student services and student life programming.

Student support and accessibility

UWinnipeg is known for the personal connections between students and faculty and a teaching and learning environment that accommodates students from wherever their life paths have brought them. Dedicated support services include:

• Indigenous Student Services: supporting Indigenous students through their academic journey with cultural, academic and personal support
• Student Accessibility Services: ensuring students with disabilities can access the full university experience
• International Student Services: supporting international students from arrival through to graduation
• Career Services and Co-operative Education: connecting students to work-integrated learning and graduate career opportunities
• Student Awards and Financial Aid: including entrance scholarships, in-course awards, bursaries, and emergency funds
• Community Outreach programs: designed to support access for mature, immigrant, refugee and other under-represented student communities

Why University of Winnipeg

1. A university with roots dating back to 1871 and more than 150 years of academic heritage, combining a strong liberal arts tradition with growing research capacity and professional programs
2. A downtown campus at the heart of one of Canada's most diverse and culturally rich cities, steps from major cultural institutions and employer hubs
3. Programs unique in Western Canada including the BA in Human Rights, the Master's in Development Practice (Indigenous Development) and the first-ever PhD in Bioscience and Policy launched in 2025
4. Six faculties spanning Arts, Business and Economics, Education, Kinesiology and Applied Health, Science and Theology, with over 40 undergraduate programs and a growing suite of graduate degrees
5. A strategic plan — Meeting the Moment 2025–2030 — built on Academic Excellence, Research and Innovation, Truth and Reconciliation, Community and Belonging, and Sustainability
6. A high school on campus through The UW Collegiate and professional programs through PACE, making UWinnipeg one of Canada's most complete educational communities
7. A personal, accessible and welcoming campus community of 9,000 students and 60,000+ alumni, known for dedicated faculty and strong community engagement