M.S. Testimonials
Emily Bowers
B.S., business – finance, Fresno State University, 2015
Coming from Fresno State to UC Santa Cruz for grad school I wasn't sure what to expect and what differences there would be. One of the best things about this program is the faculty - they were great and very accessible if you needed help or advice about anything. During my time in the program I gained many important programming, data analysis, and critical thinking skills, all of which were crucial to finding a job. We had multiple job fairs and companies reach out to the program for placement, and we also received career guidance. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to further their skills and their education, all while making life long friendships in the process.
Feng Hong
M.A., finance, University of International Business and Economics, China, 2011
B.A., finance, Jiangnan University, China, 2009This program is application-oriented in that you’ll be geared up with the most popular and powerful programing languages that not only facilitate your understanding of economic and financial theories but also strengthen your ability of real-world problem solving. The world-renowned faculty is extremely supportive and helpful. They will guide you to the academic frontiers and kindle your desire to explore. This one-year of rigorous training will give you, as it has already given me, more than a master’s degree. It will enrich your life with the most rewarding experience that your efforts deserve.
Shilpi Jaiswal
M.A., economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, 2014
B.Tech., civil engineering, National Institute of Technology Patna, India 2008The nine months in the APEF program at UCSC were among the best years of my life. It prepared me in unpredictable ways for my career. This program taught me that together as a team I can learn and grow much more than I can on my own. The program was both challenging and supportive, the coursework was rigorous and intellectually stimulating, and provided me with advanced skills that will be invaluable for my career.
Rick Shemanski
B.S., applied economics, Florida State University, 2014
I chose the program for its focus on applied statistical data analysis. The program does a great job of combining theoretical and applied aspects to give students the skills and training necessary to solve all types of problems. I highly recommend UC Santa Cruz’s masters in applied economics and finance program to any student looking to use economics and statistics to make an impact in business, finance or data science.
Kevin Troxell
B.A., economics and mathematics, UC Santa Cruz, 2015
As someone who had just received his bachelor’s degree in economics, this program introduced me to statistical methods to test economic theory, foundations of financial derivatives, and computer languages most frequently used in the economics field. The diversity of the curriculum was matched only by the diversity of my colleagues who came to Santa Cruz from countries across the world. This program is ideal for those like me, who were unsure of what to do after obtaining a bachelors degree, but also ideal for those who are looking to obtain their Ph.D., enter the job market, or are simply passionate about learning.
Shuo Wang
B.S., economics and finance, Donghua University, 2015
The program is pretty practical. In the program, you can learn not only many economics courses from micro to macro, but also many topics in finance. Along with theory, you will learn many amazing programming languages like Stata, R, and even Python. After graduating, you are prepared to work in any data related job, such business analysis, finance analysis, risk analysis etc. This program is a wonderful choice for your career in data analysis.
Zhaoqi Wang
B.S., finance, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, 2015
This program is intense and rigorous, but you can't stop because you want to make progress and enhance your understanding of the topics. Every time you feel tired and exhausted, you can clearly tell that you learned a lot, and therefore, you want to study even more! With the help of the great faculty and staff, and all the awesome classmates, you feel excited and happy as well. In short, the program challenges your understanding of economics and finance, but also strongly inspires you to go further.
Alexa Wolford
B.A., mathematics and economics, Linfield College, 2014
I came from a private liberal arts university, and wasn't sure what to expect from a large university like UCSC. I was immediately blown away by the dedication of the professors, the quality of fellow students I was working with, and the amazing resources this program provided. When searching for a graduate school, I was looking for a program that would strengthen my skills in econometrics and data analysis, as well as give me some exposure to finance, an area I had not studied before. I'm happy to say this program did not disappoint and has prepared me for a rewarding career. I will truly miss the students and staff of this program.
