Transitioning into Economics from Psych

[EveryDay]

Hello everyone,

I hope this request for opinions doesn't violate any forum rules. I am a former B.S. in Psychology with intermediate experience in statistics (no undergrad math). I have been extremely interested in decision making for years, and recently I've been trying to study neuroeconomics in order to branch from the neuroscience that I love into that economic topics that interest me. Problem is, I'm not sure anymore if I want to do a cognitive neuroscience Ph.D. in order to study and apply this, so I've been looking into pure economics (I'm also concerned about budget cuts and overwhelmed job markets in science). I have a couple of questions, if anyone cares to chime in (I'd appreciate it):

1) I know economics deals with important amounts of data. My personal experience is just 3 years of neuroscience data analysis and programming, which might not be very relevant for my transition (apart from generalized sense of quantitative thought) . Has anyone made a transition from psych/neuroscience? How did you manage to do it?

2) Given my lack of official math, what would be the best way to close this gap? I've thought of taking individual classes at my local U, but I would rather not get another undergrad degree. I've also been thinking of trying to get a econ-related job in addition to taking classes. Do you think this is possible with a psych undergrad degree?

3) What kinds of data heavy jobs have you guys gotten with an economics degree? 

Any insights would help me a lot, and would be very appreciated!

[Malthusian]

On 3/2/2016 at 4:30 PM, EveryDay said:

Hello everyone,

I hope this request for opinions doesn't violate any forum rules. I am a former B.S. in Psychology with intermediate experience in statistics (no undergrad math). I have been extremely interested in decision making for years, and recently I've been trying to study neuroeconomics in order to branch from the neuroscience that I love into that economic topics that interest me. Problem is, I'm not sure anymore if I want to do a cognitive neuroscience Ph.D. in order to study and apply this, so I've been looking into pure economics (I'm also concerned about budget cuts and overwhelmed job markets in science). I have a couple of questions, if anyone cares to chime in (I'd appreciate it):

1) I know economics deals with important amounts of data. My personal experience is just 3 years of neuroscience data analysis and programming, which might not be very relevant for my transition (apart from generalized sense of quantitative thought) . Has anyone made a transition from psych/neuroscience? How did you manage to do it?

2) Given my lack of official math, what would be the best way to close this gap? I've thought of taking individual classes at my local U, but I would rather not get another undergrad degree. I've also been thinking of trying to get a econ-related job in addition to taking classes. Do you think this is possible with a psych undergrad degree?

3) What kinds of data heavy jobs have you guys gotten with an economics degree? 

Any insights would help me a lot, and would be very appreciated!

2) From my personal experience, attending classes trumps distance learning. For someone who majored in a non-quantitative subject, the opportunity to see a variety of strategies in solving a question helped me overcome my lack of experience with Maths. I know of a few good distance-learning options, but if you can afford studying at your local university, then I would go with that.

[DGrayson]

No Ph.D program worth its salt will accept students without at least Calc 1-3 and a class in Linear Algebra. That's because the economics field has become so quantitatively heavy and proof based that it is impossible to survive without those skills. What I would recommend is either taking some classes at the local university you suggested, or perhaps looking at a masters degree program. Their math standards are usually lower and they give you the opportunity to beef up on areas you may be missing. I've just completed my masters degree in economics at the University of Texas at Austin, a one year intensive where half of our cohort have chosen to pursue a Ph.D. If you have any questions about the program or anything I've said in general, feel free to PM me!