Profile Evaluation Economics Masters

[CH1128]

Hey guys, I'm considering doing a research-oriented masters degree that would give me the opportunity to transition to a PhD if I end up liking it a lot. My interests are mostly in Developmental & International Economics. Here is my profile:

Bachelor's: Math & Computer Science at Fordham University (Overall GPA: 3.492, In-Major GPA: 3.641)
GRE: Q - 165, V - 163, AW - 5.0

Research: Worked at a research lab on campus analyzing biometric data using neural networks. Also programmed a High Frequency Trading algorithm. Also worked with an Economics research group at NYU. No publications, but I have presented at my school's research symposium

If you could recommend any masters programs that would be a good fit for me, that would be great! Thanks in advance!

[DGrayson]

Since your interest is in development economics, USC would be a good program for you to do. They're not a top 30 school though, at least not since I was back in Economics, so it may be harder for you to move upward if you decide to do a Ph.D, but they are fairly well respected for development. I would also recommend UT Austin, but for a different reason. They don't specialize much in development, but they have a one year MA program that has done really well placement wise. It's certainly good for giving you a taste of what Ph.D life would be like and would cost you less money, as MA programs are very rarely funded (though UT does give out some funding for some of their MA students). If you have questions specifically about that program I could help, as I completed it a couple years ago.