Master of Energy Economics (MEEcon) Degree

Program Learning Outcomes for the MEEcon Degree

Upon completing the MEEcon degree, students will be able to:

  1. Understand and apply basic economic, scientific, political, and statistical principles useful for analyzing and understanding energy markets.
  2. Apply quantitative skills, including econometric models and statistical software, to better utilize data to critique, analyze, and report results of industry-related issues and inform strategic decisions.
  3. Be better able to communicate insights arising from the economics perspective on issues affecting the energy sector.

Requirements for the MEEcon Degree 

The MEEcon degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the MEEcon degree must complete:

  • A minimum of 44 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
  • A minimum of 44 credit hours of graduate-level study (graduate semester credit hours, coursework at the 500-level or above). 
  • A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
  • A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken in standard or traditional courses (with a course type of lecture, seminar, laboratory, lecture/laboratory). 
  • A minimum residency enrollment of 2 semesters of full-time graduate study at Rice University.
  • A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
  • A practicum or internship. 
  • A minimum overall GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework.
  • A minimum program GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework that satisfies requirements for the non-thesis master’s degree.

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor, or where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program's Official Certifier. Additionally, these must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the MEEcon Degree44

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements 1
ECON 601ENERGY ECONOMICS I4
ECON 602MICROECONOMICS OF THE ENERGY SECTOR4
ECON 603APPLIED ECONOMETRICS FOR ENERGY MARKETS4
ECON 604ENERGY ECONOMICS II4
ECON 606CORPORATE FINANCE FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR4
ECON 610ENERGY AND THE MACROECONOMY4
ECON 699PRACTICUM 24
Elective Requirements
Select 4 courses as electives from departmental (ECON) course offerings selected from any course between ECON 605 and ECON 622 (except ECON 606 and ECON 610, which are required) 316
Total Credit Hours44

Footnotes and Additional Information

Proposed Plan-of-Study

The MEEcon degree program is completed in 12 months and is organized in four sessions. Sessions I and II correspond to the Fall and Spring semesters, respectively, and follow the standard Rice Academic Calendar. Sessions III and IV are two consecutive 7-week long sessions that take place during the subsequent summer semester. All courses (including required courses and electives) are graduate-level courses, numbered 500-level and above.

Plan of Study Grid
Session I (Fall Semester)Credit Hours
ECON 601 ENERGY ECONOMICS I 4
ECON 602 MICROECONOMICS OF THE ENERGY SECTOR 4
ECON 603 APPLIED ECONOMETRICS FOR ENERGY MARKETS 4
ECON 606 CORPORATE FINANCE FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR 4
 Credit Hours16
Session II (Spring Semester)
ECON 604 ENERGY ECONOMICS II 4
ECON 610 ENERGY AND THE MACROECONOMY 4
ECON 699 PRACTICUM 1,2 4
Elective oneElective one 3 4
Elective twoElective two 3 4
 Credit Hours16
Session III (Summer I)
Elective threeElective three 3 4
Elective fourElective four 3 4
 Credit Hours8
Session IV (Summer II)
ECON 699 PRACTICUM 1,2 4
 Credit Hours4
 Total Credit Hours44

Footnotes and Additional Information

Policies for the MEEcon Degree

Department of Economics Graduate Program Handbook

The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the Department of Economics publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2023_24/Economics_MEECON_Graduate_Handbook.pdf

Admission

Information on admission to the MEEcon program is available on the Admissions tab of the Economics website. For general university requirements, see Graduate Degrees and Admission to Graduate Study.

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the MEEcon degree should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guidelines:

  • No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the degree.
  • Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director on an individual case-by-case basis. 

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Economics website: https://economics.rice.edu/

Opportunities for the MEEcon Degree 

Byron Pope Award

The Byron Pope Award is given to the student who best exemplifies the benefits provided by participation in the Masters in Energy Economics Program. 

MEEcon Award for Scholarly Excellence

This award is for superior demonstrated academic excellence in the Master of Energy Economics program courses. This award is supported by a gift from BP.

Additional Information 

For additional information, please see the Economics website: https://economics.rice.edu/