Brandeis International Business School

Students in World Court

BA/MA

(Brandeis/Wellesley Undergraduates Only)
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The BA/MA Program is an innovative five-year degree program that allows Brandeis and Wellesley undergraduates to earn their BA or BS plus a Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance (MA). The curriculum targets financial and economic skills needed to understand the global economy and international finance.

Highlights

Accelerate Your Career

Brandeis undergraduates can increase their starting salary by more than 60 percent if they earn a master's degree at the International Business School.

Same MA offerings, Shorter Time

The program provides candidates with the opportunity to earn our flagship, highly ranked MA degree with just one additional year of study. Brandeis students may apply to the BA/MA program beginning in their sophomore year after successfully completing at least two of the prerequisites with a minimum grade of “B” in each course. Wellesley students may apply to the program in their junior year.

Practical Learning

The curriculum combines graduate business coursework and practical learning in both international economics and finance. This provides students with expanded knowledge across both subjects. Students also have access to our expansive Bloomberg Lab for financial modeling and data analysis.

Ranked Among the Best in the United States

The Financial Times ranks the MA program #5 in the U.S. among pre-experience programs. The program is also ranked #1 in the country for highest percentage of female faculty and #2 for highest percentage of female students.

STEM Designated

Study in a program that lets international students extend a 12-month post-graduate practical training experience by an additional 24 months. Learn more.

Supportive Community

Contact our student ambassadors with any questions about the student experience and the BA/MA mentors for advice on making academic and career choices. Current students, staff and faculty are all here to support you in your journey to become a graduate of the International Business School.

The average U.S. salary and bonus for BA/MA, BA/MSBA and BA/MBA graduates in 2022 was $99,153— or $38,587 more than the average Brandeis undergraduate salary.

Your Global Career

BA/MA alumni work at companies such as Prudential, Goldman Sachs and Boston Consulting Group.

Stephanie Borr '22, MA'23
Stephanie Borr ’22, MA’23

Quantitative Analyst, Bank of America

Jiaxin Zhang
Jiaxin Zhang

Data Analyst, HSP Group

Peter Wein
Peter Wein

Mather Economics

Marshall Santoso
Marshall Santoso

Boston Consulting Group

Johanna Silverio
Johanna Silverio

Boston Financial Investment Management

Yuki Hasegawa
Yuki Hasegawa

Goldman Sachs

Emily Rumanek
Emily Rumanek

ViiV Healthcare

Mauricio Gojman
Mauricio Gojman

Fredericks Michael & Co.

Amy Kessler
Amy Kessler

Prudential

BA/MA Curriculum

Curriculum requirements for the BA/MA program are identical to those of the 2-year MA program.  BA/MA students must take a minimum of 32 credits after they are matriculated in the MA once they've completed their bachelor's degree, and complete 64 total credits for the program.

Students must complete a minimum of 28 relevant credits toward the BA/MA while completing their BA to matriculate in their 5th year to the MA program.  While BA/MA students are encouraged to gain graduate level credit while still enrolled in their BA, Brandeis BA/MA students can apply up to their final semester in their BA as long as they have the minimum 28 relevant transfer credits.

All BUS, ECON and FIN courses (100, 200 and 300 level) are eligible for transfer for the 28 credits.  Students may also petition to have up to eight of those credits be 100-level related coursework.  These include cross-listed courses in the Business or Economics departments, as well as related fields like Mathematics and Computer Science.

Students work closely with their MA program advisors to review their academic goals and to develop individual curriculum plans based on the undergraduate coursework they've completed.

BA/MA students are encouraged to use 16-20 of their elective credits to complete one of five concentrations.

Undergraduate Course Equivalencies

Students who have taken undergraduate courses that are equivalent to graduate requirements may transfer these courses, or obtain an exemption from these requirements if they have met the maximum transfer limit.

Undergraduate Course

International Business School Course

ECON 80a Microeconomic Theory 

ECON 207a Managerial Economics

ECON 160a International Trade Theory

ECON 260a International Trade Policy and Institutions 

ECON 161a International Finance

ECON 202a Applied International Macroeconomics

ECON 171a Financial Economics

FIN 201a Investments 

ECON 184b Econometrics 

ECON 213a Applied Econometrics

BUS 6a Financial Accounting*

FIN 212a Accounting and Financial Analysis

BUS 117a Intermediate Corporate Finance 

FIN 202a International Corporate Finance

*Exemption only. Does not count for credit. 

Wellesley Students

Brandeis International Business School and the Department of Economics at Wellesley College offer a joint BA/MA degree that can be completed by Wellesley students in one year following completion of their bachelor’s degree.

Qualified Wellesley undergraduates enter the program in their senior year, taking two courses each semester at the International Business School and the rest at Wellesley. Then they enroll at the business school for one additional year of full-time graduate study. BA/MA students are required to spend five years as full-time students.

Students will be awarded a Wellesley BA at the end of their senior year and an MA degree from the International Business School after a year of graduate study.

Admissions

Are you ready to get started? Request more information about the BA/MA program or begin applying today.

Looking for more information on admissions? Contact us, connect with a BA/MA student ambassador or explore the links below: