What Makes Us Unique?

The Levy Economics Institute Master of Science in Economic Theory and Policy is part of a long history of curricular innovation at Bard College, an institution known for breaking the barriers between secondary, postsecondary, and graduate education. The program draws on the expertise of Levy Institute scholars and select Bard College faculty, following the hypotheses of the late Levy Institute Distinguished Scholars Hyman Minsky (financial fragility and financial structure) and Wynne Godley (stock-flow consistent macromodeling).

The M.S. integrates the research enterprises of the Levy Institute into the academic life of the College. Students in the program—to an extent rare even in graduate programs at major research universities—experience their education as a practicum due to the close links between the Institute’s research agenda and the program’s core curriculum. All students participate in a graduate research assistantship at the Institute, benefitting from the permanent residency of prominent researchers and the ongoing opportunities to engage with outside policy makers through the Institute’s various research partnerships. The limited enrollment and small class sizes allow students to contribute substantially to every discussion, and to develop close working and advising relationships with their instructors.

The M.S. program also offers a 3+2 dual-degree option for undergraduates, leading to both a liberal arts degree (B.A.) and a professional degree (M.S.) in five years. The 3+2 option enables highly motivated students to expedite completion of the graduate degree while also strengthening the undergraduate curriculum for students outside the M.S. program.

Intimate Program