Meeting New Needs
westernnews.ca PM 41195534 January 16, 2014 / Vol. 50 No. 2 Meeting new needs New grad program eyes next generation of economics education BY ADELA TALBOT WESTERN ECONOMICS PROFESSOR Jim MacGee and his colleagues may have launched their newest venture Monday, but the real work has just begun. “This is the beginning of a journey, not the end,” said MacGee, chair of Western’s new Master of Financial Economics (MFE) program. “We have a lot to learn, and a lot to gain, and a lot to improve.” The four-term, 16-month program is only the second program of its kind in Ontario, following in the footsteps of the University of Toronto. Representing a partnership between the Department of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences, Department of Economics, Faculty of Law and Ivey Business School, the new postgraduate degree will prepare graduates with a diverse skillset employers are looking for, officials say. Employers are increasingly finding PhD graduates are ‘too specialized’ while those with an Economics undergraduate degree aren’t quite prepared to contribute, said Western President Amit Chakma. “They need some sort of masters training to meet their needs, and if you don’t (comply), you don’t rise to the top. This new pro- gram will serve the department well, the university well, and I hope it will also serve the industry well,” he continued. “We will see the need to have programs like the MFE – where you bring together the interdisciplinary input from four faculties, with support from industry and thoughtful input from our alumni. These academic partners have designed an excellent curriculum for future leaders who will graduate from the program to excel in a wide range of roles in banking, financial analysis, pension and investment management, private consulting, and regulatory institutions.” The inaugural MFE class has already begun, with its first intake having arrived last fall.
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