Academics

The Master of Energy Economics is a full-time, 12-month professional master's degree. The curriculum is offered in four terms, normally with the final term devoted to an internship or practicum. Students are required to complete 44 credit hours within the 12 months, which are separated into 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 consecutive 7-week-long sessions that take place during the summer. All courses in Session I, and two in Session II, are mandatory. Sessions II and III provide a variety of specialized elective courses of particular interest to a subset of students. Students have the option to accelerate their program of study by taking additional elective courses in the spring semester.

All students are also required to complete an internship or practicum to provide them with practical experience relevant to the degree. The practicum is a research project similar to what you will encounter in industry. It is developed by a group of participating industry advisors to whom the student will also present their analyses at the end of the degree program. Internships provide prospective employers with an opportunity to effectively evaluate new talent. Students complete the required internship in Sessions II, III, or IV. However, the practicum is only available in Session IV. The internship should be directly related to the MEECON degree program. It is recognized that some students may be employed in an industry that provides a suitable internship opportunity. These students may be able to fulfill the internship requirement by working on a special project with their current employer.

The credit distribution is as follows: