IGNOU MA Economics is interesting and professionally rewarding. This course will help you understand and appreciate the intricacies of small day-to-day economic activities and their large-scale impact on the whole economical system.
IGNOU MCA study materials are a little difficult to understand as the concepts are mostly explained mathematically without explaining the theory. The course work is demanding, you need to take the assignments and examinations seriously. If you have Mathematics till class XII, it will be easier to understand complex Economic models.
Both the courses are distinct from one another.
At DSE, they train you rigorously in mathematics. And this is an important part of your journey but that is about the only part DSE focuses on. Economic theory at DSE will give you an edge over a lot of other institutions and get your foot in the door inside a lot of big names in finance.
Now coming to JNU, they don’t give a lot of emphasis on Maths but they make sure you read a lot more than you will read at DSE. This means you build a well-rounded view of the world and how economies function. This is a good thing as it will help you very much in mainstream research and things like journalism where you need to know a lot of things.
Also, at JNU reading thoroughly is a part of the curriculum which is not the same in DSE. With the curriculum at JNU, you will discover different schools of thought and learn to think for yourself.
Overall, choosing JNU will be better.
Preparing for MA Economics entrances for JNU and DSE will need immense concentration and dedication. You will need to prioritize to keep everything in balance. Here are some things you can go through:
The books you can refer to are: Dornbush and Blanchard for Macroeconomics. Hal Varian, Nicolson, and Pyndick for Microeconomics. Hammond and Chiang for Maths. SC Gupta and Miller for Statistics and finally Gujarati for Econometrics.
Economics offers many career options. Having a master’s degree in Economics from JNU will offer you many placement opportunities. Here are some of the career paths that you can choose after the completion of your degree.
No matter what you choose to do, the competition is quite hard. So, you will have to work accordingly.
Self-study is the best tool to score well in examinations. Since JNU is the dream institute for most students, the competition level is very high, but you can crack it with strong determination and dedication. If you are good at the basics and theories that you studied at graduation, then half the job is done. Try to solve the previous year's question paper, which is available on the official website of JNU.
Some important topics are listed below
Strive hard and give your best.
If you want to score good marks in MA economics, take a look at these important sites and books.
Sites:
Economic Discussion- This website has been specially designed for economic students. Here various economic professors and students have shared economics theory in a crisp and easy manner.
Investopedia: This website is suitable for not only economics students but also for finance students. Their USP is their regular update on economic and financial terms in your email.
Your article library: This one is somewhat similar to Economic Discussion.
Books:
Gullybaba: The language used in this book is easy to understand. You can understand the concepts quickly and score good marks.
Neeraj: The language in this book is a bit more complex than Gullybaba. But compared to the IGNOU study materials it’s still easy.
The above sources of study material will help you score better marks for IGNOU MA Economics.
The study material provided by IGNOU is elaborate and more than enough. You don't really need books except for these 3 subjects:
MEC 001 Microeconomic Analysis: For the subject, you might need some extra notes. The best way is to google the topics. You can make notes on the numerical part especially. Usually, the numerical questions are the same as the previous years. Still, it is recommended that you don't skip the study material.
MEC 003 Quantitative Methods in Economics: For this subject, you can make the best use of YouTube videos. Also practising from the previous year's papers will prove to be very helpful.
MEC 105 Indian Economic Policy: The study material provided for this particular subject needs to be updated with the latest data and figures. So it's highly recommended that you prepare topic-wise notes after thorough study.
Ultimately focus on the syllabus whichever source you are referring to.
Anyone who has completed his/her graduation in any stream can get admission to DSE for MA in Economics. The only eligibility criteria are at least 60% marks in the aggregate ( in the graduation program)
Earlier there was an additional requirement that the aspirant must have studied at least one Maths paper during their graduation. But the recent criteria do not even require that. However, DSE focuses a lot on Math, and having an Engineering background will definitely give you an edge over other candidates.
Recently DSE has witnessed many non-economic students willing to shift their careers in economics and want to pursue Master's in Economics. This shift among students stems from the increasing demand for economists globally in different domains of jobs like Analyst, Economist, Researcher, Data Scientist, etc.
As an MA in Economics aspirant, one thing to keep in mind is that although the entrance exam is easy, the program is quite rigorous and can be extremely stressful at times. So only a true Economics fan should go for it.
Delhi School of Economics, Madras School of Economics, and Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy are reputed institutes for offering quality education in Economics. If you are considering the Mumbai region, Mumbai University’s Kalina campus is a good institute to do a Master’s in economics.
In the Mumbai region, IGIDR and MSEPP are the best options for pursuing MA in Economics with good curriculums. IGIDR should be the first preference if you can score well enough in the entrance exam. A close second is MSEPP but it has a heavy dropout percentage.
Pursuing MA in economics from IGNOU alongside preparing for RBI Grade B exam has its pros and cons both.
Pros:
It will make you eligible for RBI Grade B (DEPR) vacancies, for which competition would be lesser as compared to RBI Grade B (General). The probability of selection will be higher.
In future, if you need backup options, this degree will come to your rescue.
This degree will get you brownie points in an interview. The knowledge gained through the pursuit of the degree will be helpful in your career.
Will help with the Economic Issues portion of RBI.
Cons:
You might face serious time management issues.
If you decide to pursue MA in Economics alongside prepararing RBI Grade B Exam, it have its own respectve pros and cons.
Weighing the pros and cons you can make the decision based on your caliber and situation.