Best Way to Refresh on Econometrics
Hi-
My goal is to improve my econometrics skills (for applied macro research as end goal), but I would also like some "proof" that I actually picked up these skills. I'm willing to put in the time but a little lost between paths. How would people view the following options:
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full blown masters in applied economics (online/part time)- have focused on JHU's applied economics MA
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some kind of post masters grad certificate focused on econometrics- have focused on JHU's certificate in quantitative methods and University of London SOAS's post grad certificate in quantitative finance
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total self study from books/moocs
In terms of background have taken intro to stats, intro to econometrics, intermediate macro, intermediate micro, calculus 1, and a math for economists course (solid grades in all but skills are rusty); have a public policy quantitative focused masters.
Other considerations are that would like to do it as efficiently as possible, don't need to change jobs, can't relocate, care about brand name to a degree (North Dakota State would look odd on my resume for example), $ not an issue, and no issues with distance/online/self learning.
Any feedback on the pros/cons of various options? Any options not considering?
bump- anyone?
I did a ton of math/stats/applied econometrics in undergrad but haven't used it once since graduation. I've thought many times about ditching the path I'm currently on to get a PhD in stats and do applied research. Sounds like I'm in a similar boat as you but a few years behind and with a stronger background of courses taken in undergrad.
I'd suggest going through some free/inexpensive MOOCs on Khan Academy, Udemy, MIT open courseware etc. Brush up on your basic statistics first, then spend a bunch of time on regression and time series analysis (although it sounds like you never took dedicated courses on those in undergrad). If you're that motivated, just buy used textbooks online, but look for those that have applications in R/Stata/Python. Your biggest uphill battle by far would be convincing a program that you have the prerequisites and that those are fresh enough for you to be successful in a rigorous applied econometrics program. So if you go this route, it may be worth it to go through online courses that have some type of completion certificate that you can point to in your application.
Thanks very much for the thorough response
I certainly dont have your level of preparation, and given that fortunately not the goal of a PHD.
I did take an econometrics course, but no time series.
Totally agree on your point regarding the prerequisites/freshness which is why i am mostly targeting part time/online certificate programs with lower standards. Would you be skeptical of a program that claims to offer rigorous econometric training but only requires multivariate calc, intermediate micro/macro, stats, and econometrics?
At the Masters level probably not but at the PhD level definitely. That said I'd have to see a curriculum overview. Regardless this is becoming an incredibly competitive field at an accelerating rate with the abundance of people who have crossover skill sets that are applicable to econometrics (i.e. data scientists, statisticians, computer programmers, etc.). As such my focus would be on graduate placement and less on the specifics of the curriculum. If you identify holes in the curriculum you'd like to fill you can self study and plug them yourself. That said I'm sure there is a strong positive correlation between curriculum rigor and quality of graduate placement.
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