Hello, everyone: If any of you are interested in studying in the graduate school of the field of economics or related disciplines, I would like to recommand you some courses for drilling your techniques. Basics (helpful for your studying in MA): 1. Programming ability like C++ A familiarity of a computer program helps you master Stata, SAS or Matlab, for it provides you an understanding of the language of a computer. An ability to communicate with your PC nowaday becomes indispensable when you have to do either empirical or theoretical research (e.g., calibration in macro.) in any field. 2. Linear algebra/ Ordinary differential equation and partial differential equation (ODE & PDE). The quickest way to learn mathematics may be to learn them from the college of science, the college of engineering, or the college of electronic engineering and information. For example, a sequence of engineering mathematics divided by three semesters includes: linear algebra for one, ODE and PDE for another, and complex function theory for the other. Though mathematics wont come as handy as programming, I recommand those for they are so much fundamental disciplines that you should take them as your general education like the role played by calculus. What about learning them from the dept. of math.? Well..., to learn tools from the dept. of math is a harsh experience for me... For one thing they used to forcus on how to prove and write down ideas, for the other they usually give you unacceptable low scores and make you suffer each class. My opinions are i) You are good at math. and fully appreciate it, then go ahead! ii) All you life (and time!) math is the only belief and the only discipline you would like to know, then go ahead! iii) You do not just want to know how to (or you hate to) calculate everything, then go ahead! Otherwise, for me, a student poor at math., who wants to indulge myself in different fields and enjoy my life, should always try to learn from engineering math. first. 3. Advanced statistics or mathematical statistics in the equivalent level. We are lucky that S.S. Chen has a mathematical statistics designed for the statistical tools of econometrics. If any of you have missed a full year of this training, I would recommend it. 4. Any alternative? 1) As long as you are young and eager to learn, try to challenge yourself whenever it is possible. You might wish to substitute any math. course by a full year of mathematical economics. But I should say the truth, and the truth is whenever you learn math. economics here, you forget it. 2) C/C++ is widely used and can be applied by statistical softwares. Other computer language is good, if you spend your time drilling it. 5. Econometrics if you do not have one! Time is mean to us, for neither did we have one semester econometrics when we were sophomore, nor will we have this crazy TA for econometrics next year. Alas, the key point is, after you learn econometrics, you know the quantitative method in our field and follow up your junior classmates (and, of course, top students abroad)! Quanlitative discipline gives you to which way the world is going, quantitative discipline, in addition, tells you how long has the world run! Econometric TA of J.T. Liu http://r96323008ntu.blogspot.com/ Ref: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2006/05/which-math-courses.html --

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