M.A (Applied Economics) is a PG level course offered at Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram. The course is awarded by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Syllabus for the course covers topics like Industrial Organization, Public Economics, Econometrics, and Environmental Economics. Graduates in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks can apply. Admission is carried out on the basis of an objective model entrance test.

Course Curriculum for M.A (Applied Economics) at CDS, Thiruvananthapuram

Semester I

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
• Statistics
• Mathematics for Economics

Semester II

• Growth and Development
• Econometrics
• International Economics
• Indian Economic Development

Semester III

• Public Economics
• Topics in Applied Econometrics
• Economics of Technology and Innovation
• Population and Development
• Industrial Organization
• Economic History of Modern India

Semester IV

• Project
• Development and Governance
• Economics of Project Evaluation
• Environmental Economics
• Gender and Development
• Issues in Indian Agriculture
• Issues in Indian Industry
• Labor Economics
• Law and Economics
• Political Economy

Eligibility Criteria for M.A (Applied Economics) at CDS, Thiruvananthapuram

Graduates in any discipline are eligible for seeking admission. This qualification must be obtained under 10+2+3 pattern with a minimum of 50% marks. Pass marks in graduation is enough for candidates belonging to SC/ST and PH category. Final year students meeting the required qualifications are also eligible to apply. Such candidates must submit the final year mark sheets at the time of registration.

Admission Process for M.A (Applied Economics) at CDS, Thiruvananthapuram

Admission process is carried out on the basis of an entrance test. Analytical ability and aptitude of the aspirant are evaluated through this entrance test. They should be thorough with the Economics topics studied at graduate level (topics covered under B.A in Economics or equivalent). The entrance test is carried out in objective model. There will be 100 questions to be answered within duration of 2 hours. Four marks are given for each right answer and one mark is reduced for every wrong answer. Questions for the test are based on the following topics.

Microeconomics

• Demand Curves
• Price and Income Elasticity of Demand
• Cost Curves
• Equilibrium of firm under perfect Competition and Monopoly

Macroeconomics

• Monetary Policy
• Balance of Payments
• National Income
• Theory of Income determination
• Trade

Descriptive Statistics

• Coordinate Geometry
• Correlation coefficient
• Elementary Algebra
• Elementary Calculus
• Elementary Probability Theory
• Mathematics for economists
• Mean, Median and Mode
• Standard Deviation

Apart from this, there will be questions on India’s planning and development experience since independence, and basic indicators of development like international economics. General category candidates require a minimum of 50% marks to qualify the entrance exam. A minimum of 45% and 40% marks is enough for OBC and SC/ST candidates (respectively) to qualify.