Lee Business School | Economics

What Do Our Graduates Do?

Andrew Powell, 2003

Andy Powell is a Senior Planner/Demographer for the city of Henderson, Nevada. He is responsible for the Citys population estimates and projections, land-use forecasts, and a variety of development impact modeling projects.

Andy notes that the course work at UNLV helped me develop critical thinking, project management and problem-solving skills that have proved invaluable to the work that I do on a daily basis.

Nicholas Weeks, 2004

Nicholas Weeks is currently an Analyst with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). As an analyst, Nick contributes to GAO's mission investigating the programs, policies, and expenditures of the Federal Government in support of Congress. His duties include: gathering information electronically and through in-person interviews, performing qualitative and quantitative analysis, and reporting findings in writing and in briefings to Congressional staff members.

Juliette Tennert, 2005

Juliette Tennert is the Chief Economist and Director of Demographic and Economic Analysis in the Utah Governors Office of Planning and Budget. She oversees a staff of economists and analysts, who prepare the state's population estimates and projections, analyze the fiscal impacts of state issues, prepare revenue estimates for the monitoring of
the states budget, and disseminate economic and demographic information. Ms. Tennert also serves as Utahs Governors Liaison to the Census and the Utah representative to the Census Bureaus Federal State Cooperative for Population Estimates, Federal State Cooperative for Population Projections, and State Data Center programs.

Juliette notes that the master's program in economics at UNLV helped me to develop a solid knowledge base of both economic theory and practical application of economics, which has been invaluable in my professional career as an economist. The program not only sharpened my quantitative skills, but also strengthened my writing and presentation skills which I believe have been key to my professional success. I would recommend the program to anyone looking to enhance future career opportunities or to prepare for Ph.D-level studies in economics.

Khalid Kisswani, 2005

Khalid is pursuing his PhD at the University of Connecticut, in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, where is area of emphasis is Environmental and Resource Economics. Khalid is in the process of completing his dissertation, where he is conducting a dynamic analysis is OPECs pricing behavior. In addition to working on his PhD, Khalid has served as an adjunct professor at Eastern Connecticut State University and University of Hartford. Khalid is currently a visiting professor at Quinnipiac University.

Khalid notes that: The MA program at UNLV was very helpful for me. The classes in the MA program helped smooth the transition to the PhD program. The MA program at UNLV not only equipped me with skills, but also instilled me with confidence to go ahead and continue my education.

Thomas Galvin, 2006

Thomas is a national research analyst for Colliers International, the 3rd largest commercial real estate company in the world. His typical day entails tracking local and national market conditions for industrial real estate; specifically the transportation and warehousing sectors of the economy. Thomas is responsible for keeping track of market rents, vacancy rates, sales prices, construction activity and absorption rates for office and industrial space in the greater Los Angeles Region.

Thomas notes that he has been promoted above his peers, in part due to the training and hands-on knowledge he received at UNLV. Professors at UNLV helped him secure an internship with Colliers International in Las Vegas and I have been in the same industry and with the same company for three years. The skills and tools I learned while at UNLV have benefited me immensely. Problems solving, data manipulation, creative thinking and hard work are what it takes to do my job, the same skills that made me successful during my graduate studies.

Petya Madzharova, 2007

Petya currently works for The Brattle Group in Cambridge, MA (http://www.brattle.com), where she serves as a Research Analyst. The Brattle Groups provides consulting services in three major areas – utilities, finance, and litigation.
Petyas duties and tasks at the Brattle Group range from simple internet research to undertaking complicated data analysis and market simulations.

Petya notes that the rigorous courses in the MA program (such as Mathematical Economics and Econometrics), and the computer programming skills I learned while writing my professional paper prepared me to undertake the data and market analyses I conduct in my current job.

Floyd Burris, 2007

Floyd just completed the first-year PhD in economics classes at the University of Utah. The first-year coursework included macroeconomic theory, microeconomic theory, political economy, and mathematical economics. Floyd notes that, without question, UNLVs MA in economics program helped prepare him for the rigors of PhD study. From economic theory to quantitative analysis, I found myself applying and building upon what I learned while at UNLV.

For students not interested in pursuing a PhD, Floyd wants prospective students to know that pursuing a PhD was not his only option. Prior to graduation, the MA programs internship experience provided me ample opportunities to seek employment, both in the private and government sectors, to the point where I had to turn down job offers. As a result, I found the MA program extremely useful, well worth the time and effort.

Brian Karnik, 2007

Brian works for Commerce Bank in the corporate headquarters in downtown Kansas City, MO, as a Marketing Systems Analyst in the Retail Lending and Payment Systems division of the bank. As part of his job, Brians group produces projects and data for the various departments of the bank (e.g., credit card, debit card, and personal loans). The reports Brian helps produce include information how the may bank increase its revenues or decrease its liabilities. Brian works with data that are stored on an Oracle server.

Brian notes that: The MA program was very beneficial in helping me transition into this job. First of all the program strengthened and advanced my econometric skills that I use all the time. The program also helped me learn to manipulate data sets and use different statistical programs. More importantly, the MA program helped me develop my critical-thinking skills. There is not a clear-cut way to perform the projects that I am assigned. I have to assess the situation and decide on how to go about performing