Students are required to complete sixteen courses: nine compulsory and seven optional courses as listed below. One compulsory course in the fourth semester is a project in which the student shall work on an empirical issue under faculty supervision. Please note that all optional courses mentioned below may not be offered every year :

• A bachelor’s degree in any discipline under 10+2+3 pattern, with at least 50 percent marks.
• SC, ST & PH (with >40% disability) candidates are eligible irrespective of percentage of marks secured in the qualifying degree.
• Those who are appearing for their final examination may also apply. Such candidates, if selected, shall be allowed to join the programme only if they have secured the minimum prescribed percentage of marks in their qualifying examination at the time of registration to the programme. They should also submit the final mark sheets of the qualifying examination at the time of registration to the programme.

MA students have to pay a tuition fee of Rs 8000 per semester. All students will be provided hostel accommodation on a shared basis. (The Campus has separate hostels for men and women. All rooms have attached bath and are modestly furnished). CDS hostel rent is Rs. 200 per person per month which includes charges for electricity and water. All hostel residents must also pay the monthly mess bill.

Admission is based on an entrance test scheduled on May 25th 2014 from 10:00 A.M. to 12.00 Noon at Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata & Thiruvananthapuram.

Statutory reservation for SC, ST, OBC (NCL) & PH (≥ 40% disability) candidates as per Govt. of India rules will apply.

Candidates will be tested for their analytical ability and aptitude. Candidates are expected to be familiar with the undergraduate course content of a standard Economics programme taught at the BA level. They are also expected to be aware of current national and international economic issues of importance. An illustrative list of areas to be covered is given below, especially for the benefit of candidates without an undergraduate degree in Economics.

• Microeconomics (Demand Curves, Price and Income Elasticity of Demand, Cost Curves, Equilibrium of firm under perfect Competition and Monopoly)
• Macroeconomics (National Income, Theory of Income determination, Monetary Policy, Trade and Balance of Payments)
• Statistics and Mathematics: Descriptive Statistics (Mean, Median and Mode, Standard Deviation, Correlation coefficient). Elementary Probability Theory, Mathematics for economists (Elementary Algebra, Coordinate Geometry and Elementary Calculus).
• India’s planning and Development experience since Independence, Basic indicators of Development.
• International Economics issues of Contemporary importance.

The MA entrance test question paper will consist of two parts. The first part will have 5 passages with 2-3 short analytical questions from each passage, carrying a total of 5x10 = 50 marks. The second part will have 25 multiple choice questions with +2 marks each for correct answers and -1 for each wrong answer. The duration of the entrance examination is two hours and maximum marks will be 100.

Minimum Marks to be obtained in the written test in order to be considered for selection
General Category – 50%
OBC (NCL) - 45%
SC/ST/PH - 40%

Application is to be submitted in the prescribed Format (Application form with Hall ticket) along with

• Copies of mark-sheets for Bachelor’s degree (latest available)
• Application Fee of Rs. 200/-, as a DD drawn in favour of the Centre for Development Studies, payable at Trivandrum.
• SC, ST and PH (with ≥ 40% disability) applicants are exempted from payment of the application fee.

Application Deadline : APRIL 21, 2014

The application with enclosures should reach the -
Academic Programme Office,
Centre for Development Studies, Ulloor, Medical College (P.O)
Thiruvananthapuram - 695 011, Kerala.
on or before April 21, 2014.