Florida State University’s Master’s in Applied Economics Program (MAEP) had its 2024 class present their capstone projects to professionals, alumni, faculty, and friends on July 26. Attendees judged the projects and awarded each member of the winning team a $1,000 scholarship.
This symposium takes place at the end of the summer semester. The capstone project is a simulated consulting project where students complete projects from start to finish in teams of three to four alongside a faculty senior partner. Its primary purpose is to provide real-world experience in performing practical economic research from start to finish, as is commonly found in consulting projects or government agency reports. However, it also allows the presenting students to gain practical experience by preparing for structured meetings, giving formal presentations, and technical writing. This year’s projects had a greater focus on policy analysis in addition to the usual collaboration with community partners.
The program is one year long and prepares students for various government and private sector careers. Through this and exposure to in-demand software and data analysis skills, job placement rates of program graduates have surpassed 90%. One of the program’s highlights is how it provides networking opportunities to students by maintaining close connections with alumni and engaging with state and local government leaders.
The winning team included Dylan Otte, Jade Rayburn, Carly Sawyers, Jackson Burks, and faculty senior partner Carl Kitchens. Their project “Florida Forever: An Evaluation of Environmental Conservation Efforts” evaluated the property value impacts of the conservation efforts made by Florida Forever, which is the leading conservation and land acquisition program in the state. In their research, they found that the program “yielded a largely negligible benefit” on property values in the state.
“Winning the award for the best applied project was an incredibly proud accomplishment for our team. Throughout the summer, we consistently collaborated, conducted research, and leveraged our strengths to create a final project we were all extremely proud of,” said Jade Rayburn. “There isn’t a single thing I would change about our team or our project—we got along exceptionally well, always pushed each other to work hard, and most importantly, ensured we had fun along the way.”
In addition to the Outstanding Final Project Award, two students were given the Outstanding Student Award, and an alumni was given the Alum of the Year Award. The Outstanding Student Award was awarded to Binying Liu and Sofia Restrapo for maintaining an above-average GPA of 3.96 throughout the entirety of the program. The Alum of the Year Award is presented to someone who has both excelled in their career and taken time to give back to the program with their time and talents. Awarded to Taylor Leverette, she graduated from the Master’s in Applied Economics Program in 2015. In addition to a thriving career with Charles River Associates, Leverette has been the co-instructor of Professional Development since 2021. She coordinates with professionals in the private and public sectors and returns to Bellamy on Monday evenings in the fall and spring. She and the professionals network with the students, proofread resumes, give feedback on presentations, and generally help the class make a smooth transition from their academic studies to the professional world.
“Binying Liu came into the program with very strong analytical and quantitative capabilities,” said Director Katie Sherron. “Sofia Restrepo was a student in my health economics class in the spring of 2023. She excelled in this program and accepted a position with Resolution Economics in Chicago.”
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To learn more about the Master’s of Applied Economics Program, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/economics/masters-program.