Deregulation and changes in the regulatory paradigm have created a need for well-trained professionals who can apply economic analysis to the policy issues confronting the rapidly changing electric, natural gas and telecommunications industries. Changes in the market place have also magnified the need for well-trained individuals who can assist firms in developing sound business strategies for competing in a complex and challenging environment. The Electricity, Natural Gas, and Telecommunications Economics Studies Sequence offered within the Master's Program in the Department of Economics combines training in quantitative techniques and economic analysis with studies in the current issues that confront the electric, natural gas and telecommunications industries. Students who complete the sequence are prepared for careers in the industries and regulatory agencies served by the Institute.

 The Institute is integrally involved in the Policy Studies Sequence. First, the Institute provides funding for research assistantships and internships for masters students enrolled in the Policy Studies Sequence. Second, the Institute enables the Department to maintain a sequence that is responsive to the changing needs of the electric, natural gas and telecommunications industries by maintaining close ties with firms in each industry and the regulatory community.

The Economics department is also developing an undergraduate concentration in regulatory policy studies. This concentration, in combination with the undergraduate major in telecommunications offered by the Department of Applied Computer Science, can serve as a primer for study at the graduate level, or as a stand-alone degree that provides useful preparation for a variety of careers.