Required course work is further enriched in the following ways:

• Faculty members are available to sit down with each student in the Program and discuss his/her background and objectives. Based on this discussion, the student and advisor can then design a course of study that meets the specific needs and objectives of that individual. This personal attention is a very important part of the Program.
  
  
• Before the start of the fall semester, all students must attend the MSPE orientation, which includes a short course on the use of computers. The training received in the computer course will be applied in Economics 506 and 508, where computers are used to analyze actual economic data.
  
  
• A number of times during the year, participants are offered the opportunity to go on field trips to observe the operation of financial institutions, commodity exchanges, marketing facilities for basic commodities, modern industrial production facilities, and government agencies concerned with regional and international development.
  
  
• A number of outstanding, internationally-known speakers are brought in each year to present seminars and lectures.
  
  
• During the semester the Department offers discussion groups and tutoring for participants in the Program who are having difficulty with their course work.
  
  
• Program staff are also available to help students orient themselves to Champaign-Urbana and to graduate study at the University of Illinois. A number of group activities, such as dinners and picnics, supplement the academic program.