Economist, GS-0110
Definitions:
EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows: 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.
GRADUATE EDUCATION: In the absence of specific graduate program information, a year of graduate education is 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of graduate level college course work, or the number of credit hours the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full time study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university.
For GS-05:
BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must meet A or B below to satisfy the basic education requirement for Economist, all grade levels.
- Degree: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in economics that included at least 21 semester hours in economics and 3 semesters hours in statistics, accounting, or calculus.
- Combination of education and experience-course work as shown in "A" above, plus appropriate experience and/or additional education for a total of 4 years. The education or combined education and experience must be comparable in type, scope and thoroughness to that acquired through successful completion of a 4-year course of study as described in "A" above.(CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)
For GS-07:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level:
**One year of successfully completed graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in economics or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.
**OR Superior Academic Achievement based on undergraduate study. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT)
**OR one year of appropriate professional experience that is in or related to the duties of the position to be filled is qualifying if it is equivalent to at least the GS-5 level in the Federal service, and if it equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.
Examples of GS-5 level work may include: 1) routine preparation for statistical surveys; 2) tabulation and processing of data; 3) routine posting from secondary sources; 3) preparation of simple charts, tables, etc. For examples 1-3, the work involved receiving clear, specific and detailed instructions as to the methods, techniques, procedures and guidelines to use.
**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)
For GS-9:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level:
** Two years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master's degree in economics or other directly related field of study or master's or equivalent graduate degree in economics or other related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.
**OR one year of appropriate professional experience in economics that is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-7 level work may include: 1) developing detailed plans for an economic study according to established specifications and precedent; 2) collecting and compiling economic data from primary or secondary sources following detailed and exact procedures and regulations; 3) preparing preliminary interpretive reports, or portions of such reports following precise instructions
**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, that is beyond the first year of progressive graduate study and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)
For GS-11:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must meet one of the following to qualify for the GS-11 level:
**Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education (54 semester hours, 81 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a Ph.D. degree in economics or other directly related field of study or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in economics or other directly related field of study if it provided the knowledge, skill and abilities necessary to do the work of the position to be filled.
**OR one year of appropriate professional experience in economics that is equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service.
Example of GS-9 level work may include performing several of the steps necessary to a project for collecting economic data (employment statistics, for example, or marketing data) from primary sources such as the records of business firms. The work procedures used were exact and well defined, precedents for adjusting to unexpected events were well established, and supervisory assistance was readily available.
**OR a combination of successfully completed graduate level education, as described above, that is beyond the second year of progressive graduate study and professional experience, as described above. (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO COMBINE GRADUATE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE)
For GS-12:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience in economics this is equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-11 level work may include: 1) planning and carrying out a project for collecting detailed economic data (employment statistics, for example, or marketing data) from primary sources such as the records of business firms; 2) planning and preparing an interpretive report on the productivity capacity of a particular industry, including current and historical information on the ratio of capacity to utilization, to be used as an important segment of a comprehensive industry analysis. For examples 1 & 2, the work required the use of a variety of techniques, often considerably difficult and involving the correlation of numerous factors, and the initiative to select, modify or develop procedures to meet unexpected or altered conditions. Conventional research procedures were used and information sources were available.
For GS-13:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience in economics that is equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-12 level work may include: planning and coordinating an interpretive report on the productivity capacity of a particular industry to be used as an important segment of a comprehensive industry analysis. Assignments include the full scope of the research process, from the initiation of investigations and planning of methods, through the interpretation of finding and the preparation of final reports.
For GS-14:
In addition to the basic education requirement as stated above, applicants must have one year of appropriate professional experience in economics this is equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal service.
Examples of GS-13 level work may include: initiating, planning, formulating, and executing major special studies or continuing project.