The Ph.D. program is designed to be completed in 4-5 years, with the first 3 years focused on coursework and the final 1-2 years on research and completion of the dissertation. Due to course sequencing, students are normally only admitted for the Fall semester. The requirements for the PhD in Economics are as follows:
Applied Fields
The Department requires that all Ph.D. students achieve a high degree of professional competence in applied fields that will provide a basis for pursuing long-range research and teaching interests.
The Department offers the following fields:
- Industrial Organization
- Labor Economics
- Macroeconomics and Money
- Environmental and Resource Economics
- Applied Empirical Micro‐Economics
Sample Course Sequence
For course descriptions, see the Graduate Catalog.
|
FALL
|
SPRING
|
SUMMER
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Year | ECON 6201: Microeconomic Theory I ECON 6202: Macroeconomic Theory I ECON 6301: Mathematical Economics ECON 6310: Econometrics I |
ECON 6211: Microeconomic Theory II ECON 6212: Macroeconomic Theory II ECON 6311: Econometrics II |
Preliminary Exams |
| 2nd Year | ECON 6312: Econometrics III ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar 2 Field Courses |
ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar 2 Field Courses |
3rd Year Paper Research |
| 3rd Year | ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar Field Course(s) GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research |
ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar Field Course(s) GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research |
Dissertation Research, work on Proposal |
| 4th Year | ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research |
ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research |
Dissertation Research |
| 5th Year | ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research |
ECON 6494: Graduate Seminar GRAD 6950: Doctoral Dissertation Research |
Dissertation Defense |
Program Requirements
- Required coursework: Students are required to satisfactorily complete the following PhD core courses: ECON 6201 (Microeconomic Theory I), ECON 6202 (Macroeconomic Theory I), ECON 6211 (Microeconomic Theory II), ECON 6212 (Macroeconomic Theory II), ECON 6301 (Advanced Mathematical Economics I), ECON 6310 (Econometrics I), ECON 6311 (Econometrics II), and ECON 6312 (Econometrics III). In addition, PhD students must satisfactorily complete at least 5 field courses, including at least one 2-course sequence of designated field courses in one of the following fields: labor economics, macroeconomics and money, industrial organization, and environmental and natural resource economics. At least two of the other field courses must be 6000-level. All three must be taught courses (i.e., not independent studies), and at least two of these three field courses must be in Economics. Students must earn an average grade of at least B (3.0) in these five field courses.
- Preliminary Exams: Ph.D. students are required to sit for the Preliminary Exams in both microeconomics and macroeconomics following their first year in the Ph.D. program and pass both parts of the exam within two attempts.
- Seminar Requirement: Students in years 2-5 must satisfactorily complete a section of ECON 6494 (Graduate Seminar) each semester, including the seminar’s presentation requirement(s). This requirement can be waived during some semesters, if a waiver is deemed to be in the student’s academic interest.
- Third Year Research Paper: Students must complete a paper that meets the requirements of the Third Year Research Paper before the end of their third year in the Ph.D. program.
- Dissertation Proposal: Each student must successfully defend a dissertation proposal, normally by the end of the 4th year in the program.
- Foreign Language/Related Area: The Economics PhD program does not have a foreign language or related area requirement.