PhD Program

Requirements for the Ph.D.

Ph.D. students must complete 57 semester hours of course work, satisfy certain course requirements ("Core Courses"), pass examinations on the "Core" subjects, pass exams in two chosen Fields of specialization, and write and defend a dissertation. The Department of Economics' requirements for the Ph.D. are described in detail below. Besides the requirements described here the student should understand the general requirements of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Required Courses

Successful completion of fifty-seven semester hours of course work at the graduate level, not including courses in non-topical research. Upon approval of the Department's Director of Graduate Studies (hereafter DGS), as many as six semester hours may be taken outside the Department of Economics in related fields if they contribute appropriately to his or her program.

Core Courses — Every prospective candidate must successfully complete the following Core courses:
            (Click here to see a typical Ph.D. schedule)

• Economics 7010: Microeconomic Theory I (4 credits)
• Economics 7030: Microeconomic Theory II (4 credits)
• Economics 7020: Macroeconomics Theory I (4 credits)
• Economics 7040: Macroeconomics Theory II (4 credits)
• Economics 7710: Econometrics I (4 credits)
• Economics 7720: Econometrics II (4 credits)
• Economics 8010: Microeconomic Theory II (3 credits)
• Plus, either
  • Economics 8710: Cross Section Econometrics (3 credits), or
  • Economics 8720: Time Series Econometrics (3 credits)

Mathematics — Before the second year of graduate study, competence in mathematics must be demonstrated by successfully completing Economics 5090 and 5100 or courses deemed equivalent by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Other Required Courses — The prospective candidate must successfully complete:

• Economics 890: Research Methods in Economics

Workshops — Third-year students shall attend for one year a non-credit workshop or seminar course from a list compiled by the Director of Graduate Studies. Each student must register their choice with the DGS by the first day of classes of the 3rd year. Failure to do so will be considered not making satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. degree.

Electives — Additional courses which are not needed to meet any of the requirements described above may be taken as electives to make a total of fifty-seven semester hours.

Transfer of Credit — The DGS may designate any course requirement as having been met by satisfactory performance in equivalent graduate courses taken at other universities.

Unsatisfactory Progress— Students may not be allowed to continue in the program if they do not make satisfactory progress toward the degree. As defined by the Graduate School (see the Graduate Record, Grades), receipt of a grade below B-, a yearly grade average less than 3.0, or failure to pass preliminary exams on schedule will be considered unsatisfactory progress.

Maximum Period of Study — All work must be completed within seven years from the first day of study in the degree program. Exceptions can be granted only by the Graduate Committee of the Graduate School upon petition by the student. The DGS normally will support a student's petition only if progress is being made (as judged by the committee) toward completion of the student's dissertation. If the student has been inactive or making little progress after seven years, he or she will be required to repeat the Core examination before continuing.

Fields of Concentration

The prospective candidate must complete the course work in each of two Fields of concentration with grades of B-or better. This will consist of two Field courses, except as otherwise designated. The Fields of concentration are listed below; see Graduate Course Offerings for course descriptions. Ordinarily, the starred (*) courses are required for a Field, and are recommended for preparation for the Field examinations. Unmarked courses may be useful adjuncts to Field preparation. However, because a few of these courses are taught infrequently, the Department sometimes permits students to prepare for Field examinations by offering reading courses. Consult the DGS for details.

Industrial Organization

• Economics 8170: Industrial Organization I*
• Economics 8180: Industrial Organization II*

International Economics

• Economics 8201: International Trade Theory*
• Economics 8220: International Finance*

Macro Economics

• Economics 8350: Macroeconomic Theory*
• Economics 8360: Empirical Macroeconomics*
• Economics 8720: Time Series Econometrics
  (While not a Field course, Time Series Econometrics is a prerequisite for anyone taking the Field.)

Public Economics

• Economics 8310: Public Economics I*
• Economics 8320: Public Economics II*

Statistics and Econometrics

• Economics 8710: Cross Section Econometrics*
• Economics 8720: Time Series Econometrics*
  For other relevant courses in the Mathematics Department; consult appropriate faculty members.

Economic Development

• Economics 8510: Topics in Growth Theory*
• Economics 8190: Economic Development of Underdeveloped Areas* (Cross-listed with Economics 8160)
  Anyone taking this Field is advised to take Economics 8210 (International Trade).

Economic Theory

• Economics 8030: Advanced Economic Theory I*
• Economics 8040: Advanced Economic Theory II*
• Economics 8120: Seminar in the History of Economic Thought

Labor Economics

• Economics 8150: Economics of the Labor Markets*
• Economics 8160: Seminar in Labor Economics and Development*
• Economics 8710: Cross Section Analysis
  While not a Field course itself, Cross Section Analysis is a prerequisite for anyone taking the Field.

In addition to completing course work in two fields of concentration, each prospective candidate must demonstrate advanced knowledge in one of those fields. At the discretion of each Field this requirement can be met by either an examination or a paper requirement. Examinations ordinarily will be taken at the first opportunity following the end of the fourth semester in the program and must be taken before the beginning of the sixth semester.

A grade of S- or better must be obtained on field examinations in order to continue the program. If a student receives a grade below S- on a field examination, one re-examination is permitted. If the Field requires a paper the prospective candidate must complete a paper by the first day of classes of the Fall semester following their second year. A grade of S- or better must be obtained in order to continue in the program. If a student receives below an S- on the paper the student must seek approval from the committee to be allowed to submit a revised version of the paper. If such approval is granted, the student must submit a revised paper by the exam date in January. If the revision does not earn a grade of S- or better, the student must leave the program. Fields that choose the field exam as the default measure of knowledge may also offer the option of a paper to students who received a minimum grade average in the two field classes as specified by the field.

Core Examinations

Each prospective candidate must successfully complete comprehensive requirements consisting of a two-part examination on the Core and either an examination or paper for one of two Fields of Concentration. Both Core and Field examinations are given in early June and early January. Examinations (and each Core part) will be graded on a scale of Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, and Fail. A grade of Fail on the Core exam will be further judged as a Master's Pass (MP) grade or as Unsatisfactory. All of the comprehensive requirements must be completed before the beginning of the student's eighth semester in the graduate program. Otherwise, the student will not be permitted to advance to candidacy.

The Core examinations will be taken at the end of the first year (in June). A grade of MP (Master's Pass) or better on the Core examinations and thirty hours of graduate course work (with no course grade below B-) will entitle the student to receive an M.A. degree and continue in the program.

If a Ph.D. student fails (U or MP) one exam and passes a second with a grade of S or better, then the passed exam does not need to be re-taken, but the failed exam must be taken again at the next opportunity. If a student fails (U or MP) one exam and passes a second with a grade of S then the passed exam does not need to be re-taken. If a student fails one exam and passes a second with a grade of S- then the the both parts of the exam must be re-taken. If a Master's student does not obtain at least a Master's Pass on one or both parts of the Core exam the student must take the failed part(s) again at the next opportunity. Only one re-examination on the Core is allowed, except as related to the proposal process indicated in the Dissertation section below. Application to take an examination must be filed with the DGS by November 1 (for the January exam) or April 1 (for the June exam). Students who do not obtain S- or better on both parts of the Core exam after two attempts must leave the program.

Dissertation

During the first semester after successfully completing at least one Field exam, the candidate should begin searching for a dissertation topic and two advisors. During this semester, the candidate may register for ECON 9998 with the Director of Graduate Studies. Not later than the beginning of the second semester after completing a Field exam, the candidate must have two members of the Department's faculty who have consented to serve as the provisional dissertation committee. From this point forward, all hours of non-topical research must be taken as ECON 998 and ECON 999. Candidates are required to register for both courses. The role of the committee at this early stage is to assist the candidate in finding a feasible research topic and to provide initial direction of his efforts. The candidate may alter the committee's make-up should changes in the student's interests or other circumstances make this desirable. During the first semester in which a candidate registers for Econ 999, the principal advisor will require the candidate to write a paper. The paper will be a literature review, unless the advisor and candidate agree on an alternative.

Before scheduling a proposal defense a candidate must obtain the signatures of two faculty members who will serve as the candidate's provisional committee. The proposal should be presented no later than three semesters after the first Field exam is successfully completed. Proposal seminars will be conducted only in spring and fall semesters during the periods in which classes are conducted, and excluding final examination periods. No more than two seminars will be scheduled during a single week. The candidate must present an 8-15 page statement of the proposed research to the DGS one week before the scheduled proposal for distribution to the faculty. The statement must have been approved by the candidate's provisional committee.

The dissertation proposal should set out the major questions to be explored and describe the methods and the data (if any) to be employed. The statement should be specific enough and detailed enough that the faculty can predict with reasonable assurance whether the work is a contribution to knowledge and can be successfully completed. Specific guidelines (.pdf, 15KB) for the proposal are available from the Graduate Secretary.

Following the proposal seminar, the provisional committee, interested faculty, and the DGS will weigh the comments of participants and decide whether or not to approve the proposal. When the proposal is approved, the DGS will formally appoint a supervisor and second reader. Later those two will co-opt a third reader to complete the dissertation committee. (If circumstances dictate, and with approval of the DGS, a person not a member of the Department's faculty may be selected as second or third reader.)

Any candidate who fails to present a dissertation proposal within three semesters following the successful completion of the first Field examination will be required to retake the Core exams. To continue in the program, a student must retake Cores at the next opportunity and pass them at the Ph.D. level. If a student retaking the exam under these circumstances fails to obtain a Ph.D. pass on the Core exam and this is the first time the candidate has failed the Core exam, the student is permitted to retake Cores one more time. Provided the candidate passes Cores, they are free to re-propose.

If a candidate proposes in the last semester of the three semester limit , and the proposal is not approved by the faculty, the candidate must re-propose the following semester. If the candidate proposes in a semester prior to the three semester limit and the proposal is not approved by the faculty, the candidate must re-propose by the semester following the end of the original three semester limit. If the candidate fails at the re-proposal, or fails to re-propose on schedule, he/she must retake the Cores at the next opportunity and pass them at the Ph.D. level.  A candidate who retakes the Cores under these circumstances and fails will not be permitted to continue in the program. Provided the candidate passes Cores, he/she is free to re-propose.

No student will be permitted to continue in the program whose dissertation proposal is not approved within six semesters of the successful completion of the first Field exam.

The final form of the dissertation should follow an accepted style. (See, e.g., Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, fourth ed., 1973.) Physical requirements, such as weight of paper, are specified by the Graduate School, along with such matters as the size of margins. 

Dissertation Defense

After the dissertation is tentatively approved by the supervisor and the second and third readers, the candidate will appear before the faculty for a final oral examination (also called in the Department "the dissertation defense"). The examining committee is normally chaired by the dissertation supervisor and consists of at least three faculty members and one non-departmental member as a representative of the Graduate School. Other faculty members in the Department are also invited to attend. This examination will be held between September 1 and June 1; exceptions are rare and only granted in a case of extreme hardship.

Two copies of the dissertation must be in final form and available for inspection by the faculty. This needs to be done at least one week before the final oral examination. The candidate must also present a separate copy to the third reader if his or her approval is not yet obtained. The candidate is to provide enough copies of the summary chapter so the DGS may distribute one to each member of the faculty along with an announcement of the examination one week before it is to occur. Upon being satisfied by the performance in the final oral examination, the supervisor and the second and third readers will certify their approval of the dissertation on its title page. Approval by the committee is not to be considered final until after the oral examination. The chairman of the examination, normally the dissertation supervisor, will prepare formal minutes of the examination in at least two copies, one for the Dean of the Graduate School (on an official form) and the other for the Chairman of the Department (in memo form) to be incorporated in the Departmental minute book. The minutes are to contain a list of the faculty present, the overall grade on the oral examination, and the grade given on the dissertation by the committee.

Degrees are awarded by the University in May, August and January. Students must be registered in the session immediately preceding the awarding of the degree (Spring semester for a May degree, Summer session for an August degree, Fall semester for a January degree). A degree application must be filed with the Dean of the Graduate School through the DGS early in the session in which the degree is to be awarded (no later than February 1 for a May degree, July 1 for an August degree, October 1 for a January degree). The dissertation is due in final form at the Graduate School Office by May 1 for a May degree (August 1 for an August degree, December 1 for a January degree). The oral examination must be passed before the approved dissertation can be presented to the Graduate School, and the dissertation should be available to the readers at least two weeks before the oral examination. Hence, the dissertation must be submitted by April 15 for a May degree (November 15 for a January degree, and July 15 for an August degree). All the dates in this paragraph may vary slightly from year to year; consult the DGS and the Graduate School calendar.