Doctor of Philosophy in Economics

Course Requirements

All doctoral students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate course work, including ECON 690, Econometrics I (3), ECON 690A, Econometrics Laboratory (1), ECON 760, Microeconomic Analysis II (3), and ECON 761, Macroeconomic Analysis II (3). Prerequisites for these courses include ECON 590, ECON 591, ECON 660, and ECON 661. Students who have not satisfactorily completed these courses or their equivalents will normally be required to do so.

In addition, each student must take three courses in each of two applied fields and must earn at least a B in each field course. Courses in the applied fields that are the primary focus of the department will be offered on a regular basis. Information about the availability of course work in other applied fields may be obtained by consulting the department’s director of graduate studies.

All doctoral students must earn 6 semester hours in ECON 798, Current Research Colloquium (1). At least 2 of these hours must be taken after the student has passed the candidacy examinations.

Research-Tool Requirement

The Department of Economics research-tool requirement is fulfilled by successfully completing ECON 590, ECON 591, ECON 690, and ECON 690A, which are required in the doctoral program

Admission to Candidacy

All students are required to take candidacy examinations in microeconomic theory and in macroeconomic theory. Students must take the candidacy examination in microeconomics the first time it is offered after satisfactory completion of ECON 660/ECON 760 and must take the candidacy examination in macroeconomics the first time it is offered after satisfactory completion of ECON 661/ECON 761. A student who fails either of these examinations may, with the permission of the examining committee, repeat it after the lapse of at least one semester. A student who fails either of these examinations a second time will be dismissed from the doctoral program.

After successfully completing the candidacy examinations, each student must write a research paper in one of his or her applied fields and present the results in ECON 798. The paper will generally serve as a basis for the student’s dissertation. The department’s chair and director of graduate studies will appoint a committee of three faculty members (who may later serve on the student’s doctoral dissertation committee) who will evaluate the paper and the oral presentation. Upon receiving a satisfactory evaluation, the student will be admitted to candidacy. Failure to receive a satisfactory evaluation within one year after completing the course work for the applied fields will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Under exceptional circumstances this time limit may be extended by the department’s Graduate Committee.