A person who has earned a doctorate in economics is qualified both to teach economics at the university level and to do original research in academe, government, and the private sector. The doctoral program in economics features a strong core of courses in theory and econometrics and a focus on the four applied fields of labor economics, public finance, financial economics, and econometrics. Other fields may be approved by the department’s director of graduate studies, subject to student demand and faculty availability.
The doctoral program in economics also offers a concentration in econometrics and statistics in which a student specializing in econometrics may earn an M.S. in Applied Probability and Statistics while enrolled in the Ph.D. in Economics program.
Check departmental information for any additional requirements.
Students seeking admission to the doctorate program must meet all the requirements for admission to NIU Graduate School. In addition to the standard requirements for graduate admission, the doctorate program requires degree-seeking applicants to submit the following materials:
Baccalaureate Field: Transcripts indicating a B.A./B.S. in Economics with at least two semesters of Calculus (differentiation and integration) and one semester of calculus-based probability. Outstanding students with degrees in related fields will be considered if they meet the same math and statistics requirements and have completed courses in intermediate level microeconomic and macroeconomic theory.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE): All applicants must provide official scores on all sections of the General Test of the GRE taken in the past 5 years. Students with extensive mathematics or statistics course work may apply for a waiver of this requirement by contacting the department.
Letters of Recommendation: Three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to your ability to be successful in the completion of a graduate-level degree program. The individuals who submit a letter for you should be individuals who have a professional or academic relationship with you.
Personal Statement: Your personal statement should be approximately 500 to 2,000 words in length. It should outline your preparation for graduate study in economics, as well as your goals for graduate school and beyond. You should also use this statement to demonstrate to the committee how you have met the necessary math and statistics expectations in your previous course work.
Resume/CV: Copy of current resume/CV in a pdf format indicating your professional or volunteer experience.
Course Requirements
All doctoral students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate course work, and no more than 12 semester hours may be from 500-level courses.
Course work in other applied fields may be obtained by consulting the department’s director of graduate studies.
Research-Tool Requirement
The Department of Economics research-tool requirement is fulfilled by successfully completing ECON 590, ECON 591, ECON 690, ECON 691, and ECON 692A, which are required in the doctoral program.
Joint M.S. in Applied Probability and Statistics
Students in good standing in the Ph.D. in Economics program may request approval by the Division of Statistics to also earn an M.S. in Applied Probability Statistics while they work toward their Ph.D. in Economics. These students must fulfill the requirements for the Econometrics field above in addition to the course work listed below and any thesis or comprehensive exam requirement within the Division of Statistics.
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 and ECON 760 and must take the candidacy examination in macroeconomics the first time it is offered after satisfactory completion of ECON 661 and 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 and two courses in an applied field, a Ph.D. student is required to enroll in the Research Seminar in Economics (ECON 796) to write a professional and original research paper in one of their fields of study under the guidance of a research advisor chosen by the student. The paper will be evaluated by the research advisor and two additional faculty members approved by the research advisor. Upon receiving a satisfactory evaluation, the student will be admitted to candidacy. The Ph.D. research paper must be successfully evaluated within one year of the initial enrollment in ECON 796 and must be presented in the weekly research seminar (ECON 798). Failure to complete the Ph.D. Research Paper within one year after the initial enrollment in ECON 796, will result in dismissal from the doctoral program. Under exceptional circumstances, the student and their research advisor may submit a written request to the department’s Graduate Committee requesting an extension of this time limit.
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