Oct 10, 2024  
2006-2007 Graduate Catalog 
    
2006-2007 Graduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU]

Doctor of Philosophy in Economics


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A person who has earned the 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 three applied fields of labor economics, public finance, and urban and regional economics. Other fields may be approved by the department’s director of graduate studies, subject to student demand and faculty availability.

Course Requirements


All doctoral students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate course work, including ECON 590, Econometrics I (3), ECON 590A, Econometrics Laboratory (1), ECON 660, Microeconomic Analysis II (3), and ECON 661, Macroeconomic Analysis II (3). Prerequisites for these courses include ECON 490, ECON 491, ECON 560, and ECON 561. 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. (These are labor economics (ECON 500, ECON 501, ECON 600) and public finance (ECON 550, ECON 551, ECON 650.)) 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 698, 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 490, ECON 491, ECON 590, and ECON 590A, 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 560/ECON 660 and must take the candidacy examination in macroeconomics the first time it is offered after satisfactory completion of ECON 561/ECON 661. 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 698. 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.

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