phd in economics schools

PhD Program

Year after year, our top-ranked PhD program sets the standard for graduate economics training across the country. Graduate students work closely with our world-class faculty to develop their own research and prepare to make impactful contributions to the field.

Our doctoral program enrolls 20-24 full-time students each year and students complete their degree in five to six years. Students undertake core coursework in microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, and econometrics, and are expected to complete two major and two minor fields in economics. Beyond the classroom, doctoral students work in close collaboration with faculty to develop their research capabilities, gaining hands-on experience in both theoretical and empirical projects.

How to apply

Students are admitted to the program once per year for entry in the fall. The online application opens on September 15 and closes on December 15.

Meet our students

Our PhD graduates go on to teach in leading economics departments, business schools, and schools of public policy, or pursue influential careers with organizations and businesses around the world. 

2023-2024 Best Economics Schools

Ranked in 2022, part of Best Social Sciences and Humanities Schools

With a graduate degree in

With a graduate degree in economics, students may find jobs as analysts and economists in the government, multinational corporations, higher education and business organizations. These are the top graduate schools for economics programs. Each school's score reflects its average rating on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding), based on a survey of academics at peer institutions. Read the methodology »

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Doctoral Program

The Ph.D. program is a full time program leading to a Doctoral Degree in Economics.  Students specialize in various fields within Economics by enrolling in field courses and attending field specific lunches and seminars.  Students gain economic breadth by taking additional distribution courses outside of their selected fields of interest.

General requirements

Students  are required to complete 1 quarter of teaching experience. Teaching experience includes teaching assistantships within the Economics department or another department .

University's residency requirement

135 units of full-tuition residency are required for PhD students. After that, a student should have completed all course work and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status.

Department degree requirements and student checklist

1. core course requirement.

Required: Core Microeconomics (202-203-204) Core Macroeconomics (210-211-212) Econometrics (270-271-272).  The Business School graduate microeconomics class series may be substituted for the Econ Micro Core.  Students wishing to waive out of any of the first year core, based on previous coverage of at least 90% of the material,  must submit a waiver request to the DGS at least two weeks prior to the start of the quarter.  A separate waiver request must be submitted for each course you are requesting to waive.  The waiver request must include a transcript and a syllabus from the prior course(s) taken.  

2.  Field Requirements

Required:  Two of the Following Fields Chosen as Major Fields (click on link for specific field requirements).  Field sequences must be passed with an overall grade average of B or better.  Individual courses require a letter grade of B- or better to pass unless otherwise noted.

Research fields and field requirements :

• Behavioral & Experimental
• Development Economics
• Econometric Methods with Causal Inference
• Econometrics
• Economic History
• Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics
• Industrial Organization
• International Trade & Finance
• Labor Economics
• Market Design
• Microeconomic Theory
• Macroeconomics
• Political Economy
• Public Economics

3.  Distribution

Required:  Four other graduate-level courses must be completed. One of these must be from the area of economic history (unless that field has already been selected above). These courses must be distributed in such a way that at least two fields not selected above are represented.  Distribution courses must be passed with a grade of B or better.

4.  Field Seminars/Workshops

Required:  Three quarters of two different field seminars or six quarters of the same field seminar from the list below.   

Ph.D. Program

Make an impact: The intellectual rigor from researchers associated with Yale Economics drives innovations in domestic and international policy.

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Yale's Department of Economics offers a challenging and rigorous academic program, a distinguished and accessible faculty, and a friendly, supportive environment for study.

Our core teaching faculty of 66 is supported by a diverse group of visiting professors and graduate student teaching assistants, making it one of the largest economics departments in the United States with one of the highest teacher/student ratios for the 130 Ph.D. students in residence.

The Department of Economics also has close ties with professional schools in related fields, such as the Yale School of Management, the Yale School of the Environment, and the Yale School of Public Health, where many of its secondary faculty members teach. It also works with affiliated centers, including the Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, the Economic Growth Center, and the newly created Tobin Center for Economic Policy . 

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Our Program

Yale's economics faculty embraces a broad range of research and teaching interests. Courses and seminars span a wide spectrum of economics, from dynamic structural models to field experiments. Our students apply econometric and data analytic methods to a variety of subjects in macroeconomics, labor economics and finance. Our courses examine critical economic policy issues, including antitrust and environmental regulation. Our focus is global, spanning the United States and developed economies to the developing nations of Latin America, Asia and Africa. Whatever your interest, our faculty is ready to guide you through a wide offering of more than a hundred regular courses, seminars or workshops, combined with individually tailored reading and research courses to best prepare you for your Ph.D. research and dissertation.

Our faculty is eclectic in methodologies and views of economics. There is no Yale dogma or school. You will acquire a critical perspective on the full range of approaches to macroeconomics. You will be well trained in neoclassical theory and in the theory of public choice, externalities and market failures. You will master the skills of sophisticated modern econometrics and understand pitfalls in its applications. You will gain respect for the power of contemporary mathematical models and also for history and for the insights of the great economists of the past.  

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The rigorous PhD economics program at Johns Hopkins is among the best in the nation. With its world-class faculty, individualized attention, and small classes, the doctoral program is the centerpiece of the Department of Economics. From financial analysis to applied research, students are well-prepared to be leaders in the field.

The department is dedicated to maintaining strong research and teaching cores in applied microeconomics, economic theory, macroeconomics, and econometrics. Faculty members are experts in their fields, and they are actively involved in thesis supervision and research seminars . The unique Hopkins difference is the direct interaction and one-on-one attention students receive from faculty. Such attention opens the door to myriad opportunities for students to conduct groundbreaking research, apply complex economic theories, and make educated financial analyses and predictions.

See Program Requirements

Student Life

Graduate students enjoy a diverse social life outside of the department’s rigorous curriculum and their individual research interests. Faculty and students – from both inside and outside the department – have ample opportunities to spend time together socializing and discussing their studies. 

In addition to frequent student-planned happy hours, social outings, and local events, the Department of Economics and the JHU Graduate Representative Organization host many functions throughout the year.

• At the beginning of the fall semester, the Department of Economics hosts a welcome dinner and party to encourage new students to meet their peers, older students, and faculty.
• The department throws an annual holiday party immediately following completion of the first term, as well as an end-of-year barbecue to celebrate the completion of the spring semester.
• JHU sponsored coffee “happy hours” offer graduate students opportunities to meet people from outside their department.
• Intramural sports are popular among graduate students at Hopkins, and the economics department often forms teams that compete against other departments.

Students and faculty members often know each other by name before taking classes together, and first-year students enjoy straightforward access to faculty members and their more experienced peers. This collegial atmosphere makes for an easy transition into graduate life and comfortable communication once research begins in earnest.

Economics across JHU Schools

Carey business school.

The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School is the graduate business school of Johns Hopkins University and offers full-time and part-time programs leading to the Master of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees.  The School has a number of distinguished economists who interact with the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Economics.

School of Advanced International Studies

The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., United States, with campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. It is consistently ranked one of the top graduate schools for international relations in the world.  The economists at the school interact with the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Economics.

Advanced Academic Programs Applied Economics

The Johns Hopkins Division of Advanced Academic Programs is a  division of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences in Washington DC which offers high-level graduate-level education in Applied Economics, with a variety of Masters Degrees designed to build on the intellectual strength and educational requirements of professional adults.

Ph.D. in Economics

The Ph.D. program in the Department of Economics at Columbia University trains students to do cutting edge research in economics.  Students in our program do research in all major areas of economics including microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, international economics, labor economics, public finance, industrial organization, development economics, and urban economics.  Our department provides strong training both in theoretical economics and in applied and empirical economics.  The Ph.D. program is primarily designed for students that are interested in pursuing a career in teaching and research within academia but is also useful for student interested in certain positions within governments, research organizations, or private businesses.

The first two years of our Ph.D. program is largely devoted to rigorous coursework. After the second year, however, students devote most of their time to their own research under the supervision of faculty advisors. Students in our program generally complete their Ph.D. in 5 or 6 years.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly selective.  We receive approximately 1,000 applications each year for an incoming class of roughly 25 students.  We place a high value on attracting the very best minds, and recruiting members of groups who will both enhance the diversity of research in the field and contribute to the diversity of the university’s academic and professional community.

The Ph.D. program has a long and illustrious history.  Alumni of the program include some of the most distinguished economists of the last century – including Nobel Prize winners Kenneth J. Arrow, Milton Friedman, Simon Smith Kuznets, and William S. Vickrey.

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The doctoral program in Economics at Harvard University is one of the leading programs in the world. Supported by a diverse group of faculty who are top researchers in their fields and fueled by a vast array of resources, the PhD program is structured to train and nurture students to become leading economists in academia, government agencies, the technology industry, finance and banking, and global policy organizations.

Harvard University and the Department of Economics are regularly ranked amongst the top programs in the world, and the consistency of success among our graduates is inspiring. We have educated several foreign heads of state, Nobel Prize Winners, Clark Medal Winners, MacArthur Fellowship Recipients - many of whom have returned to Harvard to offer their expertise and brilliance in shaping and nurturing our students.  Learn more about where we place our  graduates  and explore our  Program  to find out if a PhD in Economics is a good fit for you. 

Program Requirements

As a PhD student in the Economics program, students will spend the first two years in the program engaged in rigorous coursework designed to develop a foundational understanding of economics. In the following years, students transition to research under the guidance of strong faculty mentorship and participate in field workshops. In the final year, students conduct independent research and complete a dissertation.

The department of Economics at Harvard University is committed to seeking out and mentoring scholars who wish to pursue a rigorous and rewarding career in economic research. Our graduates are trailblazers in their fields and contribute to a diverse alumni community in both the academic and non-academic sectors. We invite you to learn more and apply to the PhD program in Economics. 

Financial Support

Students have access to a variety of funding and financial support opportunities.

• Research Funding
• Teaching Fellowships and assistants
• Additional external and internal resources

Learn more about financial support

Upcoming Events

Ec 3008 graduate student workshop in international economics, location: .

Max Alekseev (Harvard)... Read more about EC 3008 Graduate Student Workshop in International Economics

Seminar in Behavioral and Experimental Economics

Jeffrey Yang (Harvard University) "Similarity and Comparison Complexity" (with Cassidy Shubatt)... Read more about Seminar in Behavioral and Experimental Economics

EC 3011 Graduate Student Workshop in Financial Economics

Jessica Bai Suproteem Sarkar... Read more about EC 3011 Graduate Student Workshop in Financial Economics

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Ph.D. in Economics

The Ph.D. program at Berkeley is designed for students interested in pursuing advanced study and conducting original research in Economics. The Ph.D. degree is awarded in recognition of the recipient's qualifications as a general economist and of the ability to make scholarly contributions in fields of specialization.

In advancing to the Ph.D. degree, students pass through two major stages:

• Preparation for candidacy typically takes two to three years. During the first two semesters, students take courses to achieve competence in econometric methods, methods of economic history and fundamentals of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. During the next two years, students prepare for examination in two fields of specialization of their choosing, prepare a dissertation prospectus, and take an oral examination. When these steps are completed, students are advanced to candidacy.
• Completion of a dissertation after advancing to candidacy typically takes one to two years. The dissertation must be based on original research and represent a significant contribution to the body of Economic knowledge.

The entire process takes approximately five to six years, although some students are able to complete the program in less time. Below is an overview of the program requirements by year and other pertinent information.

The UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science   provides students helpful resources, links, and tools for successfully completing the Ph.D. in Economics.

ECONOMICS GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICES

The economics student services mission is to advise our students holistically by providing a high standard of service in a supportive and collaborative environment.  professional and peer advisors work as a team to provide accurate information in a timely manner.  we partner with faculty to assist students in engaging with the campus and the global economic community.  we value fairness, diversity, and the important roles our students, faculty, and staff in the department of economics play at the university of california, berkeley..

If you or someone you know is experiencing financial, food, housing or other basic needs challenges - you can find support and services at:  http://tinyurl.com/UCB-BNC-C19 .

Meet the members of the Economics Graduate Student Services advising team!

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Economic Analysis & Policy

Our doctoral program in the field of economic analysis and policy prepares students for research careers in economics. The program offers rigorous training and has several distinct advantages:

Low Student-to-Faculty Ratio

First, enrollment in the program is small. This encourages close faculty-student contact and allows students to become involved in research very early. Students work first as assistants on faculty research projects and, as their interests and skills develop, on their own research. Students often begin their publishing careers before completing their degrees.

Flexible and Innovative Program

Second, the program is flexible and innovative; students can draw on both the school’s and the university’s distinguished faculty. In addition to the faculty in the economics group at Stanford GSB and in the university’s economics department, students have access to faculty in political and behavioral sciences; accounting and finance; mathematics, statistics, and computer science; and many other disciplines.

A Top-Ranked School

Third, the program is part of a top-ranked professional school. This setting allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the actual processes of business decision-making and public policy formulation.

Preparation and Qualifications

Students who enroll in this program have a substantial background in economics and mathematics. They are expected to have, minimally, mathematical skills at the level of one year of advanced calculus and one course each in linear algebra, analysis, probability, optimization, and statistics.

The faculty selects students based on predicted performance in the program. Evidence of substantial background or ability in the use of mathematical reasoning and statistical methods is important. Most successful applicants had quantitative undergraduate majors in economics, mathematics, or related sciences.

In addition to evidence of ability and letters of recommendation, the faculty considers carefully the applicant’s statement of purpose for pursuing the PhD degree. The successful applicant usually has clearly defined career goals that are compatible with those of the program.

Acceptance into the program is extremely competitive. Admitted applicants compare very favorably with students enrolled in the top economics departments of major universities.

Economic Analysis & Policy Faculty

Mohammad akbarpour, claudia allende santa cruz, susan athey, lanier benkard, jeremy i. bulow, modibo khane camara, sebastian di tella, rebecca diamond, yossi feinberg, guido w. imbens, charles i. jones, michael ostrovsky, garth saloner, yuliy sannikov, kathryn shaw, andrzej skrzypacz, paulo somaini, juan carlos suárez serrato, takuo sugaya, christopher tonetti, shoshana vasserman, ali yurukoglu, weijie zhong, emeriti faculty, alain c. enthoven, robert j. flanagan, david m. kreps, peter c. reiss, john roberts, a. michael spence, robert wilson, recent publications in economic analysis & policy, an economic framework for vaccine prioritization, pricing power in advertising markets: theory and evidence, career: a foundation model for labor sequence data, recent insights by stanford business, a.i. can help “personalize” policies to reach the right people, stanford gsb faculty share their holiday reading lists, 10 of our favorite stories about careers and success of 2023, placement director.

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Purdue’s Daniels School offers a PhD in Economics which develops core competencies in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics, while allowing students to choose specialized study in a variety of different fields. The Economics PhD is well-suited for those interested in rigorous application of mathematical tools to better understand decisions made by individuals and firms, and to evaluate economic policies.

By collaborating with renowned faculty in the areas of econometrics, experimental and behavioral economics, industrial organization, international trade, labor economics, macroeconomics, and public economics, our doctoral students go on to conduct frontier research at leading universities, shape public policy and influence business strategy.

Grounded in a strong methodological and quantitative orientation, our PhD program broadens students’ understanding of economic issues, provides an opportunity for individualized research and specialization, and sharpens critical thinking skills.

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Most Trusted #4

Morning Consult, 2022

Best Value School #7

The Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education, 2022

Most Innovative School in the U.S. Top 10

US News and World Report, 2023

Want to Learn More? 

If you would like to receive more information about doctoral study in Economics, please fill out the form and an Admissions Specialist will be in touch to connect you with a department representative!

Contact us for more information [email protected]

Program Details

Faculty and Students

Graduate School

Economics (ph.d.), economics (ph.d.) | graduate.

Our doctoral program in Economics provides rigorous training in applied economic analysis, microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, game theory, and econometrics. Our graduates are at the forefront of applied economics research spanning fields like public finance, household economics, international economics, behavioral economics, and labor economics.

The Ph.D. program in Economics at Howard’s Graduate School provides students with rigorous technical training in applied economic analysis, microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, game theory, and econometrics. Our program prepares students for careers in academia, public policy, and government as leading economists, consultants, statisticians, and senior researchers. You'll benefit from Howard’s premier location at the center of policymaking in Washington, DC, and have access to a network of top-ranked and nationally recognized economic institutions, consulting firms, think tanks, and government agencies, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Federal Reserve. You may choose from four distinct fields of specialization: growth and development, urban economics, labor economics, and international economics. Our students shape their course of study in a major subfield and in a minor subfield and pursue original policy-relevant research tailored to their individualized program of study. Regularly scheduled graduate seminars and workshops offer a forum for you to present your early-stage research or learn about the latest research in your fields from invited speakers. The Department of Economics is affiliated with research centers like the Center on Race and Wealth, the Center of Excellence in Housing and Urban Research and Policy, and the Center for Urban Progress. You will also benefit from the close mentorship of faculty who are committed to your professional development and are at the forefront of economics research spanning fields including public finance, household economics, environmental economics, international economics, development economics, econometrics, behavioral economics, and labor economics.

Program Snapshot

      ❱  72 credit hours       ❱  Full-time       ❱  On-campus format       ❱  Degree: Ph.D.

Application Deadlines

Spring 2024 entry:         ❱  Nov. 1, 2023  (final deadline)

Fall 2024 entry:         ❱  Dec. 1, 2023  (early deadline)       ❱  Feb. 15, 2024  (priority deadline)       ❱  Apr. 15, 2024  (final deadline)

Applicants should submit their applications as early as possible for earlier consideration of departmental funding opportunities. Applicants have until the final deadline to apply. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the admissions cycle. 

Transfer credits accepted (reviewed by program director; up to 24 approved credits from the student's master's program may be transferred into the Ph.D. program)

Dr. Omari Swinton

Gail pritchett, program details.

• Degree Classification: Graduate
• Related Degrees: Ph.D.

Admission Requirements

Application for admission.

• Online GradCAS  application
• Statement of purpose/ Statement of academic interest ( 500-1,000 words )
• GRE scores not required
• Official transcripts sent to GradCAS
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or the international equivalent 
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Autobiographical statement ( 500-750 words )

GRE Required?

Gre preferred minimums    .

• GRE Verbal Reasoning: N/A
• GRE Quantitative Reasoning: N/A
• GRE Analytical Writing: N/A

GPA Required Minimums    

• Overall GPA minimum: 3.0
• Undergrad GPA minimum: 3.0

Prerequisite Courses 

No expiration date for course prerequisites. Special admission with some conditions will be considered on an individual basis.

• Intermediate Economic Theory (6 semester credit hrs of Intermediate EconomicTheory)
• Economics (12 semester credit hrs of any Economic courses)
• Mathematics for Economists or Differential Calculus (a course or 3 semester credit hrs of Mathematics for Economists or Differential Calculus)
• Statistics (6 semester credit hrs of Statistics)

For students with a master's degree in Economics or a related field:  

Students admitted into the Ph.D. program with a master's degree in Economics or a related field must have a GPA of well over B and a minimum of 24 graduate-level course credits, including at least 6 semester credit hrs in economic theory, 3 semester credit hrs in econometrics, and 3 semester credit hrs in graduate-level statistics. 

Reference Requirements     

Evaluator type accepted:

• Professor (Required)
• Supervisor/Manager

Evaluator type not accepted:

• Family Member

PhD in Economics

The doctoral program in Economics at Rice University provides rigorous training in economic theory and econometrics in order to prepare students for research careers in economics. In 2014, the department launched the Rice Initiative for the Study of Economics (RISE) in order to enhance its role as a leading center of economic research. Since then, the department has hired ten new faculty. In addition, it has established itself as a leading institution for structural empirical microeconomics, an approach to economic analysis that combines economic theory and econometrics to address substantive economic issues. The small size of the program, approximately 45 graduate students working with 24 full-time faculty, promotes close faculty student interactions and collaboration, as well as strong relationships among the students.

Effective 2021-2022 academic year, all students receiving MA or PhD degrees in Economics will also receive Major Concentration in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, and will be able to apply for a 24-month STEM extension of F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT).

At a Glance

Full-time faculty working with students : 24

Students : 55 doctoral students

Number Admitted : 7-10 students each year

Fields of Study : Theoretical and Applied Econometrics, Applied Microeconomics, Economic Theory, Financial Economics, Game Theory, Political Economics, Energy Economics, Development Economics, Empirical Industrial Organization, Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Public Finance, Health Economics.

Degrees awarded : PhD in Economics with a Major Concentration in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics (STEM designated) , Ph.D. in Economics with an M.A. in Statistics , and an additional Major Concentration in Finance . An M.A. degree is awarded to students pursuing Ph.D. in Statistics when they complete the requirements for M.A. in Economics with a Ph.D. in Statistics . It is also awarded to students who complete all the requirements for the Ph.D. in Economics working toward their dissertation.

Learn More about the Economics Doctorate Program

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PhD Program Admissions

The Economics Department recruits the most promising students from the United States and around the world who are interested in pursuing a  Ph.D. in economics . 

We are committed to establishing an academic environment that is collegial and supports students at every stage of their careers in a climate of integrity and respect. We are also committed to the removal of barriers that inhibit access to our program by women and underrepresented minorities.

Consistent with these goals, the department reviews holistically each candidate’s application looking for evidence of cognitive and non-cognitive skills. On the cognitive side, we look for candidates with adequate analytical and mathematical foundations, as necessary requirements for research in economics. The minimum mathematics requirements are two semesters of calculus and a semester of linear algebra. In practice, most students we admit have more than the minimum mathematical preparation and have taken courses in real analysis, differential / difference equations, and probability theory. On the non-cognitive side, we look for candidates who are mature, curious, creative, self-motivated, persistent, work well with others, and can offer a diversity of perspectives.

Previous study of economics is expected but candidates without prior economics background may also be admitted. 

Our entering cohorts in the last few years have averaged around 10-12 new students per year, out of more than 400 applications.  

The application deadline is January 15 of the year in which the student intends to enter the program. Admission is for the fall term only. All applicants are automatically considered for financial aid. The department typically makes admissions and financial aid decisions in early March.

All fee waiver requests are handled by the Dietrich School's Graduate Office. Please see their Application Fee Waiver page for more information. 

For the  admission season 2023-24 , applicants are required to submit all the material listed below. For this application cycle, submission of  GRE scores  is  optional . If applicants choose to submit GRE scores, the admission committee will evaluate them as part of its holistic review of application materials.

• Completed application , submitted on-line through the  GradCAS  portal. Please see our  Applying to the PhD Program  page for further information. Please download and print the  instructions  for completing the online application before beginning the application process.
• A  $75 application fee , payable online with a credit card or by check or money order payable to the University of Pittsburgh. Applicants who indicate they are paying by check and do not submit the application fee will not be considered for admission. On a case-by-case basis,  application fee waivers  may be granted.
• Transcripts  from all undergraduate or graduate programs attended, showing grades earned, degree conferred, and the date when the degree was conferred. Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded with the online application; official transcripts will be required of all successful applicants at the time of matriculation to the program. Applicants who are in the process of earning a degree should submit a current transcript at the time they apply. A notarized English translation is required if transcripts are in a language other than English.
• English language requirement.  If an applicant’s native language is not English, they need to submit a  TOEFL  (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or  IELTS  (International English Language Testing System) or  Duolingo English Test  score. Applicants who have earned or expect to earn a degree from a college or university in the United States are exempt from this requirement. Also exempt from this requirement are applicants whose native language is not English but who have completed a degree program at an institution outside of the United States where the language of instruction is English and where the official national language of the country in which the institution is located includes English. To be considered for admission, applicants must have a minimum TOEFL score of 90 on the internet-based test, with at least a score of 22 in all of the four sections (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). For the TOEFL, the Institution Code for the University of Pittsburgh is 2927; the Department Code for Economics is 84.   The minimum acceptable IELTS score is 7.0, with at least a score of 6.5 in each of the four sections. Note that applicants must take the academic reading and writing modules, not the general training reading and writing modules. The minimum acceptable Duolingo English Test score is 120.
• Three letters of recommendation , which must be submitted on-line. Letters should be written on letterhead stationery and signed by the recommender.
• A career statement of 500 words or less  that addresses your intellectual and professional goals and answers the following questions: What has prompted you to pursue graduate study in economics? What are your ultimate professional goals and aspirations? Which subfield of economics has your primary interest?

Please see our  frequently asked questions  page for more information, or contact our Graduate Program Administrator.

On November 7th, Professor Luca Rigotti, Director of Graduate Studies, hosted an information session to go over the aspects of the program and answer any admissions questions. If you missed the session, you can view a recording here.  

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PHD, Economics

The PhD in Economics provides training in the theory and application of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. Students aim for careers in the academic, public, or private sectors.

Degree Type: Doctoral

Degree Program Code: PHD_ECNM

Degree Program Summary:

According to its mission statement, the University of Georgia “endeavors to prepare the university community and the state for full participation in the global society of the twenty first century.” The Department of Economics plays an essential role in this mission, not only because it provides a necessary foundation for business education, but also because it is a core discipline and, as such, an integral part of a well-rounded, liberal education. The department strives to promote high-quality research and scholarship, and to provide students with an excellent education in economics as a foundation for general understanding of the world, successful undertaking of business endeavors, and advanced studies and research.

Our PhD program provides in-depth, rigorous training in economic theory and econometrics and prepares students for careers in research, teaching and consulting in academia, private industry and government. The program offers fields specialization in econometrics, industrial organization, international economics, monetary / macroeconomics, public economics and labor economics, and also has strengths in productivity analysis and economic history.

Locations Offered:

Athens (Main Campus)

College / School:

Terry College of Business

600 S. Lumpkin Street Athens, GA 30605

Department:

Graduate Coordinator(s):

Meghan Skira

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The complete guide to getting into an economics PhD program

Back in May, Noah wrote about the amazingly good deal that is the PhD in economics. Why? Because:

• You get a job.
• You get autonomy.
• You get intellectual fulfillment.
• The risk is low.
• Unlike an MBA, law, or medical degree, you don’t have to worry about paying the sticker price for an econ PhD:  After the first year, most schools will give you teaching assistant positions that will pay for the next several years of graduate study, and some schools will take care of your tuition and expenses even in the first year. (See Miles’s companion post  for more about costs of graduate study and how econ PhD’s future earnings makes it worthwhile, even if you can’t get a full ride.)

Of course, such a good deal won’t last long now that the story is out, so you need to act fast! Since he wrote his post , Noah has received a large number of emails asking the obvious follow-up question: “How do I get into an econ PhD program?” And Miles has been asked the same thing many times by undergraduates and other students at the University of Michigan. So here, we present together our guide for how to break into the academic Elysium called Econ PhD Land:

(Note: This guide is mainly directed toward native English speakers, or those from countries whose graduate students are typically fluent in English, such as India and most European countries. Almost all highly-ranked graduate programs teach economics in English, and we find that students learn the subtle non-mathematical skills in economics better if English is second nature. If your nationality will make admissions committees wonder about your English skills, you can either get your bachelor’s degree at a—possibly foreign—college or university where almost all classes are taught in English, or you will have to compensate by being better on other dimensions. On the bright side, if you are a native English speaker, or from a country whose graduate students are typically fluent in English, you are already ahead in your quest to get into an economics PhD.)

Here is the not-very-surprising list of things that will help you get into a good econ PhD program:

• good grades, especially in whatever math and economics classes you take,
• a good score on the math GRE,
• some math classes and a statistics class on your transcript,
• research experience, and definitely at least one letter of recommendation from a researcher,
• a demonstrable interest in the field of economics.

Chances are, if you’re asking for advice, you probably feel unprepared in one of two ways. Either you don’t have a sterling math background, or you have quantitative skills but are new to the field of econ. Fortunately, we have advice for both types of applicant.

If you’re weak in math…

Fortunately, if you’re weak in math, we have good news:  Math is something you can learn . That may sound like a crazy claim to most Americans, who are raised to believe that math ability is in the genes. It may even sound like arrogance coming from two people who have never had to struggle with math. But we’ve both taught people math for many years, and we really believe that it’s true. Genes help a bit, but math is like a foreign language or a sport: effort will result in skill.

Here are the math classes you absolutely should take to get into a good econ program:

• Linear algebra
• Multivariable calculus

Here are the classes you should take, but can probably get away with studying on your own:

• Ordinary differential equations
• Real analysis

Linear algebra (matrices, vectors, and all that) is something that you’ll use all the time in econ, especially when doing work on a computer. Multivariable calculus also will be used a lot. And stats of course is absolutely key to almost everything economists do. Differential equations are something you will use once in a while. And real analysis—by far the hardest subject of the five—is something that you will probably never use in real econ research, but which the economics field has decided to use as a sort of general intelligence signaling device.

If you took some math classes but didn’t do very well, don’t worry.  Retake the classes . If you are worried about how that will look on your transcript, take the class the first time “off the books” at a different college (many community colleges have calculus classes) or online. Or if you have already gotten a bad grade, take it a second time off the books and then a third time for your transcript. If you work hard, every time you take the class you’ll do better. You will learn the math and be able to prove it by the grade you get. Not only will this help you get into an econ PhD program, once you get in, you’ll breeze through parts of grad school that would otherwise be agony.

Here’s another useful tip:  Get a book and study math on your own before taking the corresponding class for a grade. Reading math on your own is something you’re going to have to get used to doing in grad school anyway (especially during your dissertation!), so it’s good to get used to it now. Beyond course-related books, you can either pick up a subject-specific book (Miles learned much of his math from studying books in the Schaum’s outline series ), or get a “math for economists” book; regarding the latter, Miles recommends Mathematics for Economists  by Simon and Blume, while Noah swears by Mathematical Methods and Models for Economists  by de la Fuente. When you study on your own, the most important thing is to  work through a bunch of problems . That will give you practice for test-taking, and will be more interesting than just reading through derivations.

This will take some time, of course. That’s OK. That’s what summer is for (right?). If you’re late in your college career, you can always take a fifth year, do a gap year, etc.

When you get to grad school, you will have to take an intensive math course called “math camp” that will take up a good part of your summer. For how to get through math camp itself, see this guide by Jérémie Cohen-Setton .

One more piece of advice for the math-challenged:  Be a research assistant on something non-mathy . There are lots of economists doing relatively simple empirical work that requires only some basic statistics knowledge and the ability to use software like Stata. There are more and more experimental economists around, who are always looking for research assistants. Go find a prof and get involved! (If you are still in high school or otherwise haven’t yet chosen a college, you might want to choose one where some of the professors do experiments and so need research assistants—something that is easy to figure out by studying professors’ websites carefully, or by asking about it when you visit the college.)

If you’re new to econ…

If you’re a disillusioned physicist, a bored biostatistician, or a neuroscientist looking to escape that evil  Principal Investigator, don’t worry:  An econ background is not necessary . A lot of the best economists started out in other fields, while a lot of undergrad econ majors are headed for MBAs or jobs in banks. Econ PhD programs know this. They will probably not mind if you have never taken an econ class.

That said, you may still want to  take an econ class , just to verify that you actually like the subject, to start thinking about econ, and to prepare yourself for the concepts you’ll encounter. If you feel like doing this, you can probably skip Econ 101 and 102, and head straight for an Intermediate Micro or Intermediate Macro class.

Another good thing is to  read through an econ textbook . Although economics at the PhD level is mostly about the math and statistics and computer modeling (hopefully getting back to the real world somewhere along the way when you do your own research), you may also want to get the flavor of the less mathy parts of economics from one of the well-written lower-level textbooks (either one by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells , Greg Mankiw , or Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok ) and maybe one at a bit higher level as well, such as David Weil’s excellent book on economic growth ) or Varian’s Intermediate Microeconomics .

Remember to take a statistics class , if you haven’t already. Some technical fields don’t require statistics, so you may have missed this one. But to econ PhD programs, this will be a gaping hole in your resume. Go take stats!

One more thing you can do is research with an economist . Fortunately, economists are generally extremely welcoming to undergrad RAs from outside econ, who often bring extra skills. You’ll get great experience working with data if you don’t have it already. It’ll help you come up with some research ideas to put in your application essays. And of course you’ll get another all-important letter of recommendation.

And now for…

General tips for everyone

Here is the most important tip for everyone:  Don’t just apply to “top” schools . For some degrees—an MBA for example—people question whether it’s worthwhile to go to a non-top school. But for econ departments, there’s no question. Both Miles and Noah have marveled at the number of smart people working at non-top schools. That includes some well-known bloggers, by the way—Tyler Cowen teaches at George Mason University (ranked 64th ), Mark Thoma teaches at the University of Oregon (ranked 56th ), and Scott Sumner teaches at Bentley, for example. Additionally, a flood of new international students is expanding the supply of quality students. That means that the number of high-quality schools is increasing; tomorrow’s top 20 will be like today’s top 10, and tomorrow’s top 100 will be like today’s top 50.

Apply to schools outside of the top 20—any school in the top 100 is worth considering, especially if it is strong in areas you are interested in. If your classmates aren’t as elite as you would like, that just means that you will get more attention from the professors, who almost all came out of top programs themselves. When Noah said in his earlier post that econ PhD students are virtually guaranteed to get jobs in an econ-related field, that applied to schools far down in the ranking. Everyone participates in the legendary centrally managed econ job market . Very few people ever fall through the cracks.

Next—and this should go without saying— don’t be afraid to retake the GRE . If you want to get into a top 10 school, you probably need a perfect or near-perfect score on the math portion of the GRE. For schools lower down the rankings, a good GRE math score is still important. Fortunately, the GRE math section is relatively simple to study for—there are only a finite number of topics covered, and with a little work you can “overlearn” all of them, so you can do them even under time pressure and when you are nervous. In any case, you can keep retaking the test until you get a good score (especially if the early tries are practice tests from the GRE prep books and prep software), and then you’re OK!

Here’s one thing that may surprise you: Getting an econ master’s degree alone won’t help . Although master’s degrees in economics are common among international students who apply to econ PhD programs, American applicants do just fine without a master’s degree on their record. If you want that extra diploma, realize that once you are in a PhD program, you will get a master’s degree automatically after two years. And if you end up dropping out of the PhD program, that master’s degree will be worth more than a stand-alone master’s would. The one reason to get a master’s degree is if it can help you remedy a big deficiency in your record, say not having taken enough math or stats classes, not having taken any econ classes, or not having been able to get anyone whose name admissions committees would recognize to write you a letter of recommendation.

For getting into grad school, much more valuable than a master’s is a stint as a research assistant in the Federal Reserve System or at a think tank —though these days, such positions can often be as hard to get into as a PhD program!

Finally—and if you’re reading this, chances are you’re already doing this— read some econ blogs . (See Miles’s speculations about the future of the econ blogosphere here .) Econ blogs are no substitute for econ classes, but they’re a great complement. Blogs are good for picking up the lingo of academic economists, and learning to think like an economist. Don’t be afraid to  write  a blog either, even if no one ever reads it (you don’t have to be writing at the same level as Evan Soltas or Yichuan Wang );  you can still put it on your CV, or just practice writing down your thoughts. And when you write your dissertation, and do research later on in your career, you are going to have to think for yourself outside the context of a class . One way to practice thinking critically is by critiquing others’ blog posts, at least in your head.

Anyway, if you want to have intellectual stimulation and good work-life balance, and a near-guarantee of a well-paying job in your field of interest, an econ PhD could be just the thing for you. Don’t be scared of the math and the jargon. We’d love to have you.

Update:  Miles’s colleague Jeff Smith at the University of Michigan amplifies many of the things we say on his blog.  For a  complete  guide, be sure to see what Jeff has to say, too.

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PhD Programs

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Students in our PhD programs are encouraged from day one to think of this experience as their first job in business academia—a training ground for a challenging and rewarding career generating rigorous, relevant research that influences practice.

Our doctoral students work with faculty and access resources throughout HBS and Harvard University. The PhD program curriculum requires coursework at HBS and other Harvard discipline departments, and with HBS and Harvard faculty on advisory committees. Faculty throughout Harvard guide the programs through their participation on advisory committees.

How do I know which program is right for me?

There are many paths, but we are one HBS. Our PhD students draw on diverse personal and professional backgrounds to pursue an ever-expanding range of research topics. Explore more here about each program’s requirements & curriculum, read student profiles for each discipline as well as student research , and placement information.

The PhD in Business Administration grounds students in the disciplinary theories and research methods that form the foundation of an academic career. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program has five areas of study: Accounting and Management , Management , Marketing , Strategy , and Technology and Operations Management . All areas of study involve roughly two years of coursework culminating in a field exam. The remaining years of the program are spent conducting independent research, working on co-authored publications, and writing the dissertation. Students join these programs from a wide range of backgrounds, from consulting to engineering. Many applicants possess liberal arts degrees, as there is not a requirement to possess a business degree before joining the program

The PhD in Business Economics provides students the opportunity to study in both Harvard’s world-class Economics Department and Harvard Business School. Throughout the program, coursework includes exploration of microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, probability and statistics, and econometrics. While some students join the Business Economics program directly from undergraduate or masters programs, others have worked in economic consulting firms or as research assistants at universities or intergovernmental organizations.

The PhD program in Health Policy (Management) is rooted in data-driven research on the managerial, operational, and strategic issues facing a wide range of organizations. Coursework includes the study of microeconomic theory, management, research methods, and statistics. The backgrounds of students in this program are quite varied, with some coming from public health or the healthcare industry, while others arrive at the program with a background in disciplinary research

The PhD program in Organizational Behavior offers two tracks: either a micro or macro approach. In the micro track, students focus on the study of interpersonal relationships within organizations and the effects that groups have on individuals. Students in the macro track use sociological methods to examine organizations, groups, and markets as a whole, including topics such as the influence of individuals on organizational change, or the relationship between social missions and financial objectives. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program includes core disciplinary training in sociology or psychology, as well as additional coursework in organizational behavior.

Accounting & Management  

Business economics  , health policy (management)  , management  , marketing  , organizational behavior  , strategy  , technology & operations management  .

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Graduate Program

The Department of Economics at Boston College is an exciting community of scholars from many countries who pursue applied and theoretical research on the pressing economic and social issues that face the world in the 21st century. 

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Ph.D. Candidates Seeking Employment

Ph.D Program At a Glance

We have a full-time graduate faculty of 32 who have wide-ranging expertise in the field of economics.

Faculty Expertise

Small Cohort Size

With an average cohort of 16 full-time students per year, we're able to offer a broad range of courses while providing individual attention. 

STEM Options

The program has been classified as STEM (CIP Code 45.0603: Econometrics and Quantitative Economics). Students in STEM degree programs can apply for a 24 month STEM extension of F1 Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Requirements

Ph.D. requirements include course work, comprehensive examinations, a doctoral dissertation, and a one-year residence requirement.

Detailed Requirements

IDEAS  rankings, 2020

among U.S. economics departments

Where do our graduates work?

The doctoral program is designed to train economists for careers in teaching and research by providing strong backgrounds in economic theory, quantitative research methods and applied fields.

University of Alberta, Edmonton

Marco Brianti, 2021

Joe Cooprider, 2020

Santa Clara University

Vito Cormun, 2020

European Central Bank

Laura Gáti, 2021

The Brattle Group, Boston

Bogdan Genchev, 2020

Xiamen University

Liyang Hong, 2021

Analysis Group, Brussels

Krisztina Horvath, 2020

Renmin University, Beijing

Yushan Hu, 2020

University of Glasgow, Adam Smith Business School

Zafer Kanik, 2020

Harris School of Public Policy at University of Chicago (teaching position)

Navin Kumar, 2021

Christina Letsou, 2020

Analysis Group, Boston

Sajala Pandey, 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

How competitive is the program.

We receive about 400 applications, accept up to 10% and end up with an incoming class of about 15 students.  Chances for acceptance depend on the quality of the applicant pool for any given year.

How much will it cost?

 Accepted students are offered funding for five years consisting of a stipend and tuition remission. Continued funding year to year is dependent upon students achieving certain academic benchmarks for each year in the program. There are no forms to fill out and there is no special aid program for international students.

When can I start?

Students can begin the program only in the fall semester. 

Application Process

The admissions process works in this way: as the application deadline nears, the Admissions Committee begins to review all applications. Applications are reviewed as in a pool; i.e., decisions are made by taking all the applications for that year and comparing them. Each candidate's application is reviewed in its entirety and only complete applications will be considered.

Application Form

There is a $75 non-refundable required application fee that is used to process your application. You have the option to pay this online before submitting the application form. If you choose to wait to pay the fee, you will have the option to pay the fee through the  Portal . Alternatively you may send a $75 non-refundable check or money order, made payable to Trustees of Boston College to the processing center or directly to the Admissions office.

Fee Waiver Form

Academic Background

A strong training in mathematics is essential to be successful in our program; the minimum recommended courses are: three calculus courses, courses in linear and matrix algebra, a course in real analysis, and a “real” statistics course . The committee has found that achieving a score of at least 166 in the quantitative exam in the GRE is beneficial for success in the program (the accepted applicants' average score this year is 166); this is considered of prime importance in the evaluation of applications.

Statement of Purpose

We require a brief (1-2 pages) personal statement in which applicants should discuss their preparation, motivation, and goals for their proposed courses of study. If you have any questions about the statement please contact the department.

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required and may be submitted electronically with the application form. Recommendations may also be received in hard copy at the GSAS Admissions office as an alternative.

If you are presently employed, we recommend requesting letters from one or preferably two professors with whom you’ve studied in the past, particularly a math professor. Work experience is given no formal weight in evaluating an applicant’s chance for admission. Recommendation letters from employers tend to be flattering but uninformative. 

Letters on file with university placement offices are acceptable if sent directly by the university and signed by a placement official. Request that the recommendations be mailed with a signature across the envelope flap. If BC receives a recommendation with a broken seal the application may be disqualified. A recommender may prefer to mail his/her recommendation directly to us. If this is the case you should take whatever steps are necessary to verify that the recommendation has been sent to BC.

Transcripts

Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to your online application form for purposes of application review. however, official transcript(s) must also be submitted upon acceptance/matriculation. both undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required..

Official transcripts should be sent to the following address:

Boston College, Lynch School of Education Data Processing Center P.O. Box 8027 Portsmouth, NH 03802

For FedEx or UPS shipments, please use this address:

Boston College, Lynch School of Education

Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services Campion Hall 135 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Standardized Tests

The GRE is required , general test only; the subject test is not required. Applications without GRE scores will be considered incomplete; decisions for acceptance will not be made without GRE scores. We accept only original score reports for the GRE & TOEFL and IELTS exams; no copies will be accepted. 

GRE scores are only official when submitted directly from ETS. We require scores of the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants who have not taken the GREs within the last five years should contact their intended department to see if more recent scores are required. The Graduate School recommends that you register for the GREs early so that the scores will be available when applying. For information regarding test dates, etc., contact:

The Graduate Record Examination ETS Princeton, New Jersey www.ets.org

A strong training in mathematics is essential to be successful in our program; the minimum recommended courses are: three calculus courses, courses in linear and matrix algebra, a course in real analysis, and a “real” statistics course. The committee has found that achieving a score of at least 166 in the quantitative exam in the GRE is beneficial for success in the program (the accepted applicants' average score this year is 166); this is considered of prime importance in the evaluation of applications.

Note:  If you have personal score reports available from earlier examinations you may include them with your application, however, you must request ETS to send official score reports to the Graduate School directly: Boston College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences,  Code 3083 .

Application Status Check

If you submitted the application form online you should receive an E-mail from BC containing a user name and password to log into the Agora Portal. Through Agora you can check the status of your application by clicking on the Application Status tab. You must choose the correct school to which you applied. If you applied to a number of BC Graduate Schools, you will only receive one E-mail containing the above information.

If you did not receive an E-mail with credentials you can access the  Web Application Status Check  here. You will be asked to provide your assigned ID number or confirmation number you received from submitting the application form online.

Note: If you are submitting additional application items beyond a department-specified requirement (i.e. official transcripts from more than one institution or an extra letter of recommendation) please contact the GSAS  Admissions office  to ensure receipt of all items.

International Students

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences requires students who speak a native language other than English to provide evidence of English proficiency Evidence of English Proficiency through the TOEFL and IELTS. A score of 100 or higher on the TOEFL iBT test or 7.0 or higher on the IELTS test is required. TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid from exams taken a maximum of two years prior to application program deadlines. Remember to enter the Boston College School Code 3083 when taking the TOEFL exam to ensure GSAS receives your score report; If submitting the IELTS score report, please send results to the GSAS Admissions Office or designate GSAS as your score report recipient.

Proof of English proficiency is not required if:

• You are a citizen of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean.
• You earned your prior college or university degree in the U.S. or one of the countries listed above or at an institution whose official language of instruction is English. The language proficiency requirement will be waived from your application upon receipt of an official transcript noting degree conferral from said institution.
• You are currently enrolled as a full-time student in a U.S. degree-granting program or at an American or English-speaking school in one of the countries listed above or at an institution whose official language of instruction is English and will have completed two academic years of college/university work before beginning your studies at BC. The language proficiency requirement will be waived from your application upon receipt of an official transcript noting two years/4 semesters completed at said institution.

There is a financial consideration involved for international students. Each year there is a specific amount of money which an international student must certify that he/she has to be able to live in this area of the United States; the amounts granted in the awards of assistantships and/or tuition remission do not equal this requirement. Students are required to make up the difference with funds from their own resources. If you are accepted into the program, the visa process cannot be initiated until the financial requirement has been satisfied. The Office of International Students and Scholars (Tel. 617-552-8005; e-mail: bcis@bc.edu ) make all decisions on the issuance of visas. Please communicate directly with them concerning visa matters.  

Learning Outcomes

• The department's Ph.D. students are expected to master advanced economic theory, research methods, and two economic subfields, and produce original contributions to the discipline so as to enjoy professionally rewarding careers in Economics. These include (i) tenure-track positions at high-quality Ph.D.-granting universities and/or the top primarily undergraduate colleges around the world, (ii) research positions in top non-academic research departments spanning domestic (e.g., U.S. Federal Reserve Banks), foreign (e.g., the European Central Bank), and international organizations (e.g., the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank), and (iii) employment in the private sector (e.g., leading consulting firms).
• Graduate students are expected to adhere to the principles of scientific integrity by responsibly using economic data and research methods and giving appropriate attribution to original work and source material.
• Graduate students selected to serve as teaching assistants or teaching fellows in the department's undergraduate program are expected to develop and apply best practice teaching methods.

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5 PhD positions at the Vienna Graduate School of Economics (VGSE)

25 march 2024, 30 april 2024, phd candidate, christine zulehner.

The Vienna Graduate School of Economics is offering 5 PhD positions, to start in October 2024. We are looking for highly qualified students with a completed master’s degree in Economics, preferably with a research orientation.

The Vienna Graduate School of Economics (VGSE) is located at the University of Vienna and is part of the Oskar Morgenstern Doctoral School (OMDS). The VGSE offers a broad three-year PhD program in economics focusing on specialized field courses, research seminars, and intensively supervised research time. The program is entirely run in English.

We invite applications in all fields in Economics, in particular in

• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Experimental Economics
• Industrial Organization

Please find all information about the selection process and application documents at  www.vgse.at/application/

Interested students who have not completed a master’s program with research orientation are encouraged to apply to the Research Masters at the University of Vienna (see  https://studieren.univie.ac.at/en/degree-programmes/master-programmes/research-in-economics-and-finance-master/ ).

What we offer

Successful applicants will be employed at the University of Vienna (30 hours/week) with a monthly gross salary of Euro 2,684.10 (paid out 14 times per year). In addition, grants to attend conferences, summer schools, or go on extended research visits abroad will be available, as well as a fully equipped workplace.

The contract duration is 3 years with a preliminary limitation of 1.5 years and will automatically be extended to 3 years unless the employer hands in a non-extension declaration after 12 months. An extension up to a total of 4 years is then possible provided the excellent performance of the candidate. 

Application period:      until 30 April 2024 Program start:              1 October 2024

Applicant interviews are conducted in regular intervals during and after the application period. Therefore we encourage early applications.

Contact:  Christine Zulehner,  [email protected] |  www.vgse.at

More Information

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Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1

1090 Vienna , Austria

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New Visiting Researchers Program brings Postdoctoral and PhD Student Fellows to Harvard's Center for International Development

By CID Staff

The Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University launched the  Visiting Researcher Program this academic year. With sponsorship from UniCredit Foundation, this program brings postdoctoral and PhD student researchers from the UniCredit Bank’s extensive European network to Harvard CID. Program participants have the opportunity to join CID’s vibrant research community and learn from leading Harvard faculty and researchers.

Over a three-year period, the support from UniCredit will fund postdoctoral fellowships for researchers whose research focuses on education related to a UniCredit country: Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. In addition, visiting fellowships at CID will be awarded to PhD students from institutions in UniCredit territories listed above. CID welcomed the first two PhD students this spring and will welcome two postdoctoral candidates in fall 2024. The call for additional PhD students for fall 2024 is currently open.

“Through this new program, we are thrilled to bring early-stage researchers to the CID community at Harvard University. We hope to build new relationships that spark innovative ideas and translate into research that will have a significant impact on education and economic development,” said Eliana La Ferrara, CID Faculty Affiliate and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School who is overseeing the program. 

Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit and chairman of the UniCredit Foundation, visited CID on November 28, 2023 to launch the program alongside CID leadership. He noted the importance of investing in the education of the next generation of scholars. CID faculty and fellows discussed global trends and challenges on education. 

“Education is the bedrock upon which we build our future, and we are proud of UniCredit’s commitment to supporting educational development through our Foundation,” Orcel said. “This program will act as a further tool to better understand educational needs enabling researchers to generate new evidence about the countries where we operate.”

“We are delighted to welcome these visiting researchers to the CID community,” shared CID’s Faculty Director Asim I. Khwaja. “Building and investing in the talent of the next generation of researchers is one of our top priorities at CID. We want to support and grow their research and watch the ripple effect as they advance learning on critical development issues. I am grateful to the UniCredit Foundation for helping us get this incredible initiative off the ground.”

Award recipients

The CID Visiting Researcher Program welcomed its inaugural cohort of PhD students in spring 2024:

The CID Visiting Researcher Program will welcome two postdoctoral candidates in fall 2024:

How to Get Published in Economics: Harvard Faculty and Colleagues Share their Advice

By Justin Chin

UK Police Share Family Tribute To Indian PhD Student Killed In London

The police also released a statement on behalf of Cheistha Kochhar's family, which praises her "deep intelligence" and "sprightly demeanour" which won her many friends.

The police said Kochhar was pursuing her PhD in behavioural research at the London School of Economics.

The Metropolitan Police in London on Tuesday officially named a former NITI Aayog employee Cheistha Kochhar as the 33-year-old woman who was killed in a road collision in north London while she cycled back home from London School of Economics (LSE).

There have been no arrests a week after the incident, police said.

The police said Kochhar, who was pursuing her PhD in behavioural research at the LSE, died following a collision involving a refuse lorry on Clerkenwell Road near the junction with Farringdon Road on March 19 evening.

The force said enquiries into the circumstances of the collision are ongoing as officers continue to appeal for witnesses and for any road users with dashcam footage from the scene to come forward.

"Cheistha was cycling when she was involved in a collision with a refuse lorry – the lorry stopped at the scene and the driver is helping police with their enquiries. There has been no arrest and enquiries into the circumstances continue," the Met Police said.

"She always had a hug to spare for anyone and she lived her life with the principle that it was more important to be the kindest person in the room, than to be the smartest person in the room. In the short span she had on this planet, she touched tens of thousands of people in extremely meaningful ways and the magnitude of this loss is incomprehensible," the family tribute reads.

Cheistha was born in Bareilly in 1990 and graduated high school from the Convent of Jesus and Mary, New Delhi. After graduating from Delhi University with a BA in Economics and Mathematics in 2008, she went on to finish the PGP in Liberal Arts as a Young India Fellow from Ashoka University and then did another post-graduation from the University of Chicago in International Development and Policy (MAIDP).

"She had also started a couple of Start-Ups, first as an undergraduate to distribute excess food from college canteens to the needy and later to create opportunities for the unemployed underprivileged section of the New Delhi society. She also worked with McKinsey and the University of Chicago and last worked at NITI Aayog of India (formerly Planning Commission), where she established the National Behavioural Insights Unit of India as a Senior Advisor. All this happened before she turned 32," the family statement shares.

"In spite of her experience as a practitioner and an executive, she had the heart of an academician, having worked and collaborated with Nobel laureates, and she finally came to London as a PhD Scholar in LSE. Even though these were early stages of her PhD, she was sure to work on studying and improving collaboration between various pro-social organisations to tackle the grand challenges that countries from the Global South face. She was an ardent patriot and wanted to bring all her expertise back to India to change lives," it concludes.

Earlier, former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant took to social media to shower praise on Kochhar, who had moved from Gurugram to London in September last year to enroll as a Doctorate Candidate at the LSE.

Kant said: "Cheistha Kochhar worked with me on the #LIFE [Lifestyle for the Environment] programme in NITI Aayog. She was in the #Nudge unit and had gone to do her PhD in behavioural science at LSE. Passed away in a terrible traffic incident while cycling in London. She was bright, brilliant & brave and always full of life. Gone away too early. RIP." Kochhar served as Senior Advisor at the National Behavioural Insights Unit of India for nearly two years until April last year, before moving to London with her software engineer husband Prashant Gautam.

"I am still in London trying to collect the remains of my daughter, Cheistha Kochhar. She was run over by a truck on 19 March while cycling back from LSE, where she was doing her PhD," her father Lieutenant General Dr S P Kochhar, Director General at the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said in an emotional post on LinkedIn.

"It has devastated us and her large circle of friends," he said, along with a link to an online memorial page created in her memory.

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The memorial page opens with a quote from Cheistha, which reads: "What we create should last longer than we do," and is followed by several moving tributes posted by friends and family.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Indian PhD student at London School of Economics killed on bike in London

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UW College of Business’ Master of Economics Program Nationally Ranked

• News Releases
• Back to 2023 Archive

Institutional Communications Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137 Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: (307) 766-2929 Email:   [email protected]

Published March 25, 2024

The University of Wyoming College of Business’ economics program has been recognized by TFE Times as among the Top 25 Best Master’s of Economics Programs for 2024, coming in at No. 24.

TFE Times is an online platform that offers news on business, culture and technology to its users. To view the TFE Times rankings of the top economics programs, go here .

The online publication based its master’s degree program ranking on average (mean) Graduate Record Examination scores; mean starting salary and bonus; mean undergraduate grade-point average; acceptance rate; full-time graduates employed at graduation; and full-time graduates employed three months after graduation.

“Our economics program is being recognized and ranked higher than 120 other universities in the nation,” says Jason Shogren, Stroock Chair of Natural Resource Conservation and Management in the UW College of Business Department of Economics.

The program has initiated a “quick start” through which students can earn master’s and bachelor’s degrees in five years.

“That has got a lot of students re-excited in the program, and we have been able to place them in a lot of different places,” Shogren says. “I think the program trains them well in good, applied microeconomics. By good economics, we mean the ability to estimate cost and benefits today and over time and then be able to put together a story to understand. The students benefit from our great financial support and small classes.”

UW’s Master of Economics Program involves a process of putting together portfolios -- not just a portfolio of investments -- but of policies, such as for education and the environment, so that policymakers have better information on what is going to benefit the state and its citizens, he adds.

Shogren, who has been with UW’s Department of Economics since the 1990s, says many UW economics students have received good jobs over the years.

“Many of them are over in Cheyenne working for the Legislative Service Office or working for some aspect of the state. Other people have gone down to Denver, and other people have done bank jobs,” Shogren says. “Others are running companies, such as an artificial intelligence startup in Denver and a biotech startup in London. Many go on to earn their Ph.D.s in economics or work on regional economic and business analysis in consulting firms.”

One of the key points and favorite aspects of students at UW is that students get focused attention and exposure to real-world data.

“There are a lot of diamonds in the rough,” Shogren adds.

About the UW College of Business

UW’s College of Business is dedicated to providing students with a transformative education, preparing them for leadership roles in various industries.

To learn more, go to www.uwyo.edu/business .