Doctor of Philosophy

• Students must be enrolled in courses in accordance with departmental expectations stated in the Handbook. When students reach 135 units, they must have completed all degree requirements, except for the oral exam and dissertation submission, and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status.

• Failure to meet degree requirements, including the department's grade expectations, may lead to dismissal from the program.

This requirement must be completed during the student’s second year of study. If history is a student’s field of specialization, they will replace this requirement with an additional breadth course.

• Complete a minimum of one course in at least two fields other than the students'  fields of specialization. Breadth courses cannot be cross-listed in a student’s fields. If History is one of your fields of specialization, the student is required to take one class in a third additional field outside of the student's specializations.

Students must complete eight courses in total during their second year.  Depending on the combination of fields chosen, the student may need to take one additional course to meet the eight-course requirement. The additional course may be taken in any of the fields of specialization, including their own. Students may also choose from the approved Econ grad courses not found in the fields of specialization as listed on the website. 

• With advance approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, some of these courses may be drawn from related fields taught in other departments. Permission needs to be obtained from the Director of Graduate Studies before enrolling in a course outside the department if the student wants it to count towards requirements.

All students must submit a second-year paper by August 31 of their second year in the program, and they must arrange for a faculty member to oversee the paper by the end of the spring quarter of the second year. A draft submission is due three weeks prior to this date.

• Third-Year Seminar: presentation of an expanded research paper in the spring quarter of the third year.

• Seminar Participation: Each student is expected to enroll and participate in at least one all-year research seminar or three quarters of the same field seminar by the end of the fourth year of residence. Usually, participation in a seminar requires one or more oral presentations and the submission of a research paper (which, however, need not be completely separate from dissertation research). Detailed information on fulfilling the seminar requirements can be found on the Economics department website. opens in a new tab

Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. All students are required to complete one quarter of teaching experience in the Economics department by the end of their fourth year in the program, regardless of their financial support. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their professional training and financial support.

Admission to candidacy is a prospective judgment by the faculty of a student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of August of their second year. Qualifying procedures in the Department of Economics include required coursework and the second-year paper. Additional details on qualifying procedures can be found in the Graduate Handbook on the department website opens in a new tab.

In the Department of Economics, the oral exam is a defense of the dissertation presented upon the completion of a substantial portion of the dissertation or upon completion of a pre-final draft. Students consult with their dissertation advisor and reading committee members on the timing of the defense. Students are expected to complete this milestone by the end of their sixth year in the program.

Students are required to submit an approved dissertation that makes an original contribution to Economic scholarship. This may include three separate papers. Students are expected to submit the dissertation by the end of their sixth year in the program.