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What You Should Know Before Applying to an Economics PhD Program

Here's One Student's Experience Applying to an Economics PhD Program

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I recently wrote an article about the types of people who shouldn't pursue a Ph.D. in economics . Don't get me wrong, I love economics. I've spent a majority of my adult life in the pursuit of knowledge in the field studying around the world and even teaching it at the university level. You may love studying economics, too, but a Ph.D. program is an entirely different beast that requires a very specific type of person and student. After my article was published, I received an email from a reader, who just happened to be a potential Ph.D. student. 

This reader's experience and insights into the economics Ph.D. program application process were so on point that I felt the need to share the insights. For those considering applying to a Ph.D. program in Economics, give this email a read.

One Student's Experience Applying to an Economics Ph.D. Program

"Thanks for the graduate school focus in your recent articles. Three of the challenges you mentioned [in your recent article ] really hit home:

• American students have a comparative disadvantage for selection compared to foreign students.
• The importance of math cannot be overstated.
• Reputation is a huge factor, especially that of your undergraduate program.

I applied unsuccessfully to Ph.D. programs for two years before conceding that I might not be ready for them. Only one, Vanderbilt , gave me even a wait-list consideration.

I was a little embarrassed at being shunned. My mathematics GRE was 780. I had graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA in my economics major and completed a statistics minor . I had two internships: one in research, one in public policy. And accomplished this all while working 30 hours a week to support me . It was a brutally hard couple of years.

The Ph.D. departments I applied to and my undergraduate adviser all pointed out:

• I attended a small, regional public university, and our professors spent significant time with students to the detriment of their own publishing.
• Though I took a heavy load of statistics coursework, I only had two terms of calculus.
• I had never been published; not even in an undergraduate journal.
• I aimed for highly-ranked schools in the Midwest like Illinois, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington University in St. Louis, but neglected schools on the coasts, which might have seen me as a more 'diverse' candidate.

I also made what many considered a tactical error: I went to talk with the graduate programs before I applied. I was later told that this is a taboo and seen as schmoozing. I even talked at length with the director of one program. We ended up talking shop for two hours and he invited me to attend presentations and brown bags whenever I was in town. But soon I would learn that he would be ending his tenure to take a position at another college, and would no longer be involved in the approval process for that program.

After going through these obstacles, some suggested I prove myself with a Master's Degree in Economics first. I had originally been told that many schools pick top candidates immediately after undergraduate, but this new advice made sense because departments commit considerable resources to their Ph.D. candidates and want to make sure their investment will survive first-year exams.

With that path in mind, I found it interesting that so few departments offer a terminal Masters in Economic. I'd say about half as many as those that offer only the terminal Ph.D. Fewer still offer an academic Master's - most of these are professional programs. Still, I'm glad it gives me a chance to dig deeper into research and see if I'm ready for Ph.D. research."

My Response 

This was such a great letter for many reasons. First, it was genuine. It wasn't a "why didn't I get into a Ph.D. program" rant, but a personal story told with thoughtful insights. In fact, my experience has been nearly identical, and I would encourage any undergraduate student considering pursuing a Ph.D. in economics to take this reader's insights to heart. I, myself, was in a Master's program (at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) before I entered my Ph.D. program. Today, I must admit that I wouldn't have survived three months as a Ph.D. student had I not attempted an MA in Economics first. 

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The Doctoral Program in Economics requires students to complete two majors and two minors. IDPS requires one of these major fields to be Econometrics. The IDPS requirement for Computation & Statistics may be used to satisfy one of the minor field requirements in the Doctoral Program in Economics as long as the student’s other minor field is in Economics, and is not a research or ad-hoc minor.

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• How to Prepare for a Ph.D. in Economics

First Steps

• How to prepare for a PhD in Economics
• The key thing you need to know is that PhD programs in economics are highly mathematical and the mathematics required by both our Economics and Management Science degrees is not enough to get you into a top PhD program. To be a competitive applicant, you will need to take some upper division mathematics classes such as how to write proofs (Math 109), linear algebra (Math 102), real analysis (Math 140A or 142AB), probability (Math 180A) and statistics (Math 181AB).  See more below.
• Graduate schools care a lot about the difficulty and content of the classes you’ve taken. Getting a high GPA won’t necessarily get you into a good program unless they are the right classes.
• If you want to get into a top PhD program, it is especially important to take real analysis (Math 142AB or Math 140ABC—likely Math 140A is enough) and do well in the class. Real analysis teaches you how to write and understand proofs.  These skills will be important to your success in first-year graduate courses as well as in your research career.  Since real analysis tends to be a difficult course everywhere, your grade in this course is often taken as a key signal of your ability to succeed in a PhD program by admissions committees. If possible, try to take this course when you don’t have a lot of other commitments so that you can devote a significant amount of time to this course, learn the material well and get a good grade.
• Other upper division mathematics and statistics courses are also helpful. In particular, understanding linear algebra is important in graduate-level econometrics courses. Therefore, taking Math 18 and Math 102 (lower and upper division linear algebra courses) can give you a strong foundation in these topics.
• It is also important to have a strong foundation in statistics and probability theory. You will learn a lot of this in the econometrics sequence (if you are interested in pursuing graduate school, you should consider taking the honors classes 120AH-BH-CH). Another class to add to your statistics foundation would be a course in probability (Math 180A).
• In general, if you are interested in going to graduate school in Economics, you should seriously consider majoring in Joint Mathematics-Economics. This major will undoubtedly increase your workload, but it will both make you a more attractive applicant for graduate school and give you the mathematical foundation needed to succeed in graduate school. Students who took many math classes in while in high school should consider double majoring in math and economics.
• If you have exhausted your undergraduate opportunities to take classes in math and economics, consider taking a graduate class. Taking graduate courses in economics or mathematics can send a strong signal to admissions committees. This can be slightly risky, however. Undergraduates may be at a disadvantage as graduate students tend to form study groups for first year courses. If you decide to take a graduate course, you should plan on devoting A LOT of time to the course.  Again, it is extremely important that you to do well in a graduate class.
• Coding is an essential skill to have in graduate school. Therefore, taking courses with a data analysis and coding component (for example, Econ5/Poli5D: Introduction to Social Data Analytics, Econ 112: Macro Data Analysis and Econ 121: Applied Econometrics) can help develop your coding skills. The most popular statistical packages in economics are STATA, R, and MATLAB. If you have the time, it may also be a good idea to take an introduction to programming course from the computer science department.
• Courses that have a research component (Econ 191A-B and Econ 199) will also be invaluable preparation for graduate school. By developing your own research topic, you can learn about each step of the research process: from topic selection, background research, data management all the way to analysis and writing. Selecting an empirical topic is especially encouraged as it will give you valuable experience cleaning and analyzing data and getting more comfortable with various data analysis software. This might also be a good indication of whether a career in research is a good fit for you personally. Finally, the Professor teaching Econ 191AB will get to know you and how you tackle problems very well and so be able to write the kind of informed letter of recommendation that graduate schools like to see.

To summarize, in order to prepare for graduate school, it is extremely important to take the right courses and do well in them. To be competitive, you will need to have a record of performing well in difficult mathematics and economics courses.  

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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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Cornell University does not offer a separate Masters of Science (MS) degree program in the field of Statistics. Applicants interested in obtaining a masters-level degree in statistics should consider applying to Cornell's MPS Program in Applied Statistics.

Choosing a Field of Study

There are many graduate fields of study at Cornell University. The best choice of graduate field in which to pursue a degree depends on your major interests. Statistics is a subject that lies at the interface of theory, applications, and computing. Statisticians must therefore possess a broad spectrum of skills, including expertise in statistical theory, study design, data analysis, probability, computing, and mathematics. Statisticians must also be expert communicators, with the ability to formulate complex research questions in appropriate statistical terms, explain statistical concepts and methods to their collaborators, and assist them in properly communicating their results. If the study of statistics is your major interest then you should seriously consider applying to the Field of Statistics.

There are also several related fields that may fit even better with your interests and career goals. For example, if you are mainly interested in mathematics and computation as they relate to modeling genetics and other biological processes (e.g, protein structure and function, computational neuroscience, biomechanics, population genetics, high throughput genetic scanning), you might consider the Field of Computational Biology . You may wish to consider applying to the Field of Electrical and Computer Engineering if you are interested in the applications of probability and statistics to signal processing, data compression, information theory, and image processing. Those with a background in the social sciences might wish to consider the Field of Industrial and Labor Relations with a major or minor in the subject of Economic and Social Statistics. Strong interest and training in mathematics or probability might lead you to choose the Field of Mathematics . Lastly, if you have a strong mathematics background and an interest in general problem-solving techniques (e.g., optimization and simulation) or applied stochastic processes (e.g., mathematical finance, queuing theory, traffic theory, and inventory theory) you should consider the Field of Operations Research .

Residency Requirements

Students admitted to PhD program must be "in residence" for at least four semesters, although it is generally expected that a PhD will require between 8 and 10 semesters to complete. The chair of your Special Committee awards one residence unit after the satisfactory completion of each semester of full-time study. Fractional units may be awarded for unsatisfactory progress.

Your Advisor and Special Committee

The Director of Graduate Studies is in charge of general issues pertaining to graduate students in the field of Statistics. Upon arrival, a temporary Special Committee is also declared for you, consisting of the Director of Graduate Studies (chair) and two other faculty members in the field of Statistics. This temporary committee shall remain in place until you form your own Special Committee for the purposes of writing your doctoral dissertation. The chair of your Special Committee serves as your primary academic advisor; however, you should always feel free to contact and/or chat with any of the graduate faculty in the field of Statistics.

The formation of a Special Committee for your dissertation research should serve your objective of writing the best possible dissertation. The Graduate School requires that this committee contain at least three members that simultaneously represent a certain combination of subjects and concentrations. The chair of the committee is your principal dissertation advisor and always represents a specified concentration within the subject & field of Statistics. The Graduate School additionally requires PhD students to have at least two minor subjects represented on your special committee. For students in the field of Statistics, these remaining two members must either represent (i) a second concentration within the subject of Statistics, and one external minor subject; or, (ii) two external minor subjects. Each minor advisor must agree to serve on your special committee; as a result, the identification of these minor members should occur at least 6 months prior to your A examination.

Some examples of external minors include Computational Biology, Demography, Computer Science, Economics, Epidemiology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Operations Research. The declaration of an external minor entails selecting (i) a field other than Statistics in which to minor; (ii) a subject & concentration within the specified field; and, (iii) a minor advisor representing this field/subject/concentration that will work with you in setting the minor requirements. Typically, external minors involve gaining knowledge in 3-5 graduate courses in the specified field/subject, though expectations can vary by field and even by the choice of advisor. While any choice of external minor subject is technically acceptable, the requirement that the minor representative serve on your Special Committee strongly suggests that the ideal choice(s) should share some natural connection with your choice of dissertation topic.

The fields, subjects and concentrations represented on your committee must be officially recognized by the Graduate School ; the Degrees, Subjects & Concentrations tab listed under each field of study provides this information. Information on the concentrations available for committee members chosen to represent the subject of Statistics can be found on the Graduate School webpage . 

Statistics PhD Travel Support

The Department of Statistics and Data Science has established a fund for professional travel for graduate students. The intent of the Department is to encourage travel that enhances the Statistics community at Cornell by providing funding for graduate students in statistics that will be presenting at conferences. Please review the Graduate Student Travel Award Policy website for more information. 

Completion of the PhD Degree

In addition to the specified residency requirements, students must meet all program requirements as outlined in Program Course Requirements and Timetables and Evaluations and Examinations, as well as complete a doctoral dissertation approved by your Special Committee. The target time to PhD completion is between 4 and 5 years; the actual time to completion varies by student.

Students should consult both the Guide to Graduate Study and Code of Legislation of the Graduate Faculty (available at www.gradschool.cornell.edu ) for further information on all academic and procedural matters pertinent to pursuing a graduate degree at Cornell University.

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. 

Graduate Student Handbook (Coming Soon: New Graduate Student Handbook)

Phd program overview.

The PhD program prepares students for research careers in probability and statistics in academia and industry. Students admitted to the PhD program earn the MA and MPhil along the way. The first year of the program is spent on foundational courses in theoretical statistics, applied statistics, and probability. In the following years, students take advanced topics courses. Research toward the dissertation typically begins in the second year. Students also have opportunities to take part in a wide variety of projects involving applied probability or applications of statistics.

Students are expected to register continuously until they distribute and successfully defend their dissertation. Our core required and elective curricula in Statistics, Probability, and Machine Learning aim to provide our doctoral students with advanced learning that is both broad and focused. We expect our students to make Satisfactory Academic Progress in their advanced learning and research training by meeting the following program milestones through courseworks, independent research, and dissertation research:

By the end of year 1: passing the qualifying exams;

By the end of year 2: fulfilling all course requirements for the MA degree and finding a dissertation advisor;

By the end of year 3: passing the oral exam (dissertation prospectus) and fulfilling all requirements for the MPhil degree

By the end of year 5: distributing and defending the dissertation.

We believe in the Professional Development value of active participation in intellectual exchange and pedagogical practices for future statistical faculty and researchers. Students are required to serve as teaching assistants and present research during their training. In addition, each student is expected to attend seminars regularly and participate in Statistical Practicum activities before graduation.

We provide in the following sections a comprehensive collection of the PhD program requirements and milestones. Also included are policies that outline how these requirements will be enforced with ample flexibility. Questions on these requirements should be directed to ADAA Cindy Meekins at [email protected] and the DGS, Professor John Cunningham at [email protected] .

Applications for Admission

• Our students receive very solid training in all aspects of modern statistics. See Graduate Student Handbook for more information.
• Our students receive Fellowship and full financial support for the entire duration of their PhD. See more details here .
• Our students receive job offers from top academic and non-academic institutions .
• Our students can work with world-class faculty members from Statistics Department or the Data Science Institute .
• Our students have access to high-speed computer clusters for their ambitious, computationally demanding research.
• Our students benefit from a wide range of seminars, workshops, and Boot Camps organized by our department and the data science institute .
• Suggested Prerequisites: A student admitted to the PhD program normally has a background in linear algebra and real analysis, and has taken a few courses in statistics, probability, and programming. Students who are quantitatively trained or have substantial background/experience in other scientific disciplines are also encouraged to apply for admission.
• GRE requirement: Waived for Fall 2024.
• Language requirement: The English Proficiency Test requirement (TOEFL) is a Provost's requirement that cannot be waived.
• The Columbia GSAS minimum requirements for TOEFL and IELTS are: 100 (IBT), 600 (PBT) TOEFL, or 7.5 IELTS. To see if this requirement can be waived for you, please check the frequently asked questions below.
• Deadline: Jan 8, 2024 .
• Application process: Please apply by completing the Application for Admission to the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences .
• Timeline: P.hD students begin the program in September only.  Admissions decisions are made in mid-March of each year for the Fall semester.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the application deadline? What is the deadline for financial aid? Our application deadline is January 5, 2024 .
• Can I meet with you in person or talk to you on the phone? Unfortunately given the high number of applications we receive, we are unable to meet or speak with our applicants.
• What are the required application materials? Specific admission requirements for our programs can be found here .
• Due to financial hardship, I cannot pay the application fee, can I still apply to your program? Yes. Many of our prospective students are eligible for fee waivers. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of application fee waivers . If you have further questions regarding the waiver please contact  gsas-admissions@ columbia.edu .
• How many students do you admit each year? It varies year to year. We finalize our numbers between December - early February.
• What is the distribution of students currently enrolled in your program? (their background, GPA, standard tests, etc)? Unfortunately, we are unable to share this information.
• How many accepted students receive financial aid? All students in the PhD program receive, for up to five years, a funding package consisting of tuition, fees, and a stipend. These fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success; they are contingent upon the student remaining in good academic standing. Summer support, while not guaranteed, is generally provided. Teaching and research experience are considered important aspects of the training of graduate students. Thus, graduate fellowships include some teaching and research apprenticeship. PhD students are given funds to purchase a laptop PC, and additional computing resources are supplied for research projects as necessary. The Department also subsidizes travel expenses for up to two scientific meetings and/or conferences per year for those students selected to present. Additional matching funds from the Graduate School Arts and Sciences are available to students who have passed the oral qualifying exam.
• Can I contact the department with specific scores and get feedback on my competitiveness for the program? We receive more than 450 applications a year and there are many students in our applicant pool who are qualified for our program. However, we can only admit a few top students. Before seeing the entire applicant pool, we cannot comment on admission probabilities.
• What is the minimum GPA for admissions? While we don’t have a GPA threshold, we will carefully review applicants’ transcripts and grades obtained in individual courses.
• Is there a minimum GRE requirement? No. The general GRE exam is waived for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. 
• Can I upload a copy of my GRE score to the application? Yes, but make sure you arrange for ETS to send the official score to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
• Is the GRE math subject exam required? No, we do not require the GRE math subject exam.
• What is the minimum TOEFL or IELTS  requirement? The Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences minimum requirements for TOEFL and IELTS are: 100 (IBT), 600 (PBT) TOEFL, or 7.5 IELTS
•  I took the TOEFL and IELTS more than two years ago; is my score valid? Scores more than two years old are not accepted. Applicants are strongly urged to make arrangements to take these examinations early in the fall and before completing their application.
• I am an international student and earned a master’s degree from a US university. Can I obtain a TOEFL or IELTS waiver? You may only request a waiver of the English proficiency requirement from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by submitting the English Proficiency Waiver Request form and if you meet any of the criteria described here . If you have further questions regarding the waiver please contact  gsas-admissions@ columbia.edu .
• My transcript is not in English. What should I do? You have to submit a notarized translated copy along with the original transcript.

Can I apply to more than one PhD program? You may not submit more than one PhD application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. However, you may elect to have your application reviewed by a second program or department within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences if you are not offered admission by your first-choice program. Please see the application instructions for a more detailed explanation of this policy and the various restrictions that apply to a second choice. You may apply concurrently to a program housed at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and to programs housed at other divisions of the University. However, since the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences does not share application materials with other divisions, you must complete the application requirements for each school.

How do I apply to a dual- or joint-degree program? The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences refers to these programs as dual-degree programs. Applicants must complete the application requirements for both schools. Application materials are not shared between schools. Students can only apply to an established dual-degree program and may not create their own.

With the sole exception of approved dual-degree programs , students may not pursue a degree in more than one Columbia program concurrently, and may not be registered in more than one degree program at any institution in the same semester. Enrollment in another degree program at Columbia or elsewhere while enrolled in a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences master's or doctoral program is strictly prohibited by the Graduate School. Violation of this policy will lead to the rescission of an offer of admission, or termination for a current student.

When will I receive a decision on my application? Notification of decisions for all PhD applicants generally takes place by the end of March.

Notification of MA decisions varies by department and application deadlines. Some MA decisions are sent out in early spring; others may be released as late as mid-August.

Can I apply to both MA Statistics and PhD statistics simultaneously?  For any given entry term, applicants may elect to apply to up to two programs—either one PhD program and one MA program, or two MA programs—by submitting a single (combined) application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  Applicants who attempt to submit more than one Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application for the same entry term will be required to withdraw one of the applications.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences permits applicants to be reviewed by a second program if they do not receive an offer of admission from their first-choice program, with the following restrictions:

• This option is only available for fall-term applicants.
• Applicants will be able to view and opt for a second choice (if applicable) after selecting their first choice. Applicants should not submit a second application. (Note: Selecting a second choice will not affect the consideration of your application by your first choice.)
• Applicants must upload a separate Statement of Purpose and submit any additional supporting materials required by the second program. Transcripts, letters, and test scores should only be submitted once.
• An application will be forwarded to the second-choice program only after the first-choice program has completed its review and rendered its decision. An application file will not be reviewed concurrently by both programs.
• Programs may stop considering second-choice applications at any time during the season; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences cannot guarantee that your application will receive a second review.
• What is the mailing address for your PhD admission office? Students are encouraged to apply online . Please note: Materials should not be mailed to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences unless specifically requested by the Office of Admissions. Unofficial transcripts and other supplemental application materials should be uploaded through the online application system. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office of Admissions Columbia University  107 Low Library, MC 4303 535 West 116th Street  New York, NY 10027
• How many years does it take to pursue a PhD degree in your program? Our students usually graduate in 4‐6 years.
• Can the PhD be pursued part-time? No, all of our students are full-time students. We do not offer a part-time option.
• One of the requirements is to have knowledge of linear algebra (through the level of MATH V2020 at Columbia) and advanced calculus (through the level of MATH V1201). I studied these topics; how do I know if I meet the knowledge content requirement? We interview our top candidates and based on the information on your transcripts and your grades, if we are not sure about what you covered in your courses we will ask you during the interview.
• Can I contact faculty members to learn more about their research and hopefully gain their support? Yes, you are more than welcome to contact faculty members and discuss your research interests with them. However, please note that all the applications are processed by a central admission committee, and individual faculty members cannot and will not guarantee admission to our program.
• How do I find out which professors are taking on new students to mentor this year?  Applications are evaluated through a central admissions committee. Openings in individual faculty groups are not considered during the admissions process. Therefore, we suggest contacting the faculty members you would like to work with and asking if they are planning to take on new students.

For more information please contact us at [email protected] .

For more information please contact us at  [email protected]

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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, battling the coronavirus ‘infodemic’ among social media users in kenya and nigeria, using wasserstein generative adversarial networks for the design of monte carlo simulations, adaptive novelty detection with false discovery rate guarantee, recent insights by stanford business, nine stories to get you through tax season, a.i. can help “personalize” policies to reach the right people, stanford gsb faculty share their holiday reading lists, placement director.

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44d3fa3df9f06a3117ed3d2ad6c71ecc

• Administration
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The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Economics at Harvard is addressed to students of high promise who wish to prepare themselves in teaching and research in academia or for responsible positions in government, research organizations, or business enterprises. Students are expected to devote themselves full-time to their programs of study.

The program prepares students for productive and stimulating careers as economists. Courses and seminars offered by the department foster an intellectually active and stimulating environment. Each week, the department sponsors more than 15 different seminars on such topics as environmental economics, economic growth and development, monetary and fiscal policy, international economics, industrial organization, law and economics, behavioral economics, labor economics, and economic history. Top scholars from both domestic and international communities are often invited speakers at the seminars.  The Harvard community outside of the department functions as a strong and diverse resource. Students in the department are free to pursue research interests with scholars throughout the University. Faculty of the Harvard Law School, Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Business School, for example, are available to students for consultation, instruction, and research guidance. As a member of the Harvard community, students in the department can register for courses in the various schools and have access to the enormous library resources available through the University. There are over 90 separate library units at Harvard, with the total collections of books and pamphlets numbering over 13 million.  Both the department and the wider University draw some of the brightest students from around the world, which makes for a student body that is culturally diverse and likely unequaled in the range of intellectual interests of its members. These factors combine to add an important dimension to the educational process. Students are able to learn from one another, collaborate on research projects and publications, and form bonds that are not broken by distance once the degree is completed and professional responsibilities lead them in different directions.

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Ph.D. Program

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

• Requirements

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.  

Fields of Study

Important dates.

Dec. 21, Wed. Fall Term ends, Winter Recess begins.

Dec. 22 Thurs. Date of December degree award

Jan. 12, Thurs. Add/drop period opens, 8:30 am

Full calendar

Who earned PhDs in economics in 2020?

Subscribe to the hutchins roundup and newsletter, david wessel david wessel director - the hutchins center on fiscal and monetary policy , senior fellow - economic studies @davidmwessel.

December 28, 2021

The latest data from the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates for the 1216 PhDs in economics awarded in 2020 find that men outnumbered women by nearly 2-to-1, 60% of the doctorates went to foreigners with temporary visas, and 24 of the 493 recipients (about 5%) who were U.S. citizens or permanent residents were Black.

A few gleanings from the data:

Of 1216 PhDs awarded in economics in 2020, 797 (66%) went to men and 419 (34%) to women.  For comparison, in physics, 21% of the doctorates were awarded to women; in computer and information sciences, also 21%; in math and statistics, 29%; in political science, 39%; in chemistry, also 39%; in business management and administration, 42%; in sociology, 59%; in psychology, 72%.

Data on the race/ethnicity of PhDs are available only for those who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Here’s the breakdown for 2020 and 2019:

The number of PhDs awarded to Black U.S. citizens or permanent residents has risen slightly in the past few years, from an average of 16 in 2013 through 2017 to an average of 25 in the following three years.

Among the 1216 recipients of PhDs in economics in 2020:

• About half were married when they got their degree. Men and women were equally likely to be married.
• The median age at completion was 31, the same for women and men.
• About 12% took five years or less from graduate school entry to completion, 68% took more than five years and up to 10 years, and 20% took more than 10 years. The median was 7.5 years; the median for men was a few months shorter than the median for women.
• Almost 80% had no debt from graduate school; half of the remainder owed less than $20,000. About 85% had no debt from undergrad. (These data don’t distinguish between those who did their undergraduate work abroad and those who did it in the U.S.)

To read the Hutchins Center report on gender and racial diversity among PhD economists employed by the federal government in 2020, visit this page .

The data in this post are from the Restricted-Use Data Analysis System of the Survey of Earned Doctorates, a survey of 55,000 individuals who earned doctorates in the prior year. The Hutchins Center report uses data from the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession, which are drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and differ slightly from the data in the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

The Brookings Institution is financed through the support of a diverse array of foundations, corporations, governments, individuals, as well as an endowment. A list of donors can be found in our annual reports published online here . The findings, interpretations, and conclusions in this report are solely those of its author(s) and are not influenced by any donation.

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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 Joint Program in Financial Economics

The financial economics phd program leverages the strengths of two renowned programs: the phd program in finance and the university of chicago’s kenneth c. griffin department of economics..

Core economics training is critical for students doing research in financial economics, and advances in financial economics have important implications for other areas of economics.

As a student in our Joint Program in Financial Economics , you’ll work with thought leaders in both economics and finance and follow your research interests wherever they lead. Leveraging courses and resources in the Finance dissertation area at Chicago Booth and the university’s Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics , you’ll build a foundation for research at the intersection of finance and economics.

Our Distinguished Finance and Economics Faculty

As a student in the joint program, you’ll work with professors and classmates in both the Department of Economics and the Stevens Doctoral Program in Finance at Chicago Booth. Faculty bring research expertise in a wide range of fields and serve as mentors to PhD students.

Finance Faculty

Francesca Bastianello

Assistant Professor of Finance and Liew Family Junior Faculty Fellow, Fama Faculty Fellow

Emanuele Colonnelli

Associate Professor of Finance and MV Advisors Faculty Fellow

George M. Constantinides

Leo Melamed Professor of Finance

Douglas W. Diamond

Merton H. Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance

Eugene F. Fama

Robert R. McCormick Distinguished Service Professor of Finance

Niels Gormsen

Neubauer Family Associate Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow

Lars Hansen

David Rockefeller Distinguished Service Professor The University of Chicago Departments of Economics, Statistics and the Booth School of Business

John C. Heaton

Joseph L. Gidwitz Professor of Finance

Steven Neil Kaplan

Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance and Kessenich E.P. Faculty Director at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Anil Kashyap

Stevens Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Finance

Ralph S.J. Koijen

AQR Capital Management Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow

Associate Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow

Stefan Nagel

Fama Family Distinguished Service Professor of Finance

Scott Nelson

Assistant Professor of Finance and Cohen and Keenoy Faculty Scholar

Pascal Noel

Neubauer Family Associate Professor of Finance and Kathryn and Grant Swick Faculty Scholar

Lubos Pastor

Charles P. McQuaid Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Robert King Steel Faculty Fellow

Raghuram G. Rajan

Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance

Bruce Lindsay Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Public Policy

Pietro Veronesi

Deputy Dean for Faculty and Chicago Board of Trade Professor of Finance

Robert W. Vishny

Myron S. Scholes Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Neubauer Faculty Director of the Davis Center

Michael Weber

Associate Professor of Finance

Constantine Yannelis

Associate Professor of Finance and FMC Faculty Scholar

Anthony Lee Zhang

Assistant Professor of Finance

Luigi Zingales

Robert C. McCormack Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance

Department of Economics Faculty

Fernando Alvarez

Ali Hortacsu

Harald Uhlig

Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics

Alumni success.

Our PhD graduates lead successful careers  in prestigious academic settings, such as the Stanford Graduate School of Business and London Business School, as well as in leading financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund.

Jane (Jian) Li, PhD '21

Assistant Professor of Business, Finance Division Columbia Business School, Columbia University Jane's research lies at the intersection of macroeconomics and finance. She is particularly interested in how financial intermediaries affect the real economy and how different types of financial institutions can contribute to financial instability. Her dissertation area is in financial economics.

A Network of Support

Doctoral students at Booth have access to the resources of several interdisciplinary research centers that offer funding for student work, host workshops and conferences, and foster a strong research community.

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Bringing together researchers from the entire Chicago economics community, the Becker Friedman Institute fosters novel insights on the world’s most difficult economic problems.

Center for Research in Security Prices CRSP maintains one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive stock market databases. Since 1963, it has been a valued resource for businesses, government, and scholars.

Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance Tasked with pushing the boundaries of research in finance, the Fama-Miller Center provides institutional structure and support for researchers in the field.

George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State Dedicated to examining issues at the intersection of politics and the economy, the Stigler Center supports research by PhD students and others who are interested in the political, economic, and cultural obstacles to better working markets.

The Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets Enhancing the understanding of business and financial market globalization, the Clark Center for Global Markets positions Chicago Booth as a thought leader in the understanding of ever-changing markets and improves financial and economic decision-making around the world.

Macro Finance Research Program The Macro Finance Research Program (MFR) expands our understanding of how financial markets affect the economy as a whole and, conversely, how the macroeconomy influences financial markets. It does so by bringing together a community of elite and emerging scholars and with common ambitions to tackle these important challenges. One of the important ambitions of this program is to provide intellectual and research support for advanced students in the joint PhD program in financial economics.

Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation Committed to making the world more equitable and sustainable, the Rustandy Center works to solve complex social and environmental problems. The center’s student support includes fellowships, research funding, and networking opportunities.

Spotlight on Research

Chicago Booth Review regularly highlights the research findings of Booth faculty and PhD students in financial economics.

Line of Inquiry: Amir Sufi on Household Debt and Business Cycles

Chicago Booth’s Amir Sufi explains how the financial sector's willingness to extend credit to households helps fuel booms and busts.

How is IT Spending Changing Banking?

According to researchers Zhiguo He (previous Booth prof.), Sheila Jiang and Douglas Xu (both Booth PhD graduates), and Xiao Yin, IT investment figures prominently in banking activities.

How Can We Calculate the US's Greatest Fortunes?

Chicago Booth’s Eric Zwick and his coauthors have devised a new way to gauge how much wealth the ultrawealthy have and what it’s composed of. Their results can help update and sharpen the picture of inequality in the US.

The PhD Experience at Booth

Maryam Farboodi, PhD ’14, talks about how the Booth faculty challenged her to focus her research on issues that are applicable to the current financial sector.

Video Transcript

Maryam Farboodi, ’14: 00:02 My work lies in the intersection of finance and economics, trying to apply theoretical models to think about broader questions in big data technology. I was doing extremely theoretical research and I was always interested in doing stuff which are more related to the real world, which led me to join Chicago econ and then the Joint Financial Economics Program at Chicago Booth.

Maryam Farboodi, ’14: 00:29 The faculty really helped me focus my research on issues that are relevant to the current financial climate. A lot of current policy focuses on how financial institutions intermediate for each other and that has been the focus of my research. The faculty at Chicago Booth challenged me in making sure that the insight is applicable to the current financial sector.

Maryam Farboodi, ’14: 00:52 What is really, really special about Booth is the really close interaction between the faculty here and the econ department. Chicago Booth, in particular the joint program, is the best place you can be in. It provides an environment where you can interact with people who are extremely deep in both finance and economics and not lose track of important issues. Chicago Booth and Econ has really being like home to me. That's the feeling that any student can get if they really engage themselves with faculty. 

Current Financial Economics Students

Students in Chicago Booth’s Joint Program in Financial Economics focus their PhD research on a vast array of issues, from state-government borrowing costs to wealth inequality to climate policy. They go on to positions at leading academic institutions and global financial organizations.

Current Students

Monica Barbosa

Filippo Cavaleri

Sixun Chang

Manav Chaudhary

Shirui (Suri) Chen Leo Aparisi De Lannoy

Laurenz De Rosa

Joanna Harris Jacob Hartwig

Lewei He Tanvi Jindal

Jingoo Kwon

Federico Mainardi

Benjamin Marrow

Sangmin (Simon) Oh

Michael Varley

Jingtao Zheng

See a list of the current students in our Finance PhD Program .

How to Apply

To join the Joint Program in Financial Economics, you will need to be admitted to both the doctoral program in the Department of Economics and the PhD Program in Finance at Chicago Booth. However, you need only apply to one or the other program. Learn more about applying to Chicago Booth or to the Department of Economics .

Program Requirements

Learn more about the Joint Program in Financial Economics at Chicago Booth on the website or by referencing the joint program-specific guidebook below. See Joint Program-Specific Guidebook

General Program Expectations and Requirements

The Stevens Program at Booth is a full-time program. Students generally complete the majority of coursework and examination requirements within the first two years of studies and begin work on their dissertation during the third year. For details, see General Examination Requirements by Area in the Stevens Program Guidebook below.

Download the 2023-2024 Guidebook!

Department of Economics, Management and Statistics  DEMS

Browse the section

• Research centres

PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science

• PhD in Strategic Innovation for Sustainable and Smart Ecosystems (SIS2E)
• Fatti e persone
• Working papers

The four-year PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA)  provides the most effective response to the important challenges which nowadays doctoral programmes in the areas of economics, statistics and data analytics, both in Italy and Europe, have to cope with: i) high qualification of the faculty, in terms of teaching abilities and publication records; ii) capability of attracting high quality students; iii) interdisciplinarity; iv) internationalization; v) relations with the non-academic job market; vi) placement of students who have successfully discussed their dissertations.

ECOSTATDATA builds upon the fruitful collaboration among economists, statisticians and data scientists from the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) and the Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods of the University of Milano-Bicocca (UniMiB), which has started twenty years ago within the BSc in Statistics and Economics, as well as the MSc in Statistics and Economics and is going on with the more recent MSc in Data Science.

Coordinator : Prof.  Matteo Manera

Deputy Coordinator : Prof.  Giorgio Vittadini

NEW!!! Call for applications 2024-2025 (XL cycle)

A.A. 2024-2025 (cycle XL)

Call for Applications

DEMS - University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy

The Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) of the University of Milano-Bicocca invites applications to its PhD Programme in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA) for the academic year 2024-25 (XL cycle).

The PhD Programme is articulated in  three curricula , Economics (ECO), Statistics (STAT) and Big Data & Analytics for Business (BIDAB). The length of the PhD Programme is  four years , starting in late October 2024 (the precise starting date will be announced in due course on the PhD website).

The Call of Applications 2024-2025 offers at least 10 fully-funded scholarships .

The selection procedure is regulated by the official Call for Applications (Bando di Concorso), which will be published in the Doctoral School’s and in the PhD programme websites  on April 12, 2024 , with deadline on May 14, 2024.

The official Call for Applications contains detailed information on: i) the documents which each candidate has to submit; ii) structure, contents and timing (May 27, 2024 - June 21, 2024) of the entrance examination; iii) description of the projects related to the scholarships and positions offered.

The official Call for Applications will be published  here .

The PhD programme (in a nutshell...)

Introduction.

ECOSTATDATA belongs to the PhD School of UniMiB, it is affiliated to DEMS, it lasts four years and it is articulated in three curricula, the original two curricula Economics (ECO) and Statistics (STAT), and, starting from cycle XXXVII (academic year 2021-2022), the “new” curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BiDAB) .

The first-year teaching activities are mainly devoted to structured courses (tool courses), which are compulsory. Some of these courses are fixed and specific to each curriculum, some are in common between the three curricula, some other courses are chosen by students within each curriculum.

The second-year teaching activities take the form of less structured courses (elective courses or reading groups).

In general, the first-year courses are offered by “internal” teachers, while second-year courses are often open to the collaboration of foreign instructors (visiting scholars).

The curriculum Economics (ECO)

This curriculum is indicated to students with a strong background in quantitative economics and provides advanced training in econometrics, microeconometrics, time series analysis, microeconomics and macroeconomics.

The curriculum Statistics (STAT)

This curriculum is designed for students with a strong background in statistics, both methodological and applied , and provides advanced training in probability, stochastic processes, statistical inference, Bayesian statistics, statistical learning, statistical modelling, computational statistics and data analysis.

The “new” curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BiDAB)

This curriculum starts from cycle XXXVII (academic year 2021-2022) , and provides students with rigorous training in data management and programming, with focus on: the analysis of large amounts of structured and unstructured data (natural language); the main paradigms of big data and data visualization, based on the use of innovative techniques of machine learning, text and web mining.

“Flexible” and “training” profiles

By means of appropriate sequences of courses, suggested and monitored by the Programme Committee and the supervisors, students are able to build up “flexible” profiles, which are mainly addressed to scientific research, both in universities or in non-academic institutions, at national or international level.

ECOSTATDATA facilitates the interaction between economic, statistical and data management skills by proposing innovative “training” profiles, which are  mainly addressed to the non-academic job market. The “training” profiles aim at:

• offering to the non-academic job market high-level skills which are not currently available;
• attracting students who are interested in ECOSTATDATA as a way to gain new and advanced skills to be immediately spent into that segment of the job market which is not academically- or research-oriented;
• eliciting the collaboration of high-quality national multi-national companies, which are active in human capital investment and are ready to use the instruments of the executive doctorate, the apprenticeship contracts as well as the direct financing of a PhD scholarship on specific research projects.

Length of the programme

The current length of many PhD programmes in economics, statistics and data science in Italy, including the PhD in Economics DEFAP-Bicocca and in Statistics and Mathematical Finance of UniMiB, is three years. This length is insufficient to guarantee that the PhD theses meet the quality standards achieved by the best European PhD programmes. For this reason, ECOSTATDATA lasts four years . This duration is in line with the recent choices of some of the best Italian PhD programmes in economics, statistics and data science, as well as the PhD programmes in this area offered by the most prestigious European academic institutions.

Interdisciplinarity

ECOSTATDATA fosters interdisciplinary research activities, by favouring co-tutorships between economists, statisticians and data scientists, as well as through the “flexible” and “training” profiles.

Relations with the non-academic job market

ECOSTATDATA is particularly active in collaborating with national, multi-national, high-quality and innovation-oriented companies. In particular, ECOSTATDATA is able to: i) offer high-level skills which are not currently available on the non-academic job market; ii) attract students who are interested in ECOSTATDATA as a way to gain new and advanced skills to be immediately spent into that segment of the job market which is not academically- or research-oriented; iii) elicit the collaboration of high-quality national multi-national companies, which are active in human capital investment and are ready to use the modern instruments of the executive doctorate, the apprenticeship contracts as well as the direct financing of PhD scholarships on specific research projects.

Internationalization

The international experience which has flourished within the PhD in Economics DEFAP-Bicocca and the PhD in Statistics and Mathematical Finance of UniMiB, together with the professional networks developed by many faculty members, guarantees that ECOSTATDATA is particularly active in collaborating with prestigious foreign universities, in terms of both students and faculty members exchange programs and joint degrees.

ECOSTATDATA is managed by two bodies:

• the Programme Committee (PC), that is the executive and decision-making board composed by full professors, associate professors and researcher of UniMiB and from other renowned Italian and foreign universities and research institutions;
• the Advisory Board (AB), which collaborates with the PC to organize the teaching and research activities of the programme, is headed by the programme Coordinator and is formed by a limited number of professors and researchers who are representative of the three curricula.

Teaching activities

The teaching activities proposed by ECOSTATDATA are organized during the first two years and differ for each curriculum, although some courses are common. Some economics courses at the first and the second year within the curriculum Economics can be offered jointly with the PhD programme in Economics and Finance of the Catholic University of Milano.

First- year courses

• Curriculum Economics (selected courses)

Mathematics; Computational Statistics I; Econometrics; Microeconometrics; Time Series Analysis; Microeconomics; Macroeconomics; Research Methods; Finance.

• Curriculum Statistics (selected courses)

Mathematical Analysis, Numerical Optimization, Probability, Stochastic Processes, Bayesian Statistics, Statistical Inference, Statistical Learning, Computational statistics II, Statistical Modelling, R for Data Science, Data Management.

• Curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (selected courses)

Databases for Structured/Unstructured Data (SQL); Programming in Python; Data Quality and Cleaning for Big Data; Architecture for Big Data Processing; Machine Learning; Cloud & Distributed Algorithm; Data Mining; Natural Language processing and Understanding; Human-Centered AI; Social Media Analysis; Semantic Web; Deep Learning and Computer Vision for Business; Data Visualization & Visual Analysis.

Second-year courses

Second-year courses are mainly “reading groups”, that are built upon the research interests of both instructors and students, and are  articulated into one/two introductory lecture/s and a series of meetings where students critically discuss the readings assigned by the instructor during the initial lecture.

The second-year courses are generally offered during the first part of the second year, in order forstudents to be full-time dedicated to their dissertations as early as possible.

Within each curriculum, a careful selection of courses, monitored by the PC and the student’s supervisor, allows each student to identify a “flexible” profile, which coherent with his/her research interests.

Generally, structured courses have written exams, while the exams associated with the reading groups are more flexible (e.g. written projects and/or oral presentations). The organization of the exams (i.e. form, number of questions, etc.) is decided by the PC and communicated to students at the beginning of each course. 

Monitoring the quality of teaching

The PC runs every year a systematic evaluation of the quality of the courses offered by the PhD programme, by submitting to each student of a given course a detailed questionnaire. Data from the questionnaires are elaborated statistically, sent to each instructor, and discussed within the PC, in order to identify potential problems and solutions.

Admissions to the second year and to years after the second

Admission to the second year is based on the performance of each student in the first-year exams, including the number of “fail” and the number of “resits” each student has been given. Admissions to the third and the fourth years are based on the progresses of the research work. Rules on admission to the second and subsequent years, as well as all the other rules regulating the teaching and research activities of ECOSTAT are formalized by the PC and communicated to each student after enrollment.

Research activities

The Programme Committee (PC) approves the (minimum) number of papers which form a typical PhD dissertation, namely 2. These papers have to be self-contained, independent and potentially publishable on high-quality internationally refereed journals.

Supervision

In order to facilitate students in identifying a sound research project and a suitable supervisor, within the first part of the year the PC organizes a presentation of the research groups which are active among the PC and the Advisory Board (AB) members. Supervisors are asked to systematically monitor the progresses made by their supervisees and periodically report to the PC about the proceedings of their dissertations.

PhD students, especially from the second year, are strongly invited to attend the department seminars organized on a weekly basis at UniMiB. Students of both curricula are also invited to present the progress of their research work in specific seminars, which are part of the student’s evaluation process and, if possible, are jointly organized in order to enhance cross-fertilization between economists, statisticians and data scientists. 

Admission to third and fourth year

Admission to the third and fourth year is formalized by the PC, based on the evaluation of the student’s research work. Admission to the third year takes also into account the performance of each student in the second-year exams.

Admission to external evaluation

Fourth-year students should present, by the end of the year, the final version of their dissertation in front of the PC. If possible, each presentation will be assigned a discussant. The admission to the external reviewers is formalized by the PC, based on the overall evaluation of the PhD thesis.

Thesis discussion

Based on the reports of the external reviewers, students are admitted to the discussion in front of the Evaluation Committee either with minor or major revisions. Students who have successfully defended their dissertation are awarded by the Evaluation Committee the title of “PhD in Economics and Statistics” (students enrolled in cycles XXXIV, XXXV and XXXVI) or the title of “PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science” (students enrolled from cycle XXXVII). Students can request to (and obtain from) the Administrative Offices of UniMiB an official document reporting the specific curriculum they have been enrolled in.

ECOSTATDATA takes care of the optimal placement of its students. On this respect, the Programme Committee is very active in: i) providing students with systematic and detailed information on the job market, domestic and international, academic and non-academic; ii) advising and assisting students who intend to apply for academic positions abroad.

Programme committee

Research groups.

The research activities which characterize the PhD programme in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA) are carried out by an active and lively community of junior and senior researchers.

Within DEMS, researchers are organized in clusters , among which the most relevant for ECOSTATDATA are:

- Business, economic and social statistics (coordinator: Prof. Pelagatti)

- Empirical microeconomics and microeconometrics (coordinator: Prof. Manera)

- Experimental and behavioural economics (coordinator: Prof. Stanca)

- Macroeconomics and macroeconometrics (coordinator: Prof. Morana)

- Microeconomics: theory and applications (coordinator: Prof. Gilli)

- Statistics (coordinator: Prof. Ongaro)

- Strategy, organization and innovation (coordinator: Prof. Torrisi)

Detailed information about people involved in each cluster can be found here .

The other two main groups of researchers supporting the programme are affiliated to the Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods (DiSMeQ) of UniMiB and to the Department of Statistics (DiSTAT), Catholic University of Milano.

Detailed information about the research activities carried on by the DiSMeQ members can be found here .

Detailed information about the research activities carried on by the DiSTAT members can be found here .

Ex-alumni - XXXIV cycle

Supervisor(s): Prof. Silvia Biffignandi , University of Bergamo

Ex-alumni - XXXV cycle

Supervisor(s): Prof. Francesca Greselin , University of Milano-Bicocca; Prof. Ricardas Zitikis , University of Western Ontario, CA

Milano PhD Workshop 2024

The ECOSTATDATA PhD students are happy to announce the second edition of the Milano PhD Workshop , that will be held at the premises of the University of Milano-Bicocca, September 23-27, 2024.

The event is jointly organized with the PhD students in economics of the major universities in the Milanese area.

The program of the event is under construction and will be available shortly.

For details you can contact the local organizers:

PhD students' seminar series 2023-2024

We are very happy to announce this new initiative: the  ECOSTATDATA PhD Seminar Series!

This initiative aims to create a friendly environment where all PhD students at DEMS have the opportunity to present their own research or research proposal to obtain constructive feedback from peers and senior researchers.

Regular reminders before each presentation will be sent, and we really hope you will join this initiative. Your presence and support will be key to make this a success!

The Organizers 

@Angelica Bertucci  

@Ludovica De Carolis  

@Matteo Ferraro  

@Gregorio Ghetti  

@Lorena Popescu  

March 28, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 12:00

Speaker: Andrea Sorrentino

April 18, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 12:00

Speaker:  Francesco Ferlaino

Field: Macroeconomics

May 09, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 17:00

Speaker:  Luca Danese

Field: Bayesian Nonparametrics

May 16, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 12:00

Speaker:  Angelica Bertucci

May 23, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 12:00

Speaker:  Matteo Ferraro

May 30, 2024 Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 12:00

Speaker:  Lucia Tommasiello

June 6, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 12:00

Speaker:  Mattia Longhi

June 13, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 17:00

Speaker:  Claudia Sartirana

June 20, 2024 - Aula Seminari (U7 - 2104) 17:00

Speaker 1:  Ludovica De Carolis

Speaker 2:  Jiefeng Bi

Field: Bayesian Statistics

Past events (selected) 2018-2024

The PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA), the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca, joint with the Italian Society of Econometrics (SIdE), the Free University of Bolzano, the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), the International Association of Applied Econometrics (IAAE) and the Rimini Center for Economic Analysis (RCEA), have organized the 4th Italian Workshop on Econometrics and Empirical Economics (IWEEE 2024) - Climate and Energy Econometrics , at the Free University of Bolzano, during the period January 25-26, 2024. 

The PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA), the Center for European Studies (CefES) and the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca have organized the course Bayesian Structural VAR, held by Prof. Fabio Canova , BI Norwegian Business School, during the period November 9-14, 2023. 

The PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA) and the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca have organized the course Statistical Learning, held by  Prof. Botond Szabo , Bocconi University, during the period October 5-27, 2021.

The PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA) and the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca have organized the course Statistical Learning, held by Prof. Omiros Papaspiliopoulos , Bocconi University , during the period October 5-27, 2021. Detailed information on this course (instructor, objectives, programme, references, prerequistes) can be found  here

The PhD in Economics, Statistics and Data Science (ECOSTATDATA), the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca and the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), Milano, have organized the summer school on Frontiers of Energy Econometrics , at the Como Lake School of Advanced Studies, during the period September 13-17, 2021. Detailed information on the programme and the application procedure can be found on the summer school website:  https://toee.lakecomoschool.org/

The PhD in Economics and Statistics (ECOSTAT) and the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca have organized the course Statistical Learning, held by Prof. Rajen Shah , University of Cambridge, during the period October 5-30, 2020. Detailed information on this course (instructor, objectives, programme, references, prerequistes) can be found  here.

The PhD in Economics and Statistics (ECOSTAT) and the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics (DEMS) at the University of Milano-Bicocca have organized and hosted the course Statistical Learning and Big Data, held by Prof.  Sharon Rosset , Tel Aviv University, during the period October 7-18 2019. Detailed information on this course (instructor, objectives, programme, references, prerequistes) can be found  here .

The PhD programme in Economics and Statistics (ECOSTAT) has sponsored the 1 st  CefES International Conference on European Studies, to be held at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Building U6, on June 10th-11 th  2019. Details on this event can be found  here .

The PhD programme in Economics and Statistics (ECOSTAT) has sponsored the International Conference on Econometric Models of Climate Change, held at the University of Milano-Bicocca on August 29th-30 th  2019. Details on this event can be found  here .

Within the Seminar Series DEMS-ECOSTAT,  Prof. Peter M Robinson  (LSE),  has presented the paper titled “Long-range dependent curve time series” (joint with Degui Li and Han Lin Shang). Prof. Robinson is one of the most famous econometricians worldwide and has been in the editorial boards of the most influential journals in econometrics and statistics, from Econometrica to the Journal of Econometrics, from the Journal of the American Statistical Association to the Annals of Statistics. Peter Robinson’s presentation is available  here , while his paper is available  here . This  event  has been held on February 14th 2019, 12.00am, at the Aula del Consiglio, U7, fourth floor, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 - Milano.

Within the celebrative events of the Twentieth Anniversary of the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Department of Economics, Management and Statistics, in collaboration with the School for Graduate Studies, has organized the International Conference on  The Mathematics of Subjective Probability .  This event was held on September  3rd-5th  2018, at Room U4/2, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 - Milano.

Within the celebrative events of its Twentieth Anniversary, the University of Milano-Bicocca, in collaboration with its School for Graduate Studies, has organized the  Lectio Magistralis of Prof. Robert Engle  (NYU University), winner of the 2003 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, on “A Financial Approach to Environmental Risk”. This event was held on June 22nd 2018, 10.00am, at the Auditorium Guido Martinotti U12, Via Vizzola 5, 20126 - Milano.

The Center for European Studies (CefES-DEMS-UNIMIB), the PhD program in Economics and Statistics (ECOSTAT-UNIMIB), and the  Department of Economics, Management and Statistics  (DEMS-UNIMIB) have organized the one-day international conference on  Economic and Financial Implications of Climatic Change .  Two plenary sessions  on the economic and financial implications of climatic change have been organized on June 22 nd  2018, following Prof. Robert Engle’s talk, from 11.30am to 4.45pm, at the Auditorium Guido Martinotti U12, Via Vizzola 5, 20126 - Milano.

XXXVII cycle - Teaching activities - Year II (terms I - II) - reading groups

Reading groups (rg) offered in academic year 2022-23 (xxxvii cycle – ii year) for the curriculum in economics (eco):.

I term (October 2022 – December 2022)

-  Social Network Theory  (Instructor: Prof. F. Panebianco, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Applications of Game Theory  (Instructor: Prof. M. Gilli, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Empirical Banking  (Instructor: Prof. Elena Beccalli, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Advanced Asset Pricing and Portfolio Management  (Instructor: Prof. A. Tarelli, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Empirical Corporate Finance  (Instructor: Prof. E. Croci, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Programming in Python  (Instructor: Prof. L. Viarengo, Catholic University of Milano)

II term (January 2023 – April 2023)

-  Spatial Models  (Instructor: Prof. S. Colombo, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Financial Frictions  (Instructor: Prof. D. Delli Gatti, Catholic University of Milano)

-  The Microeconomics of International Trade  (Instructor: Prof. V. Gattai, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Innovation and Industrial Evolution  (Instructor: Prof. C. Garavaglia, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Structural VAR Models  (Instructors: Proff. V. Colombo, G. Rivolta, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Applied Health Economics and Policy  (Instructors: Proff. G. Turati, E. Cottini, L. Salmasi, Catholic University of Milano)

Note:  the RG for the curriculum ECO are offered jointly with the PhD in Economics and Finance of the Catholic University of Milano (CUM). CUM is in charge of the timetable of each RG, whose updated version can be found  here . 

The following extra-RG are offered by ECOSTATDATA in the II term:

-  Expected Utility and Decision Theory  (Instructor: Prof. G. Cassese, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Estimated DSGE Models  (Instructor: Prof. Alice Albonico, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Authority and Delegation  (Instructor: Prof. Irene Valsecchi, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Note:  the timetable of the extra-RG is available  here . 

Reading Groups (RG) offered in academic year 2022-23 (XXXVII cycle – II year) for the curriculum in Statistics (STAT):

I term (October 2022 – December 2022)

-  The Dependent Dirichlet Process and Related Models  (Instructors: Proff. F. Camerlenghi, B. Nipoti, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Some Issues in Statistical Modelling  (Instructor: Prof. R. Borgoni, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Empirical Bayes in Bayesian Inference  (instructor: Prof. S. Rizzelli, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Automated Machine Learning & Neural Architectural Search  (Instructor: Prof. A. Candelieri, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Deep Learning  (Instructor: Prof. M. Borrotti, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Note:  the timetable of the RG for the curriculum STAT is available  here . 

Reading Groups (RG) offered in academic year 2022-23 (XXXVII cycle – II year) for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BIDAB):

II term (January 2023 – April 2023)

-  Databases for Structured and Unstructured Data – SQL  (POSTPONED) (Instructor: Prof. F. Mercorio, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Human-centered AI  (Instructor: Prof. F.M. Zanzotto, University of Roma-Tor Vergata)

Note:  the timetable of the RG for the curriculum BIDAB is available  here . 

XXXVIII cycle - Teaching activities - Year I (terms I - II - III - IV) - courses

The I term teaching activities start on 24 October 2022 and end on 23 December 2022. The I term exam session starts on 9 January 2023 and ends on 13 January 2023.

Note:  the timetable of the I term courses is available  here

The courses/modules offered during the I term for the curriculum Economics (ECO) are:

-  Computational Statistics I  (Instructor: Prof. G. Bertarelli, University of Pisa)

-  Mathematics – Linear algebra  (Instructor: Prof. N. Pecora, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Mathematics I  (Instructor: Prof. D. Visetti, University of Milano-Bicocca);

-  Mathematics II  (Instructor: Prof. F. Cavalli, University of Milano-Bicocca);

-  Mathematics III  (Instructor: Prof. M. Longo, Catholic University of Milano)

The courses/modules offered during term I for the curriculum Statistics (STAT) are:

-  Mathematical Analysis  (Instructors: Prof. C. Zanco, University of Milano; Proff. C.A. De Bernardi, E. Miglierina, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Numerical Optimization  (Instructor: Prof. L. Mascotto, University of Milano-Bicocca) 

The courses/modules offered during term I for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BiDAB) are:

-  Programming in Python  (Instructor: Prof. M. Cesarini, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Architecture for Big Data Processing  (Instructor: Prof. V. Moscato, University of Napoli)

-  Architecture for Big Data Processing Lab  (Instructor: Prof. G. Sperlì, University of Napoli)

The II term teaching activities start on 16 January 2023 and end on 5 April 2023. The II term exam session starts on 17 April 2023 and ends on 21 April 2023. 

The courses/modules offered during the II term for the curriculum Economics (ECO) are:

-  Econometrics I  (Instructor: Prof. M. Manera, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Econometrics I – Tutorials  (Instructor: Dr. C. Cattaneo, European Institute on Economics and the Environment)

-  Econometrics II  (Instructor: Prof. M.L. Mancusi, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Econometrics II – Tutorials  (Instructor: Dr. E. Villar, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Econometrics III  (Instructor: Prof. A. Ugolini, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Econometrics III - Tutorials  (Instructor: Dr. D. Valenti, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei)

-  Microeconomics I  (Instructor: Prof. M. Mantovani, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Microeconomics I – Tutorials  (Instructor: Dr. F. Campo, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Microeconomics II  (Instructtor: Prof. M. Gilli, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Microeconomics II – Tutorials  (Instructor: Prof. M. Gilli, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Microeconomics III  (Instructor: Prof. L. Colombo, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Microeconomics III – Tutorials  (Instructor: Dr. D. Bosco, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Microeconomics IV  (Instructor: Prof. P. Bertoletti, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Microeconomics IV – Tutorials  (Instructor: Dr. G. Crea, University of Pavia)

Note:  the timetable of the II term courses for the curriculum ECO is available  here .

The courses/modules offered during the II term for the curriculum Statistics (STAT) are:

-  Probability I & II  (Instructor: Prof. F. Camerlenghi, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Stochastic Processes  (Instructor: Prof. B. Buonaguidi, Catholic University of Milano)

-  R for Data Science  (Instructor: Prof. A. Gilardi, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Statistical Inference I  (Instructor: Prof. A. Caponera, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Note:  the timetable of the II term courses for the curriculum STAT is available  here .

The courses/modules offered during the II term for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BIDAB) are:

-  Probability  (Instructor: Prof. A. Di Brisco, University of Piemonte Orientale)

-  Statistical Inference I  (Instructor: Prof. R. Ascari, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Note:  the timetable of the II term courses for the curriculum BIDAB is available  here .

The III term teaching activities start on 26 April 2023 and end on 7 July 2023. The III term exam session starts on 17 July 2023 and ends on 21 July 2023. 

The courses/modules offered during the III term for the curriculum Economics (ECO) are:

- Macroeconomics I (Instructor: Prof. G. Femminis, Catholic University of Milano)

- Macroeconomics II (Instructor: Prof. A. Albonico, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Macroeconomics III (Instructor: Prof. R. Masolo, Catholic University of Milano)

- Macroeconomics IV (Instructor: Dr. B. Barbaro, University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Computational Statistics II  (Instructor: Prof. A. Pini, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Research Methods  (Instructors: Prof. T. Colussi, Catholic University of Milano; Prof. K. Aktas, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Finance I – Empirical Corporate Finance (Instructor: Prof. A. Signori, Catholic University of Milano)

- Finance II – Asset Pricing Theory (Instructor: Prof. A. Sbuelz, Catholic University of Milano)

- Finance III – Banking (Instructors: Proff. M. Migliavacca, F. Pampurini, Catholic University of Milano)

Note:  the timetable of the III term courses for the curriculum ECO is available here .

The courses/modules offered during the III term for the curriculum Statistics (STAT) are:

-  Statistical Inference II  (Instructor: Prof. A. Solari, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Bayesian Statistics (Instructors: Prof. R. Argiento, University of Bergamo; Proff. B. Nipoti, T. Rigon, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Data Management (CANCELLED)

Note:  the timetable of the III term courses for the curriculum STAT is available here .

The courses/modules offered during the III term for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BIDAB) are:

- Technology and Innovation Management (Instructors: Proff. S. Torrisi, L. D'Agostino, F. Di Pietro, M. Guerzoni, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Machine Learning (Instructor: Prof. L. Malandri, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Natural Language Understanding (CANCELLED)

-  Social Media Analytics  (Instructor: Prof. R. Boselli, University of Milano-Bicocca)

Note:  the timetable of the III term courses for the curriculum BIDAB is available here .

The IV term teaching activities start on 4 September 2023 and end on 20 October 2023. The IV term exam session starts on 23 October 2023 and ends on 27 October 2023. 

Note:  the timetable of the IV term courses is under construction and is currently shared with all the ECOSTATDATA students, who can monitor online any updates/modifications.

The courses/modules offered during the IV term for the curriculum Statistics (STAT) are:

- Statistical Learning (POSTPONED)

- Statistical Modelling I (Instructor: Prof. F. Castelletti, Catholic University of Milano)

- Statistical Modelling II (Instructor: Prof. F. Greselin, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Statistical Modelling III (Instructor: Dr. S. Verzillo, European Commission - Joint Research Center)

- Statistical Modelling IV (Instructors: Prof. F. Pennoni, University of Milano-Bicocca; Prof. F. Bartolucci, University of Perugia)

The courses/modules offered during the IV term for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BIDAB) are:

- Statistical Inference II (Instructor: Prof. R. Ascari, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Explainable AI for Business Value (Instructor: Prof. F. Mercorio, University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Deep Learning and Computer Vision for Business (Instructor: Prof. E. Frontoni, Polytechnic University of Marche, TBC)

XXXVIII cycle - Teaching activities - Year II (terms I - II) - reading groups

Reading groups (rgs) offered in academic year 2023-24 (xxxviii cycle – ii year) for the curriculum economics (eco):.

I term (October 2023 – December 2023) and II term (January 2024 – April 2024)

Note:  the RGs for the curriculum ECO are offered jointly with the PhD in Economics and Finance of the Catholic University of Milano. Detailed information on each RG and its timetable can be found  here . 

Reading Groups (RGs) offered in academic year 2023-24 (XXXVIII cycle – II year) for the curriculum Statistics (STAT):

I term (November 2023 – December 2023) and II term (January 2024 – April 2024)

Note:  the timetable of the RGs for the curriculum STAT is shared online (via Google Calendar) with students officially enrolled in the PhD program. 

- RG Approximate Bayesian Computational Methods (Instructor: Dr. A. Fasano , Catholic University of Milano)

- RG Automated Machine Learning & Neural Architectural Search (Instructor: Prof. A. Candelieri , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- RG Spatio-temporal Data (Instructors: Prof. R. Borgoni  and Dr. P. Maranzano , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- RG Some Issues on Statistical Modelling (Instructor: Prof. R. Borgoni , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- RG Deep Learning (Instructor: Prof. M. Borrotti , University of Milano-Bicocca)

Reading Groups (RGs) offered in academic year 2023-24 (XXXVIII cycle – II year) for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BIDAB):

I term (November 2023 - December 2023) and   II term (January 2024 – April 2024)

Note:  the timetable of the RGs for the curriculum BIDAB is shared online (via Google Calendar) with students officially enrolled in the PhD program.

- RG Natural Language Processing (Instructor: Dr. A. Seveso , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- RG Generative AI (Instructor: Dr. Navid Nobani , University of Milano-Bicocca)

XXXIX cycle - Teaching activities - Year I (terms I - II - III) - courses

The I term teaching activities start on 23 October 2023 and end on 22 December 2023. The I term exam session starts on 8 January 2024 and ends on 12 January 2024.

Note:  the timetable of the I term courses is shared online (via Google Calendar) with all students officially enrolled in the PhD program.

-  Mathematics – Linear algebra  (Instructor: Dr. N. Pecora , Catholic University of Milano)

-  Mathematics I  (Instructor: Dr. D. Visetti , University of Milano-Bicocca);

-  Mathematics II  (Instructor: Prof. F. Cavalli , University of Milano-Bicocca);

-  Mathematics III  (Instructor: Prof. M. Longo , Catholic University of Milano)

- Microeconomics I (Instructor: Prof. M. Mantovani , University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Mathematical Analysis I-II-III  (Instructors: Dr. J. Somaglia , Polytechnic of Milano; Proff. C.A. De Bernardi, E. Miglierina, Catholic University of Milano)

-  Numerical Optimization  (Instructor: Dr. L. Mascotto , University of Milano-Bicocca) 

-  Programming in Python  (Instructor: Dr. M. Cesarini , University of Milano-Bicocca)

-  Architecture for Big Data Processing & Lab  (Instructors: Prof. V. Moscato and Dr. G. Sperlì , University of Napoli)

The II term teaching activities start on 15 January 2024 and end on 27 March 2024. The II term exam session starts on 8 April 2024 and ends on 12 April 2024.

Note:  the timetable of the II term courses is shared online (via Google Calendar) with all students officially enrolled in the PhD program.

- Microeconomics II (Instructor: Prof. M. Gilli , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Microeconomics III (Instructors: Prof. L. Colombo and Dr. M. Magnani , Catholic University of Milano)

- Microeconomics IV (Instructors: Prof. P. Bertoletti , University of Milano-Bicocca, and Dr. G. Crea , University of Pavia)

- Econometrics I (Instructors: Prof. M. Manera , University of Milano-Bicocca, and Dr. C. Cattaneo , European Institute on Economics and the Environment)

- Econometrics II (Instructors: Dr. A. Ugolini , University of Milano-Bicocca, and Dr. D. Valenti , Polytechnic of Milano)

- Econometrics III (Instructors: Prof. M.L. Mancusi and Dr. E. Villar , Catholic University of Milano)

- Computational Statistics I (Instructor: Dr. G. Bertarelli , University of Venezia)

The courses/modules offered during the II term for the curriculum Statistics (STAT) are:

- Probability I-II (Instructor: Prof. F. Camerlenghi , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Stochastic Processes (Instructor: Dr. B. Buonaguidi , Catholic University of Milano)

- Statistical Inference I (Instructor: Dr. A. Caponera , Luiss Guido Carli University) 

- R for Data Science (Instructor: Dr. A. Gilardi , Polytechnic of Milano)

The courses/modules offered during the II term for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BiDAB) are:

- Probability (Instructor: Prof. A. Di Brisco , University of Piemonte Orientale)

-  Statistical Inference I (Instructor: Dr. R. Ascari , University of Milano-Bicocca)

The III term teaching activities start on 15 April 2024 and end on 5 July 2024. The III term exam session starts on 15 July 2024 and ends on 19 July 2024.

- Computational Statistics II (Instructor: Prof. A. Pini , Catholic University of Milano)

- Macroeconomics I  (Instructor: Prof. G. Femminis , Catholic University of Milano)

- Macroeconomics II  (Instructors: Prof. A. Albonico , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Macroeconomics III (Instructors: Dr. B. Barbaro , University of Milano-Bicocca and Prometeia)

- Macroeconomics IV (Instructors: Dr. R. Masolo , Catholic University of Milano)

- Research Methods (Instructors: Dr. S. Ghisolfi and Prof. T. Colussi , Catholic University of Milano)

The courses/modules offered during the III term for the curriculum Statistics (STAT) are:

- Statistical Inference II (Instructor: Prof. A. Solari , University of Venezia)

- Principles of Bayesian Statistics (Instructor: Prof. B. Nipoti , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Bayesian Computations (Instructor: Dr. T. Rigon , University of Milano-Bicocca) 

- Bayesian Modelling (Instructor: Prof. R. Argiento , University of Bergamo)

The courses/modules offered during the III term for the curriculum Big Data & Analytics for Business (BiDAB) are:

-  Statistical Inference II (Instructor: Dr. R. Ascari , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Social Media Analytics (Instructor: Dr. R. Boselli , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Machine Learning (Instructor: Dr. L. Malandri , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Technology and Innovation Management I (Instructor: Prof. S. Torrisi , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Technology and Innovation Management II (Instructor: Prof. M. Corsino , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Technology and Innovation Management III (Instructor: Dr. F. Di Pietro , University of Milano-Bicocca)

- Technology and Innovation Management IV (Instructor: Prof. M. Guerzoni , University of Milano-Bicocca)

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The Financial Economics PhD program is a joint degree offered through the Finance Department at the Kellogg School of Management and the Economics Department at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. 

Students within Financial Economics will have access to a broad array of faculty across a variety of disciplines within economics, tapping into the interdisciplinary strengths found within our Finance-Economics curriculum. Additionally, this program benefits by location – our Economics department, PhD students, and research faculty are conveniently located within our new building, the Global Hub, just one floor down from the Finance department.

Some of the most active areas of current research are at the intersection of economics and finance. The aim of the Financial Economics program is to leverage the close ties and common research interests of the Economics Department and the Finance Department at Northwestern to train PhD students interested in these interdisciplinary areas. Students are required to do coursework in multiple fields in economics and finance, and are exposed to the most up-to-date models and methods in these fields. Faculty members from both departments supervise students as they develop their own research projects. PhD students also benefit from close collaborations with students in both departments, and participate in weekly seminar series that draw faculty and PhD students together for scholarly discussions across common research areas, including finance, macroeconomics, industrial organization, development economics, economic theory, and more. The program aims to produce scholars who can be successful in both economics and finance departments. 

Active Research Areas : The study of finance aligns with numerous areas within economics: macroeconomics, public finance, econometrics, household finance, economic development and economic history. This is why broad training in economics is essential for those who wish to do innovative work that straddles both finance and economics. Some examples include the financing and investment decisions of firms, households and governments; the interplay between asset prices, capital markets and the macro-economy; and the role and limitations of financial institutions in facilitating access to credit.  

Financial Economics PhD students will collaborate with world-renown scholars within our Finance and Economics departments. They include elected fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, the Society for Financial Econometrics, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. They serve/served as directors of the American Finance Association and past-presidents of the Econometric Society and Western Finance Association. Several faculty serve/served in editorial positions at leading journals, such as the American Economic Review , Econometrica , Journal of Economic Theory , Journal of Finance and RAND Journal of Economics . Recent publications within top economics and finance journals include American Economic Review , Econometrica , Journal of Finance , Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Political Economy, Review of Economic Studies, and Quarterly Journal of Economics.

What We Are Looking for in Applicants

We seek students with strong training in mathematics and statistics and a solid background in economics, either through prior study or through work and research experience. Recommended coursework at an advanced level includes calculus, linear algebra, optimization, probability and statistics . Prior research experience is not required.

There are two points of entry into the Financial Economics program: as a new graduate student to Northwestern or as a transfer student from either the Economics or Finance PhD programs.

• New Graduate Student to Northwestern – Applicants submit one application to the Financial Economics PhD Program that is reviewed by both Finance and Economics faculty, who then render a joint admission decision. Students enter the program as a first-year PhD student. 
• Transfer Student – Economics or Finance PhD students who are completing their first year of study and have satisfied all the requirements within Economics may apply for a transfer by contacting the Director of Graduate Study in the program they are currently enrolled in. Applications must be approved by both the Economics and the Finance admissions committees. If the application is approved, the student will initiate a degree transfer request to The Graduate School.

Program Requirements

Coursework In years one and two, students take three or four courses each quarter (fall, winter, spring). The first-year students complete the three core sequences in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics. In year two, students enroll in a minimum of nine approved courses including at least two courses from the sequence in asset pricing, at least two course in corporate finance, two economics field sequence of at least two quarters each, and at least one course in economic history. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA).

Qualifying Exam At the end of year one, students are required to establish competence in the three cores areas of study: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics. This competence is satisfied by achieving a 3.0 GPA in each of the three-courses sequences.

During the summer following the student’s second year of study, students must pass a comprehensive qualifying exam designed to measure competence in both asset pricing and corporate finance or they demonstrate competence by maintaining a 3.6 GPA average across both course sequences.

Candidacy As students transition from coursework to research, they are required to write an original research paper in the summer of their second year supervised by a faculty advisor. Students present their completed research project to the faculty of the joint program in September following the summer quarter of their second year. At that time, their performance is reviewed by the faculty of the joint program, and upon successfully completing their coursework, passing of their qualifying exam and second-year paper, students are admitted to candidacy.

Third-Year Paper A second paper is typically completed by winter quarter of the third year and presented during the Economics 501 seminar of spring quarter of the third year. The research paper has to be sufficiently advanced to be part of the student's dissertation.

Research, Proposal & Dissertation The main activity in years three and four is research toward a thesis of publishable quality, under the direction of one or more faculty advisors.  A thesis proposal must be presented to the faculty committee no later than the end of the fall quarter of their fourth year of study. In their final year in the program, each candidate must complete a dissertation demonstrating original and significant research and must pass a final oral examination (“defense”) on the dissertation.

Teaching Requirement To promote engagement with faculty and integration with the intellectual life of the department, students serve as research assistants and teaching assistants during years two, three, and four. Research assistantships (RAs) are an excellent lead-in to research; teaching assistantships (TAs) prepare students for teaching after obtaining the PhD.

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Calculating ROI: Getting Your Master’s vs. PhD in Economics

No matter what field they study, prospective graduate students should always consider the value of their degree.  As a potential graduate economics student, you’re likely familiar with the term return on investment or ROI — the ratio used to calculate the efficiency of an investment or compare the efficiency of several different investments.

Though there’s no cut-and-dry way to determine the value of a graduate degree , there are some important numbers and factors to consider when determining which degree will be most valuable to you.  

The overall ROI of any graduate degree comes down to:

• the type of job you want,
• the school you attend,
• the degree you pursue,
• your program length
• and available financial assistance.

Want to know more about graduate funding opportunities at SMU? Learn how the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies is reducing financial barriers to earning a graduate degree thanks to a $100 million commitment from the Moody Foundation. 

PhD in Economics Salary

The most important factor to consider first is the type of job you want. Most of the time, a Master’s degree opens the door to more advanced positions in the same types of jobs you can get with a Bachelor's degree. But, a PhD opens the door to jobs in the private sector, academia, government, think tanks and international organizations. Remember, on average, a PhD economist has a 34% higher salary than a Master’s economist.

Next, you need to consider cost. Economics PhD students, including our SMU students, have a full tuition waiver and a stipend to cover living costs. So, the only cost is lost wages from the job you would otherwise have. On the other hand, an Economics Masters's degree takes 2 years or less but the average cost of a master’s degree in the U.S. is $66,340.

You need to weigh up these costs and benefits to know the return on investment for you of pursuing an advanced degree in economics. 

What Can I Do with a PhD in Economics?

Earning a PhD in Economics means you have completed the highest level of education in the discipline, thereby creating nearly unlimited opportunities for any job in a related field. 

Economics PhDs specialize in areas like labor economics, macroeconomics,  industrial organization, or international economics and pursue careers within that specialization. For example, institutions like the World Trade Organization (WTO) — the international trade body —  the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank might seek to hire economists who have specialized in international economics.

• The Federal Reserve Bank system hires lots of PhD macroeconomists.
• Government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission hire PhD economists specializing in industrial organization.
• The Census Bureau hires lots of PhD economists specializing in fields like labor economics.

These complex, high-profile positions are often found in the corporate sector or government and frequently involve exploring regulatory, strategic or public policies.

In addition to jobs in government and industry, academic economists play leading roles in the development of new ideas in economics and hold faculty positions in a variety of academic settings.

Explore Economics at SMU

The Department of Economics at Southern Methodist University (SMU) is highly ranked among economics departments in the United States and offers comprehensive coverage of the major fields in modern economics. For more than 55 years the department has prepared PhD candidates for careers as economists in both academic and non-academic positions.

Ready to find out what you can do with a PhD in Economics?

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The Economy of Everything: Why You Need a PhD in Economics, today to open new doors in your economics career.

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Phd program economics and statistics.

Would you like to work intensively on economic and socio-political questions and develop new research methods?

Apply online

The PhD Program in Economics and Statistics is offered jointly by the University of Innsbruck and the University of Linz, leading European institutions for empirical economics and data science as well as behavioral and experimental economics. The programme is open to students from around the world, provided they hold a Master’s degree or equivalent. Students become competent researchers within the research community investigating economic and socio-political problems in depth and developing new research methods. The topic of a dissertation should be aligned with the research interests of potential supervisors. Please check the faculty pages to learn about the research interests of potential supervisors. It is highly recommended to contact potential supervisors before finally applying to the programme.

Study Code UC 794 355 xxx

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Graduates acquire the ability

• to write scientific papers that meet the international standards of peer-reviewed publications;
• to contribute to the international research network; to develop independent research programmes with scientific integrity and to successfully introduce and implement these at national and international research funding agencies;
• communicate with their professional environment, the scientific community and society in general about their specialist field.

The work of the graduates of the PhD Program in Economics and Statistics mainly consist of:

• to conduct theoretical and empirical research in economics or statistics and to publish internationally in economics or statistics,
• to apply theoretical and empirical research methods to solve (economic-political) problems and to develop them further for new problems.

Graduates will find their professional field of activity among other things:

• at universities,
• in research institutions and other post-secondary educational institutions,
• in research departments of the European Central Bank, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank, of other banks, rating agencies, regional development companies, market research institutions as well as in other companies and commercial organisations,
• in research departments of international organizations such as the OECD (Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation), EU (European Union), IMF (International Monetary Fund) or the World Bank,
• in research departments of public institutions, interest groups and NGOs (non-governmental organisations),
• in politics and the media,
• in the national statistical institutes, in particular Statistics Austria and the regional statistical offices.

Graduates tracking : Shows which occupational fields students enter after graduation

Fur­ther edu­ca­tion

Career Ser­vice

The next online session takes place on December 11th, 2023 at 3pm. You can attend the session via the follwing link:  https://webconference.uibk.ac.at/b/jud-egz-szc-fcy

Faculty of Economics and Statistics Examination Office Information for students with disabilities

From the field

Preis für beste Nachwuchsarbeit gewonnen

Myriam Zollner, Absolventin des Masterstudiums Nachhaltige Regional- und Destinationsentwicklung, hat im Juni bei der Jahrestagung 2023 des „Arbeitskreis Tourismusforschung in der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geographie (DGfG) e.V.“ in Saarbrücken (D) den „Young Researcher Award“ für die beste Masterarbeit gewonnen.

Inten­­sität des Kon­­takts zu Geflüch­­teten beein­­flusst Wahl­­ergeb­­nis

2015 fand die Landtagswahl in Oberösterreich auf dem Höhepunkt der Flüchtlingskrise in Europa statt. Der Wirtschaftsforscher Andreas Steinmayr untersuchte in diesem Zusammenhang, wie sich die Präsenz von Geflüchteten auf die Stimmabgabe für rechtspopulistische Parteien auswirkt. Ergebnis: Wo Geflüchtete langfristig untergebracht waren, reduzierte sich der Stimmenanteil für die FPÖ.

Finanz­pro­dukte: Warum wir Risi­ko falsch be­wer­ten

In einem groß angelegten Experiment hat ein Forscherteam mit Beteiligung der Uni Innsbruck erhoben, wie Laien und Finanzexperten das Risiko von Finanzprodukten wahrnehmen. Ein Fazit: Die Forscher fordern mehr Information bei Finanzprodukten. Die Studie erschien kürzlich im Fachjournal „Management Science“.

Falsch Informierte zahlen mehr

Eine Innsbrucker Forschergruppe um Rudolf Kerschbamer hat, unterstützt vom Wissenschaftsfonds FWF, eine Feldstudie zur Frage durchgeführt, ob sich Kunden in einem Markt für Vertrauensgüter durch den Erwerb von online verfügbaren Informationen vor Betrügereien durch die Verkäufer schützen können. Als Beispiel diente der Markt für Computerreparaturen.

Related studies

Eco­nomics and Statis­tics (PhD Pro­gram­me)

Doctor of Philosophy

Man­age­ment (PhD Pro­gram­me)

Po­lit­i­cal Science (Doc­toral Pro­gram­me)

So­ci­ol­ogy (Doc­toral Pro­gram­me)

• Birgit Pichler
• Myriam Zollner
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• Modell Foto: Colourbox.de

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MRes/PhD Economics

• Graduate research
• Department of Economics
• Application code L1U4
• Starting 2024
• Home full-time: Closed
• Overseas full-time: Closed
• Location: Houghton Street, London

This programme offers you the chance to undertake a substantial piece of work that is worthy of publication and which makes an original contribution to the field of economics. You will begin on the MRes degree, and will need to meet certain requirements to progress to the PhD.

The Department of Economics pioneered the development of systematic research training in economics in Britain and our MRes/PhD Economics aims for the highest international standard of achievement and professional competence. The programme offers structured research training and supervision by faculty prominent in their fields. It begins with two years of rigorous coursework, equipping you with the theoretical knowledge and analytical techniques necessary to proceed to the research component of the programme. 

Many research students are associated with the work of one of LSE's research centres. You could work with the Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines on areas ranging from development economics to public policy; or on research technology, growth and globalisation as part of the Centre for Economic Performance . You could contribute to major research programmes addressing the key issues of unemployment, inflation, fiscal and monetary policy, macroeconomic development and growth, financial markets, and changes in the world economy at the  Centre for Macroeconomics ; or specialise in risk management, asset pricing, financial institutions and corporate finance as part of the Financial Markets Group .

Programme details

For more information about tuition fees and entry requirements, see the fees and funding and assessing your application sections.

Entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements for mres/phd economics.

An upper second class honours (2:1) degree (or equivalent) in any field. Some preparation in economics, a strong mathematics background and evidence of research potential are essential. The goal of the MRes/PhD Economics is to train first class researchers. We will use all available information to assess research potential.

Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission. 

If you have studied or are studying outside of the UK then have a look at our  Information for International Students  to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

GRE/GMAT requirement

GRE is required for all applicants. This must be no more than five years old on 1 October 2024 and must show full and percentile scores for all three sections. Most successful MRes/PhD Economics applicants score 166 or above in the quantitative section.

Find out more about GRE/GMAT

Assessing your application

We welcome applications for research programmes that complement the academic interests of members of staff at the School, and we recommend that you investigate  staff research interests  before applying.

We carefully consider each application on an individual basis, taking into account all the information presented on your application form, including your:

- academic achievement (including existing and pending qualifications) - statement of academic purpose - references - CV - research statement - GRE/GMAT

See further information on supporting documents

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency. You do not need to provide this at the time of your application to LSE, but we recommend that you do.  See our English language requirements  for further information.

When to apply

The application deadline for this programme is 14 December 2023 . However, to be considered for any LSE funding opportunity, you must also have submitted your application and all supporting documents by this deadline. See the fees and funding section for more details.

Research statement

An application for entry to the MRes/PhD Economics should include a Research Statement, along with other required information  (Note: A separate sample of written work is not required as part of the MRes/PhD Economics application).

What should my Research Statement contain?

Your Research Statement should be submitted in place of the Outline Research Proposal, along with your application form and other required supporting documents, via the LSE online application system.

Please answer the following questions clearly and concisely. Max 200 words per question.

• Why do you want to do research in economics?
• Can you explain how your studies and experience make you suitable to do research in economics?
• Which aspect of the PhD do you think you will like the most? Which will you dislike the most? Why?
• Tell us about your favourite paper in economics. What do you like about it? How would you improve it?
• Write a comment for a general audience on ONE of the following topics  (i) Is inequality good for growth?   (ii) Do immigrants take the jobs of native workers?   (iii) Is CEO compensation excessive?  (iv) Is universal minimum income a good idea?  (v) Overall, has central banks' move to inflation targeting has been a success?  (vi) Is culture an important determinant of differences in income per capita across countries?  (vii) Markets function well as information is aggregated efficiently through prices.  (viii) Elections are effective at disciplining politicians who do not have the public interest as their main goal.

How can I demonstrate research potential?

If you have served as research assistant for an economist please ask that person to write a letter focussing on your research skills and describe your experience – reference point 2 (above) of the research statement.

If not, please list any evidence you think would be valuable. Examples include but are not restricted to: experience working autonomously under stress without any guidance, demonstration of creativity in any form, experience of writing original research.

Fees and funding

Every research student is charged a fee in line with the fee structure for their programme. The fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It does not cover  living costs  or travel or fieldwork.

Tuition fees 2024/25 for MRes/PhD Economics

Home students: £4,829 for the first year (provisional) Overseas students: £22,632 for the first year

The fee is likely to rise over subsequent years of the programme. The School charges home research students in line with the level of fee that the Research Councils recommend. The fees for overseas students are likely to rise in line with the assumed percentage increase in pay costs (ie, 4 per cent per annum).

The Table of Fees shows the latest tuition amounts for all programmes offered by the School.

The amount of tuition fees you will need to pay, and any financial support you are eligible for, will depend on whether you are classified as a home or overseas student, otherwise known as your fee status. LSE assesses your fee status based on guidelines provided by the Department of Education.

Further information about fee status classification.

Scholarships, studentships and other funding

The School recognises that the  cost of living in London  may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students.

This programme is eligible for  LSE PhD Studentships , and  Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding . Selection for the PhD Studentships and ESRC funding is based on receipt of an application for a place – including all ancillary documents, before the funding deadline. 

For the MRes/PhD Economics, the funding deadline is the same as the application deadline for the programme: 14 December 2023

The Economics Department also has a number of scholarship packages for direct entry MRes/PhD students. After the first year of the MRes/PhD Economics, there are teaching and research assistantships available in the Department. Read more about funding opportunities through the  Economics Department .

In addition to our needs-based awards, LSE also makes available scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for students studying specific subject areas.  Find out more about financial support.

External funding

There may be other funding opportunities available through other organisations or governments and we recommend you investigate these options as well.

Further information

Fees and funding opportunities

Information for international students

LSE is an international community, with over 140 nationalities represented amongst its student body. We celebrate this diversity through everything we do.  

If you are applying to LSE from outside of the UK then take a look at our Information for International students . 

1) Take a note of the UK qualifications we require for your programme of interest (found in the ‘Entry requirements’ section of this page). 

2) Go to the International Students section of our website. 

3) Select your country. 

4) Select ‘Graduate entry requirements’ and scroll until you arrive at the information about your local/national qualification. Compare the stated UK entry requirements listed on this page with the local/national entry requirement listed on your country specific page.

Programme structure and courses

Introductory course (mres).

In early September, before the academic year commences, you will begin your degree programme by taking the Introductory Mathematics and Statistics course.

First year (MRes)

In the first year of the programme you will take advanced core courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics, to equip you with the theoretical knowledge and analytical techniques necessary for research. Permission must be obtained to sit Econometric Analysis as it is intended for students with a strong econometric background and an interest in pursuing a PhD with econometrics as the primary field.

Microeconomics for MRes students Introduces the basic analytical tools that are necessary to conduct research in any field in economics.

Macroeconomics for MRes students Covers topics in advanced macroeconomics with emphasis on fundamentals and applications to recent theoretical advances. Either Econometrics for MRes students Covers inference, classical and generalised linear regression, generalised regression methods, time-series, panel-data, and microeconometric methods, and specialised econometric methods. Or Econometric Analysis Gives an advanced treatment of the theory of estimation and inference for econometric models.

Second year (MRes)

In the second year, you will typically take two PhD field courses and write a research paper in your major field. Currently, there are economics PhD field courses covering: econometrics, international, labour, public, development, industrial, microeconomics, macroeconomics, political economy. In addition, there are PhD field courses offered in Corporate Finance and Asset Pricing. From the second year onwards, you will also participate in a departmental research seminar and a work in progress seminar allied to your major research field.

Research Paper in Economics A research paper, between 5,000 and 10,000 words, related to the student's designated major field, to be submitted mid-way through the Spring Term.

Two courses from a range of options

Upon successfully completing the MRes and progressing to the PhD, you will work on your research and write your PhD thesis. You will also take one further PhD field course. You will also attend Work in Progress seminars, where you present your research, as well as the weekly departmental seminar series closest to your major field.

One course from a range of options.

Second and subsequent years of the PhD programme

You will continue to work on your research and write a PhD thesis. You will also continue to attend Work in Progress seminars, where you present your research, as well as the weekly departmental seminar series closest to your major field.

For the most up-to-date list of optional courses please visit the relevant School Calendar page .

You must note, however, that while care has been taken to ensure that this information is up to date and correct, a change of circumstances since publication may cause the School to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees that apply to it. The School will always notify the affected parties as early as practicably possible and propose any viable and relevant alternative options. Note that the School will neither be liable for information that after publication becomes inaccurate or irrelevant, nor for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside of its control, which includes but is not limited to a lack of demand for a course or programme of study, industrial action, fire, flood or other environmental or physical damage to premises.  

You must also note that places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements. The School cannot therefore guarantee you a place. Please note that changes to programmes and courses can sometimes occur after you have accepted your offer of a place. These changes are normally made in light of developments in the discipline or path-breaking research, or on the basis of student feedback. Changes can take the form of altered course content, teaching formats or assessment modes. Any such changes are intended to enhance the student learning experience. You should visit the School’s  Calendar , or contact the relevant academic department, for information on the availability and/or content of courses and programmes of study. Certain substantive changes will be listed on the  updated graduate course and programme information  page.

Supervision, progression and assessment

Supervision.

You will be assigned a lead supervisor (and a second supervisor/adviser) who is a specialist in your chosen research field, though not necessarily in your topic. Lead supervisors guide you through your studies.

Progression and assessment

In order to progress to each subsequent year of the programme, and to progress to PhD registration, you will need to meet specific progression requirements, such as achieving certain grades in your coursework.

Your final award will be determined by the completion of an original research thesis and a viva oral examination.

More about progression requirements

Student support and resources

We’re here to help and support you throughout your time at LSE, whether you need help with your academic studies, support with your welfare and wellbeing or simply to develop on a personal and professional level.

Whatever your query, big or small, there are a range of people you can speak to who will be happy to help.  

Department librarians   – they will be able to help you navigate the library and maximise its resources during your studies. 

Accommodation service  – they can offer advice on living in halls and offer guidance on private accommodation related queries.

Class teachers and seminar leaders  – they will be able to assist with queries relating to specific courses. 

Disability and Wellbeing Service  – they are experts in long-term health conditions, sensory impairments, mental health and specific learning difficulties. They offer confidential and free services such as  student counselling,  a  peer support scheme  and arranging  exam adjustments.  They run groups and workshops.  

IT help  – support is available 24 hours a day to assist with all your technology queries.   

LSE Faith Centre  – this is home to LSE's diverse religious activities and transformational interfaith leadership programmes, as well as a space for worship, prayer and quiet reflection. It includes Islamic prayer rooms and a main space for worship. It is also a space for wellbeing classes on campus and is open to all students and staff from all faiths and none.   

Language Centre  – the Centre specialises in offering language courses targeted to the needs of students and practitioners in the social sciences. We offer pre-course English for Academic Purposes programmes; English language support during your studies; modern language courses in nine languages; proofreading, translation and document authentication; and language learning community activities.

LSE Careers  ­ – with the help of LSE Careers, you can make the most of the opportunities that London has to offer. Whatever your career plans, LSE Careers will work with you, connecting you to opportunities and experiences from internships and volunteering to networking events and employer and alumni insights. 

LSE Library   –   founded in 1896, the British Library of Political and Economic Science is the major international library of the social sciences. It stays open late, has lots of excellent resources and is a great place to study. As an LSE student, you’ll have access to a number of other academic libraries in Greater London and nationwide. 

LSE LIFE  – this is where you should go to develop skills you’ll use as a student and beyond. The centre runs talks and workshops on skills you’ll find useful in the classroom; offers one-to-one sessions with study advisers who can help you with reading, making notes, writing, research and exam revision; and provides drop-in sessions for academic and personal support. (See ‘Teaching and assessment’). 

LSE Students’ Union (LSESU)  – they offer academic, personal and financial advice and funding.  

PhD Academy   – this is available for PhD students, wherever they are, to take part in interdisciplinary events and other professional development activities and access all the services related to their registration. 

Sardinia House Dental Practice   – this   offers discounted private dental services to LSE students.  

St Philips Medical Centre  – based in Pethwick-Lawrence House, the Centre provides NHS Primary Care services to registered patients.

Student Services Centre  – our staff here can answer general queries and can point you in the direction of other LSE services.  

Student advisers   – we have a  Deputy Head of Student Services (Advice and Policy)  and an  Adviser to Women Students  who can help with academic and pastoral matters.

Student life

As a student at LSE you’ll be based at our central London campus. Find out what our campus and London have to offer you on academic, social and career perspective. 

Student societies and activities

Your time at LSE is not just about studying, there are plenty of ways to get involved in  extracurricular activities . From joining one of over 200 societies, or starting your own society, to volunteering for a local charity, or attending a public lecture by a world-leading figure, there is a lot to choose from. 

The campus 

LSE is based on one  campus  in the centre of London. Despite the busy feel of the surrounding area, many of the streets around campus are pedestrianised, meaning the campus feels like a real community. 

Life in London 

London is an exciting, vibrant and colourful city. It's also an academic city, with more than 400,000 university students. Whatever your interests or appetite you will find something to suit your palate and pocket in this truly international capital. Make the most of career opportunities and social activities, theatre, museums, music and more. 

Want to find out more? Read why we think  London is a fantastic student city , find out about  key sights, places and experiences for new Londoners . Don't fear, London doesn't have to be super expensive: hear about  London on a budget . 

Student stories

Hanwei Huang MRes/PhD Economics, 2018 China

I am a PhD student studying economics in the LSE. I am also affiliated with the Centre of Economic Performance (CEP), one of the largest research centres in the LSE. My main research interest is international trade.

One thing that I have learned from the faculties is that economics is not just about mathematics, it should answer interesting economics questions. Over the past few years in the LSE, I have been conducting a few research related to China. This is not surprising given my Chinese origin. Given the anti-globalization current that we have been witnessing, it is also quite relevant to the academic and policy circle to understand how China has become a global manufacturing power house and the champion of global trade.

My work features a close link between theory and empirics, another lesson I have learned in the LSE. My first piece of work done in the LSE focuses on the evolving structure of Chinese production and export. My second paper, which is a joint work with my supervisor Professor Ottaviano, studies how Chinese exporter producing multiple products respond to competition due to comparative advantage. My current research project studies how the domestic infrastructure construction boom that has been taking place in China has enabled China to make better use of globalization.

The most exciting part of LSE is that we are seated near the centre of the UK policy-making. I am fortunate enough to be able to be on a team from the CEP which has been studying various issues related to Brexit. It is only by doing this bit of work that I have seen how LSE research has shaped the debate in the media and the UK parliament.

As a one of the largest economics departments in the world, with numerous seminars and visitors every week, you bump into various people all the time. You might run into a workshop introducing machine learning. You might also hear people talking about big data in the Bean Counter, where we have our coffee. And I am very glad to be one of them here.

Stephan Maurer MRes/PhD Economics, 2017 Germany

I came to the LSE in 2011 after having completed my MSc in Economics at the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics. Already during my undergraduate studies in St. Gallen, I had gotten hooked to economics and to the idea of doing a PhD, and my time in Barcelona further confirmed this.

My research is in applied economics broadly, at the intersection of labour economics, political economy, and economic history. Economic history is for me both a tool and an end itself - I am interested in better understanding historical events, but I also frequently use exogenous variation provided by history to study questions in labour economics and political economy.

What I really like about research and the academic profession is that it offers a lot of freedom and allows me to work independently on a variety of issues. For example, I have studied determinants of city growth in Iron Age Europe, but also local economic effects of resource booms in the early 20 th century US South. I also enjoy teaching - during my time here, I have taught various courses and have found it very enriching. Being asked to explain concepts such that students can understand them often has deepened my own understanding. In this respect, I particularly enjoyed teaching in the MPA and MSc Programmes.

Research can also be frustrating. It involves a great deal of failed projects, ideas that do not materialize, and work that does not reap rewards. It is also very discontinuous - you can make great progress in few days, or feel like you’re banging your head against a wall for months. I was lucky to have two very dedicated supervisors to guide me through my PhD, helping me triage my ideas, strengthening my results by constantly questioning them, but also cheering me up when needed. My colleagues and friends at the LSE have also been a great help, not only but especially those from my cohort. Studying for the first year exams and going through the first research steps together has created a lot of cohesion and friendships that I am sure will continue to last for a long time.

After finishing my PhD, I will be joining the Department of Economics at the University of Konstanz as an Assistant Professor. I am very much looking forward to this new endeavour, but I will make sure to be back in London and at the LSE from time to time!

Preliminary reading

Readings are included in the respective course guides in the Calendar .

Quick Careers Facts for the Department of Economics

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

• Financial and Professional Services              
• Education, Teaching and Research            
• Government, Public Sector and Policy   
• Consultancy      
• Advertising, Marketing, PR Media, Entertainment, Publishing and Journalism

The data was collected as part of the Graduate Outcomes survey, which is administered by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Graduates from 2020-21 were the fourth group to be asked to respond to Graduate Outcomes.

Students who successfully complete the programme often embark on an academic career. See information on the placements of previous students on this programme . 

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Is College Worth It?

1. labor market and economic trends for young adults, table of contents.

• Labor force trends and economic outcomes for young adults
• Economic outcomes for young men
• Economic outcomes for young women
• Wealth trends for households headed by a young adult
• The importance of a four-year college degree
• Getting a high-paying job without a college degree
• Do Americans think their education prepared them for the workplace?
• Is college worth the cost?
• Acknowledgments
• The American Trends Panel survey methodology
• Current Population Survey methodology
• Survey of Consumer Finances methodology

A majority of the nation’s 36 million workers ages 25 to 34 have not completed a four-year college degree. In 2023, there were 19 million young workers who had some college or less education, including those who had not finished high school.

The overall number of employed young adults has grown over the decades as more young women joined the workforce. The number of employed young adults without a college degree peaked around 1990 at 25 million and then started to fall, as more young people began finishing college .

This chapter looks at the following key labor market and economic trends separately for young men and young women by their level of education:

Labor force participation

• Individual earnings

Household income

• Net worth 1

When looking at how young adults are doing in the job market, it generally makes the most sense to analyze men and women separately. They tend to work in different occupations and have different career patterns, and their educational paths have diverged in recent decades.

In 1970, almost all young men whose highest educational attainment was a high school diploma (98%) were in the labor force, meaning they were working or looking for work. By 2013, only 88% of high school-educated young men were in the labor force. Today, that share is 87%.

Similarly, 96% of young men whose highest attainment was some college education were in the labor force in 1970. Today, the share is 89%.

By comparison, labor force participation among young men with at least a bachelor’s degree has remained relatively stable these past few decades. Today, 94% of young men with at least a bachelor’s degree are in the labor force.

The long-running decline in the labor force participation of young men without a bachelor’s degree may be due to several factors, including declining wages , the types of jobs available to this group becoming less desirable, rising incarceration rates and the opioid epidemic . 2

Looking at labor force and earnings trends over the past several decades, it’s important to keep in mind broader forces shaping the national job market.

The Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, but the national job market recovered slowly . At the beginning of the Great Recession in the fourth quarter of 2007, the national unemployment rate was 4.6%. Unemployment peaked at 10.4% in the first quarter of 2010. It was not until the fourth quarter of 2016 that unemployment finally returned to its prerecession level (4.5%).

Studies suggest that things started to look up for less-skilled workers around 2014. Among men with less education, hourly earnings began rising in 2014 after a decade of stagnation. Wage growth for low-wage workers also picked up in 2014. The tightening labor markets in the last five years of the expansion after the Great Recession improved the labor market prospects of “vulnerable workers” considerably.

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the tight labor market, but the COVID-19 recession and recovery were quite different from the Great Recession in their job market impact. The more recent recession was arguably more severe, as the national unemployment rate reached 12.9% in the second quarter of 2020. But it was short – officially lasting two months, compared with the 18-month Great Recession – and the labor market bounced back much quicker. Unemployment was 3.3% before the COVID-19 recession; three years later, unemployment had once again returned to that level.

Full-time, full-year employment

Since the Great Recession of 2007-09, young men without a four-year college degree have seen a significant increase in the average number of hours they work.

• Today, 77% of young workers with a high school education work full time, full year, compared with 69% in 2011.
• 83% of young workers with some college education work full time, full year, compared with 70% in 2011.

The share of young men with a college degree who work full time, year-round has remained fairly steady in recent decades – at about 80% – and hasn’t fluctuated with good or bad economic cycles.

Annual earnings

Annual earnings for young men without a college degree were on a mostly downward path from 1973 until roughly 10 years ago (with the exception of a bump in the late 1990s). 3

Earnings have been increasing modestly over the past decade for these groups.

• Young men with a high school education who are working full time, full year have median earnings of $45,000 today, up from $39,300 in 2014. (All figures are in 2022 dollars.)
• The median earnings of young men with some college education who are working full time, full year are $50,000 today, similar to their median earnings in 2014 ($49,100).

It’s important to note that median annual earnings for both groups of noncollege men remain below their 1973 levels.

Median earnings for young men with a four-year college degree have increased over the past 10 years, from $67,500 in 2014 to $77,000 today.

Unlike young men without a college degree, the earnings of college-educated young men are now above what they were in the early 1970s. The gap in median earnings between young men with and without a college degree grew significantly from the late 1970s to 2014. In 1973, the typical young man with a degree earned 23% more than his high school-educated counterpart. By 2014, it was 72% more. Today, that gap stands at 71%. 4

Household income has also trended up for young men in the past 10 years, regardless of educational attainment.

This measure takes into account the contributions of everyone in the household. For this analysis, we excluded young men who are living in their parents’ home (about 20% of 25- to 34-year-old men in 2023).

• The median household income of young men with a high school education is $75,200 today, up from $63,800 in 2014. This is slightly lower than the highpoint reached around 2019.
• The median household income of young men with some college education is $92,200 today, up from $81,100 in 2014. This is close to the 2022 peak of $93,800.

The median household income of young men with at least a bachelor’s degree has also increased from a low point of $118,700 in 2014 after the Great Recession to $145,000 today.

The gap in household income between young men with and without a college degree grew significantly between 1980 and 2014. In 1980, the median household income of young men with at least a bachelor’s degree was about 38% more than that of high school graduates. By 2014, that gap had widened to 86%.

Over the past 10 years, the income gap has fluctuated. In 2023, the typical college graduate’s household income was 93% more than that of the typical high school graduate.

The 2001 recession and Great Recession resulted in a large increase in poverty among young men without a college degree.

• In 2000, among young men living independently of their parents, 8% of those with a high school education were in poverty. Poverty peaked for this group at 17% around 2011 and has since declined to 12% in 2023.
• Among young men with some college education, poverty peaked at 12% around 2014, up from 4% in 2000. Poverty has fallen for this group since 2014 and stands at 8% as of 2023.
• Young men with a four-year college degree also experienced a slight uptick in poverty during the 2001 recession and Great Recession. In 2014, 6% of young college graduates were in poverty, up from 4% in 2000. Poverty among college graduates stands at 5% in 2023.

Labor force trends for young women are very different than for young men. There are occupational and educational differences between young women and men, and their earnings have followed different patterns.

Unlike the long-running decline for noncollege young men, young women without a college degree saw their labor force participation increase steadily from 1970 to about 1990.

By 2000, about three-quarters of young women with a high school diploma and 79% of those with some college education were in the labor force.

Labor force participation has also trended upward for college-educated young women and has consistently been higher than for those with less education.

After rising for decades, labor force participation for young women without a college degree fell during the 2001 recession and the Great Recession. Their labor force participation has increased slightly since 2014.

As of 2023, 69% of young women with a high school education were in the labor force, as were 78% of young women with some college education. Today’s level of labor force participation for young women without a college degree is slightly lower than the level seen around 2000.

The decline in labor force participation for noncollege women partly reflects the declining labor force participation for mothers with children under 18 years of age . Other research has suggested that without federal paid parental and family leave benefits for parents, some women with less education may leave the labor force after having a baby.

In contrast, labor force participation for young women with a college degree has fully recovered from the recessions of the early 2000s. Today, 87% of college-educated young women are in the labor force, the highest estimate on record.

Young women without a college degree have steadily increased their work hours over the decades. The past 10 years in particular have seen a significant increase in the share of employed noncollege women working full time, full year (with the exception of 2021).

• In 2023, 69% of employed young women with a high school education worked full time, full year, up from 56% in 2014. This share is the highest it’s ever been.
• In 2023, 65% of employed women with some college worked full time, full year, up from 58% in 2014. This is among the highest levels ever.

The trend in the share working full time, full year has been similar for young women with college degrees. By 2023, 78% of these women worked full time, full year, the highest share it’s ever been.

Unlike young men, young women without a college education did not see their earnings fall between 1970 and 2000.

The 2001 recession and Great Recession also did not significantly impact the earnings of noncollege young women. In the past 10 years, their median earnings have trended upward.

• For young women with a high school diploma, median earnings reached $36,000 in 2023, up from $30,900 in 2014.
• For those with some college, median earnings rose to $40,000 in 2023 from $37,700 in 2014.

For young women with a college degree, median earnings rose steadily from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. By 2003, they reached $62,100, but this declined to $55,200 by 2014. In the past 10 years, the median earnings of college-educated young women have risen, reaching $65,000 in 2023.

In the mid-1980s, the typical young woman with a college degree earned about 48% more than her counterpart with a high school diploma. The pay gap among women has widened since then, and by 2014, the typical college graduate earned 79% more than the typical high school graduate. The gap has changed little over the past 10 years.

Noncollege young women living independently from their parents have experienced large household income gains over the past 10 years, measured at the median.

• In 2023, young women with a high school diploma had a median household income of $61,600, up from $48,100 in 2014.
• The pattern is similar for young women with some college education. Their median income rose to $75,200 in 2023 from $64,600 in 2014.

The median household income for young women with a four-year college degree is significantly higher than it is for their counterparts without a degree. College-educated young women have made substantial gains in the past 10 years.

The income gap between young women with and without a college degree has widened over the decades. In 1980, the median household income of young women with a college degree was 50% higher than that of high school-educated women. By 2014, the income gap had grown to 139%. Today, the household income advantage of college-educated women stands at 121% ($136,000 vs. $61,600).

Poverty trends for young women mirror those for young men, although young women are overall more likely to be in poverty than young men. The past 10 years have resulted in a steep reduction in the share of noncollege women in poverty.

• Today, 21% of young women with a high school diploma are living in poverty. This is down from 31% in 2014.
• 15% of young women with some college education live in poverty, compared with 21% in 2014.
• Young women with a college degree are consistently far less likely than either group to be living in poverty (5% in 2023).

Along with young adults’ rising incomes over the past 10 years, there’s been a substantial increase in their wealth. This part of our analysis does not look at men and women separately due to limitations in sample size.

In 2022, households headed by a young high school graduate had a median net worth of $30,700, up from $12,700 in 2013. Those headed by a young adult with some college education had a median net worth of $52,900, up from $15,700 in 2013.

The typical wealth level of households headed by a young college graduate was $120,200 in 2022, up from $46,600 in 2013.

There has not been any significant narrowing of the wealth gap between young high school graduate and young college graduate households since 2013.

Wealth increased for Americans across age groups over this period due to several factors. Many were able to save money during the pandemic lockdowns. In addition, home values increased, and the stock market surged.

• Most of the analysis in this chapter is based on the Annual Social and Economic Supplement collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Information on net worth is based on a Federal Reserve survey, which interviews fewer households. Due to this smaller sample size, the net worth of households headed by a young adult cannot be broken out by gender and education. ↩
• Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates that the labor force participation rate for men ages 25 to 54 has been declining since 1953. ↩
• This analysis looks at the earnings of employed adults working full time, full year. This measure of earnings is not uncommon. For example, the National Center for Education Statistics publishes a series on the annual earnings of 25- to 34-year-olds working full time, full year. ↩
• Other studies using hourly wages rather than annual earnings find that the college wage premium has narrowed. For example, researchers at the San Francisco Federal Reserve report that the college wage gap peaked in the mid-2010s but declined by just 4 percentage points to about 75% in 2022. ↩

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Time- vs Step-Based Physical Activity Metrics for Health

• 1 Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
• 2 Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
• 3 Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
• 4 Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill
• Editor's Note Tracking Physical Activity One Step at a Time Cary P. Gross, MD; Raegan W. Durant, MD, MPH JAMA Internal Medicine

Question   Should women in their 60s or older rely on a clock or step counter for monitoring their physical activity (PA) levels for health?

Findings   In this cohort study of 14 399 women, moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) time and step counts were qualitatively similar in their association with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.

Meaning   Findings of this study support the inclusion of both MVPA time and step counts in future guideline recommendations, allowing for the accommodation of personal preference for 1 or the other metric.

Importance   Current US physical activity (PA) guidelines prescribe moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) time of at least 150 minutes per week for health. An analogous step-based recommendation has not been issued due to insufficient evidence.

Objective   To examine the associations of MVPA time and step counts with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Design, Setting, and Participants   This cohort study analyzed data from an ongoing follow-up study of surviving participants of the Women’s Health Study, a randomized clinical trial conducted from 1992 to 2004 in the US to evaluate use of low-dose aspirin and vitamin E for preventing cancer and CVD. Participants were 62 years or older who were free from CVD and cancer, completed annual questionnaires, and agreed to measure their PA with an accelerometer as part of a 2011-2015 ancillary study. Participants were followed up through December 31, 2022.

Exposures   Time spent in MVPA and step counts, measured with an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days.

Main Outcomes and Measures   The associations of MVPA time and step counts with all-cause mortality and CVD (composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, and CVD mortality) adjusted for confounders. Cox proportional hazards regression models, restricted mean survival time differences, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the associations.

Results   A total of 14 399 women (mean [SD] age, 71.8 [5.6] years) were included. The median (IQR) MVPA time and step counts were 62 (20-149) minutes per week and 5183 (3691-7001) steps per day, respectively. During a median (IQR) follow-up of 9.0 (8.0-9.9) years, the hazard ratios (HR) per SD for all-cause mortality were 0.82 (95% CI, 0.75-0.90) for MVPA time and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.69-0.80) for step counts. Greater MVPA time and step counts (top 3 quartiles vs bottom quartile) were associated with a longer period free from death: 2.22 (95% CI, 1.58-2.85) months and 2.36 (95% CI, 1.73-2.99) months at 9 years follow-up, respectively. The AUCs for all-cause mortality from MVPA time and step counts were similar: 0.55 (95% CI, 0.52-0.57) for both metrics. Similar associations of these 2 metrics with CVD were observed.

Conclusion and Relevance   Results of this study suggest that among females 62 years or older, MVPA time and step counts were qualitatively similar in their associations with all-cause mortality and CVD. Step count–based goals should be considered for future guidelines along with time-based goals, allowing for the accommodation of personal preferences.

• Editor's Note Tracking Physical Activity One Step at a Time JAMA Internal Medicine

Read More About

Hamaya R , Shiroma EJ , Moore CC , Buring JE , Evenson KR , Lee I. Time- vs Step-Based Physical Activity Metrics for Health. JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 20, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.0892

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