Coursework
Please note that the Department of Economics is currently updating the graduate program, and as a result, the structure and materials of the coursework required for the Ph.D. degree are subject to change.
The graduate school requires 20 courses (60 hours) for the Ph.D. degree. The department requires 8 core courses, 3 areas of specialization – or fields (each area of specialization consists of at least 2 courses in the chosen field, i.e. a total of at least 6 field courses are required), and 6 approved electives (normally, these courses will also be economics courses with a maximum of two courses from outside the economics department). Students with prior graduate work may transfer in courses as specified in the Graduate Catalog; however, no transfer credit will be given for any of the 8 core courses. The passing grade for all core courses and courses declared as field courses is a B-. The passing grade on all other elective courses is a C-. All courses in economics must be passed with a minimum grade of B- in order to count toward the degree.
Core Courses
ECO 5311 Macroeconomic Theory and Policy
ECO 5312 Microeconomic Analysis
ECO 5313 Mathematical Economics I
ECO 5314 Econometrics I
ECO 5315 Mathematical Economics II
ECO 5318 History of Economics
ECO 5381 Empirical Studies in Macroeconomics
ECO 5382 Advanced Microeconomics
These core courses should be completed before any field courses or approved electives are taken. Exceptions may be made with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.
Field or Elective Courses
ECO 5316 Time Series Econometrics
ECO 5317 Natural Resources and Environmental Economics
ECO 5319 Advanced Topics in Environmental Economics
ECO 5321 Labor Markets Theory and Policy
ECO 5322 The Economics of Wages and Income
ECO 5323 Monetary Theory I
ECO 5324 Seminar in Public Finance
ECO 5325 Seminar in Economic Policy
ECO 5328 Monetary Theory II
ECO 5329 Current Problems in Public Finance
ECO 5332 Advanced International Finance
ECO 5333 Advanced International Economics
ECO 5346 Game Theory
ECO 5347 Industrial Organization Theory
ECO 5348 Seminar in Empirical Industrial Organization
ECO 5356 Energy Economics
ECO 5357 Forecasting and Applied Macroeconomics
ECO 5375 Topics in Labor Economics
ECO 8000 Ph.D. Dissertation Research (students enroll in this course while working on their dissertation research)
These courses are usually offered on a two-year cycle but note that because at least five students are required in order to offer a course, not all field/elective courses may be offered at a given time unless there is sufficient interest among current students.
Required Sequence
The required sequence of core and field courses is as follows (unless an exception is made by the Director of Graduate Studies):
1st Year: Fall Semester ECO 5311, ECO 5312, ECO 5313
Spring Semester ECO 5314, ECO 5315, ECO 5318
2nd Year: Fall Semester ECO 5381, ECO 5382, one field course
Spring Semester 3 field/elective courses
*Students also take their Ph.D. qualifying exams here
3rd Year: Fall Semester 3 field/elective courses
Spring Semester 3 field/elective courses
4th Year: Fall Semester 2 field/elective courses, and ECO 8000 (3 hours)
Spring Semester 9 credit hours ECO 8000
5th Year Fall Semester ECO 8000 (if needed)
Spring Semester ECO 8000 (if needed)
Degree Plan
Students need to fill out a degree plan in their second or third regular semester. The degree plan lists the courses that are going to be used to fulfill the coursework requirements discussed above. The plan may be changed with relatively little hassle, but it should be kept up to date because when the time comes to graduate, the Graduate School will check the degree plan against the courses the student has actually taken.
Department of Economics
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Address
Texas Tech University, Department Of Economics, P.O. Box 41014, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.2201 -
Email
economics.webmaster@ttu.edu