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.