PhD degree requirements

PhD regular | PhD Water

Degree requirements

The requirements for the PhD include:

  • Academic integrity milestone
  • ThirteenÌýcourses: eightÌýcore requirements (ECONÌý600, 601, 602, 607, 621, 701, one ofÌý{702/703/704}, 721),ÌýandÌýfive electives, two of which areÌýin a chosenÌýarea of concentration
    • An area of concentration consists of two non-core courses. Students may take electivesÌýoutside theÌýdepartment for credit with the approval of the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies, or a reading course designed by the supervisor/thesis committee.
    • Students must maintain an 80% average to receive their scholarships.
  • Qualifying exam in microeconomics andÌýeconometrics
  • Second Year PhD Paper Ìý
  • Thesis Proposal Guidelines Ìý
  • TwoÌýseminar milestones
    • First seminar milestone - In both years 2 and 3, attendÌý50% of the department's seminars offered in the fall and winter terms, andÌýwrite a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) explainingÌý about the presentation. Include the seminar date and the name of the presenter. This document will be attached to your Annual Performance Evaluations, in years 2 and 3.
    • Second seminar milestone - In bothÌýyears 3Ìýand 4, a presentation of student's own work at a department seminar.
  • Thesis defense - ECON Doctoral Thesis Guidelines

Sequencing through the PhD program

The following sequence represents the typical path through the PhD program.

Year one - Fall Year one - Winter
  • Academic Integrity Milestone
  • ECONÌý600-mathematics for economists
  • ECONÌý601-micro theory 1
  • ECON 607-data science for economists
  • ECONÌý621-econometrics 1
  • ECONÌý602-macro theory 1
  • ECONÌý701-micro theory 2
  • ECONÌý721-econometrics 2

Year one - spring term

  • Written qualifyingÌýexams in microeconomicsÌýandÌýeconometrics.

Exams will take place the first and third Tuesdays in June. If needed, a second attempt will take place the first and third Tuesdays in August. Only two attempts are allowed.

  • Identify a supervisor/thesis committee and area of concentration

Students must inform the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies of their chosen area of concentration in August, after the completion of their written qualifyingÌýexams. On the advice of their supervisor/thesis committee, they will then choose five courses that are consistent with their area of concentration. If they do not have a supervisor/thesis committee, their course selection must be approved by the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies.

Year two

  • One of ECON {702/703/704} - macro theory
  • 5Ìýtotal elective graduate courses (two courses must be in student's area of concentration)
  • Write Second Year Paper (choose a supervisor and begin work on paper)
  • Begin First Seminar milestone -Ìýattend a minimum of 50% of the department's and PhD's seminars offered in the fall and winter termsÌýandÌýwrite a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) explainingÌý about the presentation. Include the seminar date and the name of the presenter. This document will be attached to your Annual Performance Evaluations, in years 2 and 3.

Year three

  • Present Second Year Paper in a department seminar by October 15, and this will be usedÌýas the first part of the Second Seminar milestone
  • Thesis proposalÌý(no later than August 31)
  • Complete the First Seminar milestone - attend a minimum of 50% of the department's seminars offered in the fall and winter termsÌýandÌýwrite a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) explainingÌý about the presentation. Include the seminar date and the name of the presenter. This document will be attached to your Annual Performance Evaluations, in years 2 and 3.

Year four

  • Complete Second Seminar milestone - second presentation of student's own work at a department seminar
  • Thesis defense

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PhD-Water degree requirements

The program requires the satisfactory completion of the following:

  • Same Economics PhD degree requirements - but only require 4 elective courses, not 5 elective courses
  • 2 required core Water program courses -Ìý
  • Research Seminar 2
  • Academic Contribution

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