Department of Economics
Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Economics
The Department of Economics offers a 63 credit hour graduate program of study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics for students who have earned a master’s degree in economics at UNCG or another institution. Up to 17 of the 63 hours may be accepted from UNCG’s M.A. in Applied Economics program or transferred from a comparable master’s program. Students who enter the program with a master’s from another institution may be required to take additional courses if their prior degree does not adequately cover the required material in the core requirements of the UNCG M.A. program as stated above.
Required Core Courses in Microeconomic and Econometric Theory (9 hours)
- ECO 741 Advanced Mathematical Economics (3)
- ECO 742 Advanced Microeconomic Theory I (3)
- ECO 745 Advanced Econometric Theory (3)
Required Courses in Applied Economic Theory (8 hours)
- Students are required to take four courses from the following:
- ECO 754 Applied Theory I: Game Theory (2)
- ECO 755 Applied Theory II: Information Economics (2)
- ECO 756 Applied Theory III: Intertemporal Economics (2)
- ECO 757 Applied Theory IV: Public Goods (2)
- ECO 758 Applied Theory V: Directed Study (2)
Required Courses in Advanced Econometrics (8 hours)
- ECO 761 Advanced Econometrics I (2)
- ECO 762 Advanced Econometrics II (2)
- ECO 763 Applied Econometrics (4)
Required Research Methods (9 hours)
- ECO 721 Empirical Microeconomics (4)
- ECO 725 Data Methods in Economics (3)
- either: ECO 731 Applied Policy Methods (2)
- or: ECO 732 Appraising Economics (2)
Required Empirical Field Courses (8 hours)
- Students must complete at least eight (8) hours chosen from:
- ECO 771 Labor Economics (4)
- ECO 772 Public Economics (4)
- ECO 773 Health Economics (4)
- ECO 775 Independent Field Course (4)
Required Supervised independent field research (9 hours)
- Students must complete research seminars ECO 797 and 798.
Comprehensive Examinations
For the Ph.D. degree, every student is required to successfully complete a qualifying examination in economic theory and econometrics after completion of the PhD core. The qualifying examinations are administered in the summer after completion of the first year of coursework, and students who do not pass either examination may retake it once in the following December.
Ph.D. students must also pass a written and oral preliminary examination administered by their dissertation committee before being admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree and before registering for dissertation credit. The preliminary examination is administered after the student has completed the required field courses.
Dissertation Research (12 hours)
Each candidate for a doctoral degree must prepare and present a dissertation that reflects an independent investigation of an economic topic that is acceptable in form and content to the student’s advisory/dissertation committee and The Graduate School.