Clark's Ph.D. program in economics offers students the unique opportunity to earn a Ph.D. in the setting of a liberal arts and research university. These advantages include small classes, ready access to faculty who have published in leading journals in their fields, and an intellectual environment where differences in disciplinary approaches need not serve as barriers to learning. The program has been granting Ph.D.s since the 1930s, and its graduates have developed successful careers in teaching, research, and business.
The program structure emphasizes the development of the theoretical understanding and empirical skills required to carry out research in applied economic analysis. Already in their second year, students have opportunities to conduct and present original research. The early emphasis on research helps students move rapidly after reaching the dissertation stage. This emphasis also assists Clark Ph.D.s in their job search.
The Clark program develops basic skills in economic theory and econometrics as well as in research. All students complete two semesters in introductory statistics and econometrics, two semesters of microeconomic theory and two semesters of macroeconomic theory. In addition, they specialize in two fields, each consisting of two to three semesters of coursework, and take additional course work in two electives. The Clark program regularly offers students specializations in four fields:
Other fields are occasionally offered and it is possible to combine related courses into a field, subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. Elective graduate courses are offered in a variety of areas, including urban economics, industrial organization and labor economics. These courses are offered contingent on faculty and student interest.
The list of recent dissertations provides an overview of the exciting research in applied economics being conducted by Clark Ph.D. students. The congenial size of the program and the emphasis at Clark on high-quality teaching also offer students opportunities to cross field boundaries in their own research. Combinations of trade and industrial organization or environmental economics and economic development are two examples of how Clark Ph.D. students can draw on insights and techniques in related fields for their research.
In addition, for students with strong interests in economic development, environmental economics, and international economics, the program offers added opportunities. Several students have used their involvement in grant-funded research to help develop their own research. In addition, related graduate and research programs at Clark offer unusual opportunities for acquiring additional research tools and insights. Programs in environmental analysis, international and community development, and geographic information systems offer course work that addresses complementary topics and offers skills useful for applied economics research. For example, several recent graduates have been able to combine theoretical insights and issues drawn from the economics literature with data based upon geographic information systems for their dissertation research.
One student examining the problem of land use change in the Yucatan was able to link his data set of farm households to ecological and economic data derived from satellite imagery for a richer understanding of farming decisions crucial to deforestation. Another now working for the World Food Program linked economic models of famine with geographically specific data from Ethiopia.
Located equidistant from Providence and the Boston area, Worcester is close enough to allow members of the Department community to take advantage of research resources available there. In addition, the proximity of Clark to these two cities permits the Department to draw on speakers from the area for its seminar series. The workshop also provides graduate students opportunities to present research.
Clark University offers a strong infrastructure for research as well. It is fully networked, and graduate students in Economics have access to a personal computers equipped with the latest econometric, modeling, and word processing programs. The Goddard Library of the university has collections that include more than 555,000 volumes, 265,000 monographs and subscriptions to 2,000 periodical titles. The Library provides full Internet access and nearly 50 end-user subject specific data bases. As a member of the Worcester Consortium for Higher Education , Clark offers students the use of eight academic consortium libraries and a combined local collection of more than 3.5 million volumes