The Ph.D. Program
- Requirements
- Overview of the Program
- Required Courses and Examinations in Economic Theory
- Fields of Specialization
- Electives
- Dissertation
- Advising, Assistance and Other Tips
- Non-Resident Status
- Information for New Graduate Students (in PDF format)
- Topics in Mathematics for Graduate Studies (in PDF format)
Requirements
The requirements for the Ph.D. in economics are as follows:
- Complete courses and pass qualifying examinations in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory.
- Complete courses in quantitative methods and econometrics.
- Complete courses in two fields of specialization. (Each field requires a minimum of two courses.)
- Present a research paper from one of the fields in the department research seminar.
- Satisfactorily complete two additional elective courses in economics or related areas.
- Propose, write, and defend a thesis.
Summary
During the first one and a half years of the program, course work concentrates on economic theory and quantitative methods in preparation for the comprehensive theory examinations. Students beginning their graduate study typically focus on their course work in mathematics, economic theory, and statistics. Nonetheless, it is important even during the first year to start thinking about how to develop your program.
The three most important components of the program are the Required Courses, Fields of Specialization and the Elective courses. The Graduate Program Advisor, Professor Geoghegan, can help you get started in your thinking about your fields of specialization and elective courses. We encourage you to seek out the faculty members in the areas that you are interested in to find out about research possibilities. By the beginning of your second year, you should have a designated faculty advisor in the area that you plan to carry out research in. The advisor is also responsible for “signing off” on your choice of Elective courses.
In addition to your own discussions with faculty, the Department as a whole conducts a review of the progress of each student in the spring. An important part of that review is the Graduate Student Self-Evaluation and Application for a Teaching Assistant form, which is available in the Department Office.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program may be awarded the M.A. degree upon satisfactory completion of twelve credits and the qualifying exams. In the case of students who do not continue toward the Ph.D., on recommendation of the Director of Graduate Studies, the M.A. may be awarded upon satisfactory completion with a passing grade of twelve courses (including all required first year courses) with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
The program is designed so that the Ph.D. degree can be earned in four to five years (although average time to completion for the past ten years is 6.5 years). Here is an overview of the program for a student completing the Ph.D. in four years:
| Year | Fall | Spring |
| First Year | Probability & Statistics (Econ 360) Mathematical Economics (Econ 371) Micro Theory - Foundations (Econ 301) |
Econometrics (Econ 365) Micro Theory - Topics (Econ 302) Macro Theory I (Econ 303) June: Microeconomics Theory Qualifying Examination |
| Second Year | Macro Theory II (Econ 304) Major Field (course 1) Minor Field (course 1) or electives January: Macroeconomic Theory Qualifying Examination |
Major Field (course 2) Minor Field (course 2) or electives Elective |
| Third Year | Minor Field or electives Poster presentation of field paper Dissertation proposal - prospectus presentation |
Field 2 or electives Writing dissertation |
| Fourth Year | Writing dissertation | Writing dissertation and defense |
Required Courses and Examinations in Economic Theory
Required courses are taken during the first and second years. These courses include two courses in economic theory (Economics 301-302: Microeconomics Foundations and Microeconomics Topics), two courses in macroeconomics (Economics 303-304: Macroeconomics I and II), two courses in statistics and econometrics (Economics 360: Probability & Statistics and Economics 365: Econometrics, and one course in Mathematics (Economics 371: Math for Economists). Applicants to the program who can demonstrate that they have an advanced background in mathematics or statistics may be able to waive Economics 360 or Economics 371 with prior approval of the Graduate Program Advisor and the Department.
Qualifying examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics are held once a year. The exam in microeconomics is taken after the first year in June. The exam in macroeconomics is taken prior to the start of the spring semester in the second year in January. Students may take each examination only twice. Failure to pass the exam on the second attempt will result in withdrawal from the program.
Fields of Specialization
Field courses are begun in the second year, and completed by the end of the third year. Each field consists of two or three semesters of coursework. A student must designate a Major Field of specialization, in which a field paper is written (and subsequently presented in poster form in a department poster session) as well as a Minor Field. The Clark program regularly offers specialization in four fields, with two fields usually offered each academic year:
- Applied Econometrics (Econ 366a/b)
- Development Economics (Econ 328, 329)
- International Economics (Econ 307, 308)
- Spatial Environmental Economics (Econ 357, 377, and 359)
Most of these topics courses are offered as one-semester courses, which can then be paired with a related course to form a field (this is done in consultation with the Graduate Advisor). Students must take both the Major Field and the Minor Field within the economics department. Typically, individual areas of study such as international trade that are offered on a one-semester basis are either stand-alone courses or offered in conjunction with a related field (e.g., trade and industrial organization or development economics and environmental economics). Graduate student preferences are solicited to ensure that the offerings of fields offer the best opportunities for specialized training.
Successful completion of each field requires a passing grade (a minimum of B-), in all field courses and completion of any other requirements designated by the professor responsible for the field.
A student must designate one field as his/her specialty field. This may be done at any time before the completion of the second field, and is to be done in agreement with a supervising professor. Each student will write a field paper in his/her specialty field. The field paper should demonstrate knowledge about the research questions, methodology and relevant literature in the specialty field. it will ordinarily involve original theoretical or empirical research. The topic for the field paper is to be determined with the approval of the supervising professor responsible for the Major Field. The completed Major Field paper must be presented in poster format in a department poster session by the end of the seventh semester in residence. If this deadline is not met, the student moves to non-resident status until the paper is presented.
Electives
The Ph.D. also requires two elective courses, except for students selecting the Applied Spatial Analysis as a Major or Minor Field; these students are required to take only one elective course. These may be taken within or outside the Department of Economics. Elective courses within economics may be either stand alone electives or be taken from an economics department field course sequence that a student is not declaring as either a Major Field or Minor Field. Elective courses taken in other Departments should be designated to complement your chosen fields. For example, a student in environmental economics may want to take one or more graduate courses in the Geography Department in Geographic Information Systems. Students carrying out mathematical simulations may want to upgrade their math skills with additional course work at Clark or the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In any event, elective courses taken outside of the Department require the prior approval of your advisor.
The Dissertation
During the third year of the program, you focus on developing a thesis topic and organizing your research. A written dissertation prospectus should be completed by the end of the third year or the beginning of the fourth. You then make a presentation at an informal seminar with all graduate students and faculty invited to attend. After the presentation, the primary advisor, in consultation with the chair, appoints the other two members of the dissertation committee if the topic is judged feasible.
Upon completion of the dissertation in a form acceptable to the committee, the candidate makes a copy of the dissertation available to the department. After a period of two weeks, to permit sufficient time for reading of the dissertation, the candidate presents the dissertation at a seminar open to the department as a dissertation defense. Final approval of the dissertation is granted by the committee after consideration of any suggested changes. With approval of the department, three published articles in peer-reviewed economics journals might be substituted for the dissertation to satisfy the degree requirement.
A dissertation cannot be defended if more than five years have elapsed since the passing of the qualifying examinations without retaking an examination in micro and macro theory.
Advising, Assistance, and other Tips
Professor Geoghegan is the principle advisor to the graduate program until the student has identified a field of specialization. At that point, other faculty members are best equipped to help you develop your research plans. Cindy Rice can also provide you with much assistance about day-to-day administrative questions. In any event, please feel free to ask!
You will find that you can learn a great deal from your fellow graduate students, since they often have faced similar questions about course material and the challenges of carrying out independent research. In any event, please consult Professor Geoghegan, your advisor, or the chair of the Department if you have any questions about Departmental regulations.
Non-Resident Status
Once students have completed taking their field courses and have completed 2 years registered for Econ 397, Dissertation, they are automatically moved to non-residency status. (This generally occurs after 5 years.) The student will then be responsible for paying non-resident fees which are currently $200/semester, $400/year for the first 3 years; and $400/semester, $800/year for any time after that.