Qualifications and Student Profile
An undergraduate degree in the field of Economics is not required to enter the PhD program. However, excelling grades in upper division economics courses will be given priority in decisions made by the Economics Graduate Admission Committee. Also, applicants do not need a Master's Degree to apply nor to be admitted. In past years, most applicants recommended for graduate admission had the following profile:
- Proven independent research ability (e.g., honors thesis).
- GPA of 3.5 or higher with consideration for the degree of difficulty of the course work.
- Upper level mathematical course work, including real analysis, mathematical analysis, linear algebra, differential equations, advanced calculus and statistics with grades of A- or better.
- GRE Quantitative scores ranging from the 85th to the 99th percentile.
- Grades of A-minus or better in intermediate level theory courses (microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics) with a strong preference for honors or mathematical track versions of all three courses.
- Advanced undergraduate or graduate-level coursework in economics.
Individuals who have completed a three-year degree with no additional coursework typically do not qualify as having an equivalent U.S. bachelor's degree. Applicants with a 3-year degree and at least one year of graduate study should contact Graduate Admissions to clarify if their degree would be equivalent to a U.S. 4-year degree.