Minimum Number Credits for Graduation: 36 Course + 15 Dissertation
Courses are offered only in Fall (September to December) and Spring (January to May). During summer while no courses are offered students are expected to be individually working on their research.
Year 1-4
Year 1
Economic History – Econ 703 Political Economy I – Econ 708 Mathematical Methods – Econ 751
9
Fall
Year 2
9
Spring
Political Economy II – Econ 709 or Econometrics – ResEcon 702 if needed Microeconomics B - Econ 702, or Elective Elective – Field Course
9
Microeconomics B - Econ 700, or Elective
Econometrics – ResEcon 703 or Econ 753 Elective – Field Course
9
First (Core) Comprehensive Exam, taken between Year 2 Fall and Spring terms
Semester Course 1 Course 2 Course 3 Total Credits
Semester Course 1 Course 2 Course 3 Total Credits
Fall
Spring
Dissertation Workshop – Econ 797S Dissertation Credits(6) - Econ 899
9
Year 3
Elective – Field Course Econometrics – if needed Dissertation Credits(6) - Econ 899
9 - 12
Second Comp, typically taken summer before Year 3 Fall term, or between Year 3 Fall and Spring terms
Fall
Spring
Dissertation Credits - Econ 899 or
Continuous Enrollment – GradSch 999 as needed
Year 4
Dissertation Credits(3) - Econ 899 3
The academic plan you finally choose for yourself may be very different from our suggested plan. Always consult with your advisors! But here are some examples of considerations that will affect your choice of courses:
Comprehensive Exams – You may need to take extra courses to prepare for your comp exams. For example, though only one Political Economy course is needed to satisfy your Core Course requirement, you will need to take a second PE course if you choose to sit for the PE comp exam. You might, therefore, choose to take PE II in your second term, sit for the PE comp in January after your third term, and begin your econometrics sequence in your fourth term.
Another example: If you choose to take the comp exam in Macroeconomics you will need to take Macro II or III (Econ 706 or 797N, both fall courses) in addition to Macro I (Econ 705, offered in spring). You might, then, choose to take one of these courses as a 3rd-term elective, possibly postponing your Micro B course to your 4th term.
Waivers – Waivers granted on the basis of graduate work completed before enrolling in the Ph.D. program will allow you to substitute elective courses for Core Courses. For example, if you have earned waivers for one or both Econometrics courses you might choose to take PE II in your second term. Likewise, with a waiver for Econ 701 you might consider satisfying your Micro B requirement with Econ 702 in your second term.
Fields – Once you have decided which two fields you’ll use to satisfy your field course requirement, you’ll want to think ahead about which courses you’ll need to take, and when they are likely to be offered. Not all courses are offered every year–US Economic History, Econ 764, for example, is offered in alternate years.
Dissertation credits – Dissertation credits represent the academic credit you earn for work on your prospectus and dissertation. You need 15 for your degree, but you have great flexibility in deciding when to enroll for dissertation credits, and how many dissertation credits to take in any semester. Three courses (9 credits) is a normal load for most Ph.D. students, but you are permitted to enroll in as many as 16 credits in a term without seeking special permission, though only 9 of those may be dissertation credits.
Financial tip: You all know to enroll in Dissertation Credits while you have Tuition Credit for an Assistantship or Fellowship. But don’t forget that each term’s Service Fee is based on the number of credits you enroll for, with steps at 5 and 9 credits. On the plan given above, based on the 2017 Fee Schedule, the Service Fees for semesters 5, 6, and 7 (Year 3 and part of Year 4) will be $635 + $635 + $254 = $1,524 (9 credits + 9 credits + 3 credits). If you shift one dissertation credit from your 6th term to your 7th, your Service Fees will be $635 + $444.50 + $254 = $1,333.50 (9 credits + 8 credits + 4 credits).