Applied Economics Ph.D.

The Applied Economics PhD program prepares students for careers in academia, government, and the private sector. All students are required to complete a sequence of courses involving a year-long mathematical treatment of optimization theories and economic models that emphasize cost-benefit analysis. In addition, students will be trained in statistical economic (econometric) models that are used to evaluate and quantify causal theoretical relationships and forecast counterfactual economic outcomes. Required coursework covers price theory for goods and services that trade in competitive and noncompetitive markets as well as the theory of allocation for non-market goods and services. Elective coursework applies these economic and econometric foundations to answer important questions related to food and agriculture, government policy, health, international trade and development, labor, and natural resources and the environment.