Washington University encourages interdisciplinary research and teaching. For some time, the Department of Economics has supported these efforts by offering the possibility to qualify for a joint degree in Economics and Systems Science or acquire a PhD in Economics concurrently with a degree in Law.
To be eligible for such an interdisciplinary program, applicants are expected to have particularly strong credentials in economics as well as in the other discipline. For instance, to be admitted to the Joint Doctoral Degree Program in Economics and Systems Science applicants need a particularly strong mathematical training. In addition, undergraduate intermediate theory courses in micro- and macroeconomics (equivalent of Econ 4011-4021) are prerequisites for the program.
An applicant interested in obtaining a joint degree or dual degree should contact the Director of Admissions or if that person is unavailable, the Director of Graduate Studies before a formal application is made. An assessment of the feasibility of the applicant's plans will be made. Often a joint or dual degree is not necessary. Students may be more successful if they take classes or a field in another discipline. In addition, a graduate student may get a dissertation adviser from other parts of the university to combine the best of several disciplines into a student's work.
Note that, for a joint or dual degree, a successful applicant will have to be admitted into two graduate programs at Washington University.
