A Ph.D. in Economics requires credit hours in 500-level courses with a 3.0-grade point average with not more than 33 units of readings (597) and research (598) and workshops (5991, 5992, 5993, 5994, 5995, 5996, 5997, 5998).

Students may transfer up to 24 units of graduate work completed elsewhere but are advised to make such a transfer only after consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies.

The credit hours must include:

1. Microeconomic Theory and Macroeconomic Theory: 12 hours (501, 502, 503, 504);
2. Quantitative methods and econometrics: 9 hours (511, 512, 5161).

Students should always consult with the Director of Graduate Studies concerning questions about their course work, particularly courses the student wishes to register for which may lie outside a normal curriculum for an economics graduate student.  Prior to registration for the fall of the second year in the program, each student must have their second-year program of courses approved by the Graduate Curriculum Committee.  

Decisions for First Year Students

We expect students entering the program to have at least two (or more) semesters of calculus (equivalent to Math 131 and Math 132 at Washington University), a semester of matrix or applied linear algebra (equivalent to Math 309 ), and a semester of statistics. Even students with this background must take the math review course in August. This is not a remedial calculus review. Rather it is designed to introduce students to topics in mathematics (including linear algebra, basic topology, and constrained maximization) that they are unlikely to have had in even three or more semesters of college mathematics.

Course decisions for first-year students are:

• Whether to ask to be excused from Econ 511 and/or Econ 512 and which math courses to take instead. A few students may have had sufficient previous course work in mathematics or statistics to warrant not taking one or both quantitative methods courses. They may request a written waiver from the instructor of the corresponding course to be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies and take a math course instead.
• Whether to take a fourth course in the Spring semester and, if so, which one. Even students who do not intend to do advanced work in theory or econometrics may benefit from a linear algebra course, say, Math 429 in addition to Econ 511.