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The Ph.D. Program in Economics

The Ph.D. Program in Economics at the University of South Florida offers a challenging environment for personal intellectual development. The program prepares students for teaching and research in universities and for economist positions in business or government. As the Department of Economics participates in the doctoral program of the USF College of Business, students completing the program will earn a PhD in Business Administration with a concentration in economics.

Admission Requirements

  • Score of at least 500 (V) and 660 (Q) on the GRE or at least 575 on the GMAT.
  • GPA of 3.0 (B) or better in last 60 hours undergraduate coursework as well as in any graduate coursework.
  • Grade of B or better in each of the following prerequisite courses: calculus, statistics, intermediate microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics.

Program Requirements

The program consists of required courses, field courses, and secondary/support courses. Per the College of Business, students entering the program without accepted background coursework in business will be required to complete a series of foundation courses from across the various departments within the College of Business. Upon completion of all courework and passing the qualifying examinations in microeconomics/mathematical economics and econometrics, students enter candidacy and must successfully complete and defend a dissertation. More details on these requirements can be found the College of Business Handbook for Doctoral Students and in the USF Graduate Catalog.

Required coursework for the PhD include the following:

  • ECO 6115 Microeconomics I
  • ECO 7116 Microeconomics II
  • ECO 6206 Aggregate Economics
  • ECO 6305 History of Economic Thought
  • ECO 6405 Mathematical Economics I
  • ECO 7406 Mathematical Economics II
  • ECO 6424 Econometrics I
  • ECO 6425 Econometrics II
  • ECO 7426 Econometrics III

Students must complete at least two two-semester field sequences from within economics. The Department currently offers fields in the economics of health care, industrial organization, public sector economics, urban and regional economics, and economic development and international trade. Students may take additional economics elective courses should they so choose or should such courses be deemed necessary preparation for the dissertation.

The secondary/support field is a three-semester sequence of coursework from outside of economics such as finance or statistics. The selection of courses must be approved by the Director of Graduate Programs.

Application Procedure

The PhD program admits students each fall. Links to the University and College applications for admission may be found on the Ph.D. in Business Administration application web page.

Financial Assistance

The Department has a limited number of graduate teaching assistantships available. The GTA provides a salary and a tuition waiver. Assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. Students wishing to be considered for financial assistance should mark the appropriate box on the College of Business application.

Further Information

If you are interested in obtaining additional information about the Doctoral Program in Economics at the University of South Florida , please contact:

Graduate Programs Secretary
Department of Economics
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33620-5500
(813) 974-4252
econgrad@coba.usf.edu

A brochure describing the PhD program in Economics is also available.