PhD in Economics
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Program overview
A PhD in Economics gives you expertise in one of our department’s many areas of specialization. You will work with distinguished scholars who provide mentorship in fields such as applied econometrics, labour economics, monetary economics, financial economics and game theory. Students benefit from the Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Économie Quantitative (CIREQ) in facilitating collaboration between Montreal’s major universities in economic research, and are encouraged to register for advanced elective courses at Concordia, McGill and the Université de Montréal. Our faculty members have been published in numerous prestigious journals such as Econometrica, the American Economic Review, the Journal of Political Economy, the Review of Economic Studies and the Journal of Monetary Economics.
Program details
Admission requirements
- MA in economics from a recognized university with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or equivalent.
- Students with a high standing in a master’s degree or equivalent in other fields, such as commerce, mathematics or business administration from a recognized university may be admitted, subject to satisfactory completion of qualifying requirements, if necessary.
- Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the Graduate Admission page for further information on the Language Proficiency requirements and exemptions.
Students with a BA (honours) or equivalent with high standing in economics may apply for admission directly to doctoral studies.
GRE. While writing the GRE is not required, such scores certainly enhance an application for admission and especially for funding.
Degree requirements
Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 90 credits.
18 credits – Required Courses
ECON 612 – Microeconomics I (3 credits)
ECON 613 – Microeconomics II (3 credits)
ECON 615 – Macroeconomics I (3 credits)
ECON 616 – Macroeconomics II (3 credits)
ECON 680 – Econometric Theory I (3 credits)
ECON 681 – Econometric Theory II (3 credits)
12 credits – Program Elective Courses
Selected from the Departmental offerings.
6 credits – Research Seminar
ECON 806 – Doctoral Research Seminar (6 credits)
6 credits – Comprehensive Examinations
ECON 805 – Doctoral Comprehensive Examination (6 credits)
48 credits – Doctoral Thesis
ECON 807 – Doctoral Thesis (48 credits)
Application process
Your completed application will include:
- Application form and Fee
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
- Statement of purpose should outline (1 to 2 pages):
- your goals for enrolling in the program
- what makes you a good candidate for the program
- your expectations from your studies in the program
- what you plan to achieve in the program and
- your particular field(s) of interest.
- Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
- Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
- Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit official language test scores, unless exempted.
Please apply online. Read the how-to guide for application procedures.
Application deadlines
| DEGREE | FALL (September) | WINTER (January) | SUMMER (May/June) |
| Economics | PhD | Feb. 1 | n/a | n/a |
Courses
Courses typically offered include:
- Microeconomics
- Macroeconomics
- Game Theory
- Econometric Theory
- Applied Econometrics
- Monetary Economics
- Growth and Development
- Financial Economics
- Environmental Economics
- Labour Economics
- Risk Management
- Political Economics
- Economic Design
- Experimental Economics
Consult the Graduate Calendar for a complete list of current courses.
Funding
Teaching assistantships are typically available to each PhD student. Students who have completed their thesis proposal are also eligible to teach courses. Supervisors may offer advanced doctoral students an extra stipend in the form of a research assistantship.
The Faculty of Arts and Science supports graduate students by offering many fellowships and international tuition remissions. Entrance fellowships are paid for the first four years of study while Concordia Merit Scholarships are paid once to a number of newly admitted students. Recipients of international tuition remissions are only responsible for paying Quebec rates. Consideration for these awards is automatically part of the admissions process for all new students.
Graduate students may receive a number of departmental scholarships, including the Professor Jaleel Ahmad Scholarship and the Balvir and Ranjna Singh Memorial Graduate Award.
For further information, please consult the Department of Economics’ graduate funding page and Financial Aid & Awards Office’s page.
Faculty research
Members of our research-active faculty are affiliated with the Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Économie Quantitative (CIREQ) and the Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis of Organizations (CIRANO). They have received high honours from the Canada Research Chairs Program, and been awarded the Mongolian Government’s Science Leader Award and the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship in Research.
Faculty research interests include:
- economic development
- economic dynamics
- econometrics
- international trade and finance
- financial and monetary economics
- computational economics
- environmental and natural resources
- game theory
- industrial organization
- information economics
- market design
- labour economics
- experimental economics
- public economics
Emerging ideas – student projects
Review an inspiring list of thesis topics and read about some of our exceptional students.
Doctoral students have also been published in a multitude of prestigious journals, including Economics Research International, Health Economics Review, ISRN Economics, the Journal of Primary Prevention, and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
Student initiatives
The EGSA aims to promote a stimulating academic and social atmosphere by organizing social events, facilitating seminars and other activities. Seminars organized by the EGSA invite faculty members and graduate students to present their research in economics, and offer you the opportunity to learn more about grant applications and scientific event planning. Doctoral students may also present their own research poster at the Economics Spring Poster Day, an annual showcase of graduate student research in the Department.
The CIREQ PhD Students’ Conference is an annual event held in Montreal that invites doctoral students to present their research findings. The student-run conference provides a great opportunity to practice your presentation skills, disseminate your research to a friendly audience of peers, and learn about doctoral research in your field conducted in Montreal and elsewhere in Canada.
Your professional future
Our alumni are well suited for high-level research and management positions in academia, government, and national and international organizations. Many graduates can be found in research and teaching positions at various post-secondary institutions, including Dalhousie University, the University of Alberta and the University of Waterloo. Recent graduates are also working as deputy managing directors, capital planning functional model owners and independent consultants.
Economics – PhD (Applied Economics) at Waterloo
At a glance
Application deadline
- February 1 (for admission in September)
Graduate research fields
- Public Economic Policy
Study options
- Thesis
Minimum admission requirements
- Master’s degree in Economics.
- Minimum 80%, first class average in Master of Arts (MA) Economics degree.
- A one-page statement of Academic Interest.
- A GRE score is not required but is recommended for all international students applying to the program.
- Three academic references
- Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable. TOEFL 90 (writing 25, speaking 25), IELTS 7.0 (writing 6.5, speaking 6.5)
- The Department of Economics does not consider international applications whose English language proficiency scores fall below the minimum requirements
Approximate tuition, fees, and living costs
- Canadian and permanent resident students, full-time: $2,254.00 tuition and $470.90 incidental fees per term (as of January 2020)
- International students, full-time: $6,972.00 tuition and $682.90 incidental fees per term (as of January 2020)
- Due to funding restrictions, the Faculty of Arts is currently limiting the number of international students we can admit. We receive an average of 33 international PhD applications each year, and admit approximately 1 international PhD student. Please contact the department’s Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.
- Study and living costs
Career paths – employment opportunities
M.A. Job Placements: The Bank of Canada, the Department of Finance, Statistics Canada, Industry Canada, Health Canada, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Bank of Montreal, Toronto Dominion Bank, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Goldman Sachs. As well as placements to do a PhD at various universities in North America and the UK.
Ph.D. Job Placements: the Universities of Toronto, Wisconsin, Hong Kong, Indiana, University College London, Vanderbilt University, HEC (Montreal), and the International Monetary Fund.–Degrees Offered/Method of Completion
Degrees Offered
M.A.: 1 year
Ph.D.: 4 years
Method of Completion
M.A.: Course work, independent research project/essay, oral exam. Master’s students have the opportunity to engage in an independent research project. All faculty members are available as supervisors of these projects.
Ph.D.: Course work (includes preparation in economic theory, quantitative methods and areas of specialization), comprehensive written exams in micro and macro theory, doctoral thesis.–Fields of study
Macroeconomics: Starting from an introduction to Dynamic Programming, students will develop tools and techniques that have become standard in the analysis of dynamic economies. Students will be exposed to cutting edge research and are expected to develop their own research ideas.
Microeconomic Theory: The study of firms and consumers and their interactions to determine the workings of a market economy. Strategic interactions between various players in different settings is also studied.
Applied Microeconomics: Applied microeconomics includes a range of specialized areas of study, which can draw on methods from other fields of economics. However applied work, utilizes the basic principles of price theory, supply & demand, and game theory.
Econometric Theory: Econometric theory applies the tools of statistics to economic problems. It develops methods for testing and quantifying economic theories and relationships in data.
Applied Econometrics: Applied econometrics focuses on using techniques to analyze data and uses statistical methods to produce empirical evidence to test opinions and theories.
Economic History: Using contemporary methodological and empirical techniques in an effort to understand fundamental economic relationships that have been operable in the long run. While economic history does help us to understand the past, its primary focus involves the use of past experience to illuminate current and future economic interactions.–Funding /Academic Requirements / Deadlines
Funding Information
Basic Funding Package: consists of scholarships and teaching assistantships
Ph.D.: $18,000 (guaranteed minimum annual stipend although most students receive more than this minimum)
All applicants will be considered for financial assistance if they so stipulate on the application.
We strongly encourage applicants to apply for all possible sources of external funding, including SSHRC, OGS and others. Entering graduate students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided a $5,000 (Masters) and $10,000 (PhD) top-up award by Queen’s.
Internal funding includes the C.A. Curtis Prize, the Richard S. Malone Graduate Fellowship in Economics, and the Scarthingmoor Prize which awards $8,000 to the author of the best M.A. essay
Academic Prerequisites
Please note that in the academic background section we require a list of your five most recent courses and marks in economics, math, or statistics.
M.A.:
- Honours Bachelor’s degree with a major in economics or a related field, minimum upper second-class standing (Most students have first-class averages.)
- Most successful applicants have undergraduate credits in statistics and quantitative methods for economics, intermediate and advanced micro and macroeconomic theory, and two or three further upper-year courses in economics, plus courses in linear algebra and differential and integral calculus.
Ph.D.:
- Honours Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in economics or a related field.
- If you are applying for the Ph.D. program, you should submit marks from at least one term of your M.A. program.
Test Requirements
Any applicant whose previous degree is not from a Canadian or U.S. university must submit GRE scores. For international students, if required, a TOEFL total score of at least 600 (paper-based) or TOEFL iBT minimum scores of: writing (24/30); speaking (22/30); reading (22/30); listening (20/30), for a total of 88/120. Applicants must have the minimum score in each test as well as the minimum overall score.
MELAB score of 80 or an IELTS score of 7
Key Dates and Deadlines
Application Deadline: February 1st for online applications.
Notification of Acceptance: Mid-February onwards.–Learning Outcomes
Degree Level Expectations – MA (79 KB)
Degree Level Expectations – PhD (81 KB)–Grad Maps
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