Economics

McGill.CA / ECONOMICS / Graduate Program

• Admissions
• Incoming Students
• MA Program
• PhD Program
• Courses & Outlines
• Funding
• Instream Students
• PhD Job Market Candidates
• Alumni
• PhD Graduate Placement
• PhD Comprehensive Exams

PhD Program

Information about tuition fees and financial assistance can be found here.

The Ph.D program is normally open only to holders of an M.A. in Economics. Successful completion of the McGill M.A. does not automatically qualify students for admission to the PhD. McGill M.A. students must make formal application to the Graduate Admissions Committee. New incoming Ph.D. students must take ECON 709 Microeconomic Theory 3, ECON 711 Microeconomic Theory 2, ECON 712 Macroeconomic Theory 1, ECON 713 Macroeconomic Theory 2,  ECON 662D1/D2 Econometrics, and ECON 701 PhD Comprehensive Examination. 

Candidates admitted to the “Ph.D 2” year must satisfy four requirements: 1) coursework; 2) the Ph.D Written Comprehensive examination; 3) the “third field”; and 4) the dissertation and oral defense. Students with an outstanding academic record, but without an M.A. in Economics, may be admitted to the “Ph.D 1” year. They must complete the course work for the M.A. Non-Thesis option before proceeding to Ph.D 2. 

The norm is that students enter in PhD 2. There are then 6 mandatory terms of full-time residency, which usually comprise the fall and winter terms of the first three years, ie:

Fall year 1: full time; Winter year 1: full time; Summer year 1: continuing

Fall year 2: full time; Winter year 2: full time; Summer year 2: continuing

Fall year 3: full time; Winter year 3: full time; Summer year 3: continuing

After these mandatory years of full time status, it is possible to complete the program.  

So after your third year is complete, registration looks like this:

Fall year 4: additional session*; Winter year 4: additional session; Summer year 4: additional session

Fall year 5: additional session 

*additional session fees are payable every term (ie including summer), whereas you only pay fees for the fall and winter terms during the first three residency terms.  

This continues until the Summer year 6 (PhD 7) term, which is the last permitted term of registration before being in time limitation.  Additional explanation can be found on the student accounts website and in the ecalendar. 

Coursework: Students entering the Ph.D 2 year will be required to take up to 12 graduate level courses over two years of study. The immediate aims of coursework at the Ph.D level are to prepare students to be able to pass their comprehensive exams, to help them find a thesis topic and to give them the necessary skills to undertake research on their thesis.

Ph.D Comprehensive Examinations: All Ph.D 2 students take their written Macroeconomic and Microeconomic Theory Comprehensive examinations at the end of the year in May. If they fail either of the two (or both), they would re-do them within a minimum of four (4) months and a maximum of six (6) months. In such circumstances the grade of HH (to be continued) will be used. In the event of a second failure, a grade of F will be reported to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the student will be withdrawn from the University. The comprehensive exams are denoted by ECON 701: Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination. Students register only once for the comprehensives.  

Third field: In addition to the two fields examined in the comprehensives, a third field is required. As noted above, however, it is satisfied by course requirements. Use of econometrics as the third field requires two courses at the 700 level over and above ECON 662D1 Econometrics / ECON 662D2 Econometrics.

Failure policy: A student will be required to withdraw from the University if he/she has two course failures or two comprehensive failures. A course failure is a failure to achieve the graduate passing grade of B- in (i) any course; (ii) any supplemental exam associated with a course; (iii) a re-taking of a course. Each instance is deemed to be a new failure, even if the second instance is in a supplemental associated with the same course as the initial failure. A comprehensive exam failure is a failure to achieve the passing grade in (i) the macro/micro comprehensive exam or (ii) either of the two field comprehensive exams. Each instance is deemed to be a new failure, even if a second instance is in the same exam as the initial failure. Notice that as long as the Macro/Micro comprehensive exams are taken during the same comprehensive exam period, ( i.e., either in May or during the retake) they are considered a single exam and therefore failing one or both of them will be considered as a single failure. See this webpage for course failure and comps failure webpage

Third-year paper and oral defense: Ph.D students who have completed their comprehensive exams are required to participate in ECON 770 PhD Research Seminar 1 and ECON 771 PhD Research Seminar 2. The objective of this course is to ease the transition from consuming to producing research. The final goal is to write, submit to the department, and present a paper. Ideally, this paper should serve as a starting point for the dissertation. The dates for submission and presentation will be determined on a year-by-year basis by the faculty member in charge.

About a month before the thesis is ready for initial submission, the supervisor should consult with his/her student and identify one or more potential examiners who are qualified to examine the thesis. Initial contact can be made by phone or email, as deemed most efficient. Please consult Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) website for details regarding thesis formatting.

Open only to PhD students PhD students who have completed their first year of studies may take select courses at other Montreal universities. More information on joint offerings is available here.

Supervision website

The Supervision: Graduate and Postdoctoral Support website offers research and evidence-based advice to graduate students and their supervisors on how to work together effectively and avoid common problems in supervision.

Related Content

Graduate Advisors

PhD Graduate Director:
Professor Rui Castro

PhD Graduate Advisor:
Professor Rui Castro

MA Graduate Director:
Professor Daniel Barczyk

MA Graduate Advisors:
Professor Matthieu Chemin

QY Advisor:
Professor Laura Lasio

Research Progress Tracking

Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) is instituting a policy of research progress tracking for students in thesis programs. Students and their supervisors are required to complete annual progress reports. For more information, refer to this link.

Students who do not complete the required forms, by department eadlines, are deemed by the Economics Department to not be in good standing. They can expect financial aid to be suspended, and may be subject to other sanctions imposed by the Economics Department or by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS).

Department and University Information

Department of Economics

Room 414, Leacock Building
855 Sherbrooke Street West
Montreal, Quebec H3A 2T7
Tel.: 514-398-3030

Graduate Program

Get the latest Covid-19 updates and learn what to expect for McGill’s return to campus this Fall 2021.

New! Recent PhD Graduate Job Placement

See here.

Studying Economics

McGill offers both M.A. and Ph.D. programs in Economics. Between 20 and 30 students per year register for the M.A. program, and ten or so for the Ph.D. program. M.A. students take courses in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, and quantitative methods, as well as optional courses drawn from several fields of study. M.A. students also do a research project. Most students are able to complete the M.A. in 12 months (September to August). Most graduates of the M.A. program work as economists in the public or private sector. Some continue to the Ph.D. program at McGill or elsewhere.

Students entering McGill as Ph.D. students normally do two years of coursework before completing their comprehensive examinations. Graduates of the Ph.D. program work in a variety of academic and non-academic positions. (See the “Alumni” section of the website for information about many of McGill’s Ph.D. graduates.)

Open only to PhD level students: PhD students who have completed their first year of studies may take select courses at other Montreal universities.
Consult more information on joint offerings

Students with a strong academic background but limited training in economics may be admitted as Qualifying Year (“QY”) students. Upon successful completion of approved coursework (with minimum grades as described below) over the September-April academic year, these students enter the M.A. program in September. QY students must apply to the MA program.

All students must enroll on a full-time basis (taking at least 12 credits per term) from the start of the academic year in September. 

Job Placement: Brown Student Services Building Tel.: 514-398-3304

Get an up-to-date listing of meetings scheduled with potential employers.
Even if you are not looking for a job right now, it is never too early to begin looking around.

Consult the CaPS Webite for a complete listing on a wide selection of workshops designed to help make the job search easier,

Supervision website

The Supervision: Graduate and Postdoctoral Support website offers research and evidence-based advice to graduate students and their supervisors on how to work together effectively and avoid common problems in supervision.

Student Information

Post Graduate Student Society (PGSS)

University Calendars

Graduate Viewbooks

Graduate Viewbook (English)
Graduate Viewbook (French)

Graduate Student Funding

Internal Grants,  Fellowships and Scholarships
Tomlinson Doctoral Fellowships
Mackenzie King Scolarships

External Grants, Fellowships and Scholarships
SSHRC
PBEEE (Quebec Merit Scholarship)
Trudeau Fondation Scholarships
Vanier CGS

McCall MacBain Scholarships – Master’s and Professional Programs
A full graduate scholarship and community to help you make a difference in the world.

Admission Requirements

Your degree.
You must hold, or reasonably expect to hold by September, a bachelor’s degree for entry into the M.A. program or a master’s degree in Economics for entry to the Ph.D. program, however, exceptional candidates holding a bachelor’s degree will be considered for direct admission to Ph.D. 1 level. The minimum acceptable CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) is 3.0 out of a possible 4.0, which is equivalent to “B” on a letter scale, or at least a 3.2/4.0 over the last two years of study. The University assesses degrees earned outside Canada to determine if they are equivalent to a McGill degree. “International Degree Equivalency” for several countries is listed here. *Please be sure to calculate what your CGPA translates to at McGill before applying, and if your CGPA is below 3.0, you are not eligible for our graduate programs.*
Math requirements.
To enter the MA or PhD programs you must have taken at least the following:

(a) two terms of calculus (differential and integral calculus, including constrained optimization methods, functions of several variables, partial derivatives, constrained optimization using the method of Lagrangian multipliers and Riemann integration);
(b) one term of matrix algebra (rank, inverse, eigenvalues, eigenvectors and quadratic forms);
(c) statistics: a full-year course in statistics from an economics or mathematics department.
To enter the QY you should at a minimum be familiar with functions, limits, continuity, differentiation, and integration. If you enter the QY program without the mathematics background specified under (a) and (b), you must be prepared to take both math and economics courses as part of your QY program.If your degree is not in Economics.

An Honours B.A. in Economics is the normal requirement, although students holding an ordinary B.A., whether in economics or another discipline, may also be eligible for admission. Students judged by the admissions committee to have deficiencies in their preparation in economics may be admitted to a Qualify Year in which they undertake advanced economics honours-level undergraduate work. Admission to the QY does not imply an exemption from GRE. The minimum preparation is a full year of intermediate macroeconomics, microeconomics, and statistics, two semesters of introductory calculus and one semester of linear algebra.

The Qualifying Year
Graduate applicants who do not have an adequate background in either economics or mathematics may be admitted to the Qualifying Year (QY). QY students take three full-year (September-April) Honours economics undergraduate level courses:

ECON 250D1/D1 Intro to Econ Theory: Honours; and
ECON 257D1/D2 Economic Statistics: Honours; and
ECON 352D1/D2 Macroeconomics: Honours;and
either a fourth year-long course or two semester-long courses for a total of 24 credits.

Substitutions for the core economics courses are possible in special cases. Students considered by the admissions committee to have an inadequate mathematics background must take one or two semester-long mathematics courses, most commonly MATH 223 Linear Algebra and multivariable calculus MATH 222 Calculus 3.

To enter the MA from the Qualifying year program, a student must earn a GPA of at least a 3.2 in the program approved by the QY academic advisor, and a minimum grade of B in all courses. Where mathematics courses are included in a Qualifying Year student’s program, the requirement of a minimum grade of B applies to those courses. A student may be in the Qualifying Year program for only one year. Neither the University nor most granting agencies provide financial support for QY students. In all cases, after the completion of a Qualifying Year, an applicant interested in commencing a degree program must apply for admission by the posted deadline.

Cost and Financial Assistance

Information about tuition and non-tuition charges and other important information can be found on the Student Accounts website.

Economics Department.
Financial assistance from the Department most often comes in the form of a teaching or research assistantship. Every year a few outstanding applicants are awarded scholarships by the Faculty of Arts or Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Unfortunately, neither the University nor most external granting agencies provide financial support for Qualifying Year students.

For Canadians.
The Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) provides both master’s and doctoral funding to Canadian students on a competitive basis. If you are eligible, please apply. The deadline for applications varies depending on your current or most recent university attended.The Fonds de recherche du Québec sur la société et la culture (FQRSC) provides master’s and doctoral funding for Québec residents.

For non-Canadians.
Non-Canadian students can draw on a wide variety of fellowships and other forms of assistance. First and foremost, you should check with your home country’s government, as there may be funding opportunities for students who want to study abroad.  Several large, multidisciplinary programs fund study in Canada by students from abroad. These include the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Program; the Government of Canada Awards to Foreign Nationals; and the Technical Assistance Scholarships and Fellowships and Canadian Fellowship Program for French-Speaking Countries, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). You must apply for assistance under these programs through your home country’s government, usually via the Ministry of Education. Applications sent by individuals directly to Canada are not considered.

Other.
The Fellowships and Awards Section of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office provides information on many sources of support for Canadian and non-Canadian students, both new to McGill University and continuing. Further information on these and other sources of funding can be found in the Graduate Fellowships and Awards Calendar and on the GPS website. Graduate Postdoctoral Studies can also be reached by email.

International fee waiver.
Every year a limited number of students from countries or regions that have signed a tuition fee agreement with the Province of Quebec may be exempted from the higher tuition fees normally required of students from foreign countries. For further information visit the Quebec Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sports (MELS) website. Here is a list of the countries or regions that have a signed tuition fee agreement. You must apply to your home country government, usually the Ministry of Education, which makes an official recommendation for students to be exempted from higher fees.

Additional information.
More about financial assistance available to international graduate students can be found on the UNESCO website.

 Japan IMF Scholarship program