Graduate Program
Our department offers a Ph.D. degree in Economics. This website gives a complete list of our core program requirements, field options, areas of faculty research, current Ph.D. students, and placements of our recently-graduated students. It also has a publicity video that introduces the department from the perspective of current graduate students and recent alumni/ae. Our graduate program is STEM-approved.
We take pride in the value added by our program. Our commitment to graduate student teaching and thesis supervision is unusually strong. While our program is oriented toward students who aim for faculty positions at universities and for research positions in the public sector and international agencies, in recent years a number of our graduates have chosen to take positions in the private sector, especially in financial and high-tech firms.
We admit those students who demonstrate the greatest promise for success not only in the Ph.D. program but also in their subsequent careers. We base our admissions decisions primarily on the standard criteria (academic preparation, grades, research experience, letters of recommendation, and GRE scores) but also look for personal traits such as joyfulness, resilience, creativity, and independence.
We encourage applicants from a variety of backgrounds, but a good understanding of intermediate microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, multivariate calculus, basic linear algebra, and probability and statistics is required before beginning the core requirements. Training in econometrics and in more advanced mathematics and statistics is desirable but not necessary.
UCR is a rapidly expanding campus. There are many exciting initiatives on campus, such as the School of Public Policy and the Global Studies Program, which offer opportunities for students interested in public policy. The City of Riverside is a very livable community that was recently ranked among the best places to reside and do business in the United States. Situated halfway between the City of Los Angeles and Palm Springs, and blessed with a Southern California climate, Riverside is less than an hour away from the beach, the mountains, and the desert. Few places in the United States offer such a range of recreational opportunities.
Please contact Gary Kuzas, Graduate Student Affairs Assistant, if you have any questions about our program or the admissions process: gary.kuzas@ucr.edu