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Department of Economics > Graduate Program > Graduate Program Guide Online > Doctoral Program

Doctoral Degree in Economics

Program Description and Requirements

The Ph.D. in economics requires successful completion of

• seven core courses;
• qualifying examinations in microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory;
• seven 600-level and 700-level courses in economics (including Econ 730) beyond the core;
• two fields;
• a third-year research paper;
• an oral comprehensive exam, administered jointly with the defense of the dissertation proposal;
• a final oral exam, including defense of the final dissertation;
• and submission of the final dissertation manuscript to Graduate Division.

Cram Course in Mathematics for Economics

Offered in late July and early August, this review course is optional for Ph.D. or M.A. students; attendance is strongly encouraged! The course provides a partial review of the mathematics that students encounter in ECON 606 and 607 during August and September of their first semester. No credit is given for this course. At present, there is no fee for UHM Economics students to enroll. Graduate students from other departments may attend on a space-available basis if they pay a fee. Contact the department secretary for details.

Core Courses

Ph.D. students must complete seven core courses with a grade of B- or better in each course. Normal progress requires completion of the core courses in the first three semesters of the student's enrollment. Three or four courses per semester constitute a full load for first- and second-year graduate students (two or three courses per semester for graduate assistants). If students have time for non-core courses during their first three semesters of enrollment, they may wish to undertake work in English as a second language; mathematics (e.g., calculus, differential equations, or linear algebra), statistics and probability theory; or graduate courses from other fields. Core courses are offered according to the following schedule.

Econ 606, 607, 627, and 629 are offered only in the fall semester, and Econ 608, 609, and 628 are offered only in the spring semester.

The Ph.D. student core begins in the fall semester, and Ph.D. students should plan on starting their program with the Cram Course in Mathematics given during July/August prior to the beginning of the first year. Students with deficiencies in economics or mathematics should plan to enroll in summer school. Students with an M.A. degree in economics may in some cases be eligible for enrollment during the spring semester and should consult with the Graduate Chair.

Ph.D. students who enroll with an M.A. degree in economics may be exempted by the Graduate Chair from taking some or all of Econ 606, 607, 608, and 609. However, they will still be required to take and pass the microeconomics and macroeconomics qualifying examinations. Econ 627 and Econ 628 may also be waived by the Graduate Chair if equivalent courses were passed in the student's M.A. program and the M.A. degree is of recent vintage.

Qualifying Examinations in Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Theory

All Ph.D. students, as well as all M.A. students who would like to apply for admission to the doctoral program, must take qualifying examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics at the end of their first year. Students must complete Econ 606 and 608 with grades of "B-" or better before taking the microeconomics qualifying exam and must complete Econ 607 and 609 with a grade of "B-" or better before taking the macroeconomics qualifying exam. Students receiving a grade lower than a "B-" in any of the microeconomics or macroeconomics core courses must retake and pass the course with a grade of "B-" or better before they are eligible to take the qualifying exam in that field. The deferred examination must be taken at the next scheduled examination date. An eligible student who does not sit for a qualifying exam at the end of the first year must take and pass the exam in August of the same year or the student will not be allowed to proceed in or be admitted to the doctoral program. The two qualifying examinations will usually be scheduled during the second week following the final exam week of the spring semester. Those who receive passing grades on the two theory qualifying examinations will be admitted into or allowed to proceed in the doctoral program. A student who fails a theory qualifying examination must retake it in August of the same year. A student who fails a qualifying examination for the second time will not be admitted to or allowed to proceed in the doctoral program. The possible grades for these examinations are: High Pass, Pass and Fail. At their discretion, examining faculty members may append a plus (+) or a minus (-) to grades of High Pass and Pass.

Courses Beyond the Core

Doctoral students are required to complete seven 600-level and 700-level courses in economics (including Econ 730) beyond the seven-course core. Students can petition the Graduate Chair to count up to two 600-level and 700-level courses at the doctoral level in other departments toward this requirement.

Fields

Doctoral students are required to complete two fields, each consisting of two courses, from our five fields of specialization: Human Resources, Development Economics, Public Economics, International Economics, and Environmental and Resource Economics. The courses are as follows:

Students may petition in advance to substitute a field in another discipline or another field in economics for the five fields listed above.

Some field courses are offered annually, others less frequently. As early as practicable, students should decide on the field sequences they intend to take and determine the semesters in which they are offered.

Third-Year Research Paper

Before the end of their fourth semester, doctoral students should reach agreement with a UHM Economics faculty member to serve as their academic advisor and research paper advisor, as well as two additional faculty members to serve as readers. The Graduate Chair must approve the student's research paper adviser and readers, and there is a form available from the Department Office for this purpose. Doctoral students are required to enroll in Econ 730 in their fifth semester and complete their research paper. Doctoral students must receive a grade of "Pass" or " High Pass " on their research paper to continue in the doctoral program. Students who receive a grade of "Fail" on their paper may submit a revised version during the following semester. Students who receive a grade of "Fail" on the revised paper will not be allowed to proceed further in the doctoral program. Please see the separate document, Third Year Research Paper Guidelines for more information and consult with the Graduate Chair if you have further questions.

Oral Comprehensive Examination

Following successful completion of the core courses, six field courses, the two qualifying exams, the third-year research paper, and the dissertation proposal, an oral examination will be administered jointly with the defense of the dissertation proposal. In consultation with the graduate chair, the student selects a chair and dissertation committee members, to whom the proposal draft is circulated. The oral examination can include a broad probing of the student's general economic knowledge. A student who fails the comprehensive examination may repeat it once. A student who fails the second time is dismissed from the program. Students who pass the oral exam are advanced to the candidacy for the Ph.D.

Final Oral Examination

An oral exam covers the candidate's defense of the final dissertation and related subjects. The exam must be announced on the News@UH website and is open to the public. It is the candidate's responsibility to contact the Graduate Division to obtain and submit the necessary forms for the News@UH website. Candidates failing the final examination may repeat it once upon petition approved by the graduate faculty concerned and the dean of the Graduate Division. Those failing it twice are dismissed from the program.

Dissertation

A dissertation acceptable to the dissertation committee must be submitted to the Graduate Division. UH regulations require that the dissertation be a scholarly presentation of an original contribution to knowledge resulting from independent research. The student must also comply with all university-wide criteria regarding the format and content of the dissertation.

Normal Progress Timeline

Normal progress for doctoral students is as follows:

Some students transfer from the M.A. program to the Ph.D. program after completion of the M.A. program at the end of their 4th semester. Normal progress for these students is as follows:

Students with scholarship funding (EWC and ADB) are expected to complete their proposal defense by the end of their 6th semester and to complete their dissertation by the end of their 8th semester.

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