Year by Year Overview of the Ph.D. program
Summer 0
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New Students
Study chapters 1-15 in Simon and Blume's Mathematics for Economists before coming to Duke.
Enroll in Mathematics for Economists and one-week short courses in Probability and Statistics and Macroeconomics Tools, taught by Economics PhD students.
Attend the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) fall orientation.
Complete the Checklist for New Students.
Year 1
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Expectations
Pass the six core courses with a 3.0 minimum GPA.
Pass at least two of the core courses with a B+ or higher.
Students who do not meet the above requirements are switched to the M.A. track.
Enroll in two additional courses to bring the total number of first year course credits to 27 (Mathematics for Economists and each of the six core courses already counting for 3 credits each). English proficiency courses required by the Graduate School for international students (see the Requirements page for details) suffice to fulfill this requirement. Otherwise, students must enroll in ECON 380.10/704 (First Year Research Workshop) each semester in order to complete this requirement.
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For the majority of students, a fellowship is provided with no work obligation, though failing a class results in removal from the program with no future fellowship money. Students will begin search for Graduate Assistant, Research Assistant, and Teaching Assistant positions at the end of the spring semester.
Summer 1
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Expectations for Ph.D. Track
Enroll in at least one of the following courses (late May through mid-July): Econ 360/713: Vocational Skills for Empiricists or Econ 370/711: Real Analysis for Economists and
Pass qualifying exams in all core courses where a B+ or higher was not obtained. These exams will take place near the end of June.
Students who have not shown competency in all core courses by the end of the summer are switched to the M.A. track.
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Expectations for M.A. Track
To finish the Master's degree, students must enroll in Econ 360/713: Vocational Skills for Empiricists or Econ 370/711: Real Analysis for Economists starting in early July and running through mid-August. A Master's degree is then obtained the summer after the first year.
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For students on fellowship, an additional $2,000 for students who have 1) maintained at least a 3.0 GPA in the core courses and 2) received a grade of B+ or better in at least two core courses (funding is for Ph.D. track only).
Year 2
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Expectations
Take at least 18 graded credits, with 9 credits recommended in the fall and 9 credits recommended in the spring. Note: one module = 1.5 credits and two modules = 1 course
Choose a course plan that leads to a well-defined field.
Enroll in both a lunch group and a workshop in the spring of the second year.
Pass relevant field exams (some field exams are offered in the second year).
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Students are funded either as teaching assistants (TA rates vary but are typically higher than those for GAs or graders), graduate assistants, (GA is a mix of research and teaching negotiated with the faculty member, $7,000 a semester), or graders ($7,000 a semester).
Must be on the Ph.D. track to enroll in the second year.
Summer 2
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Expectations
Begin to form research agenda and start to identify the topic of your prospectus and members of your thesis committee.
Enroll in continuation credit, CTN 1, if funded through the Departmental R.A. Program.
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Eligible to work as a departmental research assistant ($4,000). Alternatively, may teach in the summer.
Year 3
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Expectations
Wrap up course work.
Enroll in both a lunch group and a workshop in both semesters.
Pass a field exam - students who do not pass a field exam by the end of their third year are automatically switched to the M.A. track.
Form a supervisory committee by the end of the fall semester.
Pass preliminary exam - also called the prospectus defense - by the end of the spring semester (and at least two months after forming the supervisory committee).
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Students are funded either as TAs (rates vary), GAs ($7,000 a semester), or graders ($7,000 a semester).
Summer 3
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Expectations
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Eligible for Departmental Summer Dissertation Fellowship ($4,000) provided 1) successfully passed both field exam and prospectus and 2) applied for (and did not receive) the Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship ($4,000). Alternatively, may teach in the summer.
Year 4
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Expectations
Enroll in both a lunch group and a workshop in both semesters.
Work on dissertation.
Prepare and present preliminary job market paper during lunch group (also known as the fourth-year presentation). Advisor and one additional faculty member will evaluate. If student does not pass first attempt, summer funding will be withheld. Second attempt must be passed by end of following fall semester to avoid being switched to M.A. track.
If prospectus was not passed in the third year, must pass by the end of the fall semester to avoid being switched to the M.A. track.
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Students are funded either as TAs (rates vary), GAs ($7,000 a semester), or graders ($7,000 a semester), provided prospectus and was passed.
Summer 4
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Expectations
Complete job market paper.
Enroll in continuation credit, CTN 1, if funded through the Departmental Summer Dissertation Fellowship or Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship.
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Eligible for Departmental Summer Dissertation Fellowship ($4,000) provided applied for (and did not receive) the Graduate School Summer Research Fellowship ($4,000) and passed preliminary job market presentation. Alternatively, may teach in the summer.
Year 5
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Expectations
Enroll in both a lunch group and a workshop in both semesters.
Finish dissertation.
Go on the job market.
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Students are funded either as TAs (rates vary), GAs ($7,000 a semester), or graders ($7,000 a semester). No departmental funding after the spring of the 5th year. However, there may be opportunities to teach a summer course or work as an RA for someone with an outside grant.
