Handbook of Graduate Studies

V.      THE Ph.D. PROGRAM

V.1   CORE COURSES

 A.          The core courses are:

• Microeconomic Theory:  Econ 6201 and 6211 

• Macroeconomic Theory:  Econ 6202 and 6212 

• Mathematical Economics:  Econ 6301  

• Econometrics:   Stat 5301, Econ 6311, and Econ 6312

• History of Economic Thought:  Econ 6110 

 B.   Waivers of course prerequisites and minimum grade requirements.

i.             There shall be no waivers of Econ 6201, Econ 6202, Econ 6211, or Econ 6212.

ii.            Waivers of other course requirements or minimum grade requirements may be granted in special circumstances by the DGS, based on the merits of the case and in consultation with the advisory committee, if one has been selected, and the appropriate faculty member.

iii.           In the following sequences of courses, students who get C+, C, or C- in the first course may go on to the second course only with the consent of the instructor of the second course:

• Econ 6311 - 6312
• Econ 6201 - 6211
• Econ 6202 - 6212

iv.           Unless otherwise specified, whenever a student is required to take a course, C- shall be considered the minimum passing grade.

v.        In order to take Econ 6311, students must first have earned at least a C+ in Stat 5301.           They must get at least a C in both Econ 6311 and 6312, and must get at least a 2.5 average for the two (e.g., a C must be balanced by a B).

V.2   APPLIED FIELDS

The Department requires that all Ph.D. students achieve a high degree of professional competence in applied fields that will provide a basis for pursuing long-range research and teaching interests.  What follows are minimum requirements, which students may  -- indeed, are encouraged to -- exceed.

·      Each Ph.D. student must take at least five graduate-level field courses in Economics.  At least three of these must be 6000--level courses.  The student's major advisor must approve the set of field courses as part of the student's plan of study.

·       The five field courses must form a coherent set that represents and supports the student's long-term scholarly interests.  It is through the selection of field courses that students are able to pursue a range of interests and to prepare to work in a variety of fields once they've graduated.

·       At least two of the five field courses must come from the two-course core in one of the following areas:

The other three field courses may be either 5000- or 6000-level. At least one of these must be a taught course (i.e., not an independent study) at the 6000-level. At least two of these three field courses must be in Economics. At most one may be an Independent Study.  Students must earn a grade of at least B (3.0) in each of these three field courses.

V.3   GENERAL EXAMINATION

The General Examination consists of two parts:  The Preliminary Examination and the Field Examination.  Once both parts are successfully completed, a report on the General Examination (www.grad.uconn.edu/forms.html) shall be sent to the Graduate School.

A.     The Preliminary Examination

i.         Overview

a.    The Ph.D. Preliminary Examinations (Prelims) in microeconomics and macroeconomics together shall constitute the first part of the General Examination.  The Prelims are designed to test the competence of graduate students in core economic theory, both micro and macro.

b.   The preliminary examinations shall be based on techniques and topics covered in the most recent 6000-level core theory courses, but will seek to test the student’s ability to apply and extend that material.

c.   Students who transfer to UConn from another university must take and pass the preliminary examinations even if they have passed a comparable exam elsewhere.

d. The results of preliminary examinations shall be valid for only seven years.  If a student fails to complete all requirements for the Ph.D. within seven years after passing a preliminary examination, he or she must pass it again to be able to continue in the program.

ii.    Rules for Taking the Preliminary Examination

  a. Regardless of their performance in Econ 6211 and 6212, students must sit for the prelims at their first offering following completion of Econ. 6211 and 6212 (typically at the end of June).

 b.  A student who fails either the micro or macro exam in his/her first sitting can take the make-up exam in January and/or the regular exam the following June.

 c.  A student who does not pass the prelim in micro or macro in three consecutive available sittings has failed the Preliminary Examination and will not be allowed to continue working toward the Ph.D. degree.

d.   A student who fails an exam is advised to take or audit any relevant courses that are offered before the next available sitting for that exam.

iii.   The Preliminary Examination Committee

a.  The Examination Committee shall ordinarily consist of the most recent instructors of Econ 6201, 6202, 6211, and 6212, plus two additional members of the graduate faculty (called “readers”), one each specializing in microeconomics and macroeconomics. The two readers shall be chosen by the Department Head in consultation with the chair of the examination committee. Students will be informed of the members of the exam committee on request.

b.    The Preliminary Examination in microeconomics shall ordinarily be written by the most recent instructors of Econ 6201 and 6211 in consultation with the microeconomics reader. The Preliminary Examination in Macroeconomics shall ordinarily be written by the most recent instructors of Econ 6202 and 6212 in consultation with the macroeconomics reader.

c.   The Examination Committee shall have the sole authority to determine whether or not a student has passed the Preliminary Examination.

d.   The Examination Committee shall report the results of Preliminary examinations to the DGS and the Department Head.  The Head will provide a summary report to the Faculty, specifying how many people took the exam, how many passed on the first try, etc.  Faculty members who want more specific information (i.e., information by student name) may ask the Head or the DGS.

iv.   Appeals

a.   Appeals concerning the grading of the prelims must be submitted in writing to the Examination Committee.  The written appeal must make explicit the alleged error in grading and must provide a defense of the student’s answer.

b.   Appeals concerning any other aspects of the prelims must be submitted in writing to the DGS.  For example, in extraordinary circumstances (e.g., a major illness) a student may appeal for an exception to the "Rules for Taking the Preliminary Examination" specified in ii above. The DGS shall act on the appeal and inform the student in writing of the decision.  The DGS shall also report on the decision to the Department or the appropriate Department Committee. If this was the student's last chance to pass the prelims, the appeal must be considered at a department meeting. The vote of those present shall determine the outcome.

B.     The Field Examination

1.   Every Ph.D. student must pass an exam in at least one of the core field areas listed in section V.2 above (Applied Fields).  This constitutes the second part of the general examination.  The examinations are based on techniques and topics covered in the most recent 400-level courses in that field, but seek to test the student’s ability to apply and extend that material.

2.   Field exams are given at regular intervals, not more than twice a year.

3.   In each core area, an examination committee, consisting of the faculty who teach in that area, will write and grade the exam and decide whether a student has passed.  Those who do not pass may take the exam again when it is next offered, and may repeat the exam as many times as necessary until he or she passes.

4.   Appeals concerning the grading of a field exam must be submitted in writing to the field examination committee.  The written appeal must make explicit the alleged error in grading and must provide a defense of the student’s answer.

5.   Appeals concerning any other aspects of the field exams must be submitted in writing to the DGS. The DGS shall act on the appeal and inform the student in writing of the decision. The DGS shall also report on the decision to the Department or the appropriate Department Committee.

V.4   DISSERTATION

 A.  Dissertation Proposal: Before preparation of the dissertation is well underway, students must write a dissertation proposal and submit it for approval.  The proposal should normally be submitted for review not later than six months before the expected date of degree completion. 

  There are three stages to the process of gaining approval for the proposal. 

1.   Written Proposal:  The student shall write a dissertation proposal addressing the intended research (see the Graduate Coordinator for form and instructions).

2.   Advisory Committee Approval: The student’s Advisory Committee must approve the proposal.

3.   External Review: The Graduate School requires an external review of the proposal, which shall be conducted as follows: The Department Head shall appoint a Dissertation Proposal Coordinator, who shall assign the proposal to two reviewers from outside the advisory committee (but within the Department of Economics).  The reviewers shall receive a copy of the proposal and submit a recommendation for whether to approve the proposal to the Proposal Review Coordinator, who will inform the student, the major advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Department Head of the results of the review process.  A copy of the proposal shall be delivered to the Graduate School when the review process has been completed.

B.   Dissertation Research: After their proposals are approved, students are expected to make steady progress on their dissertations each semester.  The Graduate School requires Ph.D. students to take at least 15 credits of GRAD 6950 (Dissertation Research), representing the research effort devoted to the dissertation.

C.   Dissertation Defense: After completing the dissertation, students present an oral defense (announcement form and instructions: www.grad.uconn.edu/announcing.html).  At least five faculty members must be present at a dissertation defense.  The student’s Advisory Committee determines whether or not a student passes the defense.  A copy of the approved dissertation (preparation specifications: www.grad.uconn.edu/pdf/dissertation_specs.pdf) shall be delivered to the Graduate School when the review process has been completed.

To increase their exposure to original research ideas and improve oral presentation skills, advanced full-time PhD students are expected to present their own work to the Department once a year and attend departmental seminars on a regular basis.  To meet the requirement, advanced full-time students register for Econ 6494 every semester of their 3rd-5th years in the program.  Some students may be able to fullfill part of the attendance requirement by attending seminars at other institutions or in other related programs. 

V.6   NORMAL PROGRESS

This section provides guidelines defining normal progress for completion of degrees by Ph.D. students.  For those not making normal progress as defined here, continuation in the graduate program and eligibility for financial aid are in jeopardy.

A. Courses

1.   Required Courses: Normally, students should have completed the following courses by the end of their first year in the Ph.D. program: Econ 6301, 6201, 6202, 6211, 6212, and Stat 5301. By the end of their fifth semester they should also have completed Econ 6311, 6312, 6110, the two 600-level field course sequence, and, provided they are offered, the additional three courses meeting their field requirements. Starting from their fifth semester in the program, students take Econ 6494 every semester of their 3 – 5 years. After completing required field courses and other electives, the students should take at least 15 credits of Grad 6950.

2.   Students are expected to take a full course load (6-8 courses per year) until they complete the core courses.  Beyond that they should continue to take 6-8 courses per year, if the appropriate courses are available, until all course work has been completed.

 3.   In the following course sequences a grade of C+ or lower is indicative of inadequate preparation for the next course.

Econ 6201, 6211;
Econ 6202, 6212;
Econ 6301, 6211;
Econ 6301, 6212.

 4.   A core course may be repeated, at most, once.

B.   General Examination:

1.   Prelims: The rules for taking prelims are described above.  Students making normal progress would usually be expected to take their prelims following their first full year in the Ph.D. program. 

2.   Field Exam: Students making normal progress would ordinarily take a field exam following their fourth semester in the Ph.D. program.

C. Dissertation Proposal: Students should submit a dissertation proposal within two semesters of completing their General Examination.  This should be no later than the beginning of their seventh semester in the Ph.D. program.

D. Dissertation: After their proposals are approved, students are expected to make steady progress on the dissertation each semester.