Should You Get a PhD in Economics? Links and Resources

By INOMICS Team

06 May 2013

After finishing high school many students think of applying for university and getting at least a Bachelor’s degree. After 3 to 5 years of studying some choose to take their first degree and join the job market, while others decide to continue in university to complete a Masters Degree or even a PhD through additional academic and/or applied research. If you are thinking about taking this final step and doing your PhD, but you are still not sure whether it is right for you, check out the links below to see what you can expect from a PhD program.

1) General ideas about doing a PhD and your prospects after graduation in “Considering Graduate School in Economics?” by Bill Craighead, Wesleyan University.

2) "How to successfully apply to a PhD in Economics", a guide that covers the most relevant topics when preparing your PhD application.

3) Why a PhD can be a source of dissatisfaction and the negative aspects of obtaining this degree. A little bit less optimistic view-point from The Economist in their article “The disposable academic”.

4) Econ PhD: the level of math abilities and how high your GPA needs to be to enter a competitive program. These and some other useful information can be found in “A Guide for Undergraduates Considering a PhD in Economics” from Dick Startz, Professor of Economics UC Santa Barbara.

Suggested Opportunities

PhD Program
Posted 4 days ago

12 PhD Positions in the new Research Training Group “CUDE”

Starts 1 Oct at University of Bielefeld

PhD Program
Posted 6 days ago

8 fully-funded PhD positions in Economics, Analytics and Decision Sciences (EADS) at the IMT School for Advanced Studies

Starts 2 Nov at IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca in Lucca, Italy

PhD Program
Posted 1 week ago

4-year Ph.D. in Economics

Starts 4 Sep at Department of Economics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in Italy

5) If you want to do a PhD but you are not sure if you can find an exciting thesis research topic, read the article“Ph.D. Thesis Research: Where do I Start?” by Don Davis from Columbia University.

6) Want to know how much Economics PhDs earn? Have a look at a snapshot from the “Survey of the Labor Market for New PhD Hires in Economics 2011-2012” or our Economics Job Market Report 2012.

7) Last but not least, if you have decided to pursue a PhD in Economics, but still haven’t found one, check out the selection of PhD courses and scholarships currently offered on the INOMICS website to find your perfect match.

Photo Credit: Visionello