PhD Programme in Economics (with integrated M.Sc. Economic Research)

About the Programme

The PhD Programme in Economics is a challenging and rigorous full-time programme designed for students striving for academic positions at universities and research institutes, and top-level positions in institutions and the private sector. 

The course component of the 120 ECTS MSc Economic Research prepares students for high-quality research in economics. Core courses convey thorough, comprehensive, and up-to-date knowledge of economic theory, econometric methodology, data analysis, and empirical and experimental strategies. Specialisation courses in our research environment's areas of expertise allow students to tailor the programme to their interests and qualification needs. In a supplementary section, students select from a large offering of courses from related disciplines. In the Master's thesis, student conduct their own original research, guided and supervised by our faculty. (Students entering the PhD programme at the PhD stage complete a 60 ECTS selected from the course programme of the MSc Economic Research).

In the PhD-stage, the focus of our programme shifts to enable students in conducting successful and high-quality dissertation work, by 

• embedding students in the research unit of their (primary) supervisor from the start, with access to its research infrastructure,
• providing a friendly and supportive environment, dedicated to excellence in research and teaching and open to collaboration and creativity,
• fostering the exchange of ideas via numerous research seminar series, workshops, and conferences organized by our faculty,
• supporting students in developing their own research networks via financial and administrative support for research stays and conference and summer school participation,
• structuring dissertation work at its different stages by regular presentations in bag-lunch seminars, a proposal, and a supervision agreement, and by
• promoting students' career development through soft-skills seminars and job-market preparation.

Funding and Tuition Fees 

Students are fully-funded during the PhD stage, with funding via scholarships and research or teaching assistant posititions. Grants are available for excellent students in the MSc Economic Research. There are no tuition or application fees.

About our Research Environment

The Department of Economics within the University of Cologne's Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Science consists of almost 30 senior faculty and their research units, with many more senior and junior researchers in adjacent disciplines and associated research institutions, providing ample opportunities for fruitful collaboration.

Our research environment is well-connected and internationally recognised. Prominent examples are Germany's only cluster of excellence in economics, the DFG-funded ECONtribute: Markets & Public Policy - initiated by the Universities of Cologne and Bonn, the Center for Social and Economic Behavior (C-SEB), and several ERC Grants. 

The Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences is one of Germany’s largest educational institutions, and regularly ranks among the top providers of economics and business education.

Application

We strongly encourage you to apply if you

• rank in the top 10% of your Bachelor's or Master's programme in Economics or related disciplines
• have strong analytical and quantitative abilities (mathematics, statistics, or econometrics), documented by course work and ideally a GRE
• demonstrate a high potential and motivation for conductung original research, documented by your seminar work or thesis in your previous studies

Please visit the programm's website for the application procedure. The application deadline for the MSc Economic Research for programme start in October 2025 is March 31st, 2025, with applications accepted from January 15th, 2025. The application deadline for admission to the PhD-stage for programme start in October 2025 is March 15th, 2025. Early admission for outstanding candidates is possible.