ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation, a statement of interest, official transcript(s) delivered and/or mailed in a sealed envelope by the Registrar of the college/university attended, and the most recent Graduate Record Examination scores.

Applicants for admission into the Doctor of Philosophy Program in Economics must have earned a Master of Arts degree in economics. Applicants with a Master's degree in a related field may be considered for a conditional admission to the Doctor of Philosophy program upon submission of proof that work completed is equivalent to the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in economics at Howard University.

Students admitted into the Ph.D. program with an MA degree must have a GPA of well over B and a minimum of 24 graduate course credits, including at least 6 credits in economic theory, 3 credits in econometrics, and 3 credits in graduate statistics.

Students may be admitted with a deficiency in mathematics or statistics on the condition that the deficiency be corrected in the first semester. These makeup credits will not count toward completion of the degree program in which the student is enrolled. The student must earn a grade of B or better in these courses.

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RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS

The completion of minimum course requirements or credits does not guarantee receipt of the degree. The student must have at least four semesters of residence and full-time study (at least 9 credits per semester) or the equivalent in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Howard University. Two of these four semesters of residence and full-time study, or the equivalent, must be consecutive. No graduate student will be permitted to take more than 15 credits per semester.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Full-time students admitted to the Ph.D. program may apply for research assistantships which carry a stipend.

After having passed the comprehensive examinations, Ph.D. students are eligible to enroll in the internship program and may earn up to a total of 6 credits during the academic year (3 each semester). Internship opportunities are available in government agencies, private research institutions, and institutions affiliated with Howard University.

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DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students must earn a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree or 36 credit hours after masters degree in economics, of which 12 must be devoted to dissertation work, 33 to electives and the area of concentration, and 27 to the following core course requirements:

• ECOG-200: Microeconomic Theory I: Consumer, Producer and Value Theory
• ECOG-201: Microeconomic Theory II: General Equilibrium and Welfare Economics
• ECOG-202: Macroeconomic Theory I: Macro-statics and Income Determination
• ECOG-203: Macroeconomic Theory II: Dynamics and Growth
• ECOG-204: History of Economic Analysis
• ECOG-210: Advanced Statistics
• ECOG-211: Econometrics I: Theory and Methods
• ECOG-212: Econometrics II: Advanced Topics and Applications
• ECOG-213: Mathematics for Economists I: Mathematical Methods and Static Optimization
• ECOG-215: Mathematics for Economists II: Methods of Dynamics and Game Theory

Students may earn up to 6 credits in an internship program.

Students must pass the comprehensive examinations offered in every semester, in the following four areas: price theory, macroeconomic theory, quantitative economics, and an area of specialization.

Students are required to take the Ph.D. comprehensive examinations in both microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory as soon as they have successfully completed the required macro- and microeconomic theory courses. If a student passes both of these examinations, he/she will become eligible to take the comprehensive examinations in quantitative methods and the selected area of concentration.

Ph.D. students must also demonstrate in a formal examination a reading proficiency in a foreign language such as French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese or an approved language. Under exceptional circumstances, the department may permit students to substitute an advanced course that provides skills relevant to dissertation research for the language requirement, such as computer programming or mathematics. The language requirement must be fulfilled before the student is admitted to candidacy.

Areas of Specialization and Course Requirements

Development Economics

• ECOG-220: Development Economics I: Theory of Economic Development
• ECOG-221: Development Economics II: Economic Development Policy and Planning
• ECOG-228: Development Economics III: Seminar in Economic Development

plus any four courses out of

• ECOG-216: Seminar in Quantitative Research
• ECOG-222: The Public Economics of Development
• ECOG-223: Population and Economic Development
• ECOG-224: Economic Development in Africa
• ECOG-225: Economic Development in Asia
• ECOG-226: Economic Development in Latin America
• ECOG-227: Caribbean Economic Development
• ECOG-240: Public Finance
• ECOG-241: Fiscal Policy
• ECOG-242: The Economics of Government Subsidies
• ECOG-244: International Economics I: Trade Theory
• ECOG-245: International Economics III: Seminar in International Commercial Policy
• ECOG-250: Cost Benefit Analysis
• ECOG-260: Agriculture and Economic Development
• ECOG-295: Research Topics in Economics

and two courses outside of the field based on the student's interest

Urban Economics

• ECOG-230: Urban Economics I: Theory and Public Policy
• ECOG-231: Urban Economics II: Real Estate Market, Environment and Externalities
• ECOG-237: Urban Economics III: Seminar in Urban Economics

plus any six courses out of

• ECOG-216: Seminar in Quantitative Research
• ECOG-232: Economics of Housing and Urban Development
• ECOG-233: Economics of Health Services
• ECOG-234: Economics of Poverty and Manpower
• ECOG-235: Urban Transportation
• ECOG-242: The Economics of Government Subsidies
• ECOG-250: Cost Benefit Analysis
• ECOG-251: Comparative Study of Social Security Systems

and two courses outside of the field

Monetary Fiscal Economics

• ECOG-241: Fiscal Policy
• ECOG-271: Monetary Economics I: Theory of Demand for Money and Monetary Policy
• ECOG-272: Monetary Economics II: Advanced Topics in Monetary Theory
• ECOG-273: Monetary Economics III: Seminar in Monetary Economics

plus any four courses out of

• ECOG-214: Linear Programming and Operations Research
• ECOG-216: Seminar in Quantitative Research
• ECOG-222: The Public Economics of Development
• ECOG-240: Public Finance
• ECOG-242: The Economics of Government Subsidies
• ECOG-245: International Economics III :Seminar in International Commercial Policy
• ECOG-249 :International Economics II: Theory of International Finance
• ECOG-250: Cost Benefit Analysis
• ECOG-274: Financial Intermediation
• ECOG-295: Research Topics in Economics

and two courses in related fields

Human Resources Economics

• ECOG-261: Human Resources Economics I: Advanced Human Resource Economics
• ECOG-262: Human Resources Economics II: Topics in Human Resource Economics
• ECOG-263: Human Resource Economics III: Seminar in Human Resources Economics

plus any four courses out of

• ECOG-214: Linear Programming and Operations Research
• ECOG-216: Seminar in Quantitative Research
• ECOG-223: Population and Economic Development
• ECOG-233: Economics of Health Services
• ECOG-234: Economics of Poverty and Manpower
• ECOG-247: Manpower Policy and Problems
• ECOG-248: Industrial Organizations and Public Policy
• ECOG-250: Cost Benefit Analysis
• ECOG-251: Comparative Study of Social Security Systems
• ECOG-295: Research Topics in Economics

and two courses outside of the field

International Economics

• ECOG-244: International Economics I: Trade Theory
• ECOG-249: International Economics II: Theory of International Finance
• ECOG 245: International Economics III: Seminar in Theory of Commercial Policy

plus any two courses out of

• ECOG-214: Linear Programming and Operations Research
• ECOG 220: Development Economics I: Theory of Economic Development
• ECOG-240: Public Finance
• ECOG-248: Industrial Organizations and Public Policy
• ECOG-250: Cost Benefit Analysis
• ECOG-253: Economic History of Europe
• ECOG-274: Financial Intermediation
• ECOG-295: Research Topics in Economics

and two courses outside of the field

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