Doctor of Philosophy

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the Ph.D. in the graduate field of Applied Economics and Management:

• 6 registration units (4 units beyond the M.S. degree).

In the first two years of a Ph.D. degree program, students are required to attend department seminars, which are held once a month during the academic year; students must register each semester for AEM 7000 (under Professor David Just's section) for one credit hour and S/U grade

• Passing score on the written competency examination in microeconomics that is administered by the Graduate Field of Economics.

• A grade of B- or better in ECON 6130: Macroeconomic Theory I or ECON 6140: Macroeconomic Theory II.

• Passing grades on the AEM Ph.D. core course sequence (AEM 7010 and AEM 7020), taken during the second year, and passing the AEM qualifying examination.

• The Admission to Candidacy exam (also called the “A” exam) is taken at the completion of required course work, although it does not preclude taking courses after the “A” exam. A written component of this exam is sometimes required by a student’s Special Committee.

• Must present a department seminar prior to defense of the dissertation

• Final oral dissertation examination (also called the “B” exam). Please note: The Graduate School requires two full-time semesters of course study between the “A” exam and the “B” exam.

• Ph.D. dissertation.

Please note: The requirements listed above are general requirements of the graduate field of Applied Economics and Management. This is not a comprehensive list of the requirements for this graduate field. Students should check with their Special Committee chair for additional course requirements, and students should also check with the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Field Assistant for additional requirements of the Graduate School. The complete list of Graduate School requirements is available in the Graduate Code of Legislation that can be found on the Graduate School web site.

Each Ph.D. student is required to declare one major and two minor concentrations. One of the minor concentrations must be from outside the graduate field of Applied Economics and Management

A student typically takes 3 to 4 years to complete the Ph.D. degree. If a student has deficiencies in preparation for graduate work in the field of Applied Economics and Management or conducts research abroad, the program can take longer. Programs more than 4 years in length are discouraged.

Competency in Economic Theory

Students must pass the written competency examination in microeconomics given by the Graduate Field of Economics and receive a grade of B- or better in ECON 6130 or ECON 6140, the required Ph.D.-level macroeconomics theory course. Failure is considered evidence of inadequate preparation for the oral admission candidacy examination (often called the A exam). Students must meet both requirements before they begin their seventh semester as a Ph.D. student.

Students are allowed two attempts to pass the written microeconomics exam over one summer. They are allowed two attempts to achieve the required grade in ECON 6130 or ECON 6140. A student may substitute a passing score on the written macroeconomics competency examination given by the field of Economics for the grade requirement, but only two attempts to pass this examination are allowed.

Examination results and coursework in theory from other universities cannot be substituted for Cornell's Ph.D. requirement in the field of Applied Economics and Management.

AEM Ph.D. Core Course Sequence

During the second year of the Ph.D. program, students are required to take and achieve passing grades in the AEM Ph.D. core course sequence: AEM 7010: Applied Microeconomics I, offered fall semester; and AEM 7020: Applied Microeconomics II, offered spring semester. These courses incorporate five modules focusing on selected topics in production economics, the economics of consumer demand, applied welfare economics, risk analysis, and applied industrial organization. Students are required to pass a written qualifying exam following the course sequence.

Suggested Courses

Background Preparation

Prior to beginning Ph.D.-level economic theory, students should be familiar with intermediate economics at the level of ECON 3130 and ECON 3140. Other courses in applied microeconomics, such as AEM 6080 and AEM 6700, are strongly recommended. Calculus at the level of MATH 1110 and MATH 1120, matrix algebra at the level of BTRY 4210 or MATH 2210, and statistics at the level of BTRY 6010 should also be taken prior to entering the Ph.D. program.

Theory

Ph.D. students should take ECON 6090 and ECON 6100 to prepare for the required written microeconomics qualifying examination at the end of the first year. An outline of material commonly included in the qualifying examination is available on the Economics Department website.

ECON 6130 or ECON 6140 is required. Students are also strongly encouraged to take an additional course in macroeconomics, such as ECON 6140, 7310, 7320, or 7620.

Math

Most students take ECON 6170 concurrently with ECON 6090 in the fall semester. Many students benefit from additional mathematics training taken prior to the beginning of Ph.D.-level economic theory, often including coverage of material taught in MATH 2230 and MATH 3110.

Statistics

ECON 6190 is commonly taken by first year students. BTRY 4080 and BTRY 4090 are recommended for students minoring in econometrics or quantitative methods.

Econometrics and Quantitative Methods

At least two Ph.D.-level courses in econometrics are required. Most students take ECON 6190 and AEM 7100, and one or more of the other econometrics courses in AEM or other departments at Cornell, including AEM 7110, ILRLE 7410 or ILRLE 7420.

Quantitative methods courses commonly taken by Ph.D. students include AEM 7120 and AEM 7130.

Major and Minors

Courses necessary for each major and minor are determined by the student's Special Committee. Some concentrations require written qualifying examinations.

Electives

To help understand the literature outside their own major and minors, students are encouraged to take at least one course in each area of concentration.

Example of a Ph.D. Program

A student typically takes 3 to 4 years beyond the M.S. to complete the Ph.D. degree. If a student has deficiencies in preparation for graduate work in the field of Applied Economics and Management or conducts research abroad, the program can take longer. Programs more than 4 years in length are discouraged.

Year 1
Fall Semester	Spring Semester
ECON 6090	ECON 6100
ECON 6170	AEM 7100
ECON 6190	1 elective

	Summer
	Take written qualifying exam in microeconomics
Year 2
Fall Semester	Spring Semester
AEM 7010	AEM 7020
ECON 6130	2 or 3 electives
Econometrics course
Elective	Summer
Select Special Committee	AEM qualifying exam
	Ph.D. dissertation research
Year 3
Fall Semester	Spring Semester
Remaining coursework	Remaining coursework
Ph.D. dissertation research	Ph.D. dissertation research
	Admission to Candidacy Exam ("A" Exam)

	Summer
	Ph.D. dissertation research
Year 4
Fall Semester	Spring Semester
Ph.D. dissertation research	Ph.D. dissertation research
	Final Examination ("B" Exam)

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