Requirements
Normal progress requires students to take and pass both theory qualifying exams at the end of the first two semesters of study, and to complete all core courses in the first three semesters of enrollment. Students failing a qualifying examination may retake it only once.
The PhD in economics requires successful completion of the following:
- qualifying examinations in microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory;
- seven 600-level and 700-level courses in economics (including one Methods/Theory course and ECON 730 ) beyond the core;
- two fields;
- a third-year research paper;
- an oral comprehensive exam and the defense of the dissertation proposal;
- a final oral exam, including defense of the final dissertation; and
- submission of the final dissertation manuscript to Graduate Division.
Notes:
Students choosing Methods/Theory as a field take 6 additional credits as electives. Students who do not choose Methods/Theory as a field take 9 additional credits as electives. Some field courses are offered annually, others less frequently. Students may petition to substitute a field in another discipline or another field in economics for one of the five fields listed above.
The third-year research paper is a transition experience between PhD course work and independent dissertation research. A successful paper will demonstrate a depth of knowledge within an area of specialization and the ability to implement the research methods needed for dissertation-level research. The deadline for submitting your paper is May 1 of your third year of graduate studies and the deadline for resubmission is August 1. Students who do not meet these deadlines will be placed on academic probation in the fall semester of their fourth year of studies.
The comprehensive examination—of which the written qualifying examinations are a part—will include a broad probing of the candidate’s general economic knowledge. The oral part of the PhD comprehensive examination will be administered jointly with the defense of the dissertation proposal, before a dissertation committee chosen by the student and approved by the graduate chair and Graduate Division. A student who fails the comprehensive examination may repeat it once. A student who fails a second time is dismissed from the program. Students who pass the oral exam are advanced to candidacy for the PhD.
The final examination, which is oral, covers the candidate’s defense of the final dissertation draft. It is administered orally and is open to the public. Candidates failing the final examination may be allowed to repeat it once upon petition approved by the graduate faculty concerned and the dean of Graduate Division. Those failing it twice are dismissed from the program.
Finally, a dissertation accepted by the dissertation committee is submitted to Graduate Division. The final dissertation must also conform to UH Mānoa standards in content and format.
