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Economics
Department Chair: Jack N. Ochs
Main Office: 4S01 Forbes Quadrangle
(412)648-1760 (phone)           (412)648-1793 (fax)
http://www.pitt.edu/~econdept

Primary Faculty: Professors J. CASSING, GIARRATANI (Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Sciences), GRUVER, HAM, HUSTED, KAGEL, MAESHIRO, MESA-LAGO (Distinguished Service Professor), OCHS (Chair), RAWSKI, RENY, RICHARD (University Professor; Director of Graduate Studies), WELLS; Associate Professors BEESON, CHESLER, CORBAE, DeJONG, KENKEL, SONTHEIMER, WICHERS; Assistant Professors AOYAGI, BERKOWITZ, COOPER, DUFFY, ICHIMURA, KIM, SHORE-SHEPPARD; Senior Lecturer S. CASSING; Lecturer BOERIO

 Affiliated Faculty (Adjunct faculty and those with primary appointments in other areas): Professors BLAIR (Business), FARBER (Public and International Affairs), GAL-OR (Business), HOOLEY (Public and International Affairs), LAVE (Public Health), SPIRO (Business); Associate Professor TROESKEN (History)

 Emeritus Faculty: Professors CHAPMAN, CHOU, HOUSTON, KANSKY, KATZ, PERLMAN (University Professor), SLESINGER

The Department of Economics offers a PhD degree program. Continuing students may apply for a Master of Arts degree in Economics after they have successfully completed their comprehensive theory (preliminary) examinations, second and third year papers, as well as the outside field requirement.

The department offers a broad range of research opportunities for graduate students. Members of the department are engaged in a wide variety of research projects; currently, strength is greatest in the following fields: 

Workshops in the fields provide opportunities for experience with research in the early stage of the graduate program. Workshops typically include two or more faculty members and meet in either the Fall or Spring Term. Students are expected to complete much of their field study and research in the workshops.

Virtually all English-language publications in economics are received by the University libraries.

In addition to the training and instruction provided by the department, students may take courses in other departments, and faculty members from other units of the University are available to serve on thesis or dissertation committees within the Department of Economics. In addition, students may elect courses at Carnegie Mellon University. Students working for a graduate degree in economics may simultaneously earn a certificate in the Asian, Latin American, Russian and East European, or West European Area Studies programs (described elsewhere in this bulletin).

The department makes available a handbook for graduate students in economics at the start of the academic year. This handbook contains information about rules and procedures that modify and/or clarify the rules and procedures as described in this bulletin.

Admission to Graduate Studies
For admission to full graduate status, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university and a B or better average in the undergraduate program. All applicants must provide scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical Graduate Record Examination (GRE); the GRE advanced test in economics will be helpful for those applicants with a BA, BS, or MA in economics. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required if the applicant’s native language is not English; this applies where English is not the native language even if English has been the medium of instruction.

For admission to the Department of Economics, an undergraduate major in economics may be helpful but is not required. A knowledge of intermediate microeconomic and macroeconomic theory is strongly advised. The PhD core courses assume a minimum of two terms of calculus and one term of matrix algebra.

An applicant with less than a B average who presents alternative evidence of superior ability may be admitted to full or provisional graduate status. An applicant who does not meet other requirements may be offered provisional admission provided TOEFL and GRE scores are satisfactory.

Because of the scheduling of courses, students are normally admitted only for the Fall Term. The completed application should be received by the Department of Economics no later than February 1, if admission is sought for September. In exceptional cases, applications will be accepted for admission until April 1. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES will applications be accepted after April 1.

Graduate Student Support
The department generally offers financial support beginning with the first year of graduate study. All assistantships and fellowships offer full tuition scholarships as well as a stipend, and most include medical coverage. Pittsburgh’s low housing rates also contribute to the value of a University fellowship (see Housing in the first section of this bulletin). Most financial aid takes the form of teaching assistantships or teaching fellowships. The practice of the department has been to give a student an initial appointment as a TA, and to change this appointment to a TF at the beginning of the term following the passing of both theory examinations. For a student who passes both of these examinations at the end of June of their first year of graduate study, the appointment as a TF would thus begin in the Fall Term.

  Master’s Degree Requirements
The department does not offer a master’s program. However, continuing students or students dismissed from the PhD program can apply for a master’s degree under conditions described in the department’s handbook for graduate students.

Doctoral Degree Requirements
The PhD program of the department has three goals: to advance economic knowledge through an intensive and balanced research program, to develop the research skills essential to independent study of current economic problems, and to provide the training needed for effective teaching of economics.

The following requirements specific to economics should be read in conjunction with the general PhD requirements for all FAS students.

Required Courses
Theory: Completion of ECON 2100 Advanced Micro Theory 1, ECON 2110 Advanced Macro Theory 1, ECON 2120 Advanced Micro Theory 2, ECON 2130 Advanced Macro Theory 2.

Econometrics: Completion of both ECON 2020 Introduction to Econometrics, and ECON 2150 General Econometrics. A minimum grade of B is required in both ECON 2020 and ECON 2150.

Mathematics: Completion of ECON 2010 Mathematical Methods of Analysis. Students with strong math background can petition the Graduate Committee for exemption from this requirement.

NOTE 1: Advanced calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, one term of matrix algebra, and a course in probability and statistics are prerequisites for the above course requirements.

NOTE 2: The above required courses are generally completed in the first two terms of study.

1. At least 72 credits in course, seminar, and independent and directed study at the 1000 (not all 1000- level courses carry graduate credit), 2000, and 3000 levels. Some of these may be transfer credits (see General Degree Regulations, Transfer Credits in the first section of this bulletin).
2. In addition to the required courses listed in Section 1, the Department of Economics requires each full-time student to complete 18 credits of elective graded courses in the second year and 12 credits in graded course work in the third year.

Minimum average QPA
The minimum quality point average requirement is 3.00 in all courses counting toward graduation.

Examinations
PhD Theory Comprehensive Examinations/Preliminary Examinations: The PhD comprehensive theory examinations consist of a four hour exam in microeconomic theory and a four hour exam in macroeconomic theory. The University’s PhD preliminary examination is considered passed when the department’s PhD preliminary comprehensive theory examinations have been passed.

In order to take a comprehensive examination, students must be registered and have a minimum QPA of 3.00. A student who is deficient in his/her QPA may petition the Graduate Committee for special permission to take the exam.

The exam is to be taken at the end of the Spring Term (late April) of his/her first year as a PhD student. On the first attempt, both parts must be taken during the same exam week. If either or both parts are failed the first time, the relevant part(s) may be retaken during the next examination period (late August). Student are always permitted a second attempt. A student may petition for a third attempt, which will be decided at the discretion of the Graduate Committee. Students who are denied a third attempt and those who do not succeed on the third attempt will be dismissed from the graduate program.

Second-year Research Paper: All students are required to complete an original research paper/proposal demonstrating their ability to do research in economics, before the start of the third year of study. The second-year research project need not be a completed research paper. However, the paper should include a clear statement of the issues to be addressed in the project, a thorough description of the methods to be employed, a critical review of the literature, and preliminary progress towards the stated goals. Research should be conducted under the supervision of at least one member of the economics faculty, and the project must be approved by at least two members of the economics faculty. The full set of requirements include the following:

1. Formation of a Paper Committee composed of two faculty members by March 1st of the second year of study. The Graduate Committee must receive notification of the Paper Committee’s willingness to serve by this date.
   
2. A progress report must be submitted to the Graduate Committee by May 1st of the second year of study. This report must include an abstract of the paper and statements from each of the Paper Committee members indicating satisfactory progress toward completion.
   
3. The final version of the paper must be submitted to the Paper Committee by August 1st, following the second year of study. The paper will then be evaluated by the committee, who will provide the student with written comments and advise the Graduate Committee concerning the paper’s acceptability. Based on the committee’s recommendation and their own reading of the paper, the Graduate Committee will decide whether or not to approve the paper.

NOTE: Failure to pass the second-year paper requirement is grounds for dismissal from the PhD program.

Field Requirements: Students are required to be certified in two fields, a research field and an outside field, that are in separate areas of research. The areas of research include Micro Theory (Game Theory, Advanced Micro Theory, Experimental, Industrial Organization); Macro Theory (Advanced Macro Theory, Money and Banking); Applied Micro (Labor, Urban and Regional); International; Comparative and Development (Comparative, Development, Areas Studies); and Econometrics. The list and definition of fields is continually reviewed and subject to change. Students may request permission from the Graduate Committee to substitute another field of economics. In case of substitution, the course work and the principal examiner must be associated with the Department of Economics. Occasionally, PhD students are permitted to substitute an "outside field," prepared, for example, in the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, or Industrial Engineering. Permission will not be granted until the student has completed at least one year of graduate study in the Department of Economics.

1. Research field (third-year paper): In their third year of study, all students are required to write a research paper in their research field. The third-year research paper may be based on the student’s second-year research project. The third-year research paper should be original research and considered by the student’s committee to be publishable in a recognized economics journal. Research should be conducted under the supervision of at least one member of the economics faculty, and the written paper must be approved by two faculty members in the area of specialization. As part of the research requirement, students must register for an ongoing field workshop during their third year. In addition, students are required to defend their research paper in a public presentation.
   
2. Outside field (course work): The requirements for the second field depends on the field of study. The faculty in each area will determine the requirements for each area and may choose to certify students based on course work and a written paper.

Dissertation Overview
The overview consists of a written statement and oral presentation to the major advisor and tentative doctoral committee on: a) the general subject of the proposed dissertation, b) the principal bodies of source materials to be used, c) the techniques and methods to be pursued, and d) a survey of the literature relevant to the chosen topic. Candidates may appear for the overview only after they have completed all the comprehensive examinations, and other departmental requirements.

Writing of Dissertation and Final Oral Examination
(See Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree, Application for Graduation in the first section of this bulletin.) Conducted by the doctoral committee, the final oral examination is primarily the candidate’s defense of the dissertation. Although the examination will deal intensively with the dissertation and its significance, it need not be so confined. One copy of the dissertation must be provided to each member of the doctoral committee at least two weeks before the date set for the final oral exam. The exam is open to the public and must be announced at least two weeks in advance.

Courses
The course titles suggest the range of topics from which the material for the given term is likely to be selected. The emphasis accorded to any one or more topics may vary with the instructor who is assigned to the course. More complete course descriptions are published prior to each term in the Arts and Sciences Course Descriptions . Some courses are offered infrequently.

For additional information about degree programs, course offerings and descriptions, please contact the Department of Economics; 4S26 Forbes Quadrangle; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

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