Doctor of Philosophy in Economics

The PhD in Economics is designed to prepare students for careers as professional economists in academia, government, and the private sector. The program is structured so that a student with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and an appointment as a graduate assistant should be able to complete the required coursework within three academic years, excluding summer sessions. Students with a Master of Arts in Applied Economics degree may be able to complete the required coursework in less time, depending on the content and quality of the previous work. The length of time required to complete the dissertation varies greatly but students usually complete the entire program, including the dissertation, within four years.

Statement of Purpose, Three letters of recommendation, CV, GRE
GRE No minimum score required
The minimum TOEFL score is 213 in the computer version (which corresponds to 550 points in paper version and 80 points in the internet version). In case you took the IELTS exam, the minimum IELTS score is 7 points.
GRE exam - We do not have a minimum GRE score. However, the average GRE score in the quantitative section (the most important section for our application process) is around the 75th percentile (157 points), but most funded students are above the 80-85th percentile (about 159 points or above). A Master degree is not required for acceptance. However, many of our recently accepted applicants had a Master degree in Economics, Applicants must submit transcripts from both their undergraduate and graduate-level courses, clearly reflecting the grade obtained in each course. Applicants can submit unofficial copies of all transcripts. If admitted into our program, the WSU Graduate School may contact the student asking him/her to submit official copies of all documents. The average GPA score into our Ph.D. program is around 3.4, but it varies depending on the coursework the applicant did in undergrad (for instance, we understand that your GPA can be lower than 3.4 if you took several math or Master-level courses). Applicants with at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) grade point Avg, or the equivalent in the last 60 graded semester (90 quarter) hours, from an accredited college or university, or at least a B grade point Avg in any graduate work from a recognized graduate school are eligible for admission to regular student status. Applicants with at least 12 semester hours of approved coursework from accredited graduate schools with at least a B grade point Avg are eligible for admission to regular student status.
A Master degree is not required for acceptance. However, most of our recently accepted applicants had a Master degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Finance, Engineering, or related fields, before entering our program. A few students start the Ph.D. program right after finishing their undergraduate education, but in those cases, students have a strong GPA and took several courses in advanced Math in undergrad (such as completing a Math minor). Besides the overall GPA, we also look for a good performance in specific courses, such as Master's Microeconomics, Master's Macroeconomics, and Master's Statistics/Econometrics. We also expect applicants to have taken at least two semesters of calculus, and Intermediate-level linear algebra or Mathematics for economists during their undergraduate or MS degrees.