Welcome to the University of Wisconsin Madison Department of Economics Graduate Program
The goal of the Economics Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison is to train economists: graduates of the program are prepared to undertake advanced research in economic theory, econometrics, and applied branches of economics, and to apply their knowledge and skills to a wide range of problems in a broad array of institutional settings. These aims are achieved through a program that combines coursework, examinations, seminars, and independent research, culminating in the completion and defense of a doctoral dissertation. The program has been very successful at achieving these aims, as evidenced by its strong national reputation and placement record.
During the first year of the graduate program, students must acquire a thorough knowledge of microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory and econometrics. The nature of this material demands that entering students have considerable mathematics skills, at a minimum including complete facility with the basic tools of multivariate calculus, linear algebra and mathematical statistics.
The department offers seven fields of study.
- Microeconomic Theory
- Econometrics
- Industrial Organization
- International Economics
- Labor Economics
- Macro/Monetary Economics
- Public Economics (includes an optional health specialization)
Information on each field can be found at the major field information website.
There are four main milestones on the path through the Economics graduate program: the preliminary examinations, the field paper, the three-signature proposal, and the final oral examination. More information regarding the Ph.D. program and each program milestone is available at the Graduate Program Guidelines
From the second year onward, students are expected to register for the workshop in their major field. Workshops provide students with the opportunity to hear research presentations by both internal and external speakers and can serve to suggest topics for dissertation research. More information on workshops is posted at the Workshop information website.
The admission to the graduate program in Economics is a shared process at UW-Madison. The admissions and aid committee at the Department of Economics will evaluate your application and make a recommendation to the Graduate School regarding admission. For more detail information on the admission process, where to send or submit each part of the application, visit the Application checklist web page.
If your application is paid and your transcripts received by December 5th, you will automatically be considered for funding for the first year of study. Funding is awarded on a competitive basis. Please see the Funding information webpage for more detailed information.
Since we no longer mail print material on the PhD program. Please see our website for information about the program and application process. Feel free to view the pages listed to the left and contact us (gradpro@ssc.wisc.edu) if you have additional questions.
