Doctoral Program in Economics
The Department of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a doctoral and master’s program. The department offers seven fields of study. The majority of students finish the program in five years. It is not uncommon, however, for students to complete the program in six years.
After graduation our students successively apply the knowledge and skills gained in our program to a wide range of economic problems in a broad array of institutional settings. Our success in this is evidenced by our strong national reputation and our placement record.
Preparation for Doctoral Study
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree, which must be completed before entering the program. You do not need to have a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics to receive admission to the program. Applicants have Bachelor’s Degrees in Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, and other disciplines.
Mathematics preparation should include multivariate calculus, elementary probability, and regression analysis. Graduate work in economics demands mathematical sophistication of a higher order than the requirements of most U.S. undergraduate economics programs would suggest. Students entering the graduate program are required to have taken a three-course sequence in calculus, a course in linear algebra, and a course in mathematical statistics. These prerequisites are a bare minimum, and additional background in mathematics and in graduate-level economics courses can ease the transition into the program. A detailed description of the department’s expectations about students’ mathematics preparation, both upon entry to the program and upon completion of first-year coursework, can be found on the Math Requirements for Incoming Graduate Students page.
Application Process
The admission to the doctoral 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. The Economic program’s admission committee will inform you of their decision in March. If you have questions, please email gradpro@ssc.wisc.edu
When applicants receive an admission packet from the Economics Department indicating that they have been recommended for admissions, this recommendation does NOT mean that they have been fully admitted. The applicant will have to finish the last steps of the admission process with the Graduate School. The Economics Admission and Aid Committee will forward admissions recommendations to the Graduate School with supporting materials. The Graduate School’s Office of Admissions and Academic Services will review the application and materials to ensure that the Graduate School minimum requirements are met (including financial support requirements for International Students).
Application Checklist
1. Fill out the Graduate School Online Electronic Application at https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/. You will select the “Economics PhD program” from the drop down program list. To complete the application, you will need to submit the following materials (in PDF format):
-
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts: Please scan all transcripts or academic records from all your degree-granting institutions and any other institution where you have been enrolled and upload the pdf file(s) to your application. The transcript uploaded must match the official transcript and there should be no changes or edits made to it. International academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Your school should provide an official translation of your documents; otherwise have a translation done by your school or an official translator. In some countries, these people are also notaries. Do not submit an evaluation from a credential evaluation service in lieu of a translation.
- Math Preparation Form: Please complete the Math Preparation (pdf; word) form and submit it in PDF format. Here is a link to the math preparation requirements.
- Writing Sample: All applicants must submit a writing sample in English. The writing sample can be a research paper or an article demonstrating your ability to do research and present your research in a written form. Please upload your writing sample in PDF format.
- Resume or CV: Please upload a copy of your resume or CV in PDF format.
- Graduate school application fee: This fee is required to complete the application. Information on the fee is available here: https://grad.wisc.edu/admissions/faq.
- The Graduate School offers application fee grants to make sure that the application fee is not a barrier for students from key recruiting initiatives for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and students of DACA status. You can find eligibility information and how to apply on the Graduate School’s Application Fee Grant website.
- The Economics Department also offers a limited number of application fee grants to ensure the fee is not a barrier for applicants that do not meet the Graduate School’s criteria. Please contact our graduate admissions staff at gradpro@ssc.wisc.edu for more information.
2. Three letters of recommendation: The application will require that you enter information for your recommenders and an email will be sent to them. Letters must be submitted electronically by your recommenders no later than December 31. Please do NOT send paper letters by mail.
3. Have ETS send your TOEFL scores or IELTS (if required) and GRE scores to the Graduate School. The UW-Madison institutional code is 1846. Follow this link to see if you are exempt from the TOEFL requirement.
Please see the Admissions FAQ section if you have further questions.
Application Deadlines Chart
| Where to submit/send |
Submission Deadline* |
||
| Online Application | Graduate School Electronic Application | 5-Dec | |
| Application Fee Payment | Graduate School Electronic Application | 5-Dec | |
| Transcript(s) scanned | Graduate School Electronic Application | 5-Dec | |
| 3 Letters of Recommendation |
Link provided by graduate school to recommenders. Contact information for recommenders must be entered by December 5th. | 31-Dec | |
| Statement of Purpose |
Graduate School Electronic Application | 5-Dec | |
| Math Preparation Form | Graduate School Electronic Application | 5-Dec | |
| Writing Sample |
Graduate School Electronic Application | 5-Dec | |
| TOEFL | Have ETS send to UW-Madison (Code is 1846 for institution) | 31-Dec | |
| GRE | Have ETS send to UW-Madison (Code is 1846 for institution) | 31-Dec | |
| *We will start processing applications after the December 5th due date, so admissions materials need to be in by that date. | |||
Financial Support and Funding Information
All paid applications from both domestic and international students need to be submitted by December 5th. Funding is awarded to applicants on a competitive basis. For detailed information on department and University Fellowship information, please see our funding web page.
Tuition and fee information is available online at the UW Office of the Registrar web page. Students employed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at least one-third time as a project assistant or a teaching assistant receive a tuition waiver, a stipend, and health benefits.