Ph.D. in Applied Economics
The Ph.D. in Applied Economics degree is awarded based on the demonstration of mature scholarship, and ability to conduct meaningful and independent research. Students are admitted to the Ph.D. program for the fall semester of each even numbered year, e.g., 2004, 2006, etc.
Current Ph.D. Candidates
Downloadable Program of Study
2002 Exam Schedule
2003 Exam Schedule
Mission
The mission of the Ph.D. program in Applied Economics at Mississippi State University is to prepare students for successful careers at the university level in teaching and research in the field of economics. Thus, we attempt to provide our students with the following:
- A curriculum that offers in-depth study of economic theory and empirical
techniques. - The preparation that will enable them to recognize, conceptualize, and implement independent research that is both grounded in theory and supported by appropriate research methodologies.
- An environment in which they can experience and develop effective teaching skills.
Admission
The applicant for admission to the Ph.D. program must hold a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution of higher learning and have demonstrated high promise of benefit from graduate study. All general requirements stated in the graduate manual must be met. The doctoral applicant must also present an acceptable GRE score, fro m a testadministered within the last five years, and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or above, both cumulative and over the last two years of undergraduate work; plus a GPA of 3.0/4.0 on all prior graduate work. Students must also have previously completed intermediate microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, differential and integral calculus, and one semester of statistics before beginning the required course sequence.
An applicant whose credentials meet the stated criteria above may still be denied admission. Included in the qualitative consideration are such factors as the quality of previous academic studies, the meshing of the purpose of study and the opportunities in the proposed field of study, prior professional and employment activities, and a recommendation of the faculty in the proposed field of study, including the availability of faculty support for research. Enrollment in the Ph.D. program is limited to the number of openings available for each academic year.
Foreign applicants, not holding prior degrees from U.S. institutions, must submit a TOEFL report of 575 or higher with their applications. Such applications will not be considered without this indicator of English proficiency.
Application Deadlines
Students are admitted to the Ph.D. program only for the fall semester of each even numbered year. The following deadlines apply separately to applications for admission and graduate assistantship:
- Admission: The primary decision date for admissions, is the first of March. Since admission decisions are often competitively based for a limited number of openings, applicants are strongly encouraged to have all application and supporting materials in the Office of Graduate Studies in Business by February 15. Completed applications received after this date will continue to be screened until the end of June for fall admission. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all supporting materials are received.
The applicant should be aware that the transmittal of GRE scores from the Educational Testing Service generally takes about three or four weeks, and occasionally longer if irregularities occur. Thus, scores from the January administration of the GRE would not be received by February 15 and those from the June administration would not be received by the end of June. - Assistantship: While an application for assistantship may be submitted at any time of the year (e.g., fall and spring semesters), they begin with the fall semester. Because only applicants who have been admitted to a degree program can be considered for graduate assistantship appointments, all admission application materials must be received by February 15 for those desiring full consideration for a graduate assistantship offer. Given the reporting lag, scores from the January administration of the GRE may not be received by February 15.
Requisite Common Body of Knowledge
The following are undergraduate courses (prerequisite course s) that mustbe completed either in he student's undergraduate program or after enrollment in our Ph.D. Program. These courses are not considered as part of the student's formal graduate program of study and do not apply toward fulfillment of minimum credit hour requirements. A grade of "C" or better must be received in all prerequisite courses.
Course Hours
Principles of Microeconomics 3
Principles of Macroeconomics 3
Intermediate Microeconomics 3
Intermediate Macroeconomics 3
Statistics 3
Calculus 6
Graduate Committees
Each student's course of study and research is directed by a committee of graduate faculty called a Graduate Committee. A Graduate Committee must contain at least four members, all of whom must be members of the Graduate Faculty. The Graduate Committee that works with the student through the course work stage of the program is the Graduate Program Committee. When the student completes all course work, and requirements thereof, the Graduate Program Committee is dissolved, and the Graduate Committee is reformulated as the Graduate Dissertation Committee.
Program Committee
The Program Committee is the student's initial Graduate Committee. The committee is composed of he chairman, who must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty from the student's major field; at least three other members from the major field of study; and one member from the minor field if applicable. This Graduate Committee is charged with specifying the courses that will constitute the student's Program of Graduate Study and administering the comprehensive examination. The Graduate Program Committee is dissolved when the student passes the comprehensive examination.
Dissertation Committee
The Graduate Committee formed following a successful comprehensive examination is the student's Dissertation Committee. The base requirements constituting the committee are as follows: all members must be on the Graduate Faculty; four members, one of which is the chairman who must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty, are from the student's major. One member of the committee, who may or may not be the chairman, is designated as the dissertation director. This committee is charged with approval of the dissertation topic proposal and administering and grading of the Final Defense of the Dissertation.
Dissertation Sub-Committee
The Dissertation Sub-Committee is composed of the Dissertation Director and two other members from the Graduate Dissertation Committee. While all members of the Dissertation Committee should be viewed as resources available to the student, the Sub-Committee is the group that will work actively with the student throughout the dissertation process. The members of the Dissertation Sub-Committee are referred to as Active members, and for this reason the Sub-Committee is often referred to as the Active Committee.
Dissertation Readers
Members of the Graduate Dissertation Committee who are not part of the Dissertation Sub-committee are referred to as Readers.
Program of Graduate Study
The doctoral degree is awarded based on the demonstration of mature scholarship and ability to conduct meaningful and independent research. The Ph.D. in Applied Economics requires a minimum of 50 hours of course work plus a dissertation (20 hours). All students enroll in a rigorous core curriculum composed of courses in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, and econometrics. Preliminary qualifying examinations over economic theory and quantitative skills is administered after completion of the core courses.
Beginning in the program's third semester, students take advanced courses in their chosen applied fields of specialization. Guided by their interests and career goals, students may specialize in a number of areas: financial economics, regional and rural economic development, natural resource and environmental economics, labor economics, international economics, public economics and forestry economics.
The proposed program of graduate study is specified by the student's Graduate Program Committee in consultation with the student. During the first semester of enrollment a proposed program of graduate study, approved by the Graduate Program Committee, is to be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies in Business for approval by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School.
A copy of the fully approved program of graduate study will be provided to the student and each individual whose signature appears on it.
Proposed changes in an approved program of graduate study must be approved in the same manner as the original program.
Doctoral Examinations
The following written and oral examinations are required of all Applied Economics Ph.D. students.
Microeconomic Theory Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination in microeconomic theory is a four hour written examination covering the subject matter of Mathematical Economics, EC 8163, and EC 8263. The examination is offered the last week in May. The Office of Graduate Studies in Business maintains the schedule of examination dates. The student must register for the examination with the Office of Graduate Studies in Business at least 30 days prior to the scheduled date of the examination he or she plans to take.
In the case of failure, the student has one additional opportunity to retake the exam. This second opportunity is scheduled for the first
week in August.
Macroeconomic Theory Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination in macroeconomic theory is a four hour written examination covering the subject matter of EC 8173, and EC 8273. The examination is offered the last week in January. The Office of Graduate Studies in Business maintains the schedule of examination dates. The student must register for the examination with the Office of Graduate Studies in Business at least 30 days prior to the scheduled date of the examination he or she plans to take.
In the case of failure, the student has one additional opportunity to retake the exam. This second opportunity is scheduled for the last week in March.
Econometrics Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination in econometrics is a four hour written examination covering the subject matter of EC 8133, and EC 8143. The
examination is offered the last week in January. The Office of Graduate Studies in Business maintains the schedule of examination dates. The student must register for the examination with the Office of Graduate Studies in Business at least 30 days prior to the scheduled date of the examination he or she plans to take.
In the case of failure, the student has one additional opportunity to retake the exam. This second opportunity is scheduled for the last week in March.
Comprehensive Examination: Applied Skills Field Paper
In keeping with the applied nature of the Ph.D. program, all students are required to successfully complete the Applied Skills Field Paper in
lieu of traditional comprehensive examinations.
The paper will address a timely issue of economic interest. Students will incorporate the economic theory and the applied skills acquired in
the core courses in order to perform their analysis. The end result should be a paper suitable for submission to a quality, refereed academic journal.
Under the guidance of their program committee, students will begin work on their paper no later than the Spring semester of their second year, after successful completion of the qualifying exams.
Sometime during the Fall semester of their third year, the student will present their paper and research findings. Students will be expected to defend their research model and methodology at the end of their presentation. The presentation is scheduled through the Office of Graduate Studies in Business at least two weeks prior to the date desired for examination.
The presentation and defense is administered by the student's Graduate Program Committee. A student may pass the with no more than one failure or dissenting vote from a member of the Graduate Program Committee. A student who fails to defend their research successfully cannot apply to re-defend until a period of three months has elapsed from the date of the original examination. Two failures on the examination result in automatic termination of the student's program. The student's Graduate Program Committee is dissolved upon passage of the paper defense.
Proposal Defense
Following passage of the Applied Skills Paper the student is eligible to defend a dissertation topic proposal. The Proposal Defense is scheduled by the Chairman of the Graduate Dissertation Committee through the Office of Graduate Studies and is administered by the student's Graduate Dissertation Committee. The request to schedule a Proposal Defense must be made at least two weeks prior to the anticipated date of the defense. A Proposal Defense will not be scheduled sooner than two weeks after a copy of the written dissertation proposal has been distributed to all members of the Graduate Dissertation Committee and the department chair. The Proposal Defense is open to all interested parties, and copies of the proposal are available through the department.
At the conclusion of the public defense, the Graduate Dissertation Committee will meet in closed session, with or without the student, regarding approval of the proposed dissertation topic. The committee may approve, approve subject to revisions, delay the decision, or fail to approve the proposal. The Office of Graduate Studies in Business is notified by the committee chairman of the committee's decision. Upon unanimous approval of the dissertation proposal by the members of the Graduate Dissertation Committee and the approval by the Director of Graduate Studies in Business and the Dean of the Graduate School, the student is admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree.
Dissertation and Final Defense*
The dissertation shall be required of all candidates for the doctorate. The dissertation must show mastery of the techniques of research and a very distinct contribution to the field under investigation and study. The dissertation must conform to the regulations of the Graduate School as specified in the manual Guidelines for Preparing Dissertations and Theses.
The Final Defense of the Dissertation is an oral examination. The examination is scheduled by the Chairman of the Graduate Dissertation
Committee through the Office of Graduate Studies and is administered by the student's Graduate Dissertation Committee plus a representative of the Graduate School. The request to schedule the Final Defense must be made at least two weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination. The examination will not be scheduled sooner than two weeks after a copy of the final manuscript has been distributed to all members of the Graduate Dissertation Committee and the department. The Final Defense of the Dissertation is open to all interested parties, and copies of the manuscript are available through the department.
At the conclusion of the public defense, the Graduate Dissertation Committee and the representative of the Graduate School will meet in
closed session, with or without the student, regarding the results of the Final Defense of the Dissertation. The committee may pass, pass
subject to revisions, delay the decision, or fail the student on the Final Defense. A student may pass the examination with no more than one failing or dissenting vote from a member of the Graduate Dissertation Committee. The results of the final defense are transmitted to the Office of Graduate Studies in Business by the Chairman of the Graduate Dissertation Committee at the conclusion of the meeting. To qualify for graduation in a given semester the Office of Graduate Studies in Business must report the results of the Final Defense to the Graduate School at least by the "Last day for submitting examination results" as published in the Graduate Academic Calendar of the Graduate Bulletin.
A student who fails the final examination cannot apply for reexamination until a period of six months has elapsed from the date of the original examination. Two failures on the final examination will result in the student being terminated from further consideration as a doctoral candidate.
Graduate School Reading
Following a successful Final Defense the original copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies to be checked for acceptance for binding. To qualify for graduation in a given semester this must be done at least by the "Last day for first submission of theses/dissertations to the Office of Graduate Studies" as published in the Graduate Academic Calendar of the Graduate Bulletin.
Endorsements and Deposit
The original and one copy shall be endorsed with the signatures of the Graduate Dissertation Committee members, the Director of Graduate
Studies in Business and the Dean of the College of Business and Industry. The signed original and copy, along with an extra copy of the
title page and three additional copies of the abstract, all unbound and of satisfactory quality, must be deposited with the Graduate School. To qualify for graduation in a given semester this must be done at least by the "Last day for submitting signed theses/dissertations to the Office of Graduate Studies" as published in the Graduate Academic Calendar of the Graduate Bulletin.
Microfilming and Binding
The University has an agreement with University Microfilms International for the microfilming of all doctoral dissertations. Under this agreement, two microfilm copies of the complete dissertation will be made and the abstract (maximum of 350 words) will be published in the journal, Dissertations Abstracts International. The doctoral candidate must pay $55.00 for microfilming. The microfilm is made available, through University Microfilms International, to anyone interested for use or purchase as a book.
Two copies of the dissertation are bound and permanently filed in the University Library. The doctoral candidate must pay a $12.00 binding fee for this to the Comptroller. No provision is made for the binding of additional copies of the dissertation; this is the student's personal
responsibility.
Copyrighting
Under the agreement with University Microfilms International, if desired, the dissertation will be copyrighted with the copyright in the name of the author. If this copyrighting is desired the doctoral candidate must pay an additional $35.00 fee.
* The student must be enrolled the semester the dissertation is submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Transfer of Credits
It is anticipated that an appreciable percentage of the students in the doctoral program will hold master's degrees in business or economics
from recognized institutions for which they will be allowed credit approximating the first year of the doctoral program. In exceptional cases, limited additional transfer credit may be allowed. In no case will transfer credit be allowed for courses in which grades of "C" or less were earned.
Residence Requirement
At some time in the doctoral course work, the student shall be requiredto devote two consecutive regular semesters (Fall/Spring) with a minimumload of nine hours per semester to the graduate program at Mississippi State University.
Time Limit
The student must complete the doctoral program within eight years of initial entry.
Contact Us
If you are interested in the Ph.D. program you should contact the Graduate Studies in Business office to obtain a complete information
packet and application materials.
