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MA in Political Economy/PhD in Economics

Also see General Requirements for the PhD.

Course Requirements

Post-bachelor’s doctoral students (MAPE/PhD) must complete 16 semester courses (64 credits) beyond the BA degree. Post-master’s doctoral students (PhD) must complete 14 semester courses (56 credits). If a post-master’s doctoral student passes the waiver exam for GRS EC 705, then 13 courses (52 credits) must be completed. All doctoral students are required to successfully complete the core courses by the end of the second semester: GRS EC 701 and 702, 703 and 704, 707, 708 as well as 705 if a waiver is not obtained.

Residency Requirement

Students must satisfy the PhD residency requirement outlined in General Requirements for the PhD.

Qualifying Examination

All students must pass qualifying examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics by the end of their fourth semester.

Grade Requirements

Students must maintain an average of 3.14159 or better in the core courses in order to be in good standing in either the MA in political economy or the PhD program. (For the exact grade requirements and other program rules, see the department rules and regulations, available from the department on request.)

Dissertation

With the help of faculty advisors, a PhD candidate starts work on his or her dissertation by choosing a dissertation topic, usually by the sixth semester, and preparing for the proposal seminar. For the proposal to be accepted, the dissertation candidate must have two advisors and an independent reader, appointed by the director of graduate instruction, who have unanimously approved a thesis proposal.

Dissertation Defense

After the dissertation is written and has received preliminary approval by the candidate’s committee, the final oral examination is scheduled. The examining committee consists of two advisors, an independent reader, and two additional faculty members designated by the director of graduate instruction.

For more detailed information about the MA in political economy and PhD requirements, please visit the department’s website at www.bu.edu/econ.

Courses

  • CAS EC 501 Microeconomic Theory
  • CAS EC 502 Macroeconomic Theory
  • CAS EC 505 Elementary Mathematical Economics
  • CAS EC 507 Statistics for Economists
  • CAS EC 508 Econometrics
  • CAS EC 513 Game Theory
  • CAS EC 515 Economics of Information
  • CAS EC 517 Economic Models of Social Learning and Coordination
  • CAS EC 521 Development Policy
  • CAS EC 522 Development Strategy
  • CAS EC 531 Market Structure and Industrial Organization
  • CAS EC 536 Organizational Economics
  • CAS EC 541 Topics in Monetary Theory and Macroeconomics
  • CAS EC 542 Money and Financial Intermediation
  • CAS EC 545 Financial Economics
  • CAS EC 551 Economics of Labor Markets
  • CAS EC 561 Public Economics I
  • CAS EC 563 Race and the Development of the American Economy: A Global Perspective
  • CAS EC 565 Economic Institutions in Historical Perspective
  • CAS EC 569 Public Finance Policy Issues
  • CAS EC 571 Energy and Environmental Economics
  • CAS EC 572 Public Control of Business
  • CAS EC 581 Health Economics I
  • CAS EC 591 International Trade
  • CAS EC 595 International Finance
  • GRS EC 699 Teaching College Economics I
  • GRS EC 701 Microeconomic Theory
  • GRS EC 702 Macroeconomic Theory
  • GRS EC 703 Advanced Microeconomic Theory I
  • GRS EC 704 Advanced Macroeconomic Theory I
  • GRS EC 705 Introduction to Mathematical Economics
  • GRS EC 707 Advanced Statistics for Economists
  • GRS EC 708 Advanced Econometrics I
  • GRS EC 709 Advanced Econometrics
  • GRS EC 711 Advanced Topics in Econometrics
  • GRS EC 712 Time Series Econometric
  • GRS EC 716 Game Theory
  • GRS EC 717 Inequality Advanced Topics in Microeconomic Theory I
  • GRS EC 718 Advanced Topics in Microeconomic Theory II
  • GRS EC 719 Advanced Topics in the Economics of Information
  • GRS EC 721 Topics in Development Economics
  • GRS EC 722 Topics in Economic Development II
  • GRS EC 731 Market Organization and Public Policy
  • GRS EC 732 Topics in Industrial Organization
  • GRS EC 741 Topics in Macroeconomics and Monetary Theory
  • GRS EC 742 Applied Macroeconomics
  • GRS EC 744 Economic Dynamics
  • GRS EC 751 Topics in Labor Economics I
  • GRS EC 752 Topics in Labor Economics II
  • GRS EC 761 Public Finance
  • GRS EC 762 Topics in Applied Public Finance
  • GRS EC 781 Health Economics
  • GRS EC 782 Health Economics in Developing Countries
  • GRS EC 791 International Trade
  • GRS EC 792 International Finance

Dissertation Workshops

  • GRS EC 901–996 Dissertation Workshops
  • GRS EC 901, 902 Dissertation Workshop in Macro and Monetary Economics
  • GRS EC 903, 904 Dissertation Workshop in Applied Microeconomics
  • GRS EC 905, 906 Dissertation Workshop in Economic Theory

Directed Study

Directed study must be approved in advance of registration by the staff member concerned and the Committee on Graduate Instruction. Instructor and hours arranged. Variable cr.

Related Bulletin Pages

Beyond the Bulletin