Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of Economics and a Major Concentration in Economics and Finance

PhD Degree in the field of Economics and a Major Concentration in Economics and Finance 

Upon completing the PhD degree in the field of Economics and a major concentration in Economics and Finance, students will be able to:  

1. Carry out independent research in economics and finance, using mathematical, statistical, econometric, and computational tools.
2. Write an independent and original thesis that is of sufficient quality to merit publication in a top economics or finance journal.  
3. Conduct a focused review of the literature and develop a research design to carry out independent research.  
4. Defend their research design and modeling choices by presenting their paper in a seminar environment.  
5. Communicate their research effectively by writing clearly, concisely, and cogently.  
6. Read critically and assess research manuscripts related to their field of study and in other fields.   

MA and PhD Degrees in field of Economics

MA Degree Program

MA degree is a non-thesis master's degree.  For general university non-thesis masters degrees, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Although students are not normally admitted to study for an MA, graduate students may earn MA along way to PhD. In order to obtain MA Degree in field of Economics, students must:

• Pass first year core courses with a grade point average of 2.67 or better.
• Complete 6 field courses with passing grades.
• Earn a satisfactory grade in ECON 700 in last two semesters before graduation.

The English Language Proficiency Requirement may be waived for an international student who received a degree from an institution in which English is the official language of communication. Contact the admitting program for more information.

The following language proficiency tests are accepted by Rice graduate programs and will be used to assess English language proficiency. Please note the below scores are the minimum requirement, though some program requirements will be higher.

• The TOEFL IBT Home. A minimum score of 90 is required
• IELTS Indicator. A minimum score of 7 is required.
• Duolingo. A minimum score of 115 is required.

1. Find your graduate program(s) of interest and submit an interest form. Click here for a listing of schools and departments.
2. Research the cost of study and available financial support. Qualified doctoral students often receive tuition waivers and a generous stipend.
3. Look at our facts and stats on admissions, enrollment and degrees awarded.
4. Learn more about research at Rice.
5. Find out what living in Houston is like.