DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

GRADUATE PROGRAM POLICY STATEMENT FOR PH.D DEGREE IN ECONOMIC EDUCATION

Degree Requirements:  Students in the PhD program in Economic Education complete coursework in four broad areas:  1) Core Economic Theory and Methods; 2) Field in Economic Education;
3) Concentration in Education; 4) Electives.  The specific requirements are:

ECONOMICS (REQUIRED CORE COURSES):                                                                             Credits

ECON801  Microeconomic Theory                                                                            3
               ECON802  Macroeconomic Theory                                                                            3
               ECON822  Econometric Theory                                                                                   3
               ECON823  Seminar in Econometrics                                                                          3

ECONOMICS FIELD COURSES (ECONOMIC EDUCATION:)

ECON820 Economics of Education Policy                                                               3
ECON829 Economic Education Curricula                                                                2

                Two of:

                ECON824 Topics in Advanced Econometrics                                                        3
                ECON832  Public Finance                                                                                              3
                ECON880  Labor Economics                                                                                         3   

ECONOMICS ELECTIVES:                                                                                                                6

EDUCATION CONCENTRATION:

EDUC805 & 806 Proseminar I and II                                                                          8
EDUC840   Colloquium (2 terms)                                                                               2
EDUC Elective                                                                                                                    3

FREE ELECTIVES *                                                                                                                              9

*To be chosen from any graduate level courses in consultation with and with approval of advisor                          

ECON969  DISSERTATION COURSEWORK                                                                               9

TOTAL REQUIRED CREDITS                                                                                                            60

Students must pass all required exams in Economics, including mathematical proficiency, comprehensive exams in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and in the major field of study (Economic Education). Students who receive an A or an A- in ECON 801 are exempt from the Microeconomics section of the Comprehensive Exam. Students who receive an A or an A- in ECON 802 are exempt from the Macroeconomics section of the Comprehensive Exam. The comprehensive examinations will typically be taken in the semester after all coursework has been completed. All students must register for and attend ECON890 (weekly department seminar) in three semesters and meet established course requirements

Faculty committees consisting of at least two members will be responsible for the writing and grading of each of the preliminary examinations. Each preliminary examination is graded as High Pass, Pass, or Fail. Students must receive a grade of pass pr high pass on all three preliminary examinations. Students who do not pass an examination on the first attempt may retake it two additional times.

By the time they have completed the preliminary examinations, students normally choose a dissertation committee consisting of a dissertation advisor, two faculty members from the Department of Economics, and a faculty member from a department other than the Department of Economics. To be considered a Doctoral Candidate, a student must successfully defend a proposal outlining the nature of the work to be done for the dissertation. The dissertation must represent a significant advance in the body of economic knowledge and must be defended before the student’s dissertation committee and the University community.

Admissions Policies:  Students will be admitted to the program based upon enrollment availability and their ability to meet the following minimum recommended entrance requirements.

  • Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
  • An officially reported GRE score. Students are normally expected to have a minimum score of 1100 on math and verbal sections combined.
  • An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • An officially reported minimum TOEFL score of 600 (paper-based test) or 250 (computer-based test) or 100 (iBT).
  • A written statement of goals and objectives, including a statement that clearly identifies the applicant’s interest in the program.
  • Coursework in microeconomics and macroeconomics at the intermediate level or above and in statistics and mathematics (calculus) is expected.  Otherwise qualified students who lack this background may be directed to appropriate coursework to remedy this deficiency.

Admission to the graduate program is competitive. Those who meet stated requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet all of those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths. Admission decisions are made by the Department of Economics Graduate Studies Committee and are based upon a number of factors, including the applicant’s GRE scores, college transcripts, application essays and letters of recommendation.     

Students admitted into the Ph.D. Program in Economic Education will be admitted into the program in regular admission status only. 

Graduate Program Faculty:  The graduate program faculty includes all full-time, Department of Economics faculty of the rank of assistant professor or above. Part-time faculty may be included at the discretion of the Chair.

Program Administration:  The PhD program in Economic Education is administered by the Graduate Program Committee, a standing committee of the Department of Economics.  The Director of the Graduate Program is the chair of the committee.  Other committee members are chosen on an annual basis by the department chair in consultation with the Director of the Graduate Program.  If feasible, the Graduate Program Committee will include a representative of the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship.

Requirements for Graduation: Students must meet the University’s full-time residence requirement of at least one continuous academic year consisting of at least nine credits per semester and must complete their degree within the time limit established by the University. The Office of Graduate Studies provides guidelines governing a possible extension of the time limit for circumstances beyond a student’s control.

Degree Completion:

Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy:

Procedures for admission to Ph.D. candidacy are as specified by the Office of Graduate Studies in the graduate catalog. Admission to candidacy must be obtained before the deadlines specified in the graduate catalog calendar. Responsibility for seeing that admission is secured at the proper time rests with the student, but must include the recommendation of the student’s dissertation committee and the chairperson of the department.

 Doctoral Dissertation:

A.      Dissertation Proposal

1.       It is the responsibility of the student to form a Ph.D. dissertation committee consisting of a chairperson and three additional members, one of whom must be from an outside department. The  composition of the dissertation committee must be approved by the Department Graduate Committee and Department Chairperson.

2.       Faculty with joint appointments in the Department of Economics cannot serve as outside members of dissertation committees.

3.       Upon obtaining the written consent of the Department Chairperson, the student must notify the University Administrator of Graduate Student Academic Affairs in writing of the composition of the committee.

4.       Overlap in membership between the Department’s Graduate Committee and the dissertation committee does not require those involved to disqualify themselves for respective action.

5.       Students who have completed all required course work but who have not been admitted to candidacy can register for Research (ECON 868). However, no more than three credits of Research (ECON 868) accomplished prior to admission to candidacy can be applied toward the dissertation.

6.       The student must make an oral defense of approximately one hour of a written dissertation proposal before the student’s dissertation committee. The length and content of the written proposal is determined by the Chairperson of the dissertation committee. To be approved, the proposal must receive the unanimous support of the committee members. The Department Graduate reviews all cases of students who do not pass the oral defense to determine whether or not the student is making sufficient progress to justify continuation in the doctoral program.

7.       Upon approval of the dissertation proposal by the committee, the student shall provide one copy of the proposal for his or her file in the department office. The proposal is to be signed by all members of the committee. In addition, the chair of the dissertation committee shall notify all faculty members by memo of the title of the proposal and the presence of the signed proposal in the student’s file. The chair of the dissertation committee will also notify the University Administrator of Graduate Student Academic Affairs, who admits the student to formal candidacy. (Consult graduate catalog for specific time schedule for admission to formal candidacy).

B.      The Dissertation

1.       Changes in the membership of the dissertation committee require the approval of the Department’s Graduate Committee.

2.       The bibliographic form and style of the dissertation will conform with expectations of the Office of Graduate Studies.

3.       Copies of the Dissertation:

a.       one for the departmental archives;

b.      others as required by the Office of Graduate Studies for University use; students should consult with the Office of Graduate Studies regarding dissertation guidelines.          

C.      Oral Defense of Dissertation

1.       All other requirements for the degree must be completed before the oral defense of dissertation is scheduled.\

2.       The chairperson of the dissertation committee shall be responsible for scheduling the defense and for notifying the faculty and the University Administrator of Graduate Student Academic Affairs three (3) weeks prior to the defense.

3.       The dissertation defense is administered by the dissertation committee.

4.       The oral defense is open to the public, but the right of voting is reserved  to the dissertation committee.

5.       Grading is on a pass or fail basis. A majority vote is required for any action. The department Graduate Committee reviews all cases of students who do not pass the oral defense to determine whether or not the student is making sufficient progress to justify continuation in the doctoral program.

6.       It is the responsibility of the chairperson of the dissertation committee to notify the Director of Graduate Studies and the University Administrator of Graduate Student Academic Affairs of the decision of the dissertation  committee.

Graduate Student Funding and Time Limits: Graduate student financial support comes from both University and non-university sources. Faculty graduate advisors are not obliged to provide financial support to students, nor does the Department guarantee financial support for the duration of a student’s program.

Financial aid is awarded on the basis of merit within the defined programs of study by the Department Chairperson in consultation with the Department Graduate Committee. Support is awarded on a semester basis. Graduate students under contract are reviewed each semester for academic standing and progress toward the degree. Subject to limits imposed by available funds, the Department attempts to continue to fund those students progressing satisfactorily through completion of the normal degree period of three (3) semesters for the master’s degree and three (3) additional years beyond completion of the Master’s degree. Except for valid extenuating circumstances, financial support will not continue beyond this period.

Dismissal Policy:  The Department of Economics adheres to the University policy for termination of doctoral students with the following specific exceptions. Students must terminate their studies for the doctorate if they are unable to pass any one of the preliminary examinations after three attempts or if they fail to make sufficient progress as determined on an individual basis by the Department Graduate Committee. If, in the opinion of the Department Graduate Committee, the student is not making satisfactory progress, the student and the student’s advisor will be notified. The student will have the opportunity to meet with the Chairperson of the Department Graduate Committee and/or Department Chairperson to discuss to Committee’s actions. Possible outcomes of this action include reassignment of the student to another faculty advisor or termination of the student from the graduate program.

Waiver Policy:  Students who seek a waiver of any of the above-mentioned policies must do so in writing to the Department Graduate Committee.