Navigating the UCLA Economics PhD Program: Requirements and Opportunities

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Economics Department offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Economics, designed to prepare students for impactful careers in academia, business, and government. The program emphasizes rigorous training in economic theory, econometrics, and the study of real-world problems. This article provides a detailed overview of the program's requirements, structure, and opportunities.

Program Overview

UCLA's Economics Department is home to internationally recognized scholars across various fields, forming one of the foremost economics departments globally. The Ph.D. program aims to equip students with the skills necessary to conduct cutting-edge research and contribute to the field of economics. Students accepted into the doctoral program can earn their Master of Arts (M.A.) in Economics en route to earning their PhD. The PhD program does not admit students whose final goal is to earn a Master of Arts in Economics. If you are interested in a Master’s only, please apply to the MQE Program. They offer a terminal Master’s degree curriculum designed to prepare students to enter the field of Economics.

Admission Requirements and Application Process

The program only admits students once a year in the fall; we do not have spring or winter admissions. Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm PST on December 1, (2:59am EST on December 2) of the application year. Recommendation letters are given a 2 week grace period. The department receives almost 600 applications per application cycle.

Academic Preparation

Students pursuing an undergraduate Economics degree should supplement their coursework with additional math preparation beyond that required for a B.A., including Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, and Differential Equations. The Departmental Scholars Program allows undergraduate students to take Ph.D. level course work and pursue simultaneously a B.A. and an M.A. degree in Economics.

Application Materials

For details of the application process please review our Admission page. All of the application materials must be uploaded and submitted via the online application by 11:59pm PST on December 1 (2:59am EST on December 2). Academic records and test scores can be postmarked by December 1. Due to the high volume of applications, we cannot accept updated transcripts postmarked after the December 1st deadline. We will contact you should the review committee request additional information.

Read also: UCLA Econ Resources

International Applicants

International applicants must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Official TOEFL scores must be sent directly by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). A TOEFL score of at least 560 on the paper and pencil test or 220 on the computer based test is the minimum required. For the internet-based TOEFL (TOEFL iBT), applicants must have a minimum total passing score of 87. As long as the application is submitted by the deadline, and test scores are received soon after, the time lapse should not create a problem. In order for your official scores to be matched to your application, be sure that the personal information you give on the Application for Graduate Admission is exactly the same as the information you gave at the time you took the test. Please note it can take several weeks for scores to be matched to your record in the system.

Fee Waivers

The University has specific guidelines for need-based fee waivers and for students who have participated in special programs to request fee waivers.

Program Structure and Coursework

The department requires nine upper division and graduate-level courses (36 units) in economics completed while in graduate status at UCLA. At least seven of the nine courses (28 units) must be graduate-level courses in the department, one of which must be Economics 207, 241, or 242 (see general catalog for course descriptions). With the prior approval of the Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs, students may take a maximum of two courses from departments outside of Economics. Courses include Mathematical Methods in Economics, Microeconomics: Theory of the Firm and Consumer, Macroeconomics: Dynamics and Growth Theory, Probability and Statistics for Econometrics, Microeconomics: Game Theory with Asymmetric Information and Applications, Mathematical Methods in Economics, and Macroeconomics: Business Cycles.

Advising

Entering students are primarily advised by the Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs and the First Year Adviser. First year students are encouraged to consult these advisers whenever doubts or questions arise about their proposed program or academic goals. In addition, the Graduate Committee meets once a year in the fall quarter after comprehensive examination results have been made known, to review the performance of each student in the program. At that time, a student making unsatisfactory progress is interviewed by a committee member and given guidelines for successful completion of the program.

Comprehensive Examinations

To be eligible to continue in the doctoral program, students must pass the first-year core written comprehensive exams (with a Ph.D. pass or better) in all three first-year core sequences by the end of their second year. The comprehensive exams are offered twice a year, at the end of Spring quarter and at the end of summer. These exams are graded H (Ph.D. honors pass), P (Ph.D. pass), M (M.A. pass), or F (fail). Students who receive an M.A. Students have three opportunities to pass their first-year comprehensive exams: after the Spring quarter in their first year, at the end of that summer, and after the Spring quarter in their second year. If a student fails to pass the three comprehensive exams with a Ph.D. pass or better by the end of their second year, they are ineligible to continue in the PhD program and will be recommended for academic disqualification.

A student can claim exemption from one and only one comprehensive exam if the student receives at least a B in all three courses in that sequence, AND an average grade of B+ (3.3 GPA) in the three courses in that sequence. The student does not have to select which comprehensive exam they would like to be exempt from until after they receive the exam results. For example, should a student receive an average grade of B+ in the microeconomics and econometrics sequences, they can still choose to take both sequences’ comprehensive exams.

Second-Year Written Qualifying Examinations

Students must take and pass (with a Ph.D. pass or better) the second-year written qualifying examinations in three doctoral elective fields, or two fields plus breadth option, usually by the end of the second year. Examinations are graded H (Ph.D. honors pass), P (Ph.D. pass), M (M.A. pass), or F (fail). Written qualifying examinations are offered only once a year, after the end of Spring quarter. Each doctoral elective field selects their own format for second year qualifying exams: Written exams, field papers, or a combination of both an exam and a paper (see Graduate Handbook). For fields that require a field paper, students should submit the paper electronically to the Graduate Adviser. A field paper can only be submitted to one field, unless the committees of both fields agree to a different arrangement.

Breadth Option

Students may substitute one and only one of the three fields by course work, defined as three graduate-level courses taken in that field. Courses used to satisfy this requirement cannot include any courses that are part of the first-year graduate core sequences. The breadth option must include Economics 207, 241, or 242 (see general catalog for course descriptions). Students may apply courses at the graduate level (200-series) outside the Economics Department on written preapproval by the Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs.

Dissertation Proposal and Oral Qualifying Examination

The dissertation proposal must be completed by the end of the student’s second year, and is in most cases one of the second-year written qualifying examinations. This proposal is read and evaluated by a member of the department faculty, who certifies in writing that it satisfies this requirement.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination, administered by the student’s doctoral committee, is scheduled after successful completion of all first-year core written comprehensive examinations as prescribed, successful completion of the second-year written qualifying examinations of three doctoral elective fields (or two fields plus breadth option), and the submission of a written dissertation proposal. The examination focuses on, but is not limited to, the dissertation proposal. Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements.

Time-to-Degree and Academic Disqualification

The department has established a six-year (18 quarters) normative time-to-degree plan which is divided into a two-year pre-candidacy period and a four-year candidacy period. It should be recognized that the amount of time necessary to complete the degree can vary widely among students, due to differences in previous training and other factors. All requirements for the Ph.D.

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department.

Students who fail to pass all three first-year core written comprehensive examinations (with a Ph.D. pass or better) by July of their second year are ineligible to continue in the Ph.D. program. Students who do not earn Ph.D. passes in the second-year written qualifying examinations by the end of their third year are ineligible to continue in the Ph.D. program. Students who do not pass the oral qualifying examination by the beginning of their fourth year are ineligible to continue in the Ph.D.

Research and Faculty Support

Preparation for the qualifying exams through coursework and independent study occupies most student time for the first two years. Thereafter the focus shifts to independent research and finally to the writing of a Ph.D. dissertation. Research in progress by our graduate students as well as our faculty is presented at workshops that meet weekly throughout the academic year. Currently, the Dept. has workshops in Theory and Mathematical Economics, International and Development Economics, Labor and Population Economics, Business Organization and Regulation Economics, Economic History, Econometrics, and Monetary Theory. In addition, many graduate students work as research or teaching assistants for faculty members.

Career Prospects

Graduates from this program work at major universities around the world, national and international government agencies, banks, research centers and in private businesses. Some of our graduates have achieved great prominence, such as William Sharpe, who earned both his B.A. and Ph.D.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition fee is 36297 USD / year, but may vary.

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