PhD Program

About the Program

The PhD program is a small, highly selective and tightly focused program. Graduate training begins with a sequence of required core courses in the student's first three semesters; after that point, the students choose major and minor areas of specialization, with courses offered in the second year of study, and then proceed to the thesis. The core courses are capped by comprehensive examinations, and students also take an examination in their major specialization. In choosing among specialized areas of concentration, students at Stony Brook may select from among game theory, macroeconomics, industrial organization, labor economics, economic demography, and health economics . These areas represent the important specializations in which Stony Brook faculty possess excellent national and international reputations, and in which the department as a whole is committed to emphasizing in the future.

The PhD  program has a STEM-designated, allowing F-1 visa students to work in the U.S. for up to 36 months to work in their field of study. For more information, please visit the Department of Homeland Security webpage. 

• TIME LINE
  Summer Before the First Year (August)

  • 590 Mathematical Foundations

  Year 1

  • 500 Microeconomics I / 501 Microeconomics II
  • 510 Macroeconomics I / 511 Macroeconomics II
  • 520 Probability and Math Statistics / 521 Econometrics
  • 698 Teaching Practicum
  • MILESTONE 1: Comprehensive Exams in early June, retake comprehensive exams (if necessary) in late July/early August

  Year 2

  • 522 Applied Econometrics
  • Five Elective Courses 
  • MILESTONE 2: Choose Thesis Advisor and Committee (Typically during Summer of year 2, deadline October 31 of year 3)

  Year 3

  • Elective Course 6
  • Research Workshops
  • Thesis Research 
  • MILESTONE 3: Defend Dissertation Proposal (Typically during spring of year 3, deadline end of spring semester)

  Year 4 and Beyond

  • Focus on implementing research plan and writing PhD thesis
  • Continue to participate and present in research area workshops
  • Possibly take on instructor role for undergraduate classes
  • Prepare for the job market
  • Aim to graduate by year 5 or (commonly) 6
  • MILESTONE 4: Job Market year and Thesis Defense at the end of the year
• COURSES

  Year 1

  In the first year of the PhD program in Economics, students acquire the foundation for further study of economic theory and quantitative methods. This foundation is provided by what are termed “core” courses. Students take a review course in mathematics, two core courses in Microeconomic Theory, two in Macroeconomic Theory, and two in Mathematical Statistics and Econometrics. They also take a course in teaching economics.

  At the end of the first year, there are written comprehensive examinations (comps) in the three core course sequences: microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics/econometrics. MA students who are interested continuing towards the PhD program are encouraged to take these comprehensive examinations.

  All PhD students whose GPA is 3.0 or above must take and pass the comprehensive exams in order to stay and be funded in the program. Students whose GPA is less than 3.0 will not be funded in the next academic year. They will be automatically accepted into the MA program. 

  All students who take the comprehensive exams must do so in June. If they fail, they have an opportunity to take the comps again in August but support for the Fall semester is not guaranteed even if they pass.

  Students with exceptionally strong backgrounds equivalent to PhD core courses may progress more rapidly through the core sequences by omitting courses, as appropriate, with the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies.

   Year 2

  In their second year of the PhD program, students finish their required coursework with an applied econometrics course and choose five additional elective courses from the variety of fields offered in theoretical and applied economics. It is through these courses that a breadth and depth of economic knowledge is acquired. The elective courses offered can vary from year to year depending on faculty expertise and availability. Typically elective courses are offered in the following fields: game theory, industrial organization, macroeconomics, labor economics, and health economics.

  The purpose of electives is to provide students with exposure to the relevant issues and the research frontier in the various fields of economics. This provides the necessary background for students to start thinking about their own research topics. Electives are typically organized into two-semester sequences sometimes referred to as fields (eg. Labor I in fall and Labor II in spring). Students are expected to choose at least two such sequences so that they are in a position to begin research in one (or both) of these two fields by the end of their second year.

  At the end of the second year the student should be prepared to choose a Thesis Advisor along with two additional Thesis Committee members. The departmental requirement is that the student must have a dissertation advisor and two committee members by October 31 of the fifth semester of study. However, students are encouraged to choose an advisor as early as possible, even before the third year begins.

  Year 3

  In the third year of the PhD program, students complete the remaining coursework, consisting of one more elective course, and begin their research work, culminating in a dissertation proposal by the end of the year.

  At the beginning of their third year, students choose a Thesis Advisor and two committee members and register for the research workshop that corresponds to the field of study they have chosen. During the whole year, students participate in the research workshop and present their research ideas and research progress. By the end of the third year, students are required to complete and successfully defend a Dissertation Proposal. The public examination on this proposal and related topics will be conducted by the student's Thesis Committee. The examination must be announced at least a week in advance and copies of the Dissertation Proposal must be available to faculty and graduate students at that time. The purpose of this Dissertation Proposal is to help focus ideas and insure familiarity with the most important research in the area proposed for the dissertation. 

  Thus, it is desirable that each student should choose a dissertation advisor as early as possible. An advisor must be named, along with two committee members, by October 31 of the fifth semester of study. The choice of dissertation advisor and committee (and any changes in committee composition) is formalized by submission of a "Thesis Committee Form" signed by the student, dissertation advisor, and other committee members, to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Each student's dissertation progress is then evaluated at the end of the fifth and succeeding semesters by the thesis committee, and a report is made to the department.

  Year 4 and Beyond

  Once a student has successfully defended their dissertation proposal they become ABD (All-But-Dissertation) which means they can now focus on implementing the proposed research and writing their PhD dissertation. This process typically takes 2 to 3 years. During that time, students continue to participate in research workshops and to present their ongoing research. 

  To complete the PhD, a dissertation that presents the results of original and significant research must be approved by a committee including the candidate's principal advisor, two other department members, and one member from outside the department. The dissertation must be presented and defended at a public colloquium convened by the Thesis Committee for that purpose. This defense must be announced at least three weeks in advance with copies of the thesis available for faculty and graduate students at least three weeks before the defense. If this is not the case the Graduate Program Director will not approve the formal defense and this could jeopardize timely graduation of the student.

   

• COMPREHENSIVE EXAM
  1. All eligible (see below) PhD students are required to take the comprehensive exams offered at the end of the Spring semester of the first year of study, and if necessary then retake before the beginning of the Fall semester of the second year of study. If a PhD student does not take one or more of the comps in the Spring it will count as a failed exam.
     
     
  2. Only students who have a cumulative GPA (only counting the classes taken in the department of economics) of 3.0 or better by the end of the Spring semester, will be eligible and allowed to take the comprehensive exams. PhD students who do not fulfill this requirement will be dropped from the program, but can still choose to enroll in the MA program in the Fall and Spring of the following year in order to obtain their MA degree, assuming they maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better.
  3. Students who do not pass one or more of the comps in their first try (right after the Spring of the first year) will be allowed to retake those exams in early August, being this the last opportunity to prove proficiency in this requirement. PhD students who do not pass one or more of the comps in the first try might lose their funding for the second year in the program, regardless of their outcome in the retake (In the past, most students who have failed one or more of the comps in the first try did not get funded in the second year.) Additionally, PhD students who do not pass one or more of the comps in their second (and last) try will not be allowed to register as PhD students in the Fall of their second year on campus, and therefore will be dismissed from the PhD program, and will only be allowed to register as MA students, which requires paying tuition.
     
     
  4. The Comprehensive Exams are regularly scheduled during the month of June. The exact schedule of subjects will be provided to you well in advance. The retakes, when necessary, will take place on August. Again, the exact schedule of the subjects will be provided well in advance.
  5. Students will be informed of the results of their comps by e-mail from the Graduate Program Director or the Graduate Program Coordinator. 
  6. Students will have the right to review their marked exams, and discuss them with the professors who graded them, in person or by other means of communication.
• DISSERTATION

  To complete the PhD, a dissertation that presents the results of original and significant research must be approved. This involves two formal steps. First, a dissertation proposal must receive the approval of the thesis advisor and members of the thesis committee as a result of a public defense of the proposal in the third year. Second, final approval of the dissertation will be made by a committee including the candidate's principal advisor, two other department members, and one member from outside the department. The dissertation must be presented and defended at a public colloquium convened by the Thesis Committee for that purpose. This defense must be announced at least three weeks in advance with copies of the thesis available for faculty and graduate students at least one week before the defense.

  Preliminary research to develop a dissertation topic normally begins in the second year of study and the third and fourth years are devoted to developing and refining this research. Throughout this phase students must interact closely with their faculty thesis supervisors and dissertation committees. Seminars organized by the graduate students provide an opportunity to present thesis material to other students and faculty.

• EVALUATION
  Evaluation for First- and Second-Year Ph.D. Students
  The Graduate Program Director (GPD) will collect final grades in all first- and second-year classes. He/she will identify those students who are at risk of losing funding or having to leave the program. Each semester, for such students, the GPD will write a report documenting performance in classes, meet with the student, and construct a plan for improving performance. The plan should be thought of as a guide for improving performance. Actual loss of financial aid or dismissal from the program depends on the rules discussed in a different part of this document.
  
  Evaluation for Ph.D. Students beyond the Second Year
  Each semester, the student and his/her committee should meet to measure progress and construct a "progress report." The process should consist of two steps: a) Evaluate progress on the goals specified in the previous report and b) develop goals for the upcoming semester. The progress report should be signed by the committee members and the student. Then, it should be sent to the GPD. The GPD should monitor progress through the progress reports and confer with committees where the student is consistently missing goals, where the goals are not consistent with department deadlines, or where performance evaluation is inconsistent with other measures of performance (e.g., seminar presentations). This process is meant to help students and committees measure and achieve progress; decisions concerning dismissal from the program or similar outcomes are still made by the committee. However, it is critical for students performing poorly to receive critical reviews during the evaluation process so that the student is not surprised by imposition of penalties.  
• TIME LIMIT
  If the PhD degree requirements have not been met within 5 years of entry into the program, departmental approval is required for the student to continue in the program. It is common for the department to approve an extension to the 6th year but it is less common that registration beyond the 6th year is approved. Students must be aware that special circumstances during the program (health issues, personal situations) allow students to request a leave of absence, which stops the six year clock.
• DISMISSAL POLICY

  Failure to maintain satisfactory progress results automatically in Departmental probationary status, with continuation in the program permitted only at the discretion of the Department's PhD committee. A student must petition the committee for such an exception, giving detailed reasons justifying such an exemption. Students are considered to be making minimum satisfactory progress if their progress is consistent with the formal requirements summarized below.

  1. Maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, equivalent to a B average. Failure to do so results in academic probation and eventual dismissal by the Graduate School. Note, however, that any grades below B, even with a B average, have a significant negative weight in evaluations for continued financial support.
  2. Successfully complete the mathematical foundations course (590), microeconomics core sequence (500,501), the macroeconomics core sequence (510,511), and the statistics/econometrics core sequence (520, 521, 522) by the end of the corresponding semester.
  3. Sit and pass comprehensive exams in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics/econometrics at the end of the spring semester of the first year of study. In case of failure to pass any of these three exams, a second opportunity to pass any exams failed is offered during the summer before the beginning of the second year. Note that  students need a GPA of 3.0 or better to take the exams and continue receiving funding if they are doing so.
  4. Designate a thesis committee of three members by October 31st of the fifth semester.
  5. Successfully defend a Dissertation Proposal by the end of the sixth semester of study. This Dissertation Proposal includes a submitted written document and an oral presentation (defense) of the proposal. The proposal is evaluated by the thesis committee.
  6. Successfully defend a dissertation presenting the results of original and significant research. The dissertation must be approved by the PhD thesis committee, composed of the thesis advisor, two committee members from the department, and a faculty member outside the department. This defense must be announced at least three weeks in advance with copies of the thesis available for faculty and graduate students at least three weeks before the defense, otherwise the defense will not be approved.
• TRAVEL, PURCHASE, AND REIMBURSEMENT GUIDELINES

  To provide assistance to Graduate Students who must travel and/or make research-related purchases.  Please use link to submit a Travel Funding & Datasets Acquisition Request.