1
January 19, 2022
GUIDE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN ECONOMICS
This guide provides information about the requirements of the Department of Economics graduate program.
You should also familiarize yourself with the requirements of the Graduate School which are described in the
General Catalog and at www.grad.washington.edu. You are responsible for knowing and following the
requirements of both the Department and the Graduate School. This guide will be updated periodically.
I. The PhD Program
The graduate program in economics leading to the PhD degree consists of one year of core courses
followed by core examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics, one year of electives followed
by examinations or course certification in at least two fields of specialization, and successful completion
of a dissertation.
A. Core Theory and Econometrics Program
1. Core Courses
The core program is designed to provide the tools for advanced work in economics. It consists of
courses in microeconomics (ECON 500, 501, and 508), macroeconomics (ECON 502, 503 and 509), and
econometrics (ECON 580, 581, and 582). These courses may be repeated only one time to bring a
deficient grade up to the required level; failure to pass a core course at the second attempt will result in
removal from the PhD program. Minimum required grades for microeconomics and macroeconomics
core courses are 2.7. For the econometrics core courses, each grade must be at least 2.7, but an average
of 3.0 is required for the sequence. The Graduate School requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
2. Core Examinations
All PhD students are required to pass core examinations in microeconomics and macroeconomics before
the beginning of their third year in the program. The core examinations cover basic economic theory at
the level of the core courses. Students are not expected to have taken any course work in economic
theory beyond the core courses, but they are expected to have done reading and other work to extend,
integrate, and consolidate their understanding of materials presented in the core courses.
The core examinations are given twice a year, in September prior to the beginning of autumn quarter
and in the spring during the week prior to the beginning of spring quarter. The exact dates of the
examinations will be announced during the preceding quarter. All PhD students are required to take
both core examinations in September before the beginning of their second year in the graduate program.
The student is responsible for signing up for the examinations with the Graduate Program Counselor.
Students who do not pass a core examination must retake it in the spring of their second year in the
program. A student may retake each core examination one time. If a student neglects to take a core
examination when required, then that automatically results in a failure and counts as one of the two
permitted attempts at taking that examination. Failure to pass a core exam at the second attempt will
result in removal from the PhD program.
2
B. Elective Courses
In addition to the core courses, PhD students must take at least eight elective courses in economics at
the 500 level. These courses must be taken for a numeric grade, not on a credit/no credit or S/NS basis.
A grade of at least 3.0 is required in each course. At least one of the courses must be in advanced
microeconomics or advanced macroeconomics. (Students may use this advanced micro or macro course
to fulfill a field of specialization requirement as well; see the Appendix for details.) In choosing elective
courses, students should take account of the need to satisfy the field requirements described below.
Students are strongly urged to take some or all of the advanced econometrics sequence: ECON 583, 584,
585, 586, 587 and 589, because a large majority of PhD dissertations rely on econometric methods. Two
of the eight elective courses may be chosen from graduate level courses offered by other UW
departments, provided that the Graduate Program Coordinator pre-approves them as relevant to the
student's program. The following courses cannot be used to satisfy this elective courses requirement:
ECON 537 and ECON 538.
C. Fields of Specialization
PhD students must satisfy the requirements for two fields of specialization. The field requirements can
be satisfied either by passing two field examinations, or by passing one field examination and receiving
an average grade of at least 3.80 in the courses corresponding to a second field (if more than two
courses are taken in a specific field that requires only two, the two highest grades will be used to
determine if the student may grade out of the field exam; please also note in the appendix the different
requirements for completion of the finance field). The eligible fields and the courses corresponding to
each are listed in the Appendix. Note that field courses may have prerequisites. Students should
consult the relevant faculty members for additional information concerning field requirements. Field
exams are typically offered only in September, but they will be offered in January too if needed.
Students should be aware that maintaining satisfactory progress requires passing the field exam(s) in
September at the end of their second year (see p. 6 below). Students may not register for a field exam
unless they have completed all of the courses required for that field of specialization by August 1 before
the September exam or by December 1 before the January exam (which means that I or X grades must
also be resolved by this date). Students must pass the core examinations before taking any field
examinations. It is the student's responsibility to sign up for the field examinations with the Graduate
Program Counselor. A student may retake a field examination or a field course one time. If a student
does not pass after attempting two different fields, s/he must petition to the Graduate Committee to
attempt the exam for a third field.
D. Seminar Attendance
Workshops and seminars are an important part of the training for a PhD. As a minimum requirement,
PhD students beyond the second year must attend at least four departmental seminar presentations and
two workshops during each quarter in which they are registered. When attending seminars, students
must write their name on a sign-up sheet which is circulated at each presentation. At the end of each
quarter, each student’s attendance record will be reported to his/her interim adviser or dissertation
chair.
E. Interim Adviser
Students who have finished their coursework but have not yet formed a Doctoral Supervisory
Committee are required to have an interim adviser and to take ECON 600 on a credit/no credit basis
during each quarter in which they are registered. The interim adviser is a member of the Economics
3
faculty who provides advice on selecting a dissertation topic and conducting research. Satisfactory
interim adviser reports and credit in ECON 600 are required. It is the student’s responsibility to email a
report of their progress during the quarter to their interim adviser by the last day of the quarter. By
forwarding the report to the Graduate Program Counselor, the interim adviser gives approval of the
report.
Students will make a short presentation of their progress to a selected group of faculty members and
fellow students at the beginning of their 4th year.
F. Doctoral Supervisory Committee and the General and Final Examinations
The final requirements for the PhD are related to the doctoral dissertation. At this stage the student
establishes a Doctoral Supervisory Committee to supervise the dissertation work, takes a General
Examination, completes the doctoral dissertation, and then takes a Final Examination. The Graduate
School's requirements are given in the General Catalog or on the web at http://grad.uw.edu/policies-
procedures/general-graduate-student-policies/. See the Graduate Program Counselor if you have
questions about these requirements.
1. Doctoral Supervisory Committee
After a student has completed all required coursework, passed the core examinations, satisfied the field
requirements, and has developed a dissertation topic, a Doctoral Supervisory Committee is appointed.
The Supervisory Committee should consist of four to six members. The Chairperson of the Committee
must be a regular faculty member of the Economics Department. At least half of the Committee must
be faculty members of the Economics Department and either all or all but one of the Committee
members must be active or emeritus members of the University of Washington Graduate Faculty. The
Committee may include one member who is not on the Graduate Faculty but he or she may not serve as
the chairperson. Exceptions to these rules must be approved by the Graduate Committee.
A student registers for ECON 800 after the Doctoral Supervisory Committee has been established. A
student must register for a minimum of 27 credits of ECON 800 over a period of at least three quarters.
No more than ten credits of ECON 800 may be taken per quarter. The student must meet with the
Chairperson of his or her Committee on a regular basis.
A student must consult with the Graduate Program Counselor to make a change in the Supervisory
Committee after it has been established. It will be necessary for the student to explain in writing (1) the
reasons for the requested change and, if applicable, (2) the reasons why the requested change is taking
place close to the general or final examination. The requested change must be approved by the
Chairperson of the Supervisory Committee, the member(s) removed from the committee, the
member(s) added to the committee, the Graduate Program Coordinator, and the Graduate School.
2. General Examination
The General Examination is an oral defense of the dissertation proposal. The General Exam is scheduled
online through the Graduate School’s website: http://grad.uw.edu/for-students-and-post-docs/mygrad-
program/.The student must have received verbal approval of the exam date and time from the
committee chair before scheduling the exam. A student must submit a draft copy of his or her General
Examination paper to each member of the Supervisory Committee and one copy of the paper to the
Graduate Program Counselor at least three weeks before the examination. After passing the General
4
Examination the student is advanced to candidacy for the PhD. The General Examination should be
passed no later than the end of the fourth year in the program.
3. Final Examination
The Final Examination is an oral defense of the completed dissertation. A student cannot take the Final
Examination during the same quarter that he or she passes the General Examination. The Final Exam is
scheduled online through the Graduate School’s website: http://grad.uw.edu/for-students-and-post-
docs/mygrad-program/. The student must have received verbal approval of the exam date and time
from the committee chair before scheduling the exam. A student must submit a draft copy of his or her
dissertation to each member of the Supervisory Committee and one copy of the dissertation to the
Graduate Program Counselor at least three weeks before the examination. At that time, a Doctoral
Reading Committee is established. The Reading Committee consists of three members of the
Supervisory Committee, usually the chairperson and two other members. Two of the three members of
the Reading Committee must be faculty members of the Economics Department. The Final Examination
must be passed within two years of passing the General Examination.
G. Registration/Enrollment
To maintain graduate status, a student must be enrolled on a full-time, part-time, or on-leave basis from
the time of first enrollment in the graduate program until completion of all requirements for the
graduate degree. Official leave from UW is on a quarter-by-quarter basis. Typically we will require a
faculty sponsor before approving additional leave after the first quarter granted.
Students with a teaching, research, or staff assistantship must be registered full-time for at least ten
credits during each quarter of their appointment except for summer quarter (2 credits is considered full-
time registration during summer quarter). ECON 600 (independent study) may be taken in addition to
core or field courses to fulfill the ten credit minimum.
International students on a visa must be registered for ten credits every quarter except summer quarter
to maintain their full-time student status and to satisfy their visa requirements. ECON 600 (independent
study) may be taken in addition to core or field courses to fulfill the ten credit requirement.
Students who have finished their coursework but who have not yet formed a Supervisory Committee
will register for ECON 600 (independent study). Once a student's Supervisory Committee has been
formed, the student registers for ECON 800 (dissertation) instead of ECON 600.
International students taking ECON800 may be able to register for only 2 credits per quarter during the
academic year and still be considered full-time for visa purposes. Please check in with the International
Student Services Office for more details and to request approval. However, even if approval is given to
register for fewer credits, the requirement of at least 27 credits of ECON 800 still applies.
U.S. citizens may register on a part-time basis (less than ten credits), unless the student is a teaching,
research, or staff assistant or has a credit requirement from housing or some other financial aid award.
See the Graduate Program Counselor for entry codes for courses or for answers to questions.
5
H. Graduate School Requirements
All University of Washington Graduate School requirements must be satisfied. (Refer to the General
Catalog or to the web site www.grad.washington.edu.) The Graduate School requires a cumulative GPA
of at least 3.00.
I. English as a Second Language Requirements
Students who are required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses must take them during
their first year and receive credit in each ESL course.
J. Satisfactory Progress Toward the PhD Degree
The PhD program is designed so that students can complete the requirements for the PhD degree in
four years. Satisfactory progress in the PhD program is defined in the following table.
Satisfactory Progress Timeline
First Year: Complete the core course requirement and pass the microeconomics and macroeconomics
core examinations during September before the start of autumn quarter of the second year.
Second Year: Complete the elective course requirement, and satisfy the requirements for two fields of
specialization before the start of autumn quarter of the third year.
Third Year: Attend at least four departmental seminar and two workshop presentations each quarter,
obtain satisfactory interim adviser reports each quarter until the dissertation supervisory committee is
formed, select a dissertation topic, and establish a doctoral supervisory committee. The requirements
for satisfactory progress are determined by the chairperson of the doctoral supervisory committee once
the committee has been established. A presentation of research progress is made to a select group of
faculty/students at the very start of the 4
th
year.
Fourth Year: Attend at least four departmental seminar and two workshop presentations each quarter,
and comply with the requirements for satisfactory progress as determined by the chairperson of the
doctoral supervisory committee.
Please note that all students must satisfy the spoken English conditions of Graduate School Memo 15
before they can receive a teaching assistant position.
In the case of exceptional circumstances, students may petition the Graduate Program Director to
request the extension of a satisfactory progress deadline.
K. Minimally Acceptable Progress Toward the PhD Degree
The following table gives the minimally acceptable rate of progress through the PhD program. Most
students satisfy the requirements well before the indicated deadline.
6
Minimally Acceptable Progress Deadlines
Requirement
Complete the core course requirement and pass
the microeconomics and macroeconomics core
examinations
Attend four departmental seminars and two
workshops each quarter
Satisfy the requirements for two fields of
specialization
Complete the elective courses requirement
Submit a satisfactory interim adviser report each
quarter
Present research to faculty/student
Establish a doctoral supervisory committee
Pass the General Examination
Pass the Final Examination
In the case of exceptional circumstances, the student may petition the Graduate Program Director to
request the extension of a minimally acceptable progress deadline.
All students are required to satisfy both the Graduate School requirements and these minimally
acceptable progress deadlines. If one of the requirements for the PhD is not satisfied by the time
shown, the student may be placed on academic probation. If the requirement is not satisfied by the
following quarter, the student may be placed on final probation. Failure to satisfy the requirement
within two quarters of the deadline may result in dismissal from the program. Thus a student may be on
probation if he or she is one quarter late in satisfying one of the requirements, may be on final
probation if he or she is two quarters late, and may be dismissed from the program if he or she is more
than two quarters late in satisfying one of the requirements. The Chairperson of a student's Supervisory
Committee may request a waiver from these requirements on a quarter by quarter basis.
NOTE – this timeline and probationary process does not supersede the rules in section II.A.1. Therefore,
a student who fails a core course twice will be removed from the program immediately, regardless of
whether or not the timeline requirements have been exceeded.
Note that the Graduate School requires a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00.
II. Financial Assistance
Students admitted to the program with departmental financial aid are guaranteed funding for a duration
outlined in the admission package. This funding is contingent on satisfying all of the Graduate School
requirements, making satisfactory progress in the program (see Part II.J above), and receiving good
teaching evaluations (see Part III.A below).
7
Students admitted without initial funding are not guaranteed funding, although the Department will
make every effort to provide ongoing financial support. These students are also expected to satisfy the
Graduate School requirements, make satisfactory progress in the program, and receive good teaching
evaluations.
On-leave status automatically interrupts any funding that has been awarded, and there is no guarantee
that it will be available upon return. Students who hold fellowships, grants, stipends, or other forms of
funding at a monetary level comparable to the level of support provided by the Department will not
generally receive teaching assistantships.
A. Teaching Assistantships
Teaching assistantships for continuing graduate students are awarded on the basis of performance in
the doctoral program, teaching effectiveness as evidenced by course evaluations, and the availability of
teaching positions. Completion of ECON 602 is necessary (but not sufficient) for a teaching assignment.
Since ECON 602 is offered only in autumn quarter, students interested in teaching are encouraged to
take the course in the autumn quarter of their first year. The Department usually has a small number of
teaching assistantships for summer quarter. These assignments are highly competitive and are awarded
to graduate students who have performed very well in the program and who are exceptionally capable
teachers. All teaching assistants are required to administer teaching evaluations each quarter that they
teach and to specify that a copy of the results be provided to the Chair of the Department. The
Department expects teaching assistants to have good teaching evaluations: the adjusted median of
items 1-4 on the evaluation form should be 3.00 or better. The Department will issue a warning for one
evaluation below that level, and additional evaluations below that level jeopardize any guarantee of
future funding.
Non-native English-speaking Students: Prior to receiving a teaching assistantship, students must satisfy
the conditions listed in Graduate School Memo 15: http://grad.uw.edu/policies-procedures/graduate-
school-memoranda/memo-15-conditions-of-appointment-for-tas-who-are-not-native-speakers-of-
english/
B. Research Assistantships
Available research assistantships within the Department are posted on the web at
https://econ.washington.edu/academic-student-employees.
C. Dissertation Fellowships
The Department funds a few dissertation fellowships each year which are awarded on a competitive
basis. See the Graduate Program Counselor for information on how to apply.
D. Other Funding Sources
Partial funding - A limited number of partial fellowships (that provide a small stipend and a
partial tuition waiver) are available each quarter for students not receiving any other tuition
waivers and who would otherwise have to pay tuition for a full credit load. To apply, please
contact the Graduate Counselor at least two weeks before the starting payroll date of the
quarter for which the fellowship would be requested.
8
Paid Internship positions with local business and government agencies are available year-round.
Although the Department occasionally receives and posts information about internships, students are
responsible for researching, applying for, and securing internship appointments.
Paper grading assignments are posted on the web at https://econ.washington.edu/academic-student-
employees.
Loan support and emergency loans are available in limited amounts through the Student Financial Aid
Office, 105 Schmitz Hall, (206) 543-6101. The Department of Economics does not offer loan support.
III. The MA Program
A. Core Courses
The core courses required of all MA students are ECON 500, 501, and 508 (microeconomics); ECON 502,
503, and 509 (macroeconomics); and ECON 580, 581, and 582 (econometrics). MA students must obtain
a grade 2.70 or better in each of these core courses. Core courses may be repeated only one time to
bring up a deficient grade to the required level; failure to pass a core course at the second attempt will
result in removal from the MA program. The core course requirements must be satisfied within two
years of entering the graduate program (see timeline on page 2).
B. Electives
In addition to the core courses, MA students must take at least seven elective courses in economics at
the 500 level. These courses must be taken for a numeric grade, not on a credit/no credit or S/NS basis.
At least two must be in the same field of specialization (see Appendix). The available fields of
specialization and the courses corresponding to each are listed in the Appendix. Students must earn a
grade of at least 2.70 in each of the elective courses. The coursework requirements must be completed
by the end of autumn quarter of the third year (see timeline on page 2). Two of the seven elective
courses may be chosen from graduate level courses offered by other UW departments, provided that
the Graduate Program Coordinator pre-approves them as relevant to the student's program.
C. Internship
Each MA student must complete three credit hours of a supervised internship (ECON 601). The goal of
this requirement is to ensure that MA students have some practical experience with empirical problems
and analysis. The requirement can be satisfied by work in an approved internship program outside the
University, by working as a research assistant for a faculty member, or by completing an independent
research project under faculty supervision. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange an
appropriate program, which must be pre-approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator. In order to
receive credit, the student must obtain a letter from the internship supervisor that briefly describes the
work that will be performed, and this letter must be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator for
approval. After the internship is completed, the internship supervisor should send a second letter
describing how the student performed during the internship and the quality of the work produced. This
letter should be submitted to the Graduate Program Counselor by the end of the quarter in which the
internship is completed. Students may register for ECON 601 credits retroactively, e.g., in the autumn
quarter students may register for research performed during the preceding summer.
9
PhD students can satisfy the requirements for the MA degree by passing the microeconomics and
macroeconomics core exams and completing eight elective courses and two fields of specialization; the
internship requirement is waived in this case.
D. Graduate School Requirements
All University of Washington Graduate School requirements must be satisfied. (Refer to the General
Catalog or www.grad.washington.edu .) The Graduate School requires a cumulative GPA of at least
3.00.
E. English as a Second Language Requirements
Students who are required to take English as a Second Language (ESL) courses must take them during
their first year and receive credit in each ESL course.
F. Application for Master’s Degree
Students who are completing the requirements for the MA degree apply for the degree on the Graduate
School web site (http://grad.uw.edu/for-students-and-post-docs/mygrad-program/). Check that web
site early in the quarter the degree is expected to determine the deadline for applying. Approved
applications are good for one quarter only. Students must be registered during the quarter in which the
degree is expected.
G. Progress Toward the Master’s Degree
The MA program is designed to be completed in two years. In order to remain in the MA program a
student must continue to make progress toward the degree. The following norms have been
established as minimally acceptable progress (MAP):
Requirement
MAP Deadline
Pass all core courses
by the end of spring quarter of the second year
Pass all course requirements
by the end of autumn quarter of the third year.
Complete approved internship
by the end of the third year.
Most students satisfy these requirements well before the indicated deadline. If a student fails to satisfy
one of the timeline requirements for the MA by the MAP deadline, then the student may be placed on
academic probation in that quarter. If the requirement is not satisfied by the following quarter, the
student may be placed on final probation. Failure to satisfy the requirement within two quarters of the
deadline may result in dismissal from the program.
NOTE – this timeline and probationary process does not supersede the rules in section I. A. Therefore, a
student who fails a core course twice will be removed from the program immediately, regardless of
whether or not the timeline requirements have been exceeded.
10
Appendix
Course Requirements for Fields of Specialization
This list includes only the primary courses for each field. Some of these courses have prerequisites and there
may be other related courses that are recommended as part of the graduate program. Before enrolling in field
courses, students should consult with the faculty members responsible for the fields that they plan to pursue.
Some fields may not be offered every year.
Fields
Course Requirements
Advanced microeconomics
Any two of the following:
ECON 511 Advanced Microeconomic Theory: Selected Topics
ECON 515 Special Topics in Mathematical Economics
ECON 516 Introduction to Noncooperative Game Theory
ECON 518 Contract Theory
Advanced macroeconomics
Any two of the following:
ECON 512 Advanced Macroeconomic Theory: Selected Topics
ECON 528 Microeconomic Heterogeneity in Macroeconomics
ECON 572 International Financial and Monetary Economics
ECON 592 Development Policy
ECON 594 Economic Growth
Econometrics
ECON 583 Econometric Theory I
AND any one of
ECON 584 Econometric Theory II
ECON 585 Econometric Theory III
ECON 586 Advanced Applied Time Series Analysis
ECON 587 Applied Microeconometrics
ECON 589 Financial Econometrics
Comparative systems and development
Any two of the following:
ECON 590 Analysis of Economies in Transition
ECON 591 Microeconomics of Development
ECON 593 Topics in the Microeconomics of Development
Finance †
Any two of the following:
FIN 580 Financial Economic
FIN 585 Empirical Methods in Finance
FIN 590 Capital Market Theory
FIN 591 Corporate Finance
FIN 592 Financial Research
Industrial Organization
Both of the following:
ECON 532 Empirical Industrial Organization I
ECON 534 Empirical Industrial Organization
† The finance field can be fulfilled by completing any two of the listed courses with an average GPA of at least
3.8. Students wishing to complete the field using any alternative courses must first have their course plan
approved in writing by Eric Zivot.