Economics PhD

Major: Economics
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 90.0 (post-bachelor's) or 60.0 (post-master's) 
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 45.0603
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 19-3011

About the Program

Drexel's PhD program in Economics prepares economists for academic research as well as careers in government or industry by providing a solid background in economic theory, quantitative analysis, and analytical tools at the advanced level. Each year a relatively small number of PhD students are accepted into the program, which allows for a collegial environment where the PhD students interact with faculty on a daily basis. Requirements for the MS in Economics program are satisfied if the coursework associated with the first and second years of the PhD program are complete.

The PhD program in Economics offers three fields of study:

• Industrial Organization
• International Trade
• Open Economy Macroeconomics

The PhD program in Economics is also particularly strong in applied microeconometrics.  

Students typically complete their coursework in two years and the PhD degree in five. Students work as research and teaching assistants under the supervision of a faculty member. After their second year, students can teach independently.

Additional Information

More information can be found online at the PhD program in Economics webpage. To apply and for application information, please check online at the LeBow PhD Admissions webpage. Questions should be addressed to lebowphd@drexel.edu. For more information please contact our Graduate Student Services department at lebowgradenroll@drexel.edu. 

Degree Requirements

The PhD in Economics program prepares economists for careers in research, teaching, business, and government. It is designed to provide students with not only a broad understanding of modern economics, but also the opportunity to conduct high quality research in a number of specific fields of study including industrial organization, international economics, and health economics.

In the second year of study, the PhD in Economics offers three fields of specialization: industrial organization, international trade, and open economy macroeconomics. Students complete courses in two of these fields of specialization.

Curriculum 

60.0 credits (Post-Master's degree)
90.0 credits (Post-Bachelor's degree)

• 27.0 credits of first year core courses
• 18.0 credits of economics field requirements
• 15.0 credits (minimum) of dissertation research
• 30.0 additional dissertation research credits for students without a Master's degree

*

First Year Examination: After the completion of the core coursework, students are examined on their competence in the core material and their readiness to proceed.

**

Taken in the second year.

Sample Plan of Study - Macroeconomics

Facilities

The 12-story, 177,500-square-foot home for LeBow College of Business is located at the heart of the Drexel University campus, at the intersection of Woodland Walk and Market Street, where it forms a gateway to Drexel and a backdrop to the historic statue of A. J. Drexel (Moses Ezekiel, 1904). The diagonal massing of the lower floors follows Woodland Walk and combines with the new Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building (Diamond & Schmitt, 2011) to energize the University’s central quadrangle. The building’s tower will mark the LeBow College and Drexel campus from all directions while the open, glassy Market Street façade will showcase the College’s student activities to passersby.

The building’s organization unites the school’s various constituencies around a five-story-high atrium ringed by classrooms, student lounges, events spaces, and offices. The atrium is immediately accessible from main entrances at the three corners of the building. An open stair within the atrium leads to a 300-seat auditorium and 100-seat lecture hall one floor below and to a divisible multipurpose room and additional classrooms above. The building’s upper floors contain faculty offices interspersed with seminar rooms and group study rooms. The top floor houses the Dean’s suite and a boardroom and conference suite that opens to east- and west-facing terraces.

The building’s warm masonry and glass exterior reflects the emerging vocabulary of the next generation of Drexel buildings. Sophisticated solar shading devices allow maximum transparency between the inside and outside while supporting the building’s high environmental aspirations.

Key Building Features

• Five-story atrium
• Finance trading lab with Bloomberg Terminal Room
• 300-seat auditorium
• 160-seat event space
• 100-seat lecture hall
• 45-seat seminar rooms
• 44-seat computer classrooms
• 60-seat classrooms
• Executive MBA classroom
• 24-seat classrooms
• Special areas for experiential learning simulations and business consulting
• Videoconferencing capabilities
• Integrated teaching technology in all classrooms
• Recording studio to support LeBow College’s online programs
• Extensive areas for students to gather socially and for collaborative study, including student collaboration rooms, two quiet study areas, and 3,500 square feet of student social space
• EMBA Alumni Lounge for the exclusive use of EMBA alumni
• Behavioral Studies Lab
• Starbucks
• Green Globe certifiable, meeting worldwide sustainability standards

Gerri C. LeBow Hall brings together faculty, students, and staff in a state-of-the-art building on the University City campus. Please visit the LeBow College of Business webpage, the Behavioral Lab webpage, and the Finance Trading Lab webpage to learn more about Gerri C. LeBow Hall.

School of Economics Faculty

Emeritus Faculty