Graduate
Degree Programs
Economics Ph.D. specializing in Applied Health Economics
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Economics specializes in the study of health economics and applied econometrics. It is is designed to (i) advance knowledge concerning applied health economics; (ii) develop the skills essential for our graduates to conduct independent research in this areas.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students completing the Economics Ph.D. curriculum will:
- Demonstrate a high level of understanding of economic theory, and of statistical theory especially relevant for economics.
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the state of knowledge in their fields of specialization within economics, including theoretical models, research methodologies, and empirical results.
- Demonstrate the ability to critically assess economic issues, and to integrate economic theory and statistical/econometric analysis in order to evaluate these issues.
- Demonstrate the ability to assemble, organize and analyze economic data, in order to conduct advanced econometric analysis ability to conduct independent, original research in economics.
Ph.D. Admission Requirements
Applicants should have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Ordinarily, applicants should have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in their undergraduate course work and in the major. Before undertaking Ph.D. graduate study in economics, a student is required to have completed coursework covering undergraduate univariate and multivariate calculus (equivalent to MATH-M 16500, MATH-M 16600, and MATH-M 26100 at IUPUI), a calculus-based statistics course or a course in Statistics and one in Econometrics (equivalent to ECON-E 270 and ECON-E 470 at IUPUI), Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (equivalent to ECON-E 321 at IUPUI) and Linear Algebra (equivalent to MATH-M 35100 at IUPUI). The verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required, and applicants are urged to complete the examination by December of the year before admission is desired. Requests to substitute GMAT scores for GRE scores will be considered. Three letters of recommendation are required. Students with English as a second language who have not attended school in the U.S. are required to take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For IELTS, applicants must take the academic reading and writing modules. A minimum TOEFL score of at least 88 is required though successful applicants generally score at least 100. The minimum acceptable IELTS score is 6.5 though successful applicants generally score at least 7.5.
Fields of Study
As noted above, the program specializes in health economics and applied econometrics.
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours:
- includes the theory sequence ECON-E 520, ECON-E 521, ECON-E 522, ECON-E 611, ECON-E 621,
- and the econometrics-statistics sequence ECON-E 571, ECON-E 573, ECON-E 577, ECON-E 578, ECON-E 670, and ECON-E 673.
- In addition, starting in their third year, students must formally enroll in a workshop course for a minimum of four semesters. Student may cease to register for the workshop seminar after four semesters if they have either accumulated the required 90 credits or defended their PhD thesis.
There is a minimum requirement of 61.5 credit hours of course work, including standard Economics courses, Economics workshop courses, and minor courses. The remaining courses will be taken as thesis credits.
Minor
In addition to the formal coursework in Economics the prospective Ph.D. candidate must complete a structured minor in a related area. For those with a primary field in health economics, the minor will usually relate to the health and life sciences disciplines. A minor obtained in areas such as behavioral health sciences, biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, or health policy and management would be appropriate, for example. The minor must be approved by the student’s Advisor or the graduate director of the program. The minor must contain a minimum of three graduate level courses (9 credits) in the chosen area and it must comply with the minor requirements of the respective department/unit. Typically departments require 12 credit hours for a Ph.D. Minor. In cases where it is appropriate, an interdepartmental minor can be arranged with the consent of the DGS. When appropriate, a student may, with the consent of his/her advisor and/or the DGS, substitute a research tool skill of at least 9 credit hours for the Minor. These research tool skills credits will count toward the 90 credit requirement as long as the courses are approved for graduate credit.
Grades
The student must receive at least a C (2.0) in each course and must average at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) for all courses taken.
