Section 3
Graduate Program Requirements and Regulations

3.4   The Ph.D. Program

Overview

Candidates for the Ph.D. are required to develop comprehensive proficiency in four distinct areas: (1) economic theory; (2) econometrics; (3) a major field of study; and (4) a minor field. Proficiency is demonstrated through course work and performance on preliminary exams. Following a summary presentation of these requirements, the specific requirements are spelled out in detail.

Summary of Ph.D. Curriculum

1.  Economic Theory (9 credits)
Econ 711 and 713 Economic Theory: Microeconomics Sequence and Econ 712 or 714 Economic Theory: Macroeconomics Sequence

2.  Statistics and Econometrics (6 credits)
Econ 709 and 710 Economic Statistics and Econometrics I & II. 

3.  Major Field (12 credits)
12 credits of taught AAE courses at the 700 level or above; see below for required courses.

4.  Macroeconomic Theory (3 credits)
Econ 712 or 714 Economic Theory: Macroeconomics Sequence

5.  Minor Field (9 credits; courses must be 300-level or above; choose a. or b., below)

a.  Option A External (minimum of 9 credits):  Credits taken from a single department or major field. The Option A minor program is planned in consultation with a faculty member in the minor department. The minor professor usually participates in the student's final oral examination. Signature from minor department required on prelim warrant.

b.  Option B Distributed (9 credits):
9 credits from one or more departments and can include course work in AAE if it is outside the major field.

6. Preliminary Examinations

Preliminary Examination in Microeconomic Theory:  Administered by the Economics Department following completion of Ph.D. micro theory sequence.  Students earning grades of B or better in Econ 711 and 713 receive an automatic pass.

Major Field Preliminary Examination:  Exam administered by the department. Student selects one of four major field areas (Environmental and Resource Economics; Economic Growth and Development; Economics of Agriculture; and, Community Economics) and prepares for exam based on major field course work.

7.  Minimum AAE Graduate Credit Requirement

Students must take a minimum of 12 credits of 700-level AAE courses. These credits may include courses used to fulfill the major and minor fields.

Course Work in Microeconomic Theory

Every Ph.D. student must complete the doctoral microeconomics sequence, Economics 711 and 713. This sequence demands a high level of mathematical competence. Students intending to take these courses must have at least the equivalent of one year of calculus (including differential and integral), one semester of linear algebra, and one additional semester of advanced mathematical analysis and be prepared to gain mastery of the mathematical topics covered in Economics 703. Concurrent registration in Economics 703 and 711 is allowed, but students planning to do so must first satisfy the mathematics requirements outlined above.

Preliminary Examination in Microeconomic Theory and Progression in the Doctoral Program

As of 2006, students who receive a B or better in both Economics 711 and Economics 713 receive an automatic pass on the microeconomic theory prelim. Students who receive a BC or lower in either Economics 711 or Economics 713 must take and pass the prelim to meet the prelim requirement. Students cannot meet the requirement by retaking a course and receiving a grade of B.

Students who do not automatically pass must take the prelim in the summer following completion of the Ph.D. microeconomics sequence. This exam is typically given in late July. A prelim application form must be submitted to the Economics Department, which administers the exam.

The theory examination committee from the Economics Department grades the exams blindly and assigns a numerical score.  Based on those scores, the AAE Graduate Committee will assign one of three grades: pass; pass with distinction; or, fail.  A grade of pass is taken as sufficient evidence that the student has acquired the necessary competence in microeconomics to excel as an applied economist and to advance to the next phase of the doctoral program.  Students whose performance in the exam is outstanding may be awarded a pass with distinction. 

In the event that it judges a student to fail the exam, the Graduate Committee will decide whether the student will be permitted to retake the exam.  The exam must be taken at the next available time (usually December).  A student not recommended for a retake will be asked to leave the doctoral program.  Under rare circumstances, the Committee may recommend that a student who failed the exam twice be permitted to take the exam a third time.

The Graduate Committee’s recommendations on prelim exam grades and progression are subject to final approval by the AAE faculty.

Course Work in Macroeconomic Theory

Each Ph.D. student must satisfactorily complete (with a grade of B or better, as shown on the official transcript) either Economics 712 or 714 (Economic Theory: Macroeconomic Sequence).

Course Work in Econometrics

Each Ph.D. student must satisfactorily complete one of the following sequences (1) Economics 709-710; or (2) Economics 715-716 (with a total of 6 credits of work in econometrics 709 and above). This requirement must be completed, or be in the process of completion, before the student will be permitted to take the major field preliminary examination.

To avoid delays in progress, students are encouraged to satisfy the econometrics requirement as soon as possible in their graduate program. Since one year's equivalent of calculus, introductory statistics, and mastery of the mathematical topics covered in Economics 703 (including linear algebra) are prerequisites for Economics 709-710 (concurrent registration in Economics 703 is allowed), a student entering with a mathematics deficiency must postpone taking econometrics for at least one year.

Minimum AAE Graduate Credit Requirement

Students must take a minimum of 12 credits of 700-level AAE courses.  These credits may include courses used to fulfill the major and minor fields.

Major Field Course Work in Agricultural and Applied Economics

For students entering the program after 12/31/04, the major field course work requirements are met by successful completion of one of the following fields:

Community Economics - 12 credits

Choose 12 credits in consultation with advisor

Economic Growth and Development - All are required, plus one additional AAE 700-level course:

AAE 729 Microdynamics of Environment and Development

AAE 730 Economics of Development 1

AAE 731 Economics of Development 2

Economics of Agriculture - 12 credits, choose from:

AAE 706 Applied Risk Analysis

AAE 741 Advanced Agricultural Policy
AAE 747 Economics of the Food Industry

AAE 875 Economics of Technology

Environmental and Resource Economics - Both are required, plus two additional AAE 700-level courses:

AAE 760 Dynamic Natural Resource Economics
AAE 762 Environmental Economics

It is to the student's advantage to determine his/her major field interest as soon as possible after starting graduate work, and to ascertain the specific research interests of the faculty in that area. By the end of the first year of course work (usually at the beginning of the summer session), the student should have discussed research possibilities with the faculty in the selected major area of interest and be prepared to begin problem definition and literature search.

The summer session is most conducive to this activity and holds at least two distinct advantages for the student. First, it can reduce significantly the time required to complete the doctoral program compared to those who do not begin to formulate their research interests until after several semesters of course work. Second, involvement in research--even if only at an elementary level--can be an extra and exciting stimulus to the appreciation of difficult course work; it can give a vitality to economic theory and econometrics that may be missing when these concepts are presented in the abstract.

For students on Research Assistantships research activity in the summer is viewed as a requirement, as is a specified amount of work during the academic year.

Major Field Preliminary Exam

In addition to the major field course work which is tailored to the student's particular themeatic interests, each student is required to write an exam in one of the major field areas

The major field preliminary examination assures that all students receive breadth of coverage within one major field so as to qualify them for teaching in an area, and for giving them the basis from which to evolve as scholars. The major field examinations are comprehensive in nature, requiring a knowledge and understanding of the economics literature and its application in the particular area. Preparation for these examinations provides the student with an opportunity to identify and fill gaps in knowledge of the literature, to synthesize and organize the material encountered, and to bring it sufficiently under command so that it becomes effectively usable. The file of past major field examinations is available for study from the Academic Programs Coordinator in 423 Taylor Hall. Many students find team study helpful.

The preliminary examination will utilize a five-day take-home format. The exam is made available to students at 8 a.m. on the Monday of the exam week, and is due back at 5 p.m. on Friday of the exam week. Each major field examination committee prepares an exam based on the material covered in the field courses.

A student who is not granted a passing grade may petition to take the exam a second time. Only under rare circumstances would a student be permitted to take the exam a third time. A major field committee may also, with departmental approval, require an oral examination or other work related to the student's written examination performance.

Before taking the major field examination, the student must have completed all the department course requirements in economic theory, econometrics, and have completed all the major field course requirements. Minor field courses do not need to be completed. All incompletes must have been removed from the record. The major field examinations are generally offered during the first or second week of August and again in January during the week before classes start for Spring Semester.

Minor Field

The minor field is a university requirement whose purpose is to add breadth to the student's program of study. A well-planned minor field is comparable to a major field. For example, the student can take a set of major field courses in another department or another field in AAE.  It can be valuable to a student as an alternative area for dissertation research and as an additional field of expertise when the student enters the job market. Ph.D. students should plan a minor early in their graduate careers (minor programs can always be revised). By formulating the minor plan early, students will be able to take the appropriate courses when they fit most easily into the program of study. All course work used to meet the minor requirement must be at the 300 level or above.

The Graduate Committee has determined that AAE 635, 636 and 637are not allowable minor field courses because they are preparatory and do not add breadth or depth to a doctoral program. Preparatory courses in other departments are also not allowed for the minor (such as lower level economics or math courses).  Likewise, courses taken in the theory and econometrics core (Econ 709, 710, 711, 713) cannot be used for the minor.

The two minor field options are described in the section on Summary of Ph.D. Curriculum, above.

Major and Minor Field Course Planning Requirement

After passing the microeconomics theory prelim, each student is required to submit a Major and Minor Field Course Planning Form to designate courses which will be used to fulfill the major and minor requirements. The form must be signed by the student's major professor and be submitted to the Academic Programs Coordinator by the end of the semester following successful completion of the prelim. If the student's curriculum subsequently changes, a revised form should be submitted to the Academic Programs Office.

Typical Course and Exam Sequence

Most new graduate students in the department begin their studies on the Standard Track, augmenting their background in microeconomic theory and econometrics before embarking on the core Ph.D. courses in their area. The Graduate Committee makes recommendations to the student's academic advisor about whether s/he should begin with AAE 635 Applied Microeconomic Theory and AAE 636-637 Applied Econometric Analysis I & II. 

The following tables illustrate a typical course work sequence for this Standard Track, as well as the sequence for the Accelerated Track, in which students begin the Ph.D. theory and econometric courses iimmediately upon matriculation. Students with Research Assistantships generally take 3 courses per semester, and students on fellowships take 3 or 4 courses per semester.

Standard Track Course Work

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Year 1	AAE 635                          AAE 636 Econ 703	AAE 637 2 major or minor field courses
Year 2	Econ 709 Econ 711 Econ 712	Econ 710 Econ 713 major or minor course	micro prelim
Year 3	3 major or minor field courses	1 major or minor field course	major field prelim
Year 4	Defend dissertation proposal	Begin dissertation research

 

Accelerated Track Course Work

	Fall	Spring	Summer
Year 1	Econ 709 Econ 711 Econ 712	Econ 710 Econ 713 major or minor course	micro prelim
Year 2	3 major or minor field courses	3 major or minor field courses	major field prelim
Year 3	Defend dissertation proposal	Begin dissertation research