• The doctoral program in economics at Rice University trains students to conduct first-rate research. All major areas of economics are covered, with particular strengths in theoretical, applied, and empirical microeconomics as well as econometrics. The curriculum stresses the grounding of any model in theory ensuring that, even in applied work, theoretical assumptions are clearly specified in place of an "intuitive" plausibility.
  • This approach promotes an open discussion of their appropriateness and their implications for results. Graduates of our program go on to obtain positions at universities, research institutions, government agencies, and private firms around the world.
  • The PhD program is designed to first provide students with rigorous training in economic theory and econometrics. Students then apply this knowledge to produce original research in a variety of applied, theoretical, and empirical settings.
  • The department encourages independent work by emphasizing early exposure to the frontier of research through seminars and lectures, formal and informal workshops, and student papers. Seminars and workshops involving select faculty and graduate students meet on a regular basis to expose students to a variety of specialized literatures and cutting-edge ideas and methods.