Graduates of the program will have distinctive capabilities in quantitative skills and business data analysis applied to markets and firm behavior, customer behavior, business strategies and processes, and global impacts on business. Program of Study. See the Department of Economics Graduate Student Handbook for specific requirements. Students are limited to 15 semester hours per semester. Foreign Language Requirements.
Students have the option of a nonthesis or thesis track.
For the nonthesis track, students are required to conduct an applied research project under the supervision of a faculty member. The applied research project often is conducted in conjunction with an internship, and three hours of credit is granted for the project. For the thesis option, six semester hours of credit is granted for completion of the thesis. A final oral examination in defense of the thesis or applied research project is required. The Ph.D. degree program is designed to provide the student with a more fundamental command of basic economic analysis and of the subject matter in several specialized fields.