Economics PhD

A highly individualized program to match your interests The College offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree with specializations in health economics, international economics, monetary economics, public economics, regional and urban economics, and resource economics. Our program is built around an applied curriculum with a strong theoretical and quantitative foundation. The Ph.D. in Economics program at WVU offers small classes and an "open-door" policy that allows students the opportunity to speak with faculty members in a personal environment.

Job Placement

Our program presents a wide variety of job opportunities. Most commonly, our graduates look for initial employment in academia. This preparation they receive as students, together with their success in publishing research articles, has made our graduates extremely competitive in the job market.

Our Job Placement

Financial Assistance

WVU has a strong comprehensive financial aid program to help you finance your education. The Economics Department has a number of Teaching and Research Assistantships available for Ph.D. students. In addition, the university offers a small number of fellowships to outstanding incoming domestic Ph.D. students through a university-wide competition. US citizens, permanent residents, and selected others who do not receive aid listed above may qualify for financial aid through  WVU's Student Financial Aid Office .

Graduate Assistantships

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available to full-time students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in economics. These positions are awarded to academically outstanding students on a competitive basis, using prior academic background and performance and GRE scores as major criteria. Assistantship positions usually start in the fall of each year and conclude at the end of the spring term. The normal expectation is that assistantships will be renewed through a student's fourth year in the Ph.D. program.

The application deadline to guarantee full consideration for an assistantship is January 15. Since applications for a graduate assistantship will only be considered after the applicant has been admitted to the graduate program, it is best that program admission credentials be submitted to the university by the middle of December so that the Department of Economics receives materials from the central admissions office by January 15. Though we consider applications for admission and financial aid until all openings and financial resources are committed, most awards of graduate assistantships for the coming academic year will be made during January.

WVU now requires international Graduate Assistants to pass a "Speak Test" before they are allowed contact with undergraduate students. Even for research assistants effective communication is important. For these reasons, the Department of Economics requires all Graduate Assistants to pass the Speak Test by May of their first year as a condition for renewal of the Graduate Assistantship. Every Graduate Assistant will have at least three chances during the year to pass the test. Generally, evidence of proficiency in spoken English will be considered a plus, but will not be a requirement of initial Graduate Assistantship awards.

A graduate assistant works 20 hours per week assisting a faculty member in teaching or research efforts. Some graduate assistants may be assigned to teach selected undergraduate courses.

Graduate assistantships pay a stipend of $26,000 for the year 2022-2023 and include medical insurance coverage for the graduate assistant, as well as a waiver of tuition and most student fees.

Eligible applicants may be put forward for Meritorious University Fellowship, which provides a waiver of most tuition and fees and may have few work requirements..

All Ph.D. applicants are automatically considered for Graduate Assistantships.

Doctoral Fellowships

The university provides several opportunities for graduate fellowships, including some aimed specifically at incoming graduate students: Arlen G. and Louise Stone Swiger Doctoral Fellowship (3-year), W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship (3-year), and the Provost Graduate Fellowship (3-year). The Swiger and DuBois Fellowships are considered to be the most prestigious of the university's fellowships. All of these require excellent credentials and require a nomination by the prospective student's graduate program. All of these are either limited to or give preference to US citizens or permanent residents. Information and applications may be obtained here.

Arlen G. and Louise Stone Swiger Doctoral Fellowships award $25,000 annually and include major medical insurance coverage for the fellow and a waiver of tuition and all fees. The priority goes to students planning to begin doctoral studies at West Virginia University in the fall semester. The fellowship is available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, based on academic merit. The award is given for one calendar year with renewal for a maximum of three years for beginning doctoral students. Renewal is dependent on satisfactory academic performance. Recipients must be full-time students in residence for the entire calendar year. Students must be nominated by the faculty of the doctoral program admitting the student and recommended for the award by the dean of the college. The department should have all application materials two weeks before the application deadline, which will be during the first half of February.

The W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship for African-American Graduate and Professional Students provides a stipend of $19,000 annually plus remission of tuition and fees for the academic year beginning August 16 and ending May 15. These fellowships are available to African-American graduate and professional students who are US citizens or permanent residents. Fellows are required to be full-time resident students for the entire calendar year. Students must be nominated by the faculty of the graduate or professional program admitting the student and recommended for the award by the dean of the college. The department should have all application materials two weeks before the application deadline, which will be during the first week of February.

Working Papers

The distinguished faculty in Chamber College practice in a wide variety of research topics and specialties. Check out some of their current projects or look up past papers.

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