Ph.D. in Applied Economics
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The Ph.D. in Applied Economics degree is awarded based on the
demonstration of mature scholarship, and ability to conduct meaningful
and independent research.
Students are admitted to the Ph.D. program for the fall semester of each
even numbered year, e.g., 2004, 2006, etc.
 

Current Ph.D. Candidates

Downloadable Program of Study
2002 Exam Schedule
2003 Exam Schedule

Mission

The mission of the Ph.D. program in Applied Economics at Mississippi
State University is to prepare students for successful careers at the
university level in teaching and research in the field of economics.
Thus, we attempt to provide our students with the following:

A curriculum that offers in-depth study of economic theory and empirical
techniques.

The preparation that will enable them to recognize, conceptualize, and
implement independent research that is both grounded in theory and
supported by appropriate research methodologies.

An environment in which they can experience and develop effective
teaching skills.


Admission

The applicant for admission to the Ph.D. program must hold a bachelor's
degree from a recognized institution of higher learning and have
demonstrated high promise of benefit from graduate study. All general
requirements stated in the graduate manual must be met. The doctoral
applicant must also present an acceptable GRE score, from a test
administered within the last five years, and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0
on a 4.0 scale or above, both cumulative and over the last two years of
undergraduate work; plus a GPA of 3.0/4.0 on all prior graduate work.
Students must also have previously completed intermediate
microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, differential and integral
calculus, and one semester of statistics before beginning the required
course sequence.

An applicant whose credentials meet the stated criteria above may still
be denied admission. Included in the qualitative consideration are such
factors as the quality of previous academic studies, the meshing of the
purpose of study and the opportunities in the proposed field of study,
prior professional and employment activities, and a recommendation of
the faculty in the proposed field of study, including the availability
of faculty support for research. Enrollment in the Ph.D. program is
limited to the number of openings available for each academic year.

Foreign applicants, not holding prior degrees from U.S. institutions,
must submit a TOEFL report of 575 or higher with their applications.
Such applications will not be considered without this indicator of
English proficiency.


Application Deadlines

Students are admitted to the Ph.D. program only for the fall semester of
each even numbered year. The following deadlines apply separately to
applications for admission and graduate assistantship:

Admission

The primary decision date for admissions, is the first of March. Since
admission decisions are often competitively based for a limited number
of openings, applicants are strongly encouraged to have all application
and supporting materials in the Office of Graduate Studies in Business
by February 15. Completed applications received after this date will
continue to be screened until the end of June for fall admission. It is
the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all supporting materials
are received.

The applicant should be aware that the transmittal of GRE scores from
the Educational Testing Service generally takes about three or four
weeks, and occasionally longer if irregularities occur. Thus, scores
from the January administration of the GRE would not be received by
February 15 and those from the June administration would not be received
by the end of June.

Assistantship

While an application for assistantship may be submitted at any time of
the year (e.g., fall and spring semesters), they begin with the fall
semester. Because only applicants who have been admitted to a degree
program can be considered for graduate assistantship appointments, all
admission application materials must be received by February 15 for
those desiring full consideration for a graduate assistantship offer.
Given the reporting lag, scores from the January administration of the
GRE may not be received by February 15.


Requisite Common Body of Knowledge

The following are undergraduate courses (prerequisite courses) that must
be completed either in the student's undergraduate program or after
enrollment in our Ph.D. Program. These courses are not considered as
part of the student's formal graduate program of study and do not apply
toward fulfillment of minimum credit hour requirements. A grade of "C"
or better must be received in all prerequisite courses.

Course Hours
Principles of Microeconomics 3
Principles of Macroeconomics 3
Intermediate Microeconomics 3
Intermediate Macroeconomics 3
Statistics 3
Calculus 6


Graduate Committees

Each student's course of study and research is directed by a committee
of graduate faculty called a Graduate Committee. A Graduate Committee
must contain at least four members, all of whom must be members of the
Graduate Faculty. The Graduate Committee that works with the student
through the course work stage of the program is the Graduate Program
Committee. When the student completes all course work, and requirements
thereof, the Graduate Program Committee is dissolved, and the Graduate
Committee is reformulated as the Graduate Dissertation Committee.

Program Committee

The Program Committee is the student's initial Graduate Committee. The
committee is composed of the chairman, who must be a full member of the
Graduate Faculty from the student's major field; at least three other
members from the major field of study; and one member from the minor
field if applicable.  This Graduate Committee is charged with specifying
the courses that will constitute the student's Program of Graduate Study
and administering the comprehensive examination. The Graduate Program
Committee is dissolved when the student passes the comprehensive
examination.

Dissertation Committee

The Graduate Committee formed following a successful comprehensive
examination is the student's Dissertation Committee. The base
requirements constituting the committee are as follows: all members must
be on the Graduate Faculty; four members, one of which is the chairman
who must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty, are from the
student's major. One member of the committee, who may or may not be the
chairman, is designated as the dissertation director. This committee is
charged with approval of the dissertation topic proposal and
administering and grading of the Final Defense of the Dissertation.

Dissertation Sub-Committee

The Dissertation Sub-Committee is composed of the Dissertation Director
and two other members from the Graduate Dissertation Committee. While
all members of the Dissertation Committee should be viewed as resources
available to the student, the Sub-Committee is the group that will work
actively with the student throughout the dissertation process. The
members of the Dissertation Sub-Committee are referred to as Active
members, and for this reason the Sub-Committee is often referred to as
the Active Committee.

Dissertation Readers

Members of the Graduate Dissertation Committee who are not part of the
Dissertation Sub-committee are referred to as Readers.


Program of Graduate Study

The doctoral degree is awarded based on the demonstration of mature
scholarship and ability to conduct meaningful and independent research.
The Ph.D. in Applied Economics requires a minimum of 50 hours of course
work plus a dissertation (20 hours).  All students enroll in a rigorous
core curriculum composed of courses in microeconomic and macroeconomic
theory, and econometrics.  Preliminary qualifying examinations over
economic theory and quantitative skills is administered after completion
of the core courses.

Beginning in the program's third semester, students take advanced
courses in their chosen applied fields of specialization.  Guided by
their interests and career goals, students may specialize in a number of
areas: financial economics, regional and rural economic development,
natural resource and environmental economics, labor economics,
international economics, public economics and forestry economics.

The proposed program of graduate study is specified by the student's
Graduate Program Committee in consultation with the student. During the
first semester of enrollment a proposed program of graduate study,
approved by the Graduate Program Committee, is to be submitted to the
Office of Graduate Studies in Business for approval by the Director of
Graduate Studies and the Dean of the Graduate School.

A copy of the fully approved program of graduate study will be provided
to the student and each individual whose signature appears on it.

Proposed changes in an approved program of graduate study must be
approved in the same manner as the original program.


Doctoral Examinations

The following written and oral examinations are required of all Applied
Economics Ph.D. students.

Microeconomic Theory Qualifying Examination

The Qualifying Examination in microeconomic theory is a four hour
written examination covering the subject matter of Mathematical
Economics, EC 8163, and EC 8263. The examination is offered the last
week in May.  The Office of Graduate Studies in Business maintains the
schedule of examination dates. The student must register for the
examination with the Office of Graduate Studies in Business at least 30
days prior to the scheduled date of the examination he or she plans to
take.

In the case of failure, the student has one additional opportunity to
retake the exam.  This second opportunity is scheduled for the first
week in August.

Macroeconomic Theory Qualifying Examination

The Qualifying Examination in macroeconomic theory is a four hour
written examination covering the subject matter of EC 8173, and EC 8273.
The examination is offered the last week in January.  The Office of
Graduate Studies in Business maintains the schedule of examination
dates. The student must register for the examination with the Office of
Graduate Studies in Business at least 30 days prior to the scheduled
date of the examination he or she plans to take.

In the case of failure, the student has one additional opportunity to
retake the exam.  This second opportunity is scheduled for the last week
in March.

Econometrics Qualifying Examination

The Qualifying Examination in econometrics is a four hour written
examination covering the subject matter of EC 8133, and EC 8143. The
examination is offered the last week in January.  The Office of Graduate
Studies in Business maintains the schedule of examination dates. The
student must register for the examination with the Office of Graduate
Studies in Business at least 30 days prior to the scheduled date of the
examination he or she plans to take.

In the case of failure, the student has one additional opportunity to
retake the exam.  This second opportunity is scheduled for the last week
in March.

Comprehensive Examination:  Applied Skills Field Paper

In keeping with the applied nature of the Ph.D. program, all students
are required to successfully complete the Applied Skills Field Paper in
lieu of traditional comprehensive examinations.

The paper will address a timely issue of economic interest.  Students
will incorporate the economic theory and the applied skills acquired in
the core courses in order to perform their analysis.  The end result
should be a paper suitable for submission to a quality, refereed
academic journal.

Under the guidance of their program committee, students will begin work
on their paper no later than the Spring semester of their second year,
after successful completion of the qualifying exams.

Sometime during the Fall semester of their third year, the student will
present their paper and research findings.  Students will be expected to
defend their research model and methodology at the end of their
presentation. The presentation is scheduled through the Office of
Graduate Studies in Business at least two weeks prior to the date
desired for examination.

The presentation and defense is administered by the student's Graduate
Program Committee.  A student may pass the with no more than one failure
or dissenting vote from a member of the Graduate Program Committee. A
student who fails to defend their research successfully cannot apply to
re-defend until a period of three months has elapsed from the date of
the original examination. Two failures on the examination result in
automatic termination of the student's program. The student's Graduate
Program Committee is dissolved upon passage of the paper defense.

Proposal Defense

Following passage of the Applied Skills Paper the student is eligible to
defend a dissertation topic proposal. The Proposal Defense is scheduled
by the Chairman of the Graduate Dissertation Committee through the
Office of Graduate Studies and is administered by the student's Graduate
Dissertation Committee. The request to schedule a Proposal Defense must
be made at least two weeks prior to the anticipated date of the defense.
A Proposal Defense will not be scheduled sooner than two weeks after a
copy of the written dissertation proposal has been distributed to all
members of the Graduate Dissertation Committee and the department chair.
The Proposal Defense is open to all interested parties, and copies of
the proposal are available through the department.

At the conclusion of the public defense, the Graduate Dissertation
Committee will meet in closed session, with or without the student,
regarding approval of the proposed dissertation topic. The committee may
approve, approve subject to revisions, delay the decision, or fail to
approve the proposal. The Office of Graduate Studies in Business is
notified by the committee chairman of the committee's decision. Upon
unanimous approval of the dissertation proposal by the members of the
Graduate Dissertation Committee and the approval by the Director of
Graduate Studies in Business and the Dean of the Graduate School, the
student is admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree.

Dissertation and Final Defense*

The dissertation shall be required of all candidates for the doctorate.
The dissertation must show mastery of the techniques of research and a
very distinct contribution to the field under investigation and study.
The dissertation must conform to the regulations of the Graduate School
as specified in the manual Guidelines for Preparing Dissertations and
Theses.

The Final Defense of the Dissertation is an oral examination. The
examination is scheduled by the Chairman of the Graduate Dissertation
Committee through the Office of Graduate Studies and is administered by
the student's Graduate Dissertation Committee plus a representative of
the Graduate School. The request to schedule the Final Defense must be
made at least two weeks prior to the anticipated date of the
examination. The examination will not be scheduled sooner than two weeks
after a copy of the final manuscript has been distributed to all members
of the Graduate Dissertation Committee and the department. The Final
Defense of the Dissertation is open to all interested parties, and
copies of the manuscript are available through the department.

At the conclusion of the public defense, the Graduate Dissertation
Committee and the representative of the Graduate School will meet in
closed session, with or without the student, regarding the results of
the Final Defense of the Dissertation. The committee may pass, pass
subject to revisions, delay the decision, or fail the student on the
Final Defense. A student may pass the examination with no more than one
failing or dissenting vote from a member of the Graduate Dissertation
Committee. The results of the final defense are transmitted to the
Office of Graduate Studies in Business by the Chairman of the Graduate
Dissertation Committee at the conclusion of the meeting. To qualify for
graduation in a given semester the Office of Graduate Studies in
Business must report the results of the Final Defense to the Graduate
School at least by the "Last day for submitting examination results" as
published in the Graduate Academic Calendar of the Graduate Bulletin.

A student who fails the final examination cannot apply for reexamination
until a period of six months has elapsed from the date of the original
examination. Two failures on the final examination will result in the
student being terminated from further consideration as a doctoral
candidate.

Graduate School Reading

Following a successful Final Defense the original copy of the
dissertation must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies to be
checked for acceptance for binding. To qualify for graduation in a given
semester this must be done at least by the "Last day for first
submission of theses/dissertations to the Office of Graduate Studies" as
published in the Graduate Academic Calendar of the Graduate Bulletin.

Endorsements and Deposit

The original and one copy shall be endorsed with the signatures of the
Graduate Dissertation Committee members, the Director of Graduate
Studies in Business and the Dean of the College of Business and
Industry. The signed original and copy, along with an extra copy of the
title page and three additional copies of the abstract, all unbound and
of satisfactory quality, must be deposited with the Graduate School. To
qualify for graduation in a given semester this must be done at least by
the "Last day for submitting signed theses/dissertations to the Office
of Graduate Studies" as published in the Graduate Academic Calendar of
the Graduate Bulletin.

Microfilming and Binding

The University has an agreement with University Microfilms International
for the microfilming of all doctoral dissertations. Under this
agreement, two microfilm copies of the complete dissertation will be
made and the abstract (maximum of 350 words) will be published in the
journal, Dissertations Abstracts International. The doctoral candidate
must pay $55.00 for microfilming. The microfilm is made available,
through University Microfilms International, to anyone interested for
use or purchase as a book.

Two copies of the dissertation are bound and permanently filed in the
University Library. The doctoral candidate must pay a $12.00 binding fee
for this to the Comptroller. No provision is made for the binding of
additional copies of the dissertation; this is the student's personal
responsibility.

Copyrighting

Under the agreement with University Microfilms International, if
desired, the dissertation will be copyrighted with the copyright in the
name of the author. If this copyrighting is desired the doctoral
candidate must pay an additional $35.00 fee.

* The student must be enrolled the semester the dissertation is
submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies.


Transfer of Credits

It is anticipated that an appreciable percentage of the students in the
doctoral program will hold master's degrees in business or economics
from recognized institutions for which they will be allowed credit
approximating the first year of the doctoral program. In exceptional
cases, limited additional transfer credit may be allowed. In no case
will transfer credit be allowed for courses in which grades of "C" or
less were earned.


Residence Requirement

At some time in the doctoral course work, the student shall be required
to devote two consecutive regular semesters (Fall/Spring) with a minimum
load of nine hours per semester to the graduate program at Mississippi
State University.


Time Limit

The student must complete the doctoral program within eight years of
initial entry.


Contact Us

If you are interested in the Ph.D. program you should contact the
Graduate Studies in Business office to obtain a complete information
packet and application materials.