Economics
Discipline Coordinator
Zhongjin Li, lizhon@umkc.edu
Economics is a discipline in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program administered by the School of Graduate Studies.
Note: The discipline-specific requirements listed here are in addition to the requirements listed in Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Application Procedure and Minimum Criteria for Admission and Minimum Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Academic Regulations and Degree Requirements.
Discipline-Specific Admission Requirements
In addition to the general criteria for admission, the criteria for admission to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Economics are:
- A score of at least 154 in verbal reasoning, a score of at least 154 in quantitative reasoning and at least a 4.0 on the analytical portions of the general Graduate Record Examination.
- A grade-point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) covering all college work taken prior to the bachelor's degree, or a grade-point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) covering all post-baccalaureate work completed to date.
- Recommendations for provisional or full admission by the doctoral faculty review group in at least two participating disciplines.
- Applicants for whom English is not the native language and have studied less than two years (full time) in a U.S. academic program or a comparable program in an English-speaking country are required to obtain a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test. In addition, to qualify for full admission status, international students must achieve a score of at least 4.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL examination. Students admitted provisionally because of the TWE requirement may take a TWE equivalency test through UMKC's Applied Language Institute once they arrive on campus.
- Applicants must have at least 18 undergraduate semester credit hours in economics, including intermediate microeconomics and macroeconomics and a course in elementary statistics. In addition, it is strongly recommended that applicants have some of the following courses: econometrics, mathematical economics, history of economic thought, heterodox economics, economic history, calculus and linear algebra. Students with fewer than 18 credit hours will be admitted only on a provisional status.
- Applicants matriculated into the M.A. Economics program at UMKC may apply for admission to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Economics as soon as they have completed 15 credit hours and have earned a grade-point average of 3.25 or better.
- Applicants who wish to transfer to the UMKC Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Economics from other institutions must have obtained a grade-point average of at least 3.0 covering all their graduate work. Transfer students must apply for transfer credits toward the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. as soon as possible after completion of a minimum of 12 credits at UMKC with a grade-point average of 3.0 or better. Up to 30 transfer credit hours may be granted. No transfer credit will be granted for any courses not relevant to the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Economics or for any course with a GPA of less than 3.0.
The deadlines are relatively early for receipt of completed applications and supporting documentation - please contact the discipline Coordinator for more information.
Alternate Admission Criteria
Applicants who do not fit the above criteria may petition the Economics doctoral committee with evidence of scholarly publication, research and recommendations, but the decision rests with the committee.
Qualifying Requirements for Full Admission
At the time admission is offered, provisional students will be notified of any course deficiencies or qualifying requirements to be met for full admission. The faculty will make a decision with regard to full admission based upon the student's performance in meeting the qualifying requirements.
Suggested Compatible Co-disciplines
Computer Science, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership Policy and Foundations, Geosciences, History, Mathematics, Social Science Consortium
Core Program Requirements
For Students with Economics as a Primary Discipline
The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Economics consists of a minimum of 18 required coursework credit hours in Economics--including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 5506 | Advanced History Of Economic Thought | 3 |
| ECON 5551 | Advanced Institutional Theory | 3 |
| ECON 5601 | Colloquium In Advanced Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 5602 | Colloquium In Advanced Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 5625 | Colloquium In Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 5688 | Colloquium On Political Economy | 3 |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
If the student has not taken the prerequisites to ECON 5601, ECON 5602 and ECON 5625, he/she will be required to take ECON 5501, ECON 5502, ECON 5521, and ECON 5525 --an additional 12 coursework credit hours (or, a total of 30 hours). All students are strongly urged to take two fields in Economics, each consisting of two three-credit hour courses for a total of 12 additional coursework credit hours. These courses will be taken in Economics and at least one additional field such as sociology, history, public administration, education, mathematics, political science, geosciences, computer science or others, provided that such fields participate in the doctoral program.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ECON 5501 | Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 5502 | Advanced Microeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 5506 | Advanced History Of Economic Thought | 3 |
| ECON 5521 | Mathematical Economics (Calculus I strongly recommended) | 3 |
| ECON 5525 | Econometric Methods | 3 |
| ECON 5551 | Advanced Institutional Theory | 3 |
| ECON 5601 | Colloquium In Advanced Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 5602 | Colloquium In Advanced Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 5625 | Colloquium In Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 5688 | Colloquium On Political Economy | 3 |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Coursework in an outside field or fields, depending upon the requirements of co-discipline regulations | ||
| Dissertation and oral examination | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
For Students with Economics as a Co-discipline
Those students taking Economics as a co-discipline will take a minimum of 12 hours in Economics, at the graduate level, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 5501 | Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 5502 | Advanced Microeconomic Analysis | 3 |
Comprehensive Examination Guidelines
Primary discipline students are required to pass a qualifying examination in Economics theory--micro, macro and political economy, and in quantitative methods. Students taking field concentrations must pass a Comprehensive Examination in those fields, or meet the requirement by an alternative means that is accepted by the department.
Co-discipline students must receive grades of "B" or better in ECON 5501 and ECON 5502. In addition, the oral portion of the Comprehensive Examination will require students to integrate knowledge between topics in Economics and the student's coordinating unit.