uchicago phd in economics

• Graduate Study
• Programs Overview
• Application Requirements

Student Qualifications

• Funding and Financial Aid
• Campus Visit
• Student Awards
• Graduate Student Resources
• Student Resources

Application for Admission

The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics receives 600-700 applications for an entering class of 20-25 students per year. The number of well-qualified applicants exceeds the number of offers we can make. Nevertheless, we strongly encourage those interested in graduate economic study to apply.

The application deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year is December 5, 2023. The University of Chicago’s Division of Social Sciences administers applications to the doctoral program. Please  see the division’s webpage  for an online application.

• Request More Information
• Application

MAPSS & MACSS Student Application for Admission to the PhD Program

Students currently enrolled in the University of Chicago's MAPSS-ECON or MACSS-ECON programs may apply for entry into the PhD program. 

The following admissions documents are required for current MAPSS-ECON and MACSS-ECON students:

1) A transcript with two quarters of grades from MAPSS or MACSS

2) At least one letter of recommendation from one of our tenured-track faculty

3) Updated CV

4) Statement of Purpose

5) Applicants are expected to have earned grades of A- or higher in 3 graduate courses offered by the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics

The application deadline for the 2023-2024 academic year has passed.   The University of Chicago’s Division of Social Sciences administers applications to the doctoral program. Please email the  Admissions Office  to initiate your application.

The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics considers a wide range of factors to evaluate each applicant including, but not limited to: Previous educational record; letters of recommendation; a writing sample; previous research experience; the applicant’s scores on the GRE and on the TOEFL or IELTS; the compatibility of the applicant’s research interests with the program strengths in the department; and any special factors that the applicant may bring to the Department’s attention. The Department evaluates each applicant on the basis of all material available; no arbitrary cut-offs in terms of a student’s grade point average or test scores are used.

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to train students for careers of research and teaching in economics, broadly defined. A primary concern in admissions is the likelihood that a student will be able to complete the Ph.D. program with distinction and embark on a successful research career. The Department looks for evidence that the applicant will be able to master the quantitative analytical methods of modern economics and will be able to do high-quality independent research. A recommendation letter is most effective when the recommender can explicitly compare the applicant’s preparation and research potential with others who have been successful in top economics Ph.D. programs. In the Statement of Academic Purpose, Writing Sample, and the choice of people to write recommendation letters, applicants should try to provide information and evidence about their academic objectives and aptitude for research in economics.

Fellowships

All PhD students enrolled in the Division of the Social Sciences will be funded for the duration of their program with funding support from the University of Chicago, external sources, or a combination of the two, regardless of citizenship or other factors. Funding support includes a full-tuition scholarship, health insurance premium (for the student only), coverage of the Graduate Student Services Fee, and a living stipend. Additional funding from department-based fellowships, awards, additional research work and teaching is common. External funding through extramural agencies is encouraged.

Campus Visit & Resources

Our next Campus Visit Days are March 28 - 29, 2024!

• Virtual Campus Tour
• Campus Resources
• Housing Resources
• Family Resources
• Financial Wellness

This Website Uses Cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.

This website uses cookies to ensure the best user experience. Privacy & Cookies Notice Accept Cookies

Manage My Cookies

Manage Cookie Preferences

Confirm My Selections

• MBA Programs
• Specialized Masters Programs
• Other Offerings
• Request Information
• Start Your Application
• Dissertation Areas and Joint PhD Programs
• PhD Career Outcomes
• PhD Proposals and Defenses
• PhD Job Market Candidates
• PhD Research Community
• 100 Years of Pioneering Research
• Rising Scholars Conference
• Yiran Fan Memorial Conference
• Frequently Asked Questions
• PhD in Accounting
• PhD in Behavioral Science
• PhD in Econometrics and Statistics

PhD in Economics

• PhD in Finance
• PhD in Management Science and Operations Management
• PhD in Marketing
• Joint Program in Financial Economics
• Joint Program in Psychology and Business
• Joint PhD/JD Program

Our PhD Program in Economics is widely recognized for our faculty, whose insights have changed the course of modern-day economic research.

The Chicago School of Economics. It all started here at the University of Chicago.

Fields of specialization in the Economics Stevens Doctoral Program include price theory, market design, industrial organization, behavioral economics, development economics, labor economics, public economics, health economics, urban economics, financial economics, and economic history.

Our Distinguished Economics Faculty

Chicago Booth faculty have been responsible for many of the pioneering economic concepts that inform today’s global businesses and policymaking. And they’ll be your teachers, mentors, and research collaborators. For our macroeconomics faculty, visit the Booth faculty directory  and select “Macro/International Business” under “Academic Area.”

Milena Almagro

Assistant Professor of Economics, Liew Family Junior Faculty Fellow, George G. Rinder Faculty Fellow

Marianne Bertrand

Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics

Eric Budish

Paul G. McDermott Professor of Economics and Entrepreneurship and Centel Foundation/Robert P. Reuss Faculty Scholar

Christopher Campos

Assistant Professor of Economics

Rebecca Dizon-Ross

Associate Professor of Economics and Charles E. Merrill Faculty Scholar

Alexander P. Frankel

Professor of Economics

Robert H. Gertner

Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Strategy and Finance; John Edwardson Faculty Director Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation

Austan D. Goolsbee

Robert P. Gwinn Professor of Economics

Richard Hornbeck

V. Duane Rath Professor of Economics and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow

Anders Humlum

Assistant Professor of Economics and Fujimori/Mou Faculty Scholar

Emir Kamenica

Richard O. Ryan Professor of Economics

Jacob Leshno

Associate Professor of Economics and Robert H. Topel Faculty Scholar

Andrew McClellan

Jack Mountjoy

Sendhil Mullainathan

Distinguished Fellow

Matthew Notowidigdo

David McDaniel Keller Professor of Economics and Business and Public Policy Fellow

Canice Prendergast

W. Allen Wallis Distinguished Service Professor of Economics

Daniel Rappoport

Associate Professor of Economics

Elisa Rubbo

Assistant Professor of Economics and Liew Family Junior Faculty Fellow

David W. Johnson Professor of Economics

Chad Syverson

George C. Tiao Distinguished Service Professor of Economics

Richard H. Thaler

Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics

Thomas Wollmann

Associate Professor of Economics and William Ladany Faculty Scholar

Alumni Success

Alumni have written dissertations in industrial organization, labor economics, microeconomics, and other related areas. Upon graduation, they go onto Career Outcomes in academics, government, and industry.

Olivia Bordeu, MA '24, PhD '24

2024-2025: Postdoctoral Scholar; 2025: Assistant Professor of Economics 2024-2025: International Economics Section (IES), Princeton University; 2025: Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley Olivia studies topics in urban and spatial economics. She is currently focused on understanding the mechanisms behind different geographic costs or frictions, such as the determinants of commuting costs in cities and frictions to the mobility of capital across cities. Her dissertation area is in economics.

Nick Tsivanidis, PhD '18

Assistant Professor in the Real Estate Group Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley Nick researches topics related to urbanization in developing countries. His current interests center on policy issues around transport and housing, with projects in India, Nigeria, Colombia and Brazil. His dissertation area is in economics.

A Network of Support

Doctoral students at Booth have access to the resources of several high-powered research centers that offer funding for student work, host workshops and conferences, and foster a strong research community.

Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Bringing together researchers from the entire Chicago economics community, the Becker Friedman Institute fosters novel insights on the world’s most difficult economic problems.

George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State Dedicated to examining issues at the intersection of politics and the economy, the Stigler Center supports research by Doctoral students and others who are interested in the political, economic, and cultural obstacles to better working markets.

Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation Committed to making the world more equitable and sustainable, the Rustandy Center works to solve complex social and environmental problems. The center’s student support includes fellowships, research funding, and networking opportunities.

Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance Tasked with pushing the boundaries of research in finance, the Fama-Miller Center provides institutional structure and support for researchers in the field.

Center for Research in Security Prices CRSP maintains one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive stock market databases. Since 1963, it has been a valued resource for businesses, government, and scholars.

The Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets Enhancing the understanding of business and financial market globalization, the Clark Center for Global Markets positions Chicago Booth as a thought leader in the understanding of ever-changing markets and improves financial and economic decision-making around the world.

Scholarly Publications

Chicago Booth is home to some of the most prestigious academic journals in economics.

The Journal of Labor Economics presents international research on the relationship between labor and the economy.

The Journal of Law and Economics has published some of the most influential and widely cited articles on a broad range of economic topics.

The Journal of Political Economy , one of the oldest economics journals in the world, focuses on the relationship between government and the economy.

Spotlight on Research

Our faculty and PhD students continually produce high-level research. The Chicago Booth Review frequently highlights their contributions in economics.

To Keep Students Focused, Try Paying Their Parents

A study of subsidized training programs and incentives. Research from Hamna Ahmed (Lahore School of Economics), Zunia Tirmazee (Lahore), Rebecca Wu (UChicago PhD), and Emma Zhang (Chicago Booth PhD), suggest that including parents in decision-making may be most effective.

How Demolishing Public Housing Increased Inequity

A study by Chicago Booth's Milena Almagro, Eric Chyn (University of Texas), and Bryan A. Stuart (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia) investigate what happened to Chicago's public housing system and find that demolishing public housing increased inequality.

Why Medical Tourism Could Be Good Policy

Rather than investing in putting more medical facilities in remote areas, it could be more effective to pay for patients to visit healthcare facilities, according to research by Chicago Booth's Johnathan Dingel, Joshua D. Gottlieb (UChicago Harris School), Maya Lozinski (Harris PhD) and Pauline Mourot (Chicago Booth PhD). 

NBER Dissertation Fellowship in Consumer Financial Management

The National Bureau of Economics (NBER) awarded PhD Student, Benedict Guttman-Kenney, a dissertation fellowship to support his research in the economics of credit information.

Inside the Booth PhD Experience

Nick Tsivanidis, PhD ’18, talks about the culture of interdisciplinary study he found at Booth.

Video Transcript

Nick Tsivanidis, ’18: 00:03 My PhD thesis was about how commute costs shape economic organization in cities. Billions of people over the next 50, 100 years, they're going to be moving into mostly developing cities. Governments are going to spend huge amounts of money on providing new infrastructure to try and accommodate them. My project had both macro and applied micro elements. One of the benefits of Booth is that you have access to people from a wide range of areas who are very happy to encourage you to work on interdisciplinary topics.

Nick Tsivanidis, ’18: 00:38 I've always been interested in development and in particular how cities and countries can use evidence-based policy to try and improve welfare of their citizens. I've decided that pursuing a PhD would allow me to research and help translate that research into policy. What attracted me to the PhD program here at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business was this culture of interdisciplinary study. People at Chicago certainly aren't scared or will shy away from trying to think at the intersection of different areas. This is where a lot of very fruitful and productive new research actually takes place, which is at the border of frontiers. That really attracted me to come here.

Current Economics Students

From the effects of government regulation on economies to the impact of urban transit infrastructures, our PhD students examine a wide range of economic issues. When they graduate, they go on to positions at some of the top universities and companies in the world.

Current Students

Franco Calle Hannah Case

Emily Crawford

Paulo Henrique de Alcantara Ramos

Camille Hillion

Tyler Jacobson

Nidhaanjit Jain Muqi (Bill) Lai

Jerry Ma Sean McMahon Milad Mozafari-Vanani

Lucy Msall Jeffrey Ohl

Fern Ramoutar

Pengyu Ren Gabriele Romano

Jorge Tello Garza Julia Wu

Emily (Emma) Zhang Michelle Zheng

Program Expectations and Requirements

The Stevens Doctoral Program at Chicago Booth is a full-time program. Students generally complete the majority of coursework and examination requirements within the first two years of studies and begin work on their dissertation during the third year. For details, see General Examination Requirements by Area in the Stevens Program Guidebook below.

Download the 2024-25 Guidebook!