Program Overview

Economics Program Overview

The Ph.D. program in Economics at Brown University trains students to conduct theoretical and empirical research at the highest level through coursework, participation in seminars, and supervised research. The program is demanding, with high standards of performance, but it has enabled graduates to achieve an excellent placement record in major research universities, prestigious liberal arts colleges, government and international agencies, and private industrial, consulting, and research firms.

Program Description

The department's faculty includes editors of prominent journals such as the Journal of Economic Growth, the Journal of Development Economics, and the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, among others. Several faculty members are fellows of the Econometric Society, Sloan fellows, or Distinguished Fellows of the American Economic Association. The department hosts six weekly seminars, including Economic Theory, Macroeconomics, Applied Microeconomics, and Econometrics, as well as parallel lunches and breakfasts for graduate student work in progress.

Additional Resources

The department maintains close links with the Population Studies and Training Center, the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, the Center for Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences, and the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society.

Application Information

• GRE Subject: Not required
• GRE General: Required
• Application Deadline: January 1, 2026

Completion Requirements

To complete the program, students must:

• Pass eight basic courses
• Achieve a grade of B or better in seven advanced courses
• Pass a field exam
• Complete a third-year poster presentation and research paper
• Make seminar presentations
• Complete a dissertation

Leadership

• Department Chair: Kareen Rozen
• Director of Graduate Studies: Toru Kitagawa
• Vice Director of Graduate Studies: Kellie Forrester

Program Resources

• Program Faculty
• Program Handbook
• Graduate School Handbook