UNH Graduate School

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Application Deadlines

M.A. in Economics, Ph.D. in Economics: Applicants must contact the Whittemore School of Business and Economics directly for the specific application materials, deadlines and brochure.

Application Requirements

Test Scores: GRE

Special Instructions: Requires their own special application, contact the department directly for more details.

New England Regional:
Masters:
Rhode Island, Vermont

Ph.D:
Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont.

Economics

McConnell Hall
Durham, NH 03824
(603) 862 - 3457
Email:
Web Address: http://www.wsbe.unh.edu/economics/
Whittemore School webpage: http://wsbe.unh.edu/grad/

Degree Offered (MA, PHD):

Programs are offered through the Whittemore School of Business and Economics.

Students seek graduate training in economics for several reasons. Some pursue the M.A. as a terminal degree and become professional economists employed in a variety of business and government settings, including banking, investment, insurance, pharmaceutical companies, consulting, the U.S. commerce department, and international organizations such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization. Other students may wish to become professional economists who advance to the very highest levels of management in business, government, or academia. Students with these career goals continue their graduate studies by earning the Ph.D. degree.

The graduate programs in economics at UNH are some of the most distinctive in the country. The M.A. program is based on a fast-track, 10-month calendar that provides rigorous training in economic theory and applied statistics. It also allows students to pursue applied coursework in international finance, environmental and resource economics, health economics, data analysis and information management, and international business. The doctoral program at UNH is one of only a few with a dual emphasis on training first-rate economists and outstanding college teachers. Students learn economic theory and econometrics at the highest level and can pursue coursework work and receive supervised training in the teaching of economics. Beyond its strengths in the fields of international economics, health economics, and environmental economics, the department is known for its emphasis on the history of economic thought and methodology. The graduate programs draw on faculty from the business, natural resources, health management, and policy, philosophy, and mathematics departments. The Department of Economics maintains an active and high quality weekly research seminar, which attracts leading economists and researchers from around the country.

Admission Requirements

In addition to requirements established by the Graduate School, applicants must submit current scores (within five years) from the general test of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The graduate programs seek students whose undergraduate experiences provide evidence of superior ability and that indicate the promise of independent scholarship. At a minimum, undergraduate preparation should include courses in economics at the intermediate level, as well as courses in calculus and statistics. Because the first year of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs overlap to a large extent, students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. degree, but who do not possess an M.A. in economics, are considered for admissions into the M.A. program. The doctoral program requires a master’s degree in economics.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts Programs
The M.A. program in economics builds on some of the core economic theory and econometrics classes from the Ph.D. program. Many other schools offer stand-alone M.A. programs whose core consists of little more than advanced undergraduate classes. At UNH, graduate economics is taught on an entirely different level. Consequently, our master’s students are exceptionally well trained.

The fast-track, 10-month program is based on four terms, running from the end of August through the end of May. It consists of three components; the foundation (Term I), the core (Term II), and concentrations (Term III and IV). As part of the program, students attend a weekly research seminar where they are exposed to cutting-edge research presented by UNH faculty and by scholars from around the country. The culminating experience for the program is a master’s paper written during Term IV, which affords students the opportunity to work closely with faculty members in conducting original research in their chosen field.

Requirements
Students must earn 36 credits to graduate, consisting of 10, 3-credit courses, plus 6 hours of economic seminar. Up to four electives - as substitutes for economics electives - may be taken in courses offered outside of the Department, subject to approval by the department.

Term I: The Foundation
Mathematical Economics
Class meets four days a week and students earn 3 credits,
the same as in the other terms.

Term II: The Core
Microeconomics I
Macroeconomics I
Econometrics I
Economics Seminar

These courses enable students to advance to specialized areas in the third and fourth terms with a strong background in theory and econometrics.

Term III: Econometrics and Electives
Econometrics II or approved skills course
Two field/elective courses
Economics Seminar

Term IV: Research Workshop and Electives
Research Skills
Two field/elective courses
Economics Seminar

Students can pursue applied coursework in international finance, international trade, environmental and resource economics, health economics, data analysis and information management, and international business.

Ph.D. Degree Requirements
The doctoral program in economics has four key elements: (1) broad education in economics; (2) integrative research experience; (3) dual emphasis on training first-rate economists and outstanding college teachers and (4) outstanding faculty with strong expertise in international economics, health economics, and environmental and resource economics.

Nationally, doctoral study in economics has increasingly involved quantitative rigor. UNH’s program has responded to this trend, but not at the expense of providing a broad background in economics. Beyond the core theory and econometrics classes, students study methodology and the history of economic thought.

The doctoral program encourages students to develop their research skills early on through an integrative research experience. The cornerstone of this experience is the department’s weekly research seminar. Students participate in the seminar by writing critical reviews and referee reports of the papers presented, acting as discussants, and presenting their own research.

The most distinctive feature of UNH’s doctoral program is its dual emphasis on training economists and college teachers. The Department of Economics, in conjunction with the Teaching Excellence Program in the Graduate School, has developed a nationally known program that provides training in pedagogy for students whose career goals include teaching at the college level. This program, called the Cognate in College Teaching, is an option that Ph.D. students may pursue in addition to the requirements of the Ph.D. degree.

Requirements
After completing the first-year M.A. requirements, students pursue the following coursework in their second year:

Term I
Advanced Economic Theory

Term II
Microeconomic Theory II
Macroeconomic Theory II
Economics Seminar

Term III
Field/Elective Course
Field/Elective Course
History of Economic Thought or Methodology
Economics Seminar

Term IV
Field/Elective Course
Field/Elective Course
Field Workshop
Economics Seminar

Ph.D. students take comprehensive examinations in macroeconomic and microeconomic theory, which are administered twice a year, usually in June and September. Students select two fields of concentration, one major and one minor. A major field consists of three field classes, the field workshop, and a comprehensive examination. A minor field consists of two field courses. Currently, the department offers the following three major and three minor fields:

International Economics Major

(a) ECON 845, International Trade and ECON 846, International Macroeconomics;

(b) one of either ADMN 846, International Financial Management, ECON 846, Multinational Enterprises, ECON 807, Economics of Sustainable Development, ECON 868, Seminar in Economic Development, ADMN 840, International Management, or other approved course;

(c) Field Workshop; and

(d) comprehensive examination.

International Economics Minor

ECON 845, International Trade, and ECON 846, International Macroeconomics.

Health Economics Major

(a) ECON 941, Survey of Health Economics, and ECON 942, Selected Topics in Health Economics;

(b) one of either PHP 901, Epidemiology, PHP 907, Public Health Policy, PHP 922, Public Health Economics, or other approved course;

(c) Field Workshop; and

(d) comprehensive examination.

Health Economics Minor

ECON 941, Survey of Health Economics, and ECON 942, Selected Topics in Health Economics.

Environmental Economics Major

(a) ECON 908, Environmental Economics: Theory and Policy, and ECON 909, Environmental Valuation;

(b) one of either RECO911, Natural & Environmental Resource Management, ECON 807, Economics of Sustainable Development, or other approved course;

(c) Field Workshop; and

(d) comprehensive examination

Environmental Economics Minor

ECON 908, Environmental Economics: Theory and Policy, and ECON 909, Environmental Valuation.

The program in the third and fourth years of study consists of the following components:

Develop a dissertation topic and secure a dissertation committee
Defend dissertation proposal in a public forum
Defend dissertation in a public forum
Complete the Cognate in College Teaching (optional)
Two terms of Doctoral Workshop

Cognate in College Teaching
The Ph.D. degree in economics from UNH is a research degree that provides students with a deep understanding of economic theory, institutions, and empirical analysis. Most graduates of the program move into faculty positions at other institutions of higher learning where teaching is an important component of their responsibilities. Graduate programs in economics traditionally focus on developing research skills, with little or no emphasis on the history of economic through, methodology and institutions, and no formal training in the teaching of economics at the college level. These traditional programs produce students who are well-trained in technique, but who often have difficulty in talking about real-world problems with undergraduates.

This state of affairs has led to a growing dissatisfaction among many colleges and universities, whose primary goal is to hire faculty who can generate interest in economics and build undergraduate majors. Few institutions have accepted the challenge of training first-rate economists and college teachers; the Department of Economics at UNH has.

In conjunction with the Teaching Excellence Program in the Graduate School, the department has developed a track in its doctoral program that provides formal training in pedagogy for students whose career goals include teaching at the college level. This track, called the Cognate in College Teaching, is an option that Ph.D. students may select in addition to the requirements of the doctoral degree (discussed above). The Cognate is a 12-credit program and is awarded, upon satisfaction of all requirements, with the Ph.D. The Cognate can only be awarded in conjunction with the Ph.D. and none of the course requirements of the Cognate can substituted for those of the Ph.D.

To enter the program, a student must formally apply to the Graduate Dean after at least one year of full-time graduate studies in economics. Admission to the Cognate will be decided by the Graduate Dean, based upon recommendations of the Economics Graduate Program Coordinator and the Teaching Excellence Program Director.

Requirements of the Cognate
Coursework (12 credits)
Core Courses (4 credits)
GRAD 940 Foundations in College Teaching (2 credits)
GRAD 951 Teaching with Writing (2 credits)
Teaching Economics (4-credits), ECON 898
College Teaching Praxis (4 credits), GRAD 990

Teaching Portfolio
A student must submit an approved teaching portfolio. The teaching portfolio is a relatively short collection of materials selected to document, summarize, and highlight one’s growth, experiences and strengths as a teacher. For those new to the academic job market, it can help set them apart from other candidates.
Upon completion of the foregoing requirements, the Cognate in College teaching is awarded and noted on the graduate transcript. For more information see www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/Programs.html.

Courses
Recent revisions to the graduate programs have led to several new courses in the curricula. These new courses will be offered as 898 topics courses until they are given their own course numbers.