brown university phd economics requirements

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics

Brown university, providence, united states, # 44 qs subject rankings, 36 months program duration, economics and econometrics main subject area, program overview, main subject.

Economics and Econometrics

Study Level

Admission requirements, exam scores, tuition fee and scholarships, scholarships.

One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

In this guide you will find:

Where to look for scholarship opportunities

How to apply to scholarships relevant to you

A list of available scholarships around the world

A scholarship application checklist

QS WUR Ranking By Subject

More programs from the university, bachelor ug.

Undergraduates pursue bachelor’s degrees in 81 concentrations, ranging from Egyptology to cognitive neuroscience. Anything’s possible at Brown—the university’s commitment to undergraduate freedom means students must take responsibility as architects of their courses of study.

Arts and Humanities (5)

Bachelor of science in linguistics, engineering and technology (5), bachelor of science in computer science, bachelor of science in engineering, life sciences and medicine (5), bachelor of science in computational biology, bachelor of science in geology/biology, bachelor of science in neuroscience, natural sciences (5), bachelor of science in applied mathematics, bachelor of science in applied mathematics - biology, bachelor of science in applied mathematics - computer science, bachelor of science in applied mathematics - economics, bachelor of science in biostatistics, bachelor of science in chemistry - chemistry track, bachelor of science in geological science, bachelor of science in geology/chemistry, bachelor of science in geology/physics/math, bachelor of science in mathematics, combined degree of ba/bs in physics, social sciences and management (5), bachelor of science in social analysis and research, bachelor of science in statistical sciences.

Brown University has 51 doctoral programs and 32 master’s programs. The broad scope of options vary from interdisciplinary opportunities in molecular pharmacology and physiology to a master’s program in acting and directing through the Brown/Trinity Repertory Consortium.

Business and Management (2)

M.s. program in innovation management and entrepreneurship (prime), natural sciences (2), ma in biostatistics, ms in biostatistics, ms in physics, doctor of philosophy (phd) in archaeology and the ancient world, doctor of philosophy (phd) in classics - archaeology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in comparative literature, doctor of philosophy (phd) in egyptology and assyriology - assyriology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in english, doctor of philosophy (phd) in history, doctor of philosophy (phd) in history of art and architecture, doctor of philosophy (phd) in music - ethnomusicology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in philosophy, doctor of philosophy (phd) in theatre arts and performance studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in computer science, doctor of philosophy (phd) in electrical engineering, doctor of philosophy (phd) in anthropology - anthropology and population, doctor of philosophy (phd) in behavioral and social health sciences, doctor of philosophy (phd) in biology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in biomedical engineering, doctor of philosophy (phd) in cognitive science, doctor of philosophy (phd) in computational biology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in epidemiology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in health services, policy and practice, doctor of philosophy (phd) in psychology, doctor of philosophy (phd) in applied mathematics, doctor of philosophy (phd) in chemistry, doctor of philosophy (phd) in earth, environmental and planetary sciences, doctor of philosophy (phd) in mathematics, doctor of philosophy (phd) in physics, doctor of philosophy (phd) in africana studies - studies in history, politics and theory, doctor of philosophy (phd) in american studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in french studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in german studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in hispanic studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in italian studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in modern culture and media, doctor of philosophy (phd) in music - computer music & multimedia (meme), doctor of philosophy (phd) in political science, doctor of philosophy (phd) in portuguese and brazilian studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in slavic studies, doctor of philosophy (phd) in sociology.

Department of Economics

Undergraduate.

Economics is one of the most popular concentrations at Brown. Economics is much broader in scope than many people realize. You can take classes about race, mass media, global warming, internet marketplaces, game theory, finance, big data, …the list goes on.

Economics provides tools for understanding important public policy issues like inequality, poverty, education, health, unemployment, taxes, and globalization.  About half of Brown students take some economics during their undergraduate careers.

Economics Concentrations 

Download Economics Concentrations text version 

What Economists Study 

Download What Economists Study text version 

Where to begin

Most students begin their study of economics by taking ECON 0110, Principles of Economics, which is offered every semester. Before taking the concentration requirements in math, statistics, and intermediate microeconomics, which often come next, students should try to decide whether one of the standard economics concentrations or instead one of the more quantitatively challenging joint concentrations is more likely to suit them, because the appropriate choices differ (for example, ECON 1110 is taken by most standard economics concentrators but ECON 1130 is taken by joint concentrators). After a set of intermediate tools courses, the discipline divides into various subfields. To learn which might be the best match for your interests, read about  fields and their courses . (Students in the joint concentrations will also be meeting requirements of their other department, for example APMA, at this stage.) Students are free to take classes in the order they wish, except where pre-requisites apply, but here are some  recommended paths  through the curriculum for concentrators. Be sure to also check out the Econ Dug Repository  for more information about Economics classes, example course plans for Economics concentrators and joint-concentrators, details about TA/RA/tutor positions, as well as resources for graduate school and professional careers after undergraduate studies.

Areas of Study

Recommended course sequences, concentrations.

There are several Economics Concentrations to choose from. In addition to the regular concentration, with its optional business track, we offer joint concentrations with Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, and Mathematics. The first step to declaring a concentration is to visit a concentration advisor during their office hours. You must meet with an advisor before your concentration declaration will be approved on ASK.

Concentration Advisors

What else is required.

Like all Brown undergraduates, Economics and joint economics concentrators must fulfill Brown’s WRIT course requirement. Our concentrations do not require that either WRIT requirement be met by a concentration course, but note that there are economics options especially for the second WRIT requirement. You can find a list of economics courses that are WRIT designated here . 

Your final semesters at Brown should provide a meaningful culmination of your undergraduate education. A capstone project is a requirement in the Economics Public Policy track and the CS Economics concentrations. Students in other tracks and joint concentrations are not required to complete a thesis or capstone project but we strongly recommend doing so. Please document your completion of a capstone project in order to receive recognition for it at our departmental commencement event using the Capstone Recognition Form  by May 1st of your senior year.

Getting Help

Advising resources, peer advisors, for questions about the undergraduate program, please reach out to the following people:.

Kelsey Thorpe

Brian Knight

Alex Poterack

After graduation, after brown, stay connected.

Studying Economics at Brown (video credit: Kseniia Dolgopolova)

A career in Economics... it's much more than you think.

News from Brown

Brown eliminates gre test requirement for 24 doctoral programs.

In enabling Ph.D. program leaders to drop the requirement to submit test scores, the Graduate School looks to attract talented, high-achieving students from an increasingly diverse pool of candidates.

Photo by David DelPoio / Brown University

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — For prospective graduate students applying to enroll in the 2020-21 academic year and beyond, Brown University will no longer require Graduate Records Examination (GRE) test scores for admission to 24 of its Ph.D. programs.

Eliminating the requirement will enable the programs to attract a wider pool of applicants, Graduate School leaders said. The move adds to a growing array of initiatives at Brown to reduce barriers that discourage some students from groups historically underrepresented in higher education and from low-income backgrounds from applying for admission.

“The future success of graduate education at Brown depends on the diverse, innovative and intellectually independent candidates we admit and the varied skill sets they bring to their disciplines,” said Dean of the Graduate School Andrew G. Campbell. “By removing the Graduate School’s GRE requirement and allowing programs to decide whether to require the exam, we will broaden the talent pool of students who apply to and have access to graduate education at Brown.”

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that the GRE is not always an accurate predictor of success in graduate school, Campbell said. In considering prospective doctoral students, Brown evaluates a wide range of factors, from academic strength and intellectual curiosity to research experiences, through application components including transcripts, letters of recommendation, personal statements and in-person interviews.

“Twenty-four of our doctoral programs have decided that the GRE is not required for a holistic review of potential applicants to their disciplines,” Campbell added. “This, in conjunction with a new transitional stipend for newly matriculating doctoral students and our fully-funded Ph.D. and MFA programs, continues our work to ensure that a Brown education is accessible to students from all income groups and that all graduate students can thrive on campus.”

Brown faculty who direct individual Ph.D. programs evaluate applications from prospective students in consultation with leaders from the Graduate School. Already, GRE scores were considered as one among a wide variety of factors weighed as each applicant’s credentials are considered individually.

“We’re not just looking at scores — we’re looking at students,” said Marlina Duncan, associate dean of diversity initiatives at the Graduate School.

Financial considerations such as exam fees, GRE prep-course tuition or tutoring expenses — and logistical challenges such as finding transportation and taking time away from school or work to take the test — can discourage some prospective students, particularly from historically underrepresented groups or first-generation or low-income backgrounds, from applying.

Moreover, many academic leaders said the GRE does not capture a candidate’s predilection toward critical thinking, innovation and collaboration — three areas that are crucial to success in the Graduate School at Brown.

“We’re looking for the fire — we’re looking for the drive,” said Anita Zimmerman, graduate program director for Brown’s molecular pharmacology and physiology program. “We’re looking for the motivation from someone who isn’t daunted by obstacles and is willing to dive into research with creativity and an ability to solve difficult problems. Those kinds of indicators are not easy to put into numbers, but they’re much more useful and telling than a score on an exam that repeatedly has been shown to be a very poor predictor of student success.”

Zimmerman noted that in recent years, the program had already begun to decrease emphasis on GRE scores in lieu of recommendation letters, personal statements and interviews.

Ravit Reichman, director of graduate studies for the English program, agreed that test scores have been but one factor in the department’s evaluation of prospective students.

“Not once in my time at Brown have we had a substantive conversation about a candidate’s GRE scores,” Reichman said. “We’ve always focused more on a person’s curiosity and intellectual itinerary — that is, how they got to thinking about the ideas they think about, and how they express that on the page.”

The Graduate School’s decision to eliminate the overarching GRE requirement enables program leaders across Brown’s 51 doctoral programs to make individual choices about whether to continue to require scores. The 2020-21 application for admission is open now on the school’s website. The following academic programs will no longer require GRE scores:

• American Studies
• Biotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Comparative Literature 
• Computational Biology
• Computer Science
• Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• French Studies
• German Studies
• Hispanic Studies
• Italian Studies
• Mathematics
• Modern Culture and Media
• Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry
• Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology
• Neuroscience
• Pathobiology
• Portuguese and Brazilian Studies
• Religious Studies
• Slavic Studies
• Theatre and Performance Studies

Apply to Brown University Graduate School

Graduate Programs

Biostatistics.

The doctoral program in Biostatistics provides the training necessary to carry out independent research in theory, methodology and the application of statistics to important problems in biomedical research, including research biology, public health and clinical medicine.

The Ph.D. program is administered by an active, expanding and highly interdisciplinary faculty in the Department of Biostatistics. Major areas of research activity include Bayesian inference, analysis of biomarkers and diagnostic tests, causal inference and missing data, time series and functional data analysis, modeling of social networks, bioinformatics, longitudinal data, and multilevel modeling. Faculty collaborate actively with investigators in the areas of cancer prevention and screening, behavioral sciences, HIV/AIDS, health care policy, genetic epidemiology, neuroscience, and genomics.

Additional Resources

All PhD graduate students are provided with a new laptop computer and office space.  Students also have access to the computing infrastructure at the Center for Statistical Sciences, a high-end, continuously updated computing environment featuring both Unix and PC/MAC networks, with access to all major software for data analysis and numerical computing. CSS also maintains a considerable collection of statistics texts and journals in the Walter Freiberger Biostatistics Library.

Application Information

MCAT or LSAT tests cannot be substituted for the GRE. Applicants to the Ph.D. program should have taken courses in calculus (three semesters), and advanced undergraduate courses in linear algebra and probability. Experience with numerical computing is also recommended. Applications from students in applied fields such as biology, biochemistry, economics, and computer science are strongly encouraged, with the understanding that necessary mathematical coursework may have to be completed before or soon after enrollment in the program.

Applicants to this School of Public Health program should apply through  SOPHAS , a centralized application service for accredited schools and programs in public health. Brown University School of Public Health GRE reporting code: 7765.

Application Requirements

Gre subject:.

Not required

GRE General:

Official transcripts:, letters of recommendations:.

(3) Required

Personal Statement:

Additional materials:.

Application Fee

Additional Requirements:

International applicants.

• Language Proficiency (TOEFL or IELTS if applicable)
• Transcript Evaluation (if applicable)

Dates/Deadlines

Application deadline, completion requirements.

For all Ph.D. students, 24 credits are required of students matriculating in the program without a master's degree; 16 are required beyond the master's. For those with a related master's degree, up to eight units can be transferred. Both written and oral exams, plus a dissertation comprising an original contribution to the field, also are required. Students are expected to participate in academic activities such as the Statistics Seminar and faculty–organized working groups.

Alumni Careers

Contact and Location

Department of biostatistics, mailing address.

• Program Faculty
• Program Handbook
• Graduate School Handbook
• Public Health Career Outcomes
• Brown University School of Public Health Application Information

Cognitive and Psychological Sciences

Graduate study.

Our graduate programs are highly selective, successfully recruiting and retaining excellent students, competing with the top programs in the world. Our doctoral students go on to be scientists and scholars who contribute to the generation of knowledge in both academic and non-academic settings.

Graduate Program Handbook

About our programs, how to apply, director of graduate studies, william heindel, graduate advisors, fulvio domini, oriel feldmanhall, bertram f. malle.