PhD in Business Administration, with a Concentration in Economics
Note: We are not accepting applications for fall 2027. The next application cycle will be for fall 2028 admission, with an application deadline of January 15, 2028.
The Economics PhD program concentration provides rigorous training in economics, econometrics, quantitative methods, and related business disciplines through a structured curriculum that combines coursework and independent research.
Our PhD program is an apprenticeship-style program that teaches students the current state of research in their area of concentration while preparing them to conduct original research in their field. The mission of the program is not only to prepare future faculty members who contribute through teaching and mentorship, but also to advance knowledge through impactful scholarly research.
Students work closely with faculty and begin developing their research agenda early in the program. Through a combination of coursework in economics, statistics, and mathematics, as well as specialized seminars in economics, students acquire advanced analytical tools, economic intuition, and the research skills necessary to conduct independent research and succeed in academic and research-oriented careers.
The curriculum is designed to provide rigorous training in economic theory, econometrics, quantitative methods, and academic research. Students develop expertise through a structured sequence of coursework, independent research, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation research while working closely with faculty mentors throughout the program.
The curriculum consists of four primary components: required coursework, an independent research paper, comprehensive examinations, and dissertation research.
Required coursework
Required coursework is organized into several areas of study that collectively prepare students for research and teaching careers in economics and related business disciplines. These areas include Basic Business Knowledge (BBK), Introduction Seminar, Core Statistics, Research Methods, Area of Concentration, and Support Area requirements.
| Introduction Seminar (3 Credit Hours Required) | ||
|---|---|---|
| BA 9090 | Introduction to Research and Teaching | 3 |
| Basic Business Knowledge (BBK)(8 Credit Hours Required)* | ||
| ACCT 700 | Foundations in Accounting | 2 |
| FIN 7000 | Foundations in Finance | 1 |
| MGMT 7000 | Organization | 2 |
| MKTG 7000 | Foundations in Marketing | 1 |
| BANA 6037 | Data Visualization | 2 |
| Core Statistics (6 Credit Hours Required) | ||
| BANA 7042 | Statistical Modeling | 2 |
| BANA 7051 | Applied Statistical Methods | 2 |
| BANA 7052 | Applied Linear Regression | 2 |
| Research Methods (6 Credit Hours Required) | ||
| ECON 9010 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| ECON 9011 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| ECON 9065 | Economics Independent Study for Additional Research Methods | 1-10 |
| Area of Concentration (18 Credit Hours Required) | ||
| ECON 9020 | Advanced Microeconomic Theory I | 3 |
| ECON 9021 | Advanced Microeconomic Theory II | 3 |
| ECON 9030 | Advanced Macroeconomic Theory I | 3 |
| ECON 9045 | Economics Independent Study for Area of Concentration | 1-10 |
| Support Area (15 Credit Hours Required) | ||
| Support Area coursework is individualized to complement the student's research interests and objectives. Possible support areas may include statistics, business analytics, data science, mathematics, finance, or other relevant disciplines. Courses applied toward the Support Area requirement should be at the 7000 level or above and approved by the Department PhD Coordinator and the Lindner College PhD Program Director. | ||
| Dissertation Research (30 Credit Hours Required) | ||
| ECON 9091 | PhD Dissertation Research | 30 |
*The BBK requirement may be waived for students with an undergraduate degree in business or a master’s degree with extensive business content from an accredited institution. Students entering the program with a master's degree must complete a minimum of 78 credit hours. Students entering without a master's degree must complete a minimum of 90 credit hours. Additional coursework requirements are also determined based on the student's prior academic preparation and program requirements.
Independent research paper
Students complete an independent research paper demonstrating their ability to formulate an original research question, apply appropriate analytical methods, and communicate research findings effectively. Students are expected to engage in research early in the program and are required to submit their second-year research paper.
Comprehensive examination
Upon completion of required coursework, students must successfully pass a comprehensive examination that evaluates mastery of core economic theory and quantitative methods. Successful performance on the written examination marks the student's transition from formal coursework to independent dissertation research.
Dissertation
The doctoral dissertation is expected to represent a substantial, significant, and original contribution to knowledge in economics. Students conduct independent research under the guidance of a dissertation committee composed of faculty members selected in consultation with their advisor.
Early in the dissertation process, students develop and present a dissertation proposal. The proposal presentation provides an opportunity to receive feedback from faculty and fellow doctoral students while the research plan is still being refined.
Upon completion of the research, students defend their dissertation in a public seminar and oral examination conducted in accordance with Graduate School requirements. Successful completion of the dissertation demonstrates the student's ability to conduct independent scholarly research and contribute new knowledge to the field of economics.
Names of Lindner faculty appear in bold. Names of Lindner PhD candidates are underlined.
Cornwall Gary J., Jeffrey A. Mills, Beau Sauley, and Huibin Weng. “Predictive Testing for Granger Causality via Posterior Simulation and Cross Validation.” Advances in Econometrics, forthcoming.
Jeffrey Strawn, Jeffrey Mills, Gary Cornwall, Sarah Mossman, Sara Varney, Brooks Keeshin, Paul Croakin, (2018). Buspirone in Children and Adolescents with Anxiety: A Review and Bayesian Analysis of Abandoned Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 2-9.
Chang, L.V., Shah, A.N., Hoefgen, E.R., Auger, K.A., Weng, H., Simmons, J.M., Shah, S.S., Beck, A.F. (2018), “The economic burden of lost earnings and non-medical expenses of pediatric hospitalizations”, Pediatrics, Volume 142, number 3.
Strawn, J. R., Mills, J. A., Sauley, B. A., & Welge, J. A.. (2018) "The impact of antidepressant dose and class on treatment response in pediatric anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis." Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 57.4: 235-244.
Jeffrey Strawn, Eric Dobson, Jeffrey Mills, Gary Cornwall, Dara Salosky, Boris Birmaher, Scott Compton, John Piacentini, (2017). Placebo Response in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: Results from the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study. Journal Adolescent and Child Psychopharmacology, 501-508.
Cornwall, Gary, and Olivier Parent, (2017). Embracing Heterogeneity: The Spatial Autoregressive Mixture Model. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 148-161.
Cornwall, Gary, Changjoo Kim, and Olivier Parent (2017). “At the Frontier Between Local and Global Interactions in Regional Sciences.” Regional Research Frontiers-Vol. 2, pp. 141-149. Springer, 2017.