Degree Requirements (2017)

MA Program

1. Admissions Requirements

There is no admission to the MA program directly. Economics PhD students may earn the MA en route to the PhD.

Note that a student who already has a Master's degree in Economics from another university will not be able to obtain a second Master's degree in Economics from UC Davis.

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2. Masters Plan II (Comprehensive Examination)

The Economics Graduate Program offers a Plan II option for which a comprehensive examination is required. No thesis is required.

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3. Course Requirements - 36 units

a) Core Courses - 36 units

• Microeconomic Theory (12 units):
  • Economics 200A (4 units; Fall Quarter)
  • Economics 200B (4 units; Winter Quarter)
  • Economics 200C (4 units; Spring Quarter)
• Macroeconomic Theory (12 units):
  • Economics 200D (4 units; Fall Quarter)
  • Economics 200E (4 units; Winter Quarter)
  • Economics 200F (4 units; Spring Quarter)
• Econometrics (12 units):
  • Economics 239 (4 units; Fall Quarter)
  • Economics 240A (4 units; Winter Quarter)
  • Economics 240B (4 units; Spring Quarter)

b) Electives - optional
Electives are selected in consultation with the advisor.

c) Summary
Students must successfully complete 36 units of coursework. Consistent with the policies of the Office of Graduate Studies, students must receive a grade of C or better in any course to receive credit towards the degree. Students must register for a minimum of 12 units per Quarter, including Individual Study (Economics 299) where appropriate.

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4. Special requirements

No special requirements.

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5. Committees

Course Guidance/Advising Committees
Graduate advisors include the faculty on the GSC, along with additional advisors named by the department chair. These advisors can provide information on course scheduling and other academic issues.

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6. Advising Structure and Mentoring

Students will be assigned a Graduate Advisor upon entry into the program. In addition, first year students should feel free to consult with the graduate chair for questions concerning their first year courses and exams. The Major Professor is the faculty members who supervises the student's research and dissertation, and serves as the Chair of the Dissertation Committee. 

Mentoring guidelines can also be found at http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/gradcouncil/mentoring.pdf.

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7. Advancement to Candidacy

"Every student must file an official application for Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts" after completing one-half of their course requirements and at least one quarter before completing all degree requirements. The Candidacy for the Degree of Master form can be found online at: http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/forms/. A completed form includes a list of courses the student will take to complete degree requirements. If changes must be made to the student's course plan after s/he has advanced to candidacy, the Graduate Adviser must recommend these changes to Graduate Studies. Students must have their Graduate Adviser and thesis committee Chair sign the candidacy form before it can be submitted to Graduate Studies. If the candidacy is approved, the Office of Graduate Studies will send a copy to: the Thesis Committee Chair, the appropriate graduate staff person, and the student. If the Office of Graduate Studies determines that a student is not eligible for advancement, the department and the student will be told the reasons for the application's deferral. Some reasons for deferring an application include: grade point average below 3.0, outstanding "I" grades in required courses, or insufficient units."

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8. Comprehensive/Preliminary Examinations

Students must pass two of the three preliminary examinations in Micro, Macro and Econometrics at the MA level to satisfy the comprehensive exam requirement for the MA degree. Students must be enrolled at the time of the exams.

Core theory prelims: All students must pass two of the three written preliminary examinations ("prelims") in Microeconomic Theory (covering Economics 200A,B,C), Macroeconomic Theory (covering Economics 200D,E,F), and in Econometrics (covering Economics 239, 240A and 240B) at the MA level. The core theory prelims should be taken in late June/early July immediately following the first year.

Prelims are "closed book" and are graded on a 0-4 numerical scale as follows:

• Fail (0-1.79)
• Pass at the MA Level (1.80-1.99)
• Pass at the PhD Level (2.00-2.99)
• Good (3.0-4.0)

Grades of 3.0 or above reflect unusually good performance. All exams are graded by two (or, if necessary, three) faculty members. Students may read the examiners' comments by contacting the graduate program coordinator.

Retaking core theory prelims and time limits: To allow for instances in which a core theory prelim is not passed at the first attempt, the exams are administered again in late-August/early September. Students may re-take each exam a single time, that is, only two attempts are allowed for each exam. Any re-takes must happen during the summer of a student's first year in the program, except in the rare case of circumstances beyond a student's control (e.g., a medical emergency). A student who fails after the second attempt on either or both exams will be recommended for disqualification to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

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9. Normative Time to Degree

The normative time to degree for the MA is 3 quarters (one year).

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10. Typical Time Line and Sequence of Events

Year 1: Complete core courses and pass preliminary exams in any two of micro, macro and econometrics at the MA-level or above.

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11. PELP and Filing Fee status

Information about PELP (Planned Educational Leave) and Filing Fee status can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook: http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/publications/

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12. Financial support

MA students are not eligible for departmental financial support.

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Ph.D. Program

1. Admission requirements

A bachelor's degree, preferably in economics, is required. Applicants with GRE verbal scores below the 60th percentile (30th percentile for non-native speakers of English), GRE quantitative below the 70th percentile, TOEFL scores below 600 (below 250 if using the computer based exam or below 100 if using iBT) will not be considered for admission. The IELTS may be substituted for the TOEFL, with a minimum requirement of 7 needed for consideration for admission. While the minimum overall GPA required for admission is 3.25, the entire record (including course work and letters of recommendation) is reviewed in every case. Applications are accepted through December 15 of each year for the class entering the following fall.

A. Prerequisites:
Students, including those who did not major in economics, are expected to have the equivalent of the following UC Davis courses:

• Intermediate Microeconomics (ECN 100 4 units)
• Intermediate Macroeconomics (ECN 101 4 units)
• Two additional upper-division economics courses

Because of the quantitative nature of the first-year theory sequence, prior completion of the following are required (UC Davis equivalents are in parenthesis):

• At least one year of Calculus (MAT 021A,B, &C 12 units)
• One course in linear algebra (MAT 022A 4 units)
• At least two courses in statistics, one of which must be an upper-division course

September lectures in mathematical methods: The department offers an intensive series of Lectures in Mathematical Methods beginning after Labor Day (early September). These lectures focus on differential calculus and linear algebra, building upon rather than sufficing for the undergraduate preparation described above. The lectures emphasize the specific tools used in the required first-year micro, macro, and econometrics courses, and all students in these courses will be assumed to have mastered the material covered in the September lectures. Therefore, while these lectures are informally structured (registration and the payment of fees are not required), all students including those with extensive coursework in mathematics should attend.

B. Deficiencies:
Because of the quantitative nature of the first-year courses, any deficiencies in the above coursework requirements must be completed prior to enrollment in the first-year courses.

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2. Dissertation plan

The Economics Department uses "Plan B" for the dissertation committee and exit requirements. (See http://www.mrak/ucdavis.edu/senate/ddregulations_0405_revisions.pdf). This specifies a three member (minimum) dissertation committee and an optional final oral examination (at the discretion of the dissertation committee for each individual student). No exit seminar is required in economics.

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3. Course requirements

A. Core courses (10 courses, 40 units)
Except for unusual circumstances described below, every first-year student, no matter what his/her degree objective, is required to take the following courses:

• Microeconomic Theory (12 units):
  • Economics 200A (4 units; Fall Quarter)
  • Economics 200B (4 units; Winter Quarter)
  • Economics 200C (4 units; Spring Quarter)
• Macroeconomic Theory (12 units):
  • Economics 200D (4 units; Fall Quarter)
  • Economics 200E (4 units; Winter Quarter)
  • Economics 200F (4 units; Spring Quarter)
• Econometrics (12 units):
  • Economics 239 (4 units; Fall Quarter)
  • Economics 240A (4 units; Winter Quarter)
  • Economics 240B (4 units; Spring Quarter)

In rare circumstances, students may waive the course requirements in micro and macro theory upon the successful completion of the associated theory preliminary exams. This option is typically reserved for those students who have previously completed comparable coursework at a comparable institution as part of their undergraduate or other educational program.

In addition to these first year courses, all PhD students must, by the Winter Quarter of the third year, satisfy the following requirement. 

One course in Economic History OR History of Economic Thought (4 units): One course selected from Economics 201A, 201B, 210A, 210B or 210C, passed with a grade of B or better

B. Elective Courses (10-12 courses, 40-48 units depending on specific fields chosen)
Students are required to complete 3 elective fields (two major and one minor), with each field consisting of 2-3 courses as specified below; these courses are generally taken during the second year. In addition, students must take two elective courses beyond the courses required for their 3 elective fields (generally one course each during their first and second years).

B.1. Elective Fields (8-10 courses, 32-40 units)
Economics major fields: Each student must complete coursework in two of the following fields of specialization, each of which consist of 2 or 3 related courses. Courses which will be used to satisfy the requirement for two "major fields" must be completed with a grade of B+ or higher. The following are the course sequences from which these elective fields may be chosen.

• Advanced Economic Theory (203A,B,C)
• Econometrics (240C,D, and 240E or F)
• Economic Development (Prof. Rezaee's 290 and two courses from 215A, B, C, D and 230B)
• Economic History (210A,B,C)
• Industrial Organization (221A,B,C)
• International Trade (260A,C,E)
• International Macroeconomics (260B & D)
• International Economics (260A,B and 260 C or E) [Note: a student taking a prelim in International Economics cannot also take a prelim exam in International Trade or in International Macroeconomics. On the other hand, it is possible to take a prelim in International Trade and also a prelim in International Macroeconomics]
• Labor Economics (230B,250A,B)
• Macro/Monetary Economics (235A,B,C; or, for those not taking International Macroeconomics as a field, 235A,B and 260B; or for those wishing to focus on Growth, any of the courses 270A,B, or C may be substituted for the 235 courses).
• Public Economics (230A,B,C)

Economics minor field: The minor field may be completed by passing with a letter grade of B- or better two graduate courses in that field (see above for a list of courses in each field). These two courses must be in addition to those used to satisfy the core economic history/history of economic thought course requirement and must not be a component of the subject matter for the two prelims. Subject to that constraint, courses in the History of Economic Thought (201A,B) can be used to satisfy a minor field requirement.

Alternative minor fields: Students may also satisfy the minor field requirement by choosing courses to suit a specific interest in economics or in a related discipline, subject to the written approval of the chair of the Graduate Studies Committee prior to taking the relevant coursework. In recent years course sequences in the Graduate School of Management (Management 275A,B: Capital Markets and Corporate Finance), in the Law School (Contracts; Antitrust), in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and in the Department of Mathematics have been approved as write-off fields. (Because of registration restrictions and differences in the academic calendar, special arrangements must be made to take law courses.)

B.2. Elective courses (2 courses, 8 units)
The elective courses should be at the graduate level in economics (or agricultural economics) or at the upper division or graduate level in mathematics or statistics. They are often used to fulfill the course requirement in Economic History or History of Economic Thought. 

Students who are Teaching Assistants during the Fall Quarter of their first year are allowed to postpone taking the elective until the second or third year (thus limiting themselves to Ecn 200A and Ecn 239); to fulfill the unit requirements for a full time student they can enroll in Ecn 299 with the chair of the Graduate Studies Committee.

B.3. Additional Course Requirements
Students specializing in mathematical economics or econometrics: Students who plan to write a dissertation in Economic Theory should take course work in real analysis (Math 25 and Math 125A and B). Real analysis is very useful in Economics 203A,B,C and is helpful, more generally, in building the mathematical sophistication necessary to do modern microeconomic theory and theoretical econometrics. Note that, because Math 25 is a lower division course, it cannot count towards any of the degree requirements or electives, and is not included in graduate student GPAs. Students who plan to write a dissertation in Theoretical Econometrics should take Statistics 131A,B,C and 230. Statistics 131A and one upper division course in statistics (such as Statistics 131B) will be accepted in lieu of Economics 239. In both cases, scheduling considerations will be important, and it is critical that students discuss their plans with an instructor in the field.

C. Summary
Consistent with the policies of the Office of Graduate Studies, students must receive a grade of C or better in any course to receive credit towards the degree. Students must register for a minimum of 12 units per Quarter, including Individual Study (Economics 299) where appropriate.

The FIRST YEAR course schedule is thus as follows:

In the SECOND YEAR the student completes all remaining coursework and field requirements while attending seminars for at least one quarter:

The order in which the minor courses and the electives are taken is immaterial (e.g. the student could take the elective in Fall and the write-off courses in Winter and Spring). The normal course-load is three courses per quarter. If one of the fields consists of only two courses, the student can choose to take any other graduate-level economics course in the remaining quarter. If one of the fields in which the student is interested in is not offered in the student's second year, the student can petition the graduate program chair to postpone taking that field to the third year. The petition must be in writing at least one week before the beginning of Fall Quarter.

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4. Special requirements

Once formal coursework has been completed, students who have not yet passed their qualifying exam should regularly attend departmental research seminars. In addition, attendance is strongly suggested for those who have advanced to candidacy. Seminar and "brown-bag" attendance is critical to obtaining thesis ideas, maintaining contact with faculty members, and seeing how research presentations are made. Seminar series are offered throughout the year in economic theory, applied microeconomics, macro/international and economic history, featuring presentations by faculty, students, and outside speakers. Students are expected to attend these seminars according to the following rules:

• Every graduate student who has not yet advanced to candidacy, with the exception of first-year and second-year students, is required to register for and attend Economics 291 (Spring 2008 and later), and attend a minimum of 5 seminars in each of the Fall and Spring quarters. Students should register for the section of 291 corresponding to the seminar(s) they attend regularly.
• If a graduate student gives a seminar or a brown bag presentation he/she can count it towards the above requirement.
• The seminar organizer will circulate a sheet of paper to be signed by the graduate students who attended the seminar. Hence, it is the responsibility of the student to notify the seminar organizer of his/her attendance.
• If a student (again, with the exception of first and second year students) is enrolled in a 291 in a given quarter and he/she has not attended at least 5 seminars during that quarter, then he/she will get a grade of Unsatisfactory (or No Pass) in that 291.
• The above requirement of 5 seminars per quarter is the absolute minimum. Students are strongly encouraged to attend more than the minimum. Seminar attendance is strongly recommended also to first and second year students.
• Students beyond their second year should also register for Economics 299 (or 299D for those advanced to candidacy) with their primary dissertation advisor. Students in their third year who have not yet decided on a dissertation advisor can register for 299 with the graduate program chair. Students must be in regular contact with their dissertation advisor to receive a satisfactory Econ 299 (or 299D) grade.

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5. Committees

A. Graduate Studies Committee:
The Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) is composed of the graduate program chair, two other faculty members, and three graduate students. While the faculty members administer the program, the entire committee is responsible for the consideration of policy. Admissions decisions are made by the faculty members on the graduate studies committee. A broader group of faculty (dependent upon the fields of interest of applicants) will consider admitted students for funding awards. Once the completed application, supporting material and the application fee have been received, the application will be reviewed by the GSC, who will make a recommendation to accept or decline an applicant's request for admission. That recommendation is forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies for final approval of admission. Notification of admission decisions will be sent by Graduate Studies. Applications are accepted through December 15 of each year for the class entering the following fall.

B. Preliminary Examination Committee:
The Preliminary Examination Committee consists of: (1) the Economics faculty responsible for writing the micro, macro, and econometrics preliminary examinations, and (2) the Graduate Program Chair. The members of the committee will be responsible for writing the preliminary examinations in their respective fields and, as a committee, to make final decisions on the outcome of student preliminary examinations for students who fails to pass prelim exams under requirement 3, in section 7A below.

C. Course Guidance/Advising Committees
Graduate advisors include the faculty on the GSC, along with additional advisors named by the department chair. These advisors can provide information on course scheduling and other academic issues. Advising on research and the thesis begins with an interim advisor, selected by the student (and described in the next section) during their third year.

D. Oral Qualifying Exam Committee
The qualifying examination committee will consist of four members of the Economics Department and 1 member from outside the department. All members of the qualifying exam committee must hold PhD degrees and must be professors from a UC campus unless the Interim Adviser secures a waiver from the Dean of Graduate Studies. The same person may not serve as both the chair of the qualifying exam and the chair of the dissertation committee.

E. Dissertation Committee
The dissertation is the means by which candidates demonstrate research proficiency. Upon advancement to candidacy, the student will assemble a dissertation committee consisting of three faculty members, chaired by the student's major professor, to direct the research. All three committee members must hold PhD degrees and must be professors from a UC campus unless the major professor secures a waiver from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

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6. Advising structure and mentoring

Students will be assigned a Graduate Advisor upon entry into the program. In addition, first year students should feel free to consult with the graduate chair for questions concerning their first year courses and exams. 

After completing coursework, an Interim Adviser will assist the student in formulating a research agenda, preparing for seminar or workshop presentations, and writing the dissertation prospectus. The Interim Adviser need not necessarily serve later on the dissertation committee, and a new Interim Adviser may be substituted if the direction of the student's research changes. Each student should select an Interim Adviser no later than the January 15 following completion of the last prelim. Students should consult with faculty teaching the second year field courses most closely related to their expected field of research for assistance with selecting an interim advisor. Students who still find it difficult to select an Interim Adviser should consult with the graduate program chair for assistance.

The Major Professor is the faculty members who supervises the student's research and dissertation, and serves as the Chair of the Dissertation Committee. Mentoring guidelines can also be found at http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/gradcouncil/mentoring.pdf.

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7. Advancement to candidacy

Students are eligible for advancement to candidacy after completing all course requirements as described above, passing the first-year preliminary exams at the PhD level, completing a detailed literature review and a related research proposal in the 2^nd year, submitting the third-year research paper, completing a dissertation prospectus, and passing all components of their qualifying examination, as described below. The student must file the appropriate paperwork with the Office of Graduate Studies and pay the candidacy fee in order to be officially promoted to Ph.D. Candidacy. Students must advance to candidacy by the end of their third year.

A. First-year preliminary exams in microeconomic theory and macroeconomics
Core theory prelims: All first-year students must pass written preliminary examinations ("prelims") in Microeconomic Theory (covering Economics 200A,B,C), Macroeconomic Theory (covering Economics 200D,E, F), and in Econometrics (covering Economics 239, 240A and 240B). The core theory prelims should be taken in late June/early July immediately following the first year. Prelims are "closed book" and are graded on a 0-4 numerical scale as follows:

• Fail (0-1.79)
• Pass at the MA Level (1.80-1.99)
• Pass at the PhD Level (2.00-2.99)
• Good (3.0-4.0)

Grades of 3.0 or above reflect unusually good performance. All exams are graded by two (or, if necessary, three) faculty members. Students may read the examiners' comments by contacting the graduate program coordinator.

Retaking core theory prelims and time limits: To allow for instances in which a core theory prelim is not passed at the first attempt, the exams are administered again in late-August/early-September. Students may re-take each exam a single time, that is, only two attempts are allowed for each exam. Any re-takes must happen during the summer of a student's first year in the program.

In order to continue into the second year of the PhD program, the student must meet the following requirements at the end of the 12-month mark:

1. completion of the first-year courses (Ecn 239, Ecn 200A,B,C,D,E, F, Ecn 240A,B) with a letter grade of B- or better in each course,
2. a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25, and
3. Passing prelim exams in one of two ways:
   • Earning a grade of "pass at the PhD level" on one of the three exams and a grade of "pass at the MA level" on the other two exams, or
   • Earning a grade of "pass at the PhD level" on two exams and earning a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 in the third core sequence, with a least a B- in each course in the sequence.

If a student fails to satisfy either requirement 1 or 2 above, the student may petition the graduate program chair to remain in the PhD program. After a review of the student's complete record, the student will be given a specific number of quarters (typically one in the case of a GPA below 3.25) to satisfy the requirement. If the student fails to satisfy the requirement after that time, the Graduate Studies Committee may recommend that the student be disqualified from the graduate program, but the student may still achieve an MA degree if all MA requirements have been met.

Any student who fails to pass prelim exams under requirement 3 will have his or her case considered by the Preliminary Examination Committee. The committee will evaluate the student's record at UC Davis, including, but not limited to, the student's performance on prelim examinations, on final and midterm exams in the first-year core sequence and on other material evaluated in first-year courses. The committee will make the final decision about whether the student should pass the preliminary examinations and continue into the second year of the program. If the committee decides to let a candidate pass the preliminary examinations in spite of failing requirement 3, the committee will provide a written report on why the student was allowed to pass and whether conditions such as remedial courses are imposed. The Chair will communicate the results with the candidate and work with the candidate to approve and execute his/her remedial plan, if a remedial plan is required. A student who, before the beginning of the second year, fails to meet the requirements listed in this section will be recommended for disqualification to the Dean of Graduate Studies. This requirement may be waived on petition to the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee if the student can prove adequate grounds.

B. Second year major fields
By the end of their 2nd year of study, students should have completed course work in two major fields (with 2 or 3 courses as specified above) with a grade of B+ or better in each course. 

By the end of the summer after their second year in the program (no later than September 30th) students must have completed a detailed literature review (15 to 20 pages) in one of their major fields, and a related research proposal (3 to 4 pages). This research proposal should describe a research paper in the field to be undertaken and completed during their third year. Prior to turning in this review (and preferably early in the summer), students should find two faculty members who will serve as their third year paper committee, agree to read and evaluate their literature review, and provide advice on the research project throughout their third year. The literature review will be graded on a pass/fail basis.

C. Third Year Paper and Dissertation Prospectus
During their third year, all students must submit a research paper (a minimum of 20 pages, double-spaced) to the two faculty members who form their third year paper committee. This paper will be evaluated by the committee and assigned a grade of either "accept" or "revise." Papers will receive an accept score when the faculty judge them to be of sufficient quality and completeness to form a substantial part of the dissertation prospectus. This research paper must be submitted and accepted prior to scheduling the Qualifying Exam.

The dissertation prospectus: Students are expected to complete a dissertation prospectus before taking the Qualifying Exam. The Interim Adviser and/or third-year paper committee helps the student prepare the dissertation prospectus, which should be approximately 20 double-spaced pages in 12 point fonts. The prospectus should outline clearly the intellectual content of a central chapter of the thesis by including (1) a clear exposition of the problem and a statement of what is new in the proposed research, (2) an indication that the student has read the literature enough to know whether the proposal is really new, and what significant problems are likely to be encountered, (3) a discussion of the relevant methodologies, and (4) a confirmation of the availability of usable data (if relevant). Approximately three pages of the prospectus should also contain an indication of what would constitute the remaining part of the thesis. 

The qualifying examination is scheduled after the Major Professor has approved the dissertation prospectus and all other pre-dissertation degree requirements have been satisfied. The Major Professor will confirm that a viable topic has been identified and that the student will be able to pursue the topic to successful completion using the proposed methodologies.

D. Qualifying Exam
About the Qualifying Exam: The Qualifying Examination is the University's means of evaluating and certifying the adequacy and appropriateness of students' preparation for the doctorate. Part of the breadth requirement of the qualifying exam is satisfied by passing the preliminary exams at the end of the first year of study. Additionally, the oral exam will involve questions about the field of interest in which the student plans to specialize. Students will be questioned concerning the literature and major issues and disputes in their planned field, how older and current studies attempt to answer those questions, and what key issues remain to be resolved. In addition, students will be expected to explain how their own research will contribute to this body of literature.

The qualifying examination committee will consist of four members of the Economics Department and 1 member from outside the department. All members of the qualifying exam committee must hold PhD degrees and must be professors from a UC campus unless the Interim Adviser secures a waiver from the Dean of Graduate Studies. The same person may not serve as both the chair of the qualifying exam and the chair of the dissertation committee.

Scheduling and deadlines: The oral Qualifying Exam is scheduled only after the Major Professor has approved a final draft of the dissertation prospectus (or a penultimate draft on which the student is to make specified minor changes). The Request to Schedule Oral Examination form must then be submitted to the graduate program coordinator at least one month prior to the examination date. A student must not take the examination prior to receipt of the notice of admission to the qualifying examination from Graduate Studies. It takes approximately four weeks for Graduate Studies to process the application and to notify the committee members of their appointment. The application should be submitted by the Graduate Adviser or Group Chairperson early enough in advance of the examination date. The examination is two hours in duration. The final prospectus must be distributed to the oral examination committee not later than two weeks before the oral. Students should consult with the graduate program coordinator for help with scheduling the exam date. The prospectus should be submitted by April 15th of the third year and the qualifying exam should take place on or before May 15th of the same year.

Advancement to candidacy: The student may file for advancement to candidacy upon completion of the qualifying exam and all other degree requirements except the completion of the dissertation. An Application for Advancement to Candidacy must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies and approved by that office before advancement occurs. Students must advance to candidacy by the end of their 9^th quarter of study. International students advanced to Ph.D. candidacy before the first day of a quarter are entitled to elimination of nonresident tuition for up to three years. International students who advance to candidacy during an academic quarter are entitled to elimination of non- resident tuition for up to three years, beginning with the next quarter.

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8. Dissertation requirements

The Economics program follows Dissertation plan B and does not require an exit seminar upon completion of the dissertation. However, a final oral exam may be required at the discretion of the dissertation committee. The dissertation is the means by which candidates demonstrate research proficiency. Upon advancement to candidacy, the student will assemble a dissertation committee consisting of three faculty members, chaired by the student's major professor, to direct the research. All three committee members must hold PhD degrees and must be professors from a UC campus unless the major professor secures a waiver from the Dean of Graduate Studies. Students should consult with the graduate program coordinator regarding dissertation format and submission guidelines.

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9. Typical time line and sequence of events

A typical time line for students making satisfactory progress towards the Economics Ph.D. at UC Davis is as follows:

• Year 1: Complete core courses and pass preliminary exams in micro, macro and econometrics.
• Year 2: Complete 3 elective fields (2 major fields and 1 minor field).
• Summer between years 2 and 3: Complete in-depth literature review and 3-4 page research proposal by September 30th prior to the start of the 3rd year.
• Year 3: Working with interim advisor and third year paper committee complete third-year research paper and develop dissertation prospectus; schedule and take oral qualifying exam; enroll in Economics 291 and attend at least 5 seminars per during each of the fall and spring quarters.
• Year 4: Continue with dissertation research.
• Year 5: Complete dissertation.

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10. PELP and Filing Fee Status

Information about PELP (Planned Educational Leave) and Filing Fee status can be found in the Graduate Student Handbooks (http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/students/handbook/1.html)

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11. Financial Support

Students in the Economics Ph.D. program may apply for funding as teaching or research assistants. This funding is not tied to a particular major advisor.

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