Doctor of Philosophy Program
The Ph.D. program at Davis provides rigorous training in a supportive academic environment. Students and faculty interact with the goal of advancing knowledge on important problems in agricultural economics, natural resources and environmental economics, development economics and related areas. Study in these specialized areas builds on strong foundations in economic theory and quantitative methods.
To complete the program, students:
- complete core courses in microeconomic theory, econometric methods, and applied microeconomic theory
- complete two elective fields of three courses apiece
- complete three Ph.D.-level courses in addition to the core and field requirements
- write a satisfactory dissertation research prospectus
- pass a comprehensive oral qualifying examination
- submit a dissertation approved by three advisers
While rigorous, the program is also streamlined and flexible. The scheduling of courses and requirements are such that all course work requirements can be completed in two years by students entering with M.S. training in microeconomic theory and econometrics, or equivalent. For these students, additional course work, in year three, is encouraged but is optional.
Splitting the Core
We advise students without a strong economics background to spread the core Ph.D. required courses over two years. A typical pattern is to take our M.S. sequence in microeconomic theory along with PhD econometrics in the first year and the rest of the Ph.D. core in the second year. By “splitting the core” in this way students gain a deeper understanding of core economic principles, which better prepares them for dissertation research. Students who split the core usually complete their elective field courses during their third year.
Required Ph.D. Courses
The Ph.D. core includes a set of three courses and a comprehensive exam in each of three subjects: microeconomic theory, econometric methods, and applied microeconomic theory. The microeconomic theory and econometrics core have content that is typical across Ph.D. programs in economics and agricultural and resource economics generally, and are offered jointly with the Economics Department.
The applied microeconomic theory sequence, taught in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, complements the microeconomic theory sequence and is taken concurrently with it. The goal is to show how the theory is used to solve applied problems in agriculture, resources, and development, with emphasis on the development and use of practical economic models and empirical applications.
- Microeconomic Theory
Satisfied by successful completion of a written exam, administered jointly with the Economics Department, covering material from the following courses, each of which is five units:
- ARE/ECN 200A Microeconomic Theory
- ARE/ECN 200B Microeconomic Theory
- ARE/ECN 200C Microeconomic Theory
- Econometric Methods
Satisfied by passing a written examination covering material from the following courses, each of which is four units:
- ARE/ECN 239 Econometric Foundations
- ARE/ECN 240A Econometric Methods
- ARE/ECN 240B Econometric Methods
- Applied Microeconomic Theory
Satisfied by passing a written examination covering material from the following courses, each of which is three units:
- ARE 202A Introduction to Applied Research Methods
- ARE 202B Applied Microeconomics I: Consumer and Producer Behavior
- ARE 202C Applied Microeconomics II: Welfare Analysis and Imperfect Competition
Preliminary Examinations
Students in the Ph.D. program are required to pass three preliminary examinations, one in Microeconomic Theory, one in Econometric Methods, and one in Applied Microeconomics, at the earliest opportunity following completion of the course work pertaining to each exam. It is necessary to pass all three exams to continue in the program.
Timing
Students are allowed a total of six attempts to pass all three examinations. No more than three attempts may be used for a single exam. Each exam is offered twice each summer. Thus, a student who wishes to use a third try on an exam must wait until the next summer. Students who enroll in the full core are required to take all three examinations in the summer following their first year. Students who split the core are required to take the examinations relevant to the material they have covered—most often the Econometrics examination—at the end of their first year, and the other examinations at the end of their second year.
During the spring quarter, students are required to register for each exam. Failure to do so by the deadline will result in the forfeiture of one of the six opportunities to complete the preliminary exam requirement, including the forfeiture of one of the (maximum) three opportunities to pass the exam in question. The GAC will notify students of this deadline once; while additional reminders may be provided, a failure to sign up for the exam given this initial notification will be entirely the responsibility of the student.
Students are required to take the first scheduling of each examination, which is in June or early July. Barring some family or medical emergency, failure to take this exam will result in the forfeiture of one of the six opportunities to complete the preliminary exam requirement, including the forfeiture of one of the (maximum) three opportunities to pass the exam in question. Failure to take any subsequent scheduled exams that are necessary to meet the preliminary examination requirement will result in the forfeiture of one of the six opportunities to complete the preliminary exam requirement, including the forfeiture of one of the (maximum) three opportunities to pass the exam in question.
Exam Preparation and Grading
The Econometrics and Applied Microeconomics exams are written and graded by a committee of at least three faculty members who are appointed by the GAC chair. At least one member of the committee must not be an instructor in the course sequence commonly taken as preparation for the exam: ARE 239, ARE 240A and ARE 240B for the Econometrics exam, and ARE 202A-C for the Applied Microeconomics exam. The Microeconomic Theory exam is administered jointly with the Economics Department.
Elective Fields
Students must complete a total of nine elective Ph.D. courses that are not included in the core requirements, and most students complete these elective course requirements in their second year.
Each student chooses two fields of specialization. As these two fields together cover six courses, students must take another three courses to complete the elective requirements for the PhD. These courses can be a sequence in another field, or a selection among courses across several fields, or courses such as Macroeconomics, Econ 200D and 200E. Completing at least three courses with a grade of B- or better satisfies each field. That is, there are no exams over the fields.
One field must be selected from the following three:
- Development Economics
- ARE/ECN 215A Microdevelopment Theory and Methods I
- ARE/ECN 215B Open Macroeconomics of Development
- ARE/ECN 215C Microdevelopment Theory & Methods II
- Natural Resource & Environmental Economics
- ARE 254 Dynamic Optimization Techniques with Economic Applications
- ARE 276 Environmental Economics
- ARE 277 Natural Resource Economics
- Agricultural Economics
- ARE 231 Supply and Demand for Agricultural Products
- ARE 232 Agricultural Commodity Markets
- ARE 233 Agricultural Policy
The second field can be one of the above three, any three-course field in the Department of Economics, or the Econometrics field, which is jointly taught with the Department of Economics:
- Econometrics
- ARE/ECN 240C Time Series Econometrics
- ARE/ECN 240D Cross-Section Econometrics, and either
- ARE/ECN 240E Topics in Time Series Econometrics, or
- ARE/ECN 240F Topics in Cross-Section Econometrics
The Dissertation Phase
Overview
Four specific requirements are associated with the identification of your dissertation topic and dissertation committee. You must:
- select a general essay topic and identify a two-member essay committee
- prepare and submit a research essay
- pass an oral qualifying examination
- prepare and submit a satisfactory research prospectus.
Each of the four requirements has a deadline. A failure to meet a deadline is a failure to make normal progress. If you do not make normal progress, you are ineligible for employment, and the department will not pay the out-of-state tuition.
Research Essay
The program’s emphasis on applying microeconomic theory encourages students to begin thinking about dissertation topics early in the program. During the summer following the second year, each student completes a research essay that reviews the existing literature with regard to a reasonably specific research question. The purpose of the essay is to identify a research focus, to select one or more advisers, to identify funding sources, and to serve as a basis for the oral qualifying examination.
Timing
Normal progress requires that you complete your oral qualifying examination prior to the final day for advancement to candidacy of the fall quarter of your third year, if you did not split the core, and prior to the beginning of the fall quarter of your fourth year, if you did split the core.
The first required step is to identify two faculty members who will review (and, if it is satisfactory, sign) your essay reviewing a specific body of literature, and the general area in which you intend to write your dissertation. This requirement is satisfied by notifying the Graduate Program Assistant of the subject of your essay and the names of the members of your review committee, by May 15.
Submission
The next required step is to submit your essay, endorsed by both members of your two-member review committee. One signed paper copy of your essay and one electronic copy of (a) your essay and (b) your reviewed articles are due to the Graduate Program Assistant eight weeks prior to the first day of the fall quarter at the beginning of your third year, if you did not split the core, and at the beginning of your fourth year if you did split the core. Failure to meet this deadline may result in it being impossible for your oral examination to be scheduled in time for you to continue to make normal progress.
Format and Substance
The essay should review the existing literature on a reasonably specific research question. The essay must be between 15 and 25 double-spaced pages, with 12 point font and margins of at least one inch on all sides. Reference lists, figures, tables, and maps do not count toward the page limits. Failure to observe these limits will result in your essay being returned to you without review.
You should consult with your two-member essay committee when defining a question and identifying papers to be reviewed. Examples of feasible essay topics include water markets, econometric tests for market integration, anti-dumping trade legislation, tropical deforestation, spatial configuration of processing plants, environmental amenities within GNP, and regulation of network utilities. The reference list need not be comprehensive, but important articles or books should all be covered and should serve as the focus of your essay. You will distribute the five or so most important articles to the oral examination committee.
The essay should address an area that would be relevant to your possible dissertation. It might even become the first draft of a literature review chapter in your dissertation, although you are not required to write your dissertation on the topic of your essay. The essay should demonstrate your ability to define and evaluate a research question. The purpose of the essay is not to annotate a bibliography—a string of abstracts reveals little—but to synthesize the literature, to describe how theory has been implemented in empirical work, and to identify remaining unanswered questions.
A satisfactory essay identifies a coherent research question and reviews the most relevant economic literature. Moreover, it is concise, clear, logical, and grammatically correct. If necessary, have your essay professionally edited for style. Your essay need not include a formal model, or a description of a data set and intended empirical work, although it may include these elements. However, including such elements does not substitute for meeting the criteria for a satisfactory essay.
Failure to submit a satisfactory essay on time could result in your failure to make normal progress. Similarly, we expect that you will be available to take your oral qualifying examination for at least three of the four weeks prior to the first day of the fall quarter, in order to allow sufficient flexibility to schedule an exam.
Oral Qualifying Examination
The comprehensive oral qualifying examination is taken after satisfactory completion of all course work, including the field requirements, and submission of the research essay. The exam is based primarily on the research essay.
Timing
Normal progress requires that the oral qualifying examination is completed and the student advances to candidacy prior to the Fall quarter of the third year. The oral qualifying examination may be scheduled no sooner than four weeks after your approved essay and copies of the reviewed articles have been submitted to the Graduate Program Assistant. These four weeks will provide examiners with enough time to review your materials, and Graduate Council with sufficient time to appoint your examination committee.
Examination Committee
A five-person examining committee is appointed by Graduate Council, upon the recommendation of the chair of the Departmental Graduate Administrative Committee. Your exam committee will have five members. Typically, two of these members will be the two faculty members who signed your essay. The chair of your essay review committee may not chair your oral qualifying examination committee. Another two are usually members of the faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, but at least one of the members of the committee must not be a member of the faculty in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
All members of your examination committee must approve your essay as a sufficient basis for an oral qualifying examination prior to the examination itself. Approval in this case constitutes agreement to convene the scheduled examination; no formal signature is required. If your examiners determine that your essay is an insufficient basis for an examination, then your examination will be postponed. You may appeal their decision in writing to the GAC.
The student is advanced to candidacy upon satisfactory completion of the examination, which concentrates on the material put forward in the research essay, although it is not limited to that material.
Dissertation Prospectus
The dissertation prospectus is completed during the third year of the program.
It is written under the supervision of a three member dissertation advisory committee, of whom one is the chair and is typically the main adviser.
Ordinarily, for continuity of advice, the dissertation committee will contain one or more members of the essay or examining committees. The prospectus must be signed by all three members of your dissertation committee, and approved by the GAC.
Normal progress requires that you submit your prospectus by the end of the spring quarter of your third year, and that it is approved by the end of the summer quarter after your third year (fourth year for core splitters).
Characteristics of a Prospectus
The prospectus describes the student’s plan for the dissertation. It should include
- details on the reason(s) for choosing the topic and the objectives of the research
- a detailed outline of the expected content of the dissertation and its likely contributions to knowledge
- some discussion of key relevant precedent literature, research methods to be used, anticipated obstacles to be overcome, and sources of funding
- a timeline
It should provide sufficient detail on these aspects to enable the GAC reviewers to evaluate the odds of success for the project and whether, if successful, it would meet the requirements for a dissertation; and, based on this evaluation, to authorize the project.
The prospectus must be between 10 and 20 double-spaced pages, with 12 point font and margins of at least one inch on all sides. Appendices, if any, count as part of the page restrictions, but reference lists, figures, tables, and maps do not count. Failure to observe these limits will result in your essay being returned to you without review.
The GAC reserves the right to request additional supporting material from the student. Submissions will be reviewed by the Graduate Program Coordinator for compliance with these requirements. A prospectus that does not conform to these specifications will be returned to the student.
Suggested Schedule
All official deadlines are documented above. The following is a suggested schedule that can guide you in planning. The schedule below is written for non-core splitters. Core splitters may substitute third year for second throughout. Of course, you may plan for a much earlier oral examination if you wish. Your exam may be scheduled as soon as the spring quarter ends and you have officially completed all of your Ph.D. coursework. If you are a core splitter, you may choose to take your exam during the spring quarter, depending on your class schedule in your third year.
Fall-Spring, Second Year
While you are completing your coursework, you will undoubtedly identify some specific topics that interest you, if you have not already done so. Course papers are an excellent opportunity to explore a specific question. Do discuss these topics with faculty members who have interests in the same area, whether or not you have had them as instructors. In addition to suggestions and feedback on your ideas, you will be able to start identifying potential committee members.
Spring, Second Year
By this point, you should have identified one or two faculty members to serve as advisers, and have identified a specific area of research for your proposal and, ideally, your thesis. This will allow you to plan a schedule with your advisers for completing your research essay, so that you can take into account research trips, vacations, and other absences. For example, if your adviser will be unavailable for three weeks beginning July 1, you may wish to draft your research essay a bit more rapidly in order to obtain comments before July. You should communicate with your advisers regarding how much time they require to read and return an essay draft when planning your schedule with them. You must notify the Graduate Program Assistant of your two-member committee no later than May 15.
Early July, Second Year
By now, you should have identified the articles that you will review for your essay, and at least outlined the text for your research essay.
Early August, Second Year
Submit your signed research essay and copies of the reviewed articles to the Graduate Program Assistant no later than eight weeks before the first day of the fall quarter. This deadline provides us with enough time to schedule all orals, and flexibility to accommodate faculty schedules. Keep in mind that the Office of Graduate Studies requires the oral examination to be completed and the paperwork submitted nearly a week before the first day of the fall quarter in order for you to advance to candidacy for that quarter. Also remember that the first day of the fall quarter is a few days before the first day of classes. You may consult the Course Schedule issued by the university for the exact dates.
September, Second Year
Complete your oral examination, and identify a three-member dissertation committee, in order to advance to candidacy for fall quarter. If necessary, you may petition to change the composition of your committee after you have advanced to candidacy.
Fall-Spring, Third Year
In cooperation with your committee, prepare a 10-20 page dissertation prospectus. Ideally, within a few weeks of completing your qualifying examination, you and your major adviser should map out a plan for the year that will enable you to progress on your thesis. The prospectus should largely be a natural outgrowth of this progress. Submit the prospectus (one paper copy, signed by all committee members, plus an electronic copy) to the Graduate Program Assistant for the GAC to review prior to the end of the spring quarter of your third year.
Following the Third Year
Complete your dissertation.
Sample Program Schedule for the Ph.D. Degree
Year One
- Fall Quarter
- ARE 200A Microeconomic Theory
- ARE 202A Introduction to Applied Research Methods
- ARE 239 Econometric Foundations
- Winter Quarter
- ARE 200B Microeconomic Theory
- ARE 202B Applied Microeconomics I
- ARE 240A Econometric Methods
- Spring Quarter
- ARE 200C Microeconomic Theory
- ARE 202C Applied Microeconomics II
- ARE 240B Econometric Methods
Summer After Year One
- Pass Microeconomic Theory Preliminary Examination
- Pass Applied Microeconomics Preliminary Examination
- Pass Econometric Methods Preliminary Examination
Year Two
(Supposing student is interested in environmental economics and development economics.)
- Fall Quarter
- ARE/ECN 215A Microdevelopment Theory & Methods I
- ARE/ECN 240C Time Series Econometrics
- ARE 276 Environmental Economics
- Winter Quarter
- ARE/ECN 215B Open Macroeconomics of Development
- ARE/ECN 240D Cross-Section Econometrics
- ARE 254 Dynamic Optimization Techniques with Economic Applications
- Spring Quarter
- ARE/ECN 215C Microdevelopment Theory & Methods II
- ARE 233 Agricultural Policy
- ARE 277 Natural Resource Economics
Summer After Year Two
- Prepare Research Essay
- Pass Oral Exam and Advance to Candidacy
Year Three
- Complete Dissertation Prospectus to be approved by Graduate Administrative Committee
- Take Additional Elective Coursework
- Dissertation Research
Year Four
Dissertation Research
Time to Complete the Ph.D. Degree
Students entering the Ph.D. program with an M.S. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from UC Davis, or a comparable degree, can complete their Ph.D. within four years, by following a normal program. This would involve
- a minimum of two years of course work
- two years in the dissertation phase comprising,
- 3 months to complete the research essay, pass the oral examination and advance to candidacy
- 6-12 months to develop the dissertation prospectus
- 9-15 months to complete the dissertation.
The time requirements may vary according to the previous experience and employment status of the student, and the type of dissertation research undertaken. Most students finish in their fifth or early in their sixth year. Students who undertake extensive field research tend to take longer than those who do not.
If you have any questions, please send e-mail to GradAsst@primal.ucdavis.edu. Thank you.