Ph.D. in Economics
The Ph.D. degree in Ecological Economics requires 90 credits beyond the Bachelor's degree and 60 beyond the Master's degree. The minimum residency requirement for the Ph.D. is 45 credit hours. Students are required to take ten courses (30 credits) in addition to passing comprehensive exams and proposing, writing, and defending the Ph.D. dissertation. The core requirements consist of three courses: Advanced Macroeconomics, Advanced Microeconomics, and Econometrics. All three courses emphasize applications as an important complement to the study of economic theory and prepare students for written comprehensive examinations in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics. Depending on a student's background, Cost-Benefit Analysis and Quantitative Methods are also taken to prepare for these exams. Two of the following three courses are required to provide core knowledge in the integration of economics and the study of the environment: Natural Resource Economics, Environmental Economics, and Ecological Economics. Other courses offered in the Economics department that complement the Ecological Economics focus include: International Economics, Public Finance, and Economic Analysis of Technological Change. These can be combined with courses offered in other departments and Schools at Rensselaer and the Capital District, so that research programs can be tailored to interdisciplinary interests and career plans. Students are considered each year for admission in the Fall semester.
Rensselaer Doctoral Program in Ecological Economics
Introduction
This page provides some further information for prospective and current students in our program. Please e-mail David Stern, the economics department graduate studies director, at sternd@rpi.edu if you have any questions about the program or study at Rensselaer.
Applications and Admissions
Each year we consider applications for the Fall semester. We won't consider applications for the Spring semester. To ensure that your application gets the best possible consideration please meet RPI's deadline (January 15) for submitting applications. Otherwise we may have already allocated financial assistance before your application arrives.
Faculty Research Interests
Though you will probably develop a research topic over the course of your study at Rensselaer, it is very useful to have a good idea of the research interests of the faculty in our department so that you have a good idea of what research topics you could do research on. Here are links to descriptions of our research interests:
| James Adams | Research description |
| Faye Duchin | Research description, home page |
| John Gowdy | Research description |
| Kenneth Simons | Home page, research statement |
| Donald Vitaliano | Research description |
Detailed Program Structure and Requirements
Guidelines for Rensselaer's Doctoral Program in Ecological Economics. This document describes required courses and other requirements for completing the program. This is the most current version and supersedes the information in Rensselaer's Catalog.
Research Sources
Webpage on sources for research term papers and dissertations.