DGrayson

I have to agree with what others have said here. There is a huge difference between Econ Ph.D and Econ Undergrad. How do you feel about proofs? Do you like doing them? What about research? Do you have any economic/analytical research completed? I would take some time and read the literature typical of a first year Ph.D program in Econ and see if that interests you. To do well in a program, you really have to love the subject. If you're not sure, or just think that you like it then I would avoid it. I'm going through a similar process that you are.

Actually, the field of Economic History in the Econ departments has been steadily decreasing over the past couple of years. I completely agree with your distinction between the two fields though and that has been the biggest reason for me to consider an Econ Ph.D. I like the idea of being able to study various regions, but I can easily see myself focusing on just the Middle Ages. The biggest problem I've seen so far is that there are so few people focusing on Economic History in this area. I've been in contact with Thomas Safley at UPenn as I am pretty interested in his work, but I did aim for the top schools because of job placement fears.

knp, It's entirely possible that I am underestimating a field switch!! I have been trained as an economist so switching disciplines has left me scrambling to get acquainted with all the background to grad programs. I really like the work of Peter Temin, who has published in multiple disciplines (including antiquity, where the exact structure of the economy is a point of contention), and Anne McCants at MIT. I was thinking about focusing on the intersection of religion and economics (cult of the saints, etc) and the effects of disease on economic growth/development. I have been talking with Professor McCants and she had agreed with the addition of a medieval secondary field. This is primarily why I was thinking about doing it. If I were to focus in African, it would probably be the transition from colonies to independent states and the economic transformations that resulted. My papers are as follows: 1) Historiography of the 1st Kennedy/Nixon debate (Pure History paper) 2) Economics of Ancient Roman Prostitution (combines work from economics and history) 3) Effect of U.S. GDP on South Africa's economic growth (economics with history background) 4) Effect of exogenous variables on the South African Development Community in anticipation of regional monetary unification. (really just Econ)

Thanks for responding so quickly! I was able to select the overall test I wanted to send, instead of having to select all for Ph.D Econ programs last cycle but I'm not sure what AFAIK is so it may be different for History. My plan right now is to pursue Early American in my SOP, but I may end up changing my mind while in the program (I'm assuming that's fine as others have stated they have done so).

Hi Everyone! I am a Masters student in Economics at UT and i've been going through what I call a "quarter life crisis" the past couple of weeks. I have always been interested in Economic History but I was scared out of the field by a former professor. I thought that I wanted to do a Ph.D in Economics but I just don't love it as much as I thought. I've been coming back to History for a while now, and after some reflection believe my best move is to apply to History programs. My only problem is I am not entirely sure of my chances of getting accepted. My profile can be summarized as follows: Undergraduate Institution: University of Central Florida (unranked) Majors: HIstory, Economics Minors: Mathematics GPA: 3.78 (Overall) 3.95 (History) (Damn those math classes! ) I've completed 4 major research papers: 2 Economics papers, 2 History papers GRE: (Here is where my first question lies) I have two different GRE scores: V: 159 Q: 158 Writing: 6 V: 160 Q: 160 Writing 5 (not a clue how the 5 happened! Really upset!) I'm not sure which to use! I'm thinking the 6 is more important than the 1 point increase in verbal. I am planning to take the GRE again though. Graduate Education: Masters in Economics at UT Austin (Question 2: Will this degree hurt me since it is not in History?) GPA: 3.90 (Only two classes in though). This is a one year program, so I will have the degree before starting Ph.D Research Interests: I am mainly interested in Economic History (Early American, Medieval, and African) and Early Church History. Problem: I have no background languages. I'm thinking of declaring a major field in Early American and a secondary field in Medieval as the language requirements for entering are not as stringent. Where I'm planning to apply: Yale, Princeton, Berkeley, Northwestern, University of Michigan, U Penn, Stanford (Are there any schools I should be looking at that I'm missing?) Any advice you guys could give me on how to best improve my application would be greatly appreciated!