PhD Economics after MPA/ID

[DennisK]

Hey everyone,

After my MPA/ID (LSE) I'd like to do a PhD, most likely in the field of economics, and more specifically development economics.

I'm interested in doing the PhD in the US in one of the good schools.

So far, I was thinking of Yale or Berkeley for instance. To be honest, I haven't acquainted myself very well yet with the different programmes and options.

I've read a lot in the boards here and find that you guys can be very helpful generally.

So what I'd like to know is, in your opinion, what's the nicest place to do a PhD for dev.econ?

After having done an MPA/ID, would it still take 5 years as indicated on the websites? (in Europe they mostly speak of 3 years, so I'm a little confused why these 2 years more?)

Any other input would be much appreciated.

[walt526]

Hey everyone,

After my MPA/ID (LSE) I'd like to do a PhD, most likely in the field of economics, and more specifically development economics.

I'm interested in doing the PhD in the US in one of the good schools.

So far, I was thinking of Yale or Berkeley for instance. To be honest, I haven't acquainted myself very well yet with the different programmes and options.

I've read a lot in the boards here and find that you guys can be very helpful generally.

So what I'd like to know is, in your opinion, what's the nicest place to do a PhD for dev.econ?

After having done an MPA/ID, would it still take 5 years as indicated on the websites? (in Europe they mostly speak of 3 years, so I'm a little confused why these 2 years more?)

Any other input would be much appreciated.

Hey Dennis,

A good starting point for comparing graduate programs in terms of relative strengths by field, probably the best place to start is:

http://econphd.econwiki.com/rankings.htm

Now it's by literature productivity, so it's not a perfect ranking (i.e., it doesn't take into account quality of placements, support for grad students, etc). But it's a good starting point.

A similar type of study can be found here:

http://www.econ.uconn.edu/Ranking.pdf

But it only sorts by JEL classification code.

As for your question about time required to complete the degree, in most cases you will not receive academic credit for any of the courses that you completed at LSE and you'll have to complete the same requirements (core course, field course, etc). That would still be the case even if you were coming into the school with a MSc in Economics from a top school (as LSE obviously is). Now it's possible that you will be able to complete your research in less time than many in your cohort because you have a clear idea of what you want to study and probably a better understanding of how to successfully complete academic research than the typical student starting a PhD right after completing his/her undergrad degree. I'll be starting my PhD Economics this fall with a MA Economics (from a state school nowhere near as good as LSE) and I'm hoping to be able to complete the PhD in 4 years (mean is ~5.5 years).