Econ or Applied Econ PhD without econ major

[clairelb1]

Hi all,

I am interested in applying for a phd econ at a midrange school (top 50) or an applied econ at a higher range school (berkeley , minnesota, etc) with the idea to specialize in development.

I just finished my masters in international development with a specialization in global economic policy and quantitative methods at sciences po paris. i took 3 development econs (macro and micro), stats and advanced stats, intro to econometrics, public finance, impact evaluation and a couple development courses. I did a quantitative econ thesis under a known (non-academic) economist and received honors for it.

I did my undergrad in development at mcgill where i only took micro 1, macro 1 and 2 intermediate development econs. I have 2 relevant 6 month internships, one with a competitive scholarship. I speak 4 languages (3 fluently).

I am considering taking from Jan - Dec of next year to work parttime and brush up on math (cal 1, cal 2, linear, multivariate, real analysis) (some of which i took in CEGEP, the pre-university system in quebec, but i didnt do great in cal at the time).

My GPA was 3.62 in undergrad and at least A- in masters.

My question is: with this profile plus maths, do i have a chance at a decent econ program? If my exams for a couple classes are in december and i apply in december- will this be a problem? Does anyone have suggestions to increase my chances?

[atush]

Bro/Sis....We should be in touch..I am also preparing for TOP 50 Programs.

 

This year I am going to Canada for MBA in Finance then I will try my luck in 2nd year.

I am a software engineer by profession and studied a hell lot of maths in Engineering.

 

Email - atul.sharma2@outlook.com

 

Atul,

Bangalore, India

[ExponentialDecay]

Admission from abroad is a little nuanced, so you are best suited to ask people at your university who have studied at econ programs in the US (their advice will get progressively useless if their degree is 10+ years old, though) or to email professors and admin committees in the states. Your cGPA is cool, but your grades in economics and math courses are more important. It's good that you did a thesis; it would be even better had you had research experience with a professor and your name on an article. 

 

One obvious thing is you're missing a chunk of math background. You're more of a shoe-in for high-ranked soc or poli sci than econ, but from the information here, I can't tell you anything more specific.

 

One other thing: European econ programs are more varied than this monolithic neoclassical bullshit we encounter in the US, so it might be wise to look at a couple of those in conjunction with.

[clairelb1]

Thanks for your answer. I've looked at some poli sci and soc programs, and while their faculty sometimes publishes things that I find interesting, the core curriculum (particularly in poli sci) is not for me, and I don't think I would excel. I am also going to apply to public policy phds (at higher ranked schools). My SO is doing his phd in the USA, so europe would be a bit far, unfortunately.

My main weaknesses: lack of math and lack of research experience I hope to tackle by going back to my undergrad for a year. With 8 classes, I feel I could take 5 maths, 2 econs, 1 seminar, meet some profs and volunteer as an RA (this is the ideal plan)

I also am considering rewriting my masters thesis for publication in a development journal, my adviser and I are close.

My marks are pretty good - except for a B in development macro theyre in the A- and A range (one b+ in dvpt econ in undergrad). I also had high marks in stats in grad school.

With this profile would a top,say, 35 school be within reach? Higher in applied econ? (rank is not the most important thing, but the best development programs are at the top schools...)

Who should i contact? admissions comittees or profs in the department, to discuss this? Any further advice, as I am really in no rush to apply

[publicaffairsstudent]

Why don't you go post a profile on the urch.com econ forum. There are a lot more people there and they are very knowledgeable of international applications.

 

You will probably not get a response from professors in economics departments if you seek to network before your application. I tried to get a course list from a secretary and was stonewalled, and other posters confirm this view. Policy might be different.

[clairelb1]

Why don't you go post a profile on the urch.com econ forum. There are a lot more people there and they are very knowledgeable of international applications.

You will probably not get a response from professors in economics departments if you seek to network before your application. I tried to get a course list from a secretary and was stonewalled, and other posters confirm this view. Policy might be different.

Thanks- I had tried at urch, but it was a bit dead this summer. I'll try again now that school's starting!