Program Overview

Our department is distinctive in our values and approach to graduate education. We see economics as a way to solve real societal problems, and our approach to research and pedagogy reflects the seriousness of that purpose. At the University of Chicago, we emphasize technical rigor and conceptual clarity, and we are willing to challenge the status quo in pursuit of new ways of thinking. This approach to economics is part of the enduring legacy of both our department and the University at large, which has established numerous “Chicago Schools” of thought in economics and adjacent disciplines. Today, we continue in that tradition, with faculty who are producing cutting-edge research and advancing knowledge across the discipline’s fields. Our graduate students become part of this culture and tradition, carrying it with them and contributing to it wherever they go.

All students are fully funded for the duration of our six-year program, and the department is committed to supporting our students so that they succeed at each stage. The first two years of the program involve coursework, with the first year focused on core subjects, and the second year on specialized fields. In their third year, students transition to full-time independent research under the guidance of faculty. Research and teaching constitute the majority of students’ remaining program years, with added job market activities in the final year.

In the summer after their first year, our students take a three-part Core Examination that tests competency in the core subjects of Price Theory, Theory of Income, and Quantitative Methods. The exams provide students an opportunity to reflect on, synthesize, and develop a bedrock understanding of these core subjects. To help students prepare, the department provides tutoring services from a dedicated “Core Mentor” as well as guided “Core Clinics” for reviewing past exam material. The vast majority of our students fulfill the core requirement, and the sense of ease they gain in subject material serves them throughout the subsequent program years and, indeed, the rest of their careers.

In their third year, all students enroll in the Required Research Seminar (RRS), where they develop research ideas and receive feedback. The RRS serves as a point of connection for students to find mentors among the department’s faculty as well as the University’s professional schools. By the end of their third year, each student establishes an advisory committee to mentor them during their remaining years in the program. To aid students in their research endeavors, financial support is available in the forms of fellowships, conference travel funding, data purchase reimbursement, awards for academic performance, and more. Students also have access to multiple state-of-the-art IT platforms, outlined on our student resources page. 

Much of our students’ training takes place in the numerous seminars, conferences, and working groups regularly held on campus. Our students attend their choice of the dozens of economics workshops that form a dense research and advising network including the Booth School of Business, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Law School. A constant stream of leading scholars present developing research in seminars and conferences hosted by the Becker Friedman Institute and other research centers. These highly engaging spaces offer students front row seats to the latest economic research and the opportunity to improve ideas through public discourse. 

Our botanical campus is located in Chicago’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood, just minutes from Lake Michigan and downtown. The third-largest city in America, Chicago impresses with its sprawling combination of verdant boulevards and industrial might. Residents can enjoy its variety of premier cultural institutions, sports teams, music venues, a fantastic culinary culture, and relative affordability.

For more information about the structure of the doctoral program, please read our Graduate Student Handbook.

Director of Graduate Studies

Benjamin Brooks
Director, Graduate Studies; Professor in Economics and the College
Email: babrooks@uchicago.edu