The first manual designed to meet the specific needs of economics graduate students, Getting a Ph.D. in Economics walks the reader through the total experience, from the Ph.D. admissions process to arduous first-year coursework and qualifying exams to armoring up for the volatile job market.
Chapter 1. Preliminaries: The Lowdown on Academic Economics and Ph.D. Programs
Chapter 2. Applying to Ph.D. Programs: It's Both What You Know and Who You Know
Chapter 3. Getting Through First Year: Welcome to Boot Camp
Chapter 4. Acing Second Year: Getting On with Graduate Life
Chapter 5. Finding a Topic and an Advisor: Like Getting Married . . . to a Polygamist
Chapter 6. Getting Distracted: TAing, RAing, and the Meaning of Life
Chapter 7. Thrown In with the Sharks: Women and International Students
Chapter 8. Getting a Job: Taking Your Show on the Road
Chapter 9. Conclusion: The Ph.D. Economist-at-Large
Index
Considering a graduate degree in economics? Good choice: the twenty-first-century financial crisis and recession have underscored the relevance of experts who know how the economy works, should work, and could work. However, Ph.D. programs in economics are extremely competitive, with a high rate of attrition and a median time of seven years to completion. Also, economic professions come in many shapes and sizes, and while a doctoral degree is crucial training for some, it is less beneficial for others. How do you know whether a Ph.D. in economics is for you? How do you choose the right programand how do you get the right program to choose you? And once you've survived years of rigorous and specialized training, how do you turn your degree into a lifelong career and meaningful vocation?Getting a Ph.D. in Economics is the first manual designed to meet the specific needs of aspiring and matriculating graduate students of economics. With the perspective of a veteran, Stuart J. Hillmon walks the reader though the entire experiencefrom the Ph.D. admissions process to arduous first-year coursework and qualifying exams to armoring up for the volatile job market. Hillmon identifies the pitfalls at each stage and offers no-holds-barred advice on how to navigate them. Honest, hard-hitting, and at times hilarious, this insider insight will equip students and prospective students with the tools to make the most of their graduate experience and to give them an edge in an increasingly competitive field.