
UNSW’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Economics is offered by one of the world's top institutions in Economics (ranked 36th in QS Subject Rankings - 2022) and will equip you with the expertise needed to become a globally focused and socially engaged researcher.
You’ll be joining a cohort of high-achieving research students in tackling modern-day challenges at the forefront of economics, working alongside leaders in the field. This is your opportunity to become integrated into the UNSW Business School’s community of scholars.
The program is comprised of two components. You’ll begin by undertaking rigorous coursework covering microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, econometrics and applied economic analysis. As part of your doctoral program, you’ll also be involved in research projects even from an early stage. This research training will equip you with the skills required to identify, analyse and solve problems in the field.
You’ll then pursue independent research under the supervision of high-profile UNSW academics, culminating in a doctoral thesis. Your PhD thesis will allow you to showcase your research skills and enable you to make an original contribution to the field of Economics. There will also be exciting opportunities throughout to interact with industry leaders, and to develop your teaching portfolio.
Our training is geared toward preparing you for a career in academia, although other career paths (e.g., consulting, government, industry, non-profit) are also enabled.
The vast majority of our higher degree research students are supported through a tuition waiver and stipend of around A$35-45K per year.
Before formally applying or contacting potential supervisors, you must complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) by sending the required material to econ.hdr@unsw.edu.au. Please read the "Instructions for Applicants" section below.
Key Information:
Year One: Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies (MPDBS)
Year one will equip you with the skills required to identify, analyse and solve problems in the field, while helping you formulate your research agenda and identify potential thesis supervisors for the PhD component of the program.
You will undertake coursework covering microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, econometrics and applied economic analysis. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop practical research skills by assisting in research projects. Upon successful completion of the first year, you’ll be awarded a Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies.
A brief overview of the first year is presented below. Please visit the UNSW Handbook for full course structure details.
Year Two: Specialised Coursework and Identification of Thesis Topic
Year two will help you in further developing skills specialized towards dealing with the challenges relevant to your research topic. You’ll continue in the Economics stream with a further year of advanced coursework.
You’ll choose up to eight additional research courses from a range of electives in consultation with your supervisor and PGRC, with the opportunity to take subjects outside of your specialised discipline. In year two, you’ll also be identifying your thesis topic with the aid of your supervisor.
You’ll engage in literature review and research design and present your research proposal to the School of Economics at the end of the year.
Years Three – Four: Original Research and Your Doctoral Thesis
In the final three years of the program, you will be focused on conducting full-time research and completing your doctoral thesis.
This is your opportunity to address some of the biggest challenges at the frontier of Economics and make a significant contribution to the field. Your research will offer new ways of critical thinking and withstand critical analysis from expert researchers in the area.
Key Information:
Year One: Coursework and Identification of Thesis Topic
Year one will equip you with skills required to identify, analyse and solve problems relevant to your research topic.
You’ll choose up to eight research courses from a range of electives in consultation with your supervisor and PGRC, with an opportunity to take subjects outside of your specialised discipline.
These will include the four core courses listed below (unless you are exempted from taking them). You’ll also be identifying your thesis topic with the aid of your supervisor.
You’ll engage in literature review and research design and present your research proposal to the School of Economics at the end of the year.
Years Two – Three: Original Research and Your Doctoral Thesis
In the final three years of the program, you will be focused on conducting full-time research and completing your doctoral thesis.
This is your opportunity to address some of the biggest challenges at the frontier of Economics and make a significant contribution to the field.
Your research will offer new ways of critical thinking and withstand critical analysis from expert researchers in the area.
Before formally applying or contacting potential supervisors, you need to complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) process by sending the following material to econ.hdr@unsw.edu.au. The EOI process opens 1 May and closes 31 July. Only selected applicants will be invited to apply via the UNSW central portal.
Important: make sure that you satisfy the UNSW academic and language entry requirements before submitting your EOI. Please read the “Entry Requirements” section below.
Subject: MPDBS Application
Main Body:
Attachments (in PDF):
Subject: Direct Entry PhD Application
Main Body:
Attachments (in PDF):
The minimum academic entry requirement for Stream 1 is the equivalent of a four-year UNSW Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (Economics, Finance, and related subjects) with first or upper second class honours. The minimum academic entry requirement for Stream 2 is the equivalent of a four-year UNSW Bachelor’s degree with an Honours year (research), or the equivalent of a UNSW Masters’ degree with substantial research component with first or upper second class honours.
Note: an upper second class honours is equivalent to a weighted average mark of at least 75/100 (i.e., a Distinction) at UNSW and is allocated to roughly the top 30% of students. Grading systems vary across countries. For more information, read this guide for grade equivalencies between countries.
If you are unsure if you satisfy the academic entry requirement, contact us at econ.hdr@unsw.edu.au and we will provide feedback.
UNSW recognises the follow countries as English-speaking: American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Fiji, Gibraltar, Ghana, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, The Gambia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
If you are not a citizen of an English-speaking country, then you will need to establish that you have sufficient English language fluency. There are four ways to establish sufficient English language fluency: English Tests (including IELTS, TOEFL, Pearson and Cambridge), UNSW Global English Course, Prior Study, or an English Waiver. For details on each of these, please review our English language requirements.
If you are unsure if you satisfy the academic entry requirement, contact us at econ.hdr@unsw.edu.au and we will provide feedback.
Your PhD will set you on the path to a career in a premier research institution, anywhere in the world. Throughout your research degree, you’ll also have many opportunities to develop your teaching portfolio.
Beyond academia, there’s also significant demand in the private and public sectors for people with deep knowledge and sound research and analytical skills*.
Whether you’re looking to pursue a career in academia, or take your research skills out to industry, a PhD in Economics from UNSW will get you there.
* Source: 2019 Advancing Australia’s Knowledge Economy Report
The UNSW Business School is ranked within the Top 50 worldwide for Economics and Econometrics.
An increasing number of PhD graduates find employment in business, government, and the non-profit sector. Nineteen of the largest ASX companies have PhD graduates on their senior executive teams.
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