Economics – (Ph.D.)

Contents

First Year

All first year students must take the module Research Methods in Economics.

Depending on the level of their previous studies, students may be required to take some MSc-level courses in their first year, the aim of which is to provide an advanced training in both core and specialist areas of economics. Students are required to achieve a high standard in the examinations for the prescribed courses in order to proceed as research students.

Also in the first year, students complete a literature survey and revise and prepare a detailed research proposal as their first tasks on the way to completing a thesis. How much further they are able to advance their work on the thesis will depend on their course load.

Supervision

As a research student, your key relationship is with the principal supervisor (or with co-supervisors). You are, however, allocated a supervisory panel consisting of two supervisors and a mentor. Once started on research, you meet the principal supervisor regularly to discuss the thesis-related literature and your research strategy. The principal or second supervisor will comment on your written submissions. You may expect, while registered, to meet the principal supervisor at least once every four weeks. The second supervisor often has useful expertise that complements that of the principal supervisor, and is ready to take the place of the principal supervisor in case of absence. You should meet your supervisory panel as a group at least once a year and your mentor, who is available to provide advice and assistance of a general nature, as required.

Work on the Thesis

Once you have completed a literature survey and revised and prepared a details research proposal, it is important that, as the ideas of the thesis develop, you keep writing in order to be able to complete the thesis within the allotted time. If empirical work is involved, you will need to survey sources of data, and collect and analyse data. This empirical work normally leads to a need to examine the literature further, and develop further the theoretical part of the thesis.

In the beginning of the second year, doctoral students must submit a research agenda to the supervisory panel. They subsequently present this in the PhD workshop, which the panel members and other students attend.

Research Forums

The Department run weekly external seminars, internal workshops and PhD workshops. Research students are expected to attend all these seminars and workshops.

Students are required to present their work in the PhD workshop series. Year 2 students present their research agenda (thesis proposal) in the Autumn term. Year 3 and 4 students give a 1 hour presentation of their work in the Spring and Summer workshop series respectively. Thus, every PhD student presents the research agenda and two pieces of work during their study. All the presentations are attended by all the PhD students and the first and second supervisors of the speaker and some other faculty members.

Monitoring

A research student's progress is reviewed formally at the end of each session. In the first year, students are required to achieve a high standard in any examinations and to submit a satisfactory literature survey and detailed research proposal.

Each summer (until completion), students receive a form (GRS3) on which they are asked to review their progress. The purpose of the progress review is to consider the student’s work over the past year, to identify any particular problems and to set a provisional submission date. The student’s training needs are also identified and proposed solutions given. Following this progress review, the principal supervisor adds comments, which are seen by the student, and the form is completed by the Director of Postgraduate Research after interviewing the student. A poor review may mean that the student is not permitted to continue under present registration. First and second year students are reviewed in the mid-year (January) as well, following the same procedure.