Research degrees

We offer two pathways for PhD Economics. You can choose the best pathway for you, depending on your qualifications.

Three-year

This pathway is for you if you have a Master's qualification equivalent to our MRes Economics.

You can apply for PhD Economics.

Four-year

This pathway is for you if you have a prior degree in economics or another field, with a significant quantitative component.

You can apply for:

• PhD (Integrated) Economics (+4)
• MRes and 3 year PhD Economics (1+3). 

We provide expert supervision on a wide range of applied and theoretical topics, including:

• behavioural economics 
• experimental economics including access to experimental lab facilities
• social networks
• development economics
• economic theory
• family and health economics including gender, population, and migration
• financial economics and economics of banking
• industrial organisation, market structure and firm behaviour
• international economics
• labour economics including inequality and the economics of crime
• macroeconomics and macroeconomic policy
• microeconometrics
• political economy
• public finance
• search and matching
• semi and nonparametric econometrics
• spatial econometrics and cross-sectional dependence
• time series econometrics.

If you're looking to carry out research in a different area, let us know. 

This includes academic positions in:

• University of Bath
• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge
• CIDE Mexico
• University of Dusseldorf
• University of Essex
• University of Leicester
• London School of Economics
• University of Mannheim
• University of Namur
• Oxford University
• Queen Mary University London
• University of Surrey
• University College London
• University of York
• University of East Anglia.

Outside of academia, our students work in policy organisations like the Office for National Statistics, the Bank of England, Bank of Italy, Bank of Korea, Bank of Mexico, Central Bank of Colombia, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, European Commission JRC and organisations like the World Federation of Exchanges and Raiffeisenbank Bulgaria.

You'll have access to professional development opportunities via the University’s unique Proficio funding scheme. In addition, we give career development support, especially in your final year, with practice presentations, interviews, and other activities to prepare you for the international job market for PhD economists.

We know you need access to computers and a quiet place to work so we guarantee office space for you in our PhD Research Centre. You also have access to ESSEXLab, our on-campus social science lab where you can conduct studies using our participants, in state-of-the-art facilities.

The University is the leading university in the UK for economic and social research and a focal point for national funding.

We work closely with the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) and the UK Data Archive (UKDA), both based on our Colchester Campus. Many of our researchers collaborate on projects, applying economic theory to real-life situations.

As a student, you can access these services through joint modules, a seminar series and by working with ISER staff. You can also use data from the UKDA for your work and access the expertise of staff for advice on data collection.

You can also benefit from our national and international links, and networks. We're a coordinating institution of the SeNSS DTP, and a member of Eastern ARC, and YERUN. Through these links, we organise collaborative activities and exchanges for our PhD students.

Develop your presentation skills by taking part in our weekly Research Strategy Seminars where you present your work and discuss research with your fellow students.

We also have a weekly Wednesday Workshop to present your work and a weekly Departmental Seminar with academic speakers from outside the University.