About the Graduate Program

The UC San Diego Graduate Program in Economics has long been recognized for the strong preparation its students receive in econometrics and microeconomic theory. During the last few years, our Department has expanded dramatically, with rapidly growing strengths as well in macroeconomics and applied microeconomics. Among the fields we now cover are behavioral economics, development, environmental economics, finance, labor economics, international trade, IO, macroeconomics, political economy, and public finance, in addition to econometrics and microeconomic theory.

UC San Diego also has a particularly strong program in Political Science, and a strong group of faculty at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies interested in economic development. The new Rady School of Management has a rapidly growing faculty interested in finance and behavioral economics. Faculty from other programs often teach in our program and serve as advisors for our students. Another important strength of our Department is the close contact between graduate students and faculty. In contrast to many departments, our first year core courses are staffed by leading faculty members, including Mark Machina in microeconomics, Valerie Ramey in macroeconomics and Hal White and Graham Elliott in econometrics. On your first day at UCSD you will begin studying with leading figures in the economics profession. In addition, the Department conducts a special workshop for third-year students in which faculty members supervise the initial stages of dissertation research.

Our department has an excellent track record in placing graduates in top departments, including Harvard, MIT, Chicago, Northwestern, Penn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Cornell and Duke.