Graduate School

• Learn what you can do with a Graduate degree in Economics.
• Visit the American Economics Association website for a complete list of accredited Economics Masters and Ph.D. programs.
• Read UC San Diego Economics Prof. Yixiao Sun's guide to compiling a successful application.
• Resources:
  • The American Economic Association provides wonderful information graduate programs in various fields of Economics.
  • MBA.com, the Official GMAT website, provides detailed information on what business school can do for you, and how to apply. US News and World Report breaks down MBA program rankings by discipline.
  • The Law School Admission Council, provides information on how to apply to J.D. programs as well as information on program rankings by specialization.
  • The Career Services Center also provides information on available programs and how to apply. 
• Entrance Exams: graduate programs typically require students to take a certain standardized test for admission. Students should research what is on the tests, and think about coursework that might assist in those areas.
  • M.A. and Ph.D. Programs generally require the GRE
  • M.B.A. Programs generally require the GMAT
  • J.D. Programs generally require the LSAT
  • M.D. Programs generally require the MCAT
• Letters of Recommendation (see below)
  

  
  LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

  Letters from faculty members who know you well are the most useful letters for gaining admission to top 20 PhD programs.  How do you get to know your Professors?

  • Go to office hours and ask questions in class.  Do your best to get to talk with your Professors when you are taking their classes!
  • Consider taking our small Honors classes (100AH-BH-CH, 120AH-BH-CH, or 110AH-BH) and small Topics classes (109T, 165T)
  • Consider becoming a Undergraduate Instructional Assistant or a PSET Tutor/Coordinator

  For Masters programs and PhD programs out of the top 20, it is less clear how important it is to have letters of recommendation from faculty members.  It is still important to find letter writers who know you well!

  
  

  How do you get letters of recommendation from your instructors in economics?

  1. If you earned an A+/ A / A- grade in a UC San Diego Economics class and have an @ucsd.edu e-mail address use the Letter of Recommendation (LOR) System to ask your economics instructors for letters of recommendation. 

 The LOR system is now closed.  It will reopen to accept your LOR requests on September 29, 2021.

1. 2. If you earned a B+ or lower in a UC San Diego Economics class or you are one of our graduates who no longer has access to their UC San Diego e-mail, contact your Professors directly about requesting a letter of recommendation.
2. 
   
   • Be sure to let your instructor know why you are not using the Economics LOR System in your e-mail.
   • Please include the following statement in your e-mail, "I consent to the release of personal and educational information about me in the letter of recommendation that I have requested from you. This authorization allows you to release all information about me, within the University’s possession, to the educational institutions I ask you to submit a letter of recommendation to and any centralized application processing services (list by name if possible). This authorization shall remain valid unless and until it is rescinded in writing.”