The doctor of philosophy degree in the field of economics at the University of Wyoming requires a minimum of 42 hours of coursework. All coursework must be at the graduate (5000) level.
The program is designed to give the student a strong foundation in economic theory and the basic quantitative tools necessary for professional research. If students receive a grade lower than a B+ during their first year, they must take a comprehensive exam in that field (microeconomics and/or econometrics) during the summer to continue to the second year of the PhD program. The program’s qualifying exam takes the form of a research paper written during the second summer and defended to, and approved by, a faculty committee by early in the third year, with revisions and resubmission required by December. Students who pass the qualifying paper requirement receive an MS degree and move on in the PhD program, while students who fail this requirement receive the MS degree and fail out of the PhD program.
During the third year, or no later than the first few weeks of the fourth year, a graduate committee nominated by the student’s major professor and the director of graduate studies conducts an oral examination of the student. The purpose of the oral examination is to determine whether the student has formulated a workable dissertation project and has the necessary skills to complete it.
Following successful completion of the dissertation, and completion of a departmental requirement of 30 hours of dissertation research, the student presents an oral defense to the graduate committee. The doctor of philosophy degree is granted on recommendation of the committee and approval by the Office of the Registrar, providing all other requirements have been satisfactorily fulfilled.