Program Overview
The Agricultural and Applied Economics Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison prepares students for careers in academia, research, and policy analysis. The program offers a strong foundation in economic theory, econometrics, and applied economic analysis, with a focus on environmental and natural resource economics, the economic development of low-income countries, agricultural economics, community economics, and resource and energy demand analysis. Graduates have gone on to successful careers in academia, research, economic consulting, and economic staffing in public agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Agricultural and Applied Economics, Ph.D.
- Overview: The Agricultural and Applied Economics Ph.D. program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison prepares students for careers in academia, research, and policy analysis. The program offers a strong foundation in economic theory, econometrics, and applied economic analysis, with a focus on environmental and natural resource economics, the economic development of low-income countries, agricultural economics, community economics, and resource and energy demand analysis.
- Objectives: The program's objectives are to:
- Develop comprehensive proficiency in economic theory, mathematics, econometrics, and major and minor fields of concentration.
- Prepare students for a variety of challenging careers in academia, economic consulting, and economic staffing in public agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
- Foster a research environment that encourages students to develop innovative and rigorous research methods.
Outline:
- Core Curriculum: The core curriculum includes coursework in economic theory, econometrics, and applied economic analysis. Students are required to take the following courses:
- Economic Theory-Microeconomics Sequence (3 credits)
- Economic Theory: Microeconomics Sequence (3 credits)
- Economic Theory-Macroeconomics Sequence (3 credits) or Economic Theory; Macroeconomics Sequence (3 credits)
- Economic Statistics and Econometrics I and Economic Statistics and Econometrics II (6 credits)
- Major Field: Students must choose one of the following major fields:
- Community Economics (9 credits)
- Development Economics (9 credits)
- Economics of Agriculture (9 credits)
- Environmental and Resource Economics (9 credits)
- Breadth Requirement: Students are required to complete at least a 9-credit doctoral minor or Graduate/Professional certificate.
Assessment:
Students are assessed through a combination of exams, papers, and presentations. The following are the assessment requirements:
- Preliminary Examinations: Students are required to pass preliminary examinations in microeconomic theory and a major field. The microeconomic theory prelim is administered and graded by the faculty in Economics. Students receiving grades of B or better in the microeconomic theory core can choose not to sit for the prelim. The major field prelim is administered and graded by the A A E faculty.
- Dissertation: The Ph.D. also requires a dissertation. Students must make an oral defense of their dissertation.
- Grading: Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA. Grades of B or above are required in core curriculum coursework.
Teaching:
The program is taught by a team of experienced faculty members who are actively involved in research and policy analysis. The faculty use a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, discussions, and hands-on research projects.
- Faculty: The program's faculty includes:
- Steven Deller
- Jeremy Foltz
- Paul Mitchell
- Daniel Phaneuf
- Thomas Rutherford
- Laura Schechter
- Guanming Shi (Chair)
- Sheldon Du
- Corbett Grainger
- Jason Fletcher
- Charles Nicholson
- Dominic Parker
- Teaching Methods: The program uses a variety of teaching methods, including:
- Lectures
- Discussions
- Hands-on research projects
- Seminar series
- Thesis supervision
Careers:
Graduates of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Ph.D. program have gone on to successful careers in a variety of fields, including:
- Academia
- Research
- Economic consulting
- Economic staffing in public agencies and nongovernmental organizations
- Policy analysis
- Career Resources: The program provides students with a number of career resources, including:
- Career counseling
- Job placement assistance
- Networking opportunities
- Alumni mentorship program
