Introduction & Message from the Chair

Dear Prospective Graduate Student,

Thank you for your interest in graduate study in Economics at the University of Washington (UW). In this letter I hope to convey to you some of the many facets of our program that contribute to our reputation for excellence. We offer an academically rigorous program leading to the Ph.D. in Economics for students interested in doing original research using advanced learning methodologies. This program develops professional economists for a variety of careers in teaching, in government, in industry, or with international agencies in the United States and abroad.

Much of our reputation rests, ultimately, on the quality of our faculty. We are in the process of recruiting four new faculty members this year – two at the full professor rank – and as many as nine more searches are planned in the next three years. These new hires will join an outstanding and collegial group of researchers and teachers, many of whom enjoy an international reputation in his or her specialty. Our faculty strengths are many, including quantitative finance, environmental economics, macroeconomics, international economics, econometrics, and microeconomic theory. Recent faculty book publications include Profit of Education by Professor Emeritus Richard Startz (Praeger, 2010); Information Technology and Productivity Growth: German Trends and OECD Comparisons by Theo Eicher and Thomas Strobel (Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009); International Economics by Theo Eicher and Michelle Turnovsky (Routledge, 2009); and Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth in a Small Open Economy by Stephen Turnovsky (Cambridge UP, 2009).

A distinctive and important feature of our program is the willingness of faculty to involve graduate students in their research, providing an environment that nurtures scholarship and leads to collaborative research efforts culminating in joint papers written with faculty. Consequently, our students often graduate with completed research papers that are well advanced in the publication process. What is more, our program is highly successful in training productive scholars, fine teachers, and skilled professionals. Recent academic placements include the University of Chicago, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, and the University of Kansas. Other graduates have taken positions with the International Monetary Fund, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Resources for the Future.

In the quantitatively demanding first year of our program, we emphasize the core material of micro, macro, and econometric theory - an emphasis that provides the solid foundation needed for subsequent course and research work. In the second year, students choose from our extensive elective course offerings. Doctoral students go on to take a number of research seminars that organize and direct their dissertation research. Most of our doctoral students select research topics that involve quantitative analysis and make extensive use of the applied micro- and macro-economic theory emphasized in our program.

We offer a number of opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments and research centers at the University. Students with an interest in demography and development may access the resources of the Center for the Study of Demography and Ecology, while those with a strong interest in statistical methods can make use of the facilities of the Center for Social Science Computation and Research.  Students interested in finance can take courses in the new computational finance program, housed in the department of Applied Mathematics, as well as courses in the Foster School of Business. In international economics, there are complementary courses in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies. Finally, students with an interest in environmental and natural resource economics will benefit from offerings in the College of the Environment, which was established at UW in July 2009 and is already enjoying international accolades for excellence in interdisciplinary approaches to research and teaching.  

For students whose career goal is teaching at the university level, our program is an excellent fit. Many of our graduate students teach their own courses, reinforcing their understanding of basic principles and requiring them constantly to organize, analyze, and communicate their ideas. Each year we award several fellowships, as well as an annual prize for outstanding graduate teaching assistant, and all students receiving departmental financial aid are assigned offices. As advocates for graduate students across campus, the Graduate School offers additional funding and fellowship opportunities, with particular emphasis on students from under-represented minority groups.

The University of Washington is the largest university in the Pacific Northwest and the oldest public university on the west coast. Academic year 2011-2012 marks the University’s 150th anniversary of educating future leaders and visionaries. A well-respected and internationally-known institution, UW was recently ranked 4th among public research universities and 12th overall by the Center for Measuring University Performance. Additionally, UW is the top public institutional recipient of federal research dollars.

In addition to studying at a world-class institution committed to achieving excellence across disciplines, graduate students at Washington also have the opportunity of living and working among the manifold attractions of Seattle, an urban city of over one million that is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the U.S. Seattle is remarkably cosmopolitan, with people from every part of the world having discovered this beautiful port city and settled here. Seattle offers extraordinary cultural and recreational opportunities, the climate is mild, and our outdoor recreation opportunities are second to none. UW is located in a residential neighborhood of Seattle a few minutes north of the vibrant downtown center. Despite its urban location, the campus has a park-like atmosphere of 680 acres. All of these elements make Seattle a very livable city and an outstanding place to go to graduate school.

I hope that what our program has to offer matches your interests and needs. I welcome your questions about our program and look forward to receiving your application for graduate study in the UW Department of Economics.

Cordially,

Jacques Lawarree

Professor and Chair, Department of Economics

Last Updated November 15, 2011