Program Details

"A place that can compete with the best in the world where one can do research at the highest level."

Christopher Pissarides,Professor, London School of Economics, 2010 Nobel Laureate in Economics.

The PhD in Economics program consists of 2 years of MA course work followed typically followed by 2 - 4 years of supervised PhD dissertation research. A unique feature of the program is its support for mobility, which allows many students to conduct part of their dissertation research working with experts in their fields at leading universities in Western Europe and North America.

Time-Line for PhD in Economics Program

Prior to the first year - Preparatory Semester

1st year - Core Study: Required courses
2nd year - Core Study: Elective courses, Seminars
3rd year - Specialized Study: Dissertation Proposal and Research
4th year and up - Specialized Study: Dissertation Research, Mobility, Teaching Fellowship, Dissertation Defense

For more details about the program, see:

Current Academic Year:
Academic Calendar for 2015/2016
Coursebook for Fall semester 2015 and Teaching Schedule for Fall semester 2015

Past Academic Year:
Academic Calendar for 2014/2015
Coursebook for Summer semester and Prep 2015 and Teaching Schedule for Summer semester and Prep 2015
Coursebook for Spring semester 2015 and Teaching Schedule for Spring semester 2015
Coursebook for Fall semester 2014 and Teaching Schedule for Fall semester 2014

Preparatory Semester

Before the start of each academic year, most applicants are invited to attend a summer Preparatory Semester, where they receive intensive training in intermediate Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Mathematics.

The Preparatory Semester addresses the fact that applicants' knowledge of modern Economics and Mathematics varies. It provides potential students with a common knowledge base on which to build their graduate work, and allows them to gain a sense of how Economics is taught at CERGE-EI. It is unique opportunity to become familiar with the PhD in Economics program, and to prepare for the first year, which is generally very demanding.

Applicants, who have been offered direct admission may attend the Preparatory Semester as their option but their performance in these classes will not affect their eligibility for the program.

Core Study: First and Second Year

First Year of the PhD in Economics Program

There are three semesters of study in the first year at CERGE-EI: Fall, Spring, and Summer. In this first year there are no electives.

Courses in the first year:

Fall semester: Microeconomics I, Macroeconomics I, Statistics
Spring semester: Microeconomics II, Macroeconomics II, Econometrics I, Academic Writing 
Summer semester: Microeconomics III, Macroeconomics III, Econometrics II 

At the end of the first year, students must pass Core General Exams from Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Statistics/Econometrics.

Second Year of the PhD in Economics Program

The second year of study in PhD in Economics program provides students with the opportunity to investigate more specific fields of interest. Several two-semester sequences of courses (Fall and Spring) are offered each year, and second-year students must enroll in at least three courses each semester. Moreover all students attend Academic Writing and Combined Skills courses organized by the CERGE-EI Academic Skills Center. 

The courses offered in any given year will be chosen from the following areas depending on student interest and faculty availability. In the 2013/2014 academic year we offered:

Advanced Macroeconomics, Advanced Econometrics, Industrial Organization, Labor Economics, International Trade and International Finance, Financial Markets, Experimental Economics, Empirical Methods, Law and Economics, Macro Topics, Research Methodology Seminar

At the end of the second year, students must take Field General Exams of two specific sub-fields of economics of their choosing. Passing two Field General Exams is required for continued study in the program.

Sample Spring Semester weekly class schedule can be downloaded here.

MA degree in Economics

Students who successfully complete first- and second-year coursework and pass the General Exams with a grade of PhD Pass or a somewhat lower grade of MA Pass are granted a Master of Arts degree in Economics which is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents (see the listing on the New York State Board of Regents, program code 24734). Students who are not continuing on the PhD program are required to submit a MA level paper in order to receive the MA degree.

Specialized Study: Dissertation Research and Preparation

In the Fall semester of the third year, each student in the PhD in Economics program is required to submit and publicly present a Dissertation Proposal, which is evaluated by a faculty committee during Dissertation Proposal Workshop week. The student also chooses a tentative Dissertation Chair while preparing his or her proposal.

After successful defense of the proposal, students select at least two additional members for his or her Dissertation Committee. This committee guides and supervises the student's research work.

In the fourth year of study students submit and present the progress of their dissertation work during Dissertation Workshop week.

The student’s Dissertation Committee recommends when the completed dissertation is ready for defense. Two external opponents (referees) are nominated who certify that the dissertation meets the standards for doctoral work and can be defended.

After the student successfully defends the dissertation, the student is awarded a doctoral degree in Economics approved by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University, Prague, and the Board of CERGE-EI (a New York State Educational Institution).

Click here for the list of CERGE-EI dissertations.

During their specialized study, students in the PhD in Economics program work as Research Assistants and Junior Researchers under close faculty supervision in order to acquire practical research experience and to develop their professional skills. In cooperation with faculty members and researchers, students have opportunities to publish in top international journals and in the CERGE-EI Working Papers series.  

Working as a Teaching Assistant at CERGE-EI to gain practical teaching skills is one of the requirements of the PhD in Economics program. Moreover, our students have opportunities to teach abroad under the Teaching Fellowship program, and are also encouraged to apply for a mobility stay at prestigious Universities abroad.

Teaching Fellowships for PhD in Economics Students

The fellowships sponsor advanced CERGE-EI students and alumni to teach economics courses at other universities. Designed to have a maximum impact on economic literacy, the program focuses on basic undergraduate courses at universities in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

The CERGE-EI Teaching Fellowships offer supplemental income, formal training in classroom teaching and extensive connections to the resources and affiliations of CERGE-EI, including mentoring by an experienced professor of economics.

For more information see our Teaching Fellowship page.