Economics Ph.D. Admissions

Admission Criteria

Admission criteria for the Ph.D. in Economics include, but are not limited to:

  • A minimum GPA of 3.0 for all previous coursework from accredited undergraduate and graduate institutions,
  • GRE scores and
  • Department-level evaluation of a student’s preparation.
  • Intermediate Microeconomics or comparable undergraduate course.
  • Intermediate Macroeconomics or comparable undergraduate course.
  • Undergraduate Econometrics or comparable course
  • Two semesters of calculus

The TOEFL is required of international students. Students must fulfill all University of Nevada, Reno Graduate School requirements.

While no minimum GRE score is required, students scoring below the 70th percentile are generally not admitted. Admission is competitive and meeting minimum qualifications is not a guarantee of admission.

Application Deadlines

To be considered for Fall semester, all materials must be received by February 1.
To be considered for Spring semester, application materials must be received by October 15.

Application Procedure

The Ph.D. in Economics program is governed by University of Nevada, Reno Graduate School requirements. All material should be submitted online through the graduate school.

Applicants should submit the following:

  1. All required application materials as required by the Graduate School admissions requirements, including official transcripts from all previous educational institutions and GRE scores.
  2. A minimum of two and preferably three letters of recommendation.
  3. A letter of intent describing research interests, background preparation, and experience.
  4. Optional: Prospective students may elect to submit resumes and short examples of written work (articles published and/or working papers).

Candidates seeking assistantships should indicate their preference for teaching versus research assistantships in the University's application for graduate school admission.

International Students

For international student information, please consult the Office of International Students and Scholars.