PhD Economics and/or Finance

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EC900

  • Qualification Name: Ph.D. Programmes in Economics and/or Finance
  • Qualification Group: Social Science

PAC Code

MHH02 -  PhD Full Time
MHH03 - PhD – Part Time

  • Duration: Ph.D: Normally four years full time (6 years part time)
  • Closing Date: Rolling Recruitment

 

Course Description/General Information

The Ph.D. Programmes in Economics and/or Finance at NUI Maynooth are built on the foundation developed in the MA Programmes. The MA programmes provide the basic skills and technical knowledge base via taught courses and a directed thesis. The Ph.D. Programme builds on this base to further students’ skills and knowledge to enable them to do world class research. The four year programme of study includes, in the first and possibly subsequent years, reading courses, taught courses, general skills seminars and independent research, while the second, third and the forth year of the programme is dedicated primarily to general skills development and independent research.  To remain at good progress the Ph.D. candidate must write and present an original piece of research in each year of the programme, and this research must meet the approval of his/her committee. Students who do not perform at the level required by the PhD Program during their studies may be eligible for an MLitt with a satisfactory MLitt thesis. The MLitt thesis is evaluated by two academics; one departmental (yet not the supervisor) and one from an outside institution.

Career Options

  • Lecturer and researcher in 3rd level institutions.
  • Financial & consulting institutions such as commercial banks, stockbrokers.
  • State institutions such as the Central Bank, Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, NAMA.
  • Research institutions such as ESRI, Central Statistics Office Ireland.
  • International institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF.

Course Structure

The Department tailors the Program for the needs of the individual student depending on the student’s background.

Students without an MA/MSc in Economics/Finance from NUIM:

If the student has not gone through the MA Program in Economics/Finance or MSc in Economics and Financial Risk Analysis in NUIM, often (but not always) the student may have to follow one of our taught MA/MSc Programs in the first year of the Ph.D. Program. Please see the following link for information on our taught MA/MSc Programs: http://economics.nuim.ie/postgraduate/ The first year hurdles to qualify to continue to the PhD Program for the students who follow the MA/MSc Program in their first year of their PhD studies, are described in the above link to the MA/MSc Programs. Students need to receive greater than 60%  in the core modules and the thesis, and a 2.1 overall. If the student cannot pass the first year hurdles at the PhD level, but successfully completes the MA or the MSc Program, the student can receive the MLitt degree (upon successful defense of the MLitt thesis), however the studentship in the PhD Program will be terminated.  The PhD students will submit the backbone of the first PhD thesis paper at the deadline the MA students submit their MA theses.  

 

Students with an MA/MSc in Economics/Finance from NUIM:

Below you can find the requirements for the course of study of a student who has already gone through our formal MA or MSc training.

Year 1: 

  1. Present an original piece of research to the members of the Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting and fellow PhD students by the beginning of June. The student will be assessed on the basis of the paper and the presentation thereof.  The student will have until the end of July to achieve a good progress evaluation by the Head of Department.
  2. Form PhD committee consisting of three members by the end of the academic year (August).
  3. Students must take a minimum of 4 Ph.D. modules over the course of their Ph.D. studies. Students need to complete 2 – 4 of these taught modules in the first year, and receive at least a passing mark of 50 in each. If the student does not make satisfactory progress in course work, the advisory committee can decide to propose a remedy to be accomplished by a specific date or the advisory committee can advise the Department to terminate the student.
  4. Complete the generic skills module (EC/FN805) with a Pass.  Students must take this module in every year of the PhD Program.
  5. Receive a Pass from EC890 or FN890.
  6. If the student fails to meet these requirements by August of the first year, the student is asked to leave the program by either the Head of Department or the Coordinator of the PhD program.  A decision will be taken as to whether the student can be moved to the MLitt register or not.  This decision is communicated to the Graduate School at this time. 

 Year 2:

  1. Complete remainder of taught modules, and receive at least a passing mark of 50  in each.
  2. Complete the generic skills module (EC805 or FN805) with a Pass.
  3. Submit and present a PhD proposal to committee by end of October.  The proposal will be evaluated by the departmental PhD Committee. If the committee deems the proposal to be satisfactory, the next oral presentation will be end of May beginning of June. If the progress is not deemed to be satisfactory, either the student will be moved to MLitt register immediately (the student would then have till the end of the summer to defend the Mlitt thesis), or the committee will give a clear indication that the student will be moved to MLitt register if not enough progress is demonstrated by the end of January.
  4. Present the initial dissertation research to the members of the Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, fellow PhD students, and his/her committee by end of May beginning of June. The student should present a complete first chapter or be able to demonstrate substantial progress towards this goal. The student will be assessed by his/her committee on the basis of the research progress and the presentation thereof. 
  5. If the student’s supervisory committee deems these requirements are not met by July of the second year, the student is asked to leave the program by either the Head of Department or the Coordinator of the PhD program. A decision will be taken as to whether the student can be moved to the MLitt register or not. This decision is communicated to the Graduate School at this time.  

 

Year 3: 

  1. Complete the generic skills module (EC805 or FN805) with a Pass. 
  2. Present further dissertation research to the members of the Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, fellow PhD students, and his/her committee by June.  The student should be able to present a further completed chapter and a clear outline of how the thesis will be completed. Where work is not complete, the student should demonstrate significant progress towards this goal. The student will be assessed by his/her committee on the basis of the research progress and the presentation thereof. 
  3. If the student’s supervisory committee deems these requirements are not met by July of the second year, the student is asked to leave the program by either the Head of Department or the Coordinator of the PhD program.  A decision will be taken as to whether the student can be moved to the MLitt register or not. This decision is communicated to the Graduate School at this time.  

 

Year 4:

  1. Complete the generic skills module (EC805 or FN805) with a Pass. 

     

  2. Present further dissertation research to the members of the Department of Economics, Finance & Accounting, fellow PhD students, and his/her committee by June. Students are required to have a “job-talk” presentation to the department (60-90 min) before they can graduate.  At this point the thesis should be complete or in the advanced writing up stage. The student will be assessed by his/her committee on the basis of the research progress and the presentation thereof. 
  3. Submit the PhD thesis by June, or at a date agreed with his/her committee, with viva to be scheduled as soon as possible thereafter.     

The above listed are the departmental requirements. Individual supervisors will specify their expectations from the students in addition to the departmental requirements. 

PhD students are required to attend EC890/FN890 seminars even if no credit is awarded for them after the initial year.  Students should contact their supervisors when they cannot attend.

Additionally all of the Graduate Office requirements can be found at the following link: http://graduatestudies.nuim.ie/currentpostgrads/researchstudents/annualreport

Modules Associated  with this Particular Course:

  • EC890    Seminar in Economics
  • EC805     PhD Research Seminar
  • EC807     Economics of Education
  • EC812U   Policy Evaluation using Structural Model
  • EC815U   Time Series Econometrics
  • EC817U   International Trade
  • EC819U   History of Economic Developement
  • EC820     Economics of Inequaltiy
  • EC823     Financial Risk Analysis
  • EC825     Industrial Organisation
  • EC834T   Advanced International Economics
  • EC835T   Financial crises and Regulation
  • EC836T   Reading Seminar in Applied Economics
  • EC837T   Decision Making Under Uncertainty
  • FSS1*       Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences
  • FSS2*       Philosophy of the Social Sciences
  • GSS3*      Professional Skills – Thesis Completion and Career Development

EC805 and EC890 are compulsory.  Students must choose 4 additional modules from this list or from modules offeredd by other  departments and approved by the students supervisor. 

*Students need to get the approval of their supervisor before taking any of these modules.
Research Interests staff

See staff research interests at: http://economics.nuim.ie/research/

Entry Requirements

To be accepted into the Ph.D. Programme a student must have a minimum of 2.1 in MA degree in Economics or Finance from NUIM or elsewhere.  If the applicant’s MA is from a university other than NUIM, the applicant desiring to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics must take a qualifying exam in Microeconomic Theory, Macroeconomic Theory and Econometrics, while the applicant pursuing a Ph.D. in Finance must take a qualifying exam in Microeconomic Theory, Finance and Econometrics.  

PART TIME OPTION
The Ph.D. Program may be taken on either a part-time or full-time basis. Prospective candidates should, however, bear in mind that a basic condition of eligibility for scholarship funding is that applicants pursue full-time research.

How to Apply

ONLINE APPLICATION ONLY

Duration: 4 years Full time / 6 Years Part-time

Closing Date:  Rolling Recruitment
Commences: September 2011

Additional Information

The following information should be forwarded to PAC:

Non NUI Maynooth students should submit a copy of their birth certificate or valid passport, official transcripts and two academic references in support of their application.

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The Economics, Finance and Accounting Department at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth will offer Hume scholarships for a limited number of incoming full time Ph.D. students. Please see the following link:

http://graduatestudies.nuim.ie/feesfundingfinance/funding/internalfunding/johnpathumescholarships

The scholarship includes fees plus a maintenance grant of €5000 per year and is tenable for a period of three years. The scholarship comes with teaching assistantship duties and some minor administrative duties. The fellowships are open to students from EU countries as well as to students from non-EU countries. Applications for the scholarship should be accompanied by formal Ph.D. research proposal in a field compatible with the research interests of the department. For more information contact the Co-ordinator of Ph.D. Dr. Tuvana Pastine, email: Tuvana.Pastine@nuim.ie

Contact Details

Programme Director: Dr. Tuvana Pastine

Tel: +353 (0)1 708 3681
Fax: +353 (0)1 708 3934
E-mail: tuvana.pastine@nuim.ie
Website: http://economics.nuim.ie/

Address: Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting