The Department of Economics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) offers a program of graduate study leading to a Ph.D. degree in Economics. This section describes the University, the Department and its faculty, and the admission procedures and degree requirements of this program.

For further information about graduate study in Economics at UCI, and application forms, write or phone:

Graduate Admissions
University of California, Irvine
Department of Economics
3151 Social Science Plaza
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
USA

(949) 824-4074

or submit your request online by clicking here: Application Request. Alternatively, you can apply online through the UCI Graduate Division Web Site.

The University of California, Irvine

UCI is one of the ten campuses of the University of California. Established in 1965, UCI has rapidly become a major research university.  In 1995 members of its faculty were awarded Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry. The campus is located 40 miles south of Los Angeles and five miles from the Pacific Ocean near Newport Beach and Corona del Mar. The city of Irvine itself is a comprehensively planned suburban area, with the campus located on its southern periphery. Attractions of the area include a pleasant year-round climate and miles of beautiful beaches only minutes from campus.

For a virtual tour click here: UCI Virtual Tour.

At UCI, instruction and research activities are organized through the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, the School of Biological Sciences, the Department of Education, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the School of Humanities, the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, Interdisciplinary Programs, the Paul Merage School of Business, the School of Physical Sciences, the School of Social Ecology, the School of Social Sciences (which includes the Department of Economics), and the School of Medicine. More than 100 graduate and professional programs are offered through these units. In addition, the campus is home to a number of research institutes, including the Institute for Mathematical Behavior Sciences and the Institute of Transportation Studies.

The Program

The program of graduate study leading to the Ph.D. degree in Economics is administered by the Department of Economics in the School of Social Sciences. The program covers most areas of economics. Special programs in Transportation Economics and Public Choice are available to interested students.  Economics faculty and graduate students also participate in UCI's Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Science (IMBS) Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS), Global Peace and Conflict Studies (GPACS) and the Center for Economics and Public Policy.

The program encourages extensive faculty contact within a tutorial framework by maintaining a small size, by selecting students whose research interests mesh with those of the faculty, and by emphasizing early exposure to current research through faculty seminars and student papers. Seminars involving faculty and graduate students meet on a regular basis to discuss current literature in specialized fields. The program combines rigorous core requirements with considerable flexibility in designing independent study and dissertation research agendas. Recent graduates have taken academic, government, and private industry jobs.

The Economics Faculty

The Department of Economics is located within the School of Social Sciences. In addition to our permanent faculty, several associated faculty from other disciplines bring further expertise in economic anthropology, political science, finance, economics of health care, and mathematical behavioral science. The faculty is regularly augmented by active emeriti, full-time visiting economists, and occasional short-term visitors who teach and give seminars.

The Department of Economics is composed of faculty with interests in a broad range of areas within micro- and macroeconomics, and the evaluation of public policy. It is especially strong in econometrics (both Bayesian and classical), macroeconomics, public choice, political economy and empirical microeconomics including transportation, energy, industrial organization, labor, development economics.

Other subject areas within the School of Social Sciences include Anthropology, Cognitive Sciences, Linguistics, Mathematical Behavioral Science, Political Science, and Sociology. All are strong in mathematical and quantitative techniques. The School encourages and supports interdisciplinary research; some Department faculty also are affiliated with other departments and organized interdisciplinary research groups.

More detailed information can be found on our faculty and affiliated faculty web pages, which also provide links to individual faculty web pages.

Research Facilities

UCI is a major research university and has an excellent library with a collection of more than 1.5 million volumes, as well as special inter-library loan arrangements with the other University of California libraries. The School of Social Sciences provides computer rooms, conference rooms, and offices for graduate students. The Economics Department has a small library with current journals and unpublished working papers from other universities. Students also have access to advanced computing resources as well as PC and UNIX laboratories. Three Organized Research Units, the Institute of Transportation Studies, the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations, and the Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences, provide research opportunities for graduate students, as does a new experimental laboratory and the new Center for Economics and Public Policy.

Nondiscrimination Policy Statement

The University of California, in accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran. The University also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access and treatment in University programs and activities.

Inquiries regarding the University's student-related nondiscrimination policies may be directed to: Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 524 Administration Building, Irvine, CA 92697-1125, telephone 949-824-5594.

Director of Graduate Studies

Professor Ivan Jeliazkov
SSPA 3175, 949-824-1581

Director of Graduate Admissions

Professor John Duffy
SSPB 3285, 949-824-8341