PhD MPhilEconomics
The Economics group’s research strengths cover economic theory, applied economics and econometrics. The group has a particular interest in game theory and economic history.
Aside from gaining close research advice and direction from their supervisors and other academics in the group, research students benefit from attending courses and tailormade reading groups to complete their background preparation in economics.
- Entry requirements
- UK 2.1 Honours degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) and a UK Master’s degree in a relevant discipline with a final result of 60% (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University).
- English language requirements
- An IELTS* score of 7 with a minimum of 6 in each test component. *Taken within the last 2 years.
- Tuition fees
- £20,500 / ¥184,500
Course Content
The economics group is an energetic and enterprising research cluster that continuously strives for excellence in both its teaching and its scholarship. The group's research strengths cover economic theory, applied economics and econometrics. The group has a particular interest in game theory and economic history. Aside from gaining close research advice and direction from their supervisors and other academics in the group, research students benefit from attending courses and tailor-made reading groups to complete their background preparation in economics.
Queen's Business School prides itself on research-led teaching and offers its research students experience as teaching assistants in a variety of undergraduate courses. Students regularly attend the School's various seminar series, which attract leading academics from around the world. Students also present their work at these events, gaining invaluable advice and preparation for the academic job market.
You’ll be researching topics including economic theory, applied economics, econometrics, game theory and economic history, economics of networks and institutions, business, empirical economics and econometrics, and economic growth. You’ll benefit from close research advice and direction from your supervisors and other academics in the group, plus you’ll attend courses and tailor-made reading groups to complete your background preparation.
RESEARCH STRENGTHS
Particular strengths include:
Economics of Networks and Institutions
- Institutional and relational economics
- Social networks
- Strategic formation of coalitions and networks
Business, Economic and Financial History
- Banking crises
- Crime and conflict
- Political economy
- Methodology and history of economics
Empirical Economics and Econometrics
- Behavioural and experimental economics
- Economics of education
- Financial econometrics
- Health economics
- Labour economics and social policy
- Panel data
Development Economics and Economic Growth
- Demography and economic growth
- Entrepreneurship
- Long-run development
Related courses
- Accounting
- 3 years
- Finance
- 3 years
Applications open
Why Queen's
Research Excellence
In its analysis of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework results, the Chartered Association of Business Schools positioned Queen’s Business School at 9th place out of 101 UK business and management schools in its ranking by research intensity.
World-class Facilities
PhD students are based in shared offices in Riddel Hall, a listed building which has recently been refurbished to house the School and which provides students with state-of-the-art facilities in a truly remarkable setting.
Trading Room
Students have access to Bloomberg software, a market leader in financial news, data and analytics, which is used by many financial institutions. The Trading Room allows for an interactive and exciting learning environment which brings textbook theory to life. Students will use and have access to software such as Stata, Excel, Matlab, and databases such as Thomson One Banker, DataStream and Bloomberg.
Funding Options
Our PhD programmes can either be self-funded or funded through various bursaries and scholarships, which will be advertised on the School’s website.
How to apply
Students wishing to apply to the School for PhD study are strongly encouraged to make contact with the School in advance of their application.
ADMISSION TO PHD
Admissions onto the Queen’s Management School PhD programme is subject to stringent entrance criteria, the submission of a proposal outlining your intended line of research, references and, where appropriate, proof of linguistic and academic ability.
Research proposal
Queen’s Business School will only accept applications where there exists sufficient research expertise, so as to ensure that students are properly supervised. Prospective applicants are encouraged, in the first instance, to consult the Management School’s webpage to identify potential supervisors for your work.
The best proposals are typically those developed in consultation with a member of academic staff.
When making contact with a member of academic staff, you might at first send a very short synopsis (of approximately 150 words) of your proposed research area. On the basis of this short outline, they will be able to tell you whether they, or the School, have sufficient expertise to supervise your topic, and whether a fuller application is worthwhile.
Once you have identified a member of staff who is interested in your research ideas, you should prepare a research proposal of no more than 2,000 words (excluding bibliographical references).
A good proposal will have the following characteristics:
- Introduces the chosen study area and key research question or questions.
- Discusses the nature, scope and methodology of the study.
- Outlines the relevance or importance of the study.
- Contains a preliminary literature review.
We reserve the right to check any submitted proposal for originality.
My research focuses on the entrepreneurial function in socially structured economies. I use insights from network science to explain the economic prosperity and demise of individuals, firms and markets. The resources provided are fantastic, especially in the areas of game theory and economic history. The programme is small, which allows me frequent contact with my supervisors and other academics. Owen Sims, PhD Student
