Economics

Entry requirements

Streams: The 1+3 stream consists of one year of PhD level teaching followed by 3 years of research. The 1+1+3 stream consists of one year of MSc teaching followed by the 1+3 stream.

High level of performance: At a minimum, applicants must achieve an average of 65% in coursework with no unit marks below 55%, for both the undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees as well as a 65% mark for the dissertation. Typically, offer holders exceed these standards significantly. Applicants may be required to achieve higher grades and meet additional requirements (see how your application is considered).

Degree Requirement: The economics training applicants have received should be equivalent to that offered at the University of Manchester. Applicants with degrees in quantitative fields other than economics will be considered on a case-by-case basis . We do not normally consider applicants whose previous studies have been in non-quantitative fields. Our criteria are:

• 1+1+3 Stream: applicants must demonstrate high-level performance in a degree equivalent to a BSc or MA in Economics from the University of Manchester.
• 1+3 Stream: applicants must demonstrate high-level performance in a degree equivalent to the training provided in the MSc phase of our PhD programme.

Competition for places on this programme is very high and meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission. Additionally, we reserve the flexibility to determine the appropriate stream (1+3 or 1+1+3) for each applicant. Even if an applicant technically meets the minimum requirements for the 1+3 stream, we may choose to admit them to the 1+1+3 stream based on our academic judgment.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Our five-year PhD programme consists of: 

• Two years of formal training;
• Three years of independent research (with the possibility of a 6th year, for writing up).

The first year of the programme is equivalent to an MSc in Economics and candidates that have already gained a similar qualification at 2:1 level or above, can be considered for entry directly into the second year.

In Year 2, you will take advanced PhD level courses and work on your research proposal, which will represent the basis of the subsequent three years of research. 

The programme structure aligns to that of top institutions in the US and the UK, providing you with rigorous advanced training and sufficient time for producing independent research, giving you a competitive edge in the job market. 

We admit around 8-10 PGRs per year, and five-year scholarships from the department/school are available. There is also the possibility to compete for ESRC funding.

Find out more on our Economics PhD programme webpages.