Graduate Program
The Department of Economics at Boston College is an exciting community of scholars from many countries who pursue applied and theoretical research on the pressing economic and social issues that face the world in the 21st century.
Ph.D. Program At a Glance
We have a full-time graduate faculty of 32 who have wide-ranging expertise in the field of economics.
With an average cohort of 16 full-time students per year, we're able to offer a broad range of courses while providing individual attention.
The program has been classified as STEM (CIP Code 45.0603: Econometrics and Quantitative Economics). Students in STEM degree programs can apply for a 24 month STEM extension of F1 Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Ph.D. requirements include course work, comprehensive examinations, a doctoral dissertation, and a one-year residence requirement.
Where do our graduates go?
The BC economics department has placed its Ph.D. graduates in academic positions in highly ranked universities all over the world, in international institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, in the Federal Reserve System, in the ECB and in other central banks around the world, in government, in the financial sector, in other industry research positions and in top consulting groups. Their publications appear in many of the top ranked journals in economics and finance.
Here is a sample of the places where the graduates of the last ten years started their career. For a full listing and more detail go to Placements.
Universities
(US, Canada, and Latin America)
Rice University
University of Maryland, College Park
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Drexel University
Northeastern University
Johns Hopkins University, SAIS
Florida State University
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Texas at San Antonio
Brandeis University
University of Massachusetts, Boston
University of California Irvine
Santa Clara University
Colgate University
Wayne State University, Mike Ilitch School of Business
Carleton College
HEC Montréal
University of Alberta, Edmonton
ITAM (Instituto Technológico Autónomo de México)
Universities
(Europe, Asia, and Australia)
University of Glasgow, Adam Smith Business School
Bocconi University
University of Bologna
Università Cattolica Milano
University of Naples
The Australian National University
University of Frankfurt am Main
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Peking University, HSBC Business School
Chinese University of Hong Kong
University of Tokyo, Market Design Center
Renmin University, Beijing
Tsinghua University
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Bogaziçi University
WZB Berlin
ZEW (Center for European Economic Research), Mannheim
International Institutions, Central Banks, and Government
IMF
The World Bank
Federal Reserve-Board of Governors
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
European Central Bank
Bank of Italy
Sveriges Riksbank
National Bank of Hungary
Reserve Bank of New Zealand
Bank of Korea
Central Bank of Paraguay
State Bank of Pakistan
US Census Bureau
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Office of Management and Budget
US Government Accountability Office
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Consulting and Industry
Charles River Associates
Analysis Group
Deloitte
Brattle Group
Bates White Consulting
NERA Economic Consulting
Cornerstone Research
Goldman Sachs
JPMorgan Chase & Co
Fidelity Investments
Capital One
State Street Bank
Fannie Mae
Amazon - People Experience Technology (PXT) Team
American Express
Frequently Asked Questions
How competitive is the program?
We receive about 400 applications, accept up to 10% and end up with an incoming class of about 15 students.
Chances for acceptance depend on the quality of the applicant pool for any given year.
How much will it cost?
Accepted students are offered funding for five years consisting of a stipend and tuition remission.
Continued funding year to year is dependent upon students achieving certain academic benchmarks for each year in the program.
There are no forms to fill out and there is no special aid program for international students.
When can I start?
Students can begin the program only in the fall semester.
Application Process
PrintThe admissions process works in this way: as the application deadline nears, the Admissions Committee begins to review all applications. Applications are reviewed as in a pool; i.e., decisions are made by taking all the applications for that year and comparing them. Each candidate's application is reviewed in its entirety and only complete applications will be considered.
Deadlines
- Regular Decision
- January 2
Application Form
There is a $75 non-refundable required application fee that is used to process your application. You have the option to pay this online before submitting the application form. If you choose to wait to pay the fee, you will have the option to pay the fee through the Portal. Alternatively you may send a $75 non-refundable check or money order, made payable to Trustees of Boston College to the processing center or directly to the Admissions office.
Academic Background
A strong training in mathematics is essential to be successful in our program; the minimum recommended courses are: three calculus courses, courses in linear and matrix algebra, a course in real analysis, and a “real” statistics course. The committee has found that achieving a score of at least 166 in the quantitative exam in the GRE is beneficial for success in the program (the accepted applicants' average score this year is 166); this is considered of prime importance in the evaluation of applications.
Statement of Purpose
We require a brief (1-2 pages) personal statement in which applicants should discuss their preparation, motivation, and goals for their proposed courses of study. If you have any questions about the statement please contact the department.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required and may be submitted electronically with the application form. Recommendations may also be received in hard copy at the GSAS Admissions office as an alternative.
If you are presently employed, we recommend requesting letters from one or preferably two professors with whom you’ve studied in the past, particularly a math professor. Work experience is given no formal weight in evaluating an applicant’s chance for admission. Recommendation letters from employers tend to be flattering but uninformative.
Letters on file with university placement offices are acceptable if sent directly by the university and signed by a placement official. Request that the recommendations be mailed with a signature across the envelope flap. If BC receives a recommendation with a broken seal the application may be disqualified. A recommender may prefer to mail his/her recommendation directly to us. If this is the case you should take whatever steps are necessary to verify that the recommendation has been sent to BC.
Transcripts
Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to your online Application Form for purposes of application review. However, official transcript(s) must also be submitted upon acceptance/matriculation. Both undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required.
Official transcripts should be sent to the following address:
Boston College, Lynch School of Education
Data Processing Center
P.O. Box 8027
Portsmouth, NH 03802
For FedEx or UPS shipments, please use this address:
Boston College, Lynch School of Education
Office of Graduate Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Services
Campion Hall 135
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Standardized Tests
The GRE is required, general test only; the subject test is not required. Applications without GRE scores will be considered incomplete; decisions for acceptance will not be made without GRE scores. We accept only original score reports for the GRE & TOEFL and IELTS exams; no copies will be accepted.
GRE scores are only official when submitted directly from ETS. We require scores of the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants who have not taken the GREs within the last five years should contact their intended department to see if more recent scores are required. The Graduate School recommends that you register for the GREs early so that the scores will be available when applying. For information regarding test dates, etc., contact:
The Graduate Record Examination
ETS
Princeton, New Jersey
www.ets.org
A strong training in mathematics is essential to be successful in our program; the minimum recommended courses are: three calculus courses, courses in linear and matrix algebra, a course in real analysis, and a “real” statistics course. The committee has found that achieving a score of at least 166 in the quantitative exam in the GRE is beneficial for success in the program (the accepted applicants' average score this year is 166); this is considered of prime importance in the evaluation of applications.
Note: If you have personal score reports available from earlier examinations you may include them with your application, however, you must request ETS to send official score reports to the Graduate School directly: Boston College, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Code 3083.
Application Status Check
If you submitted the application form online you should receive an E-mail from BC containing a user name and password to log into the Agora Portal. Through Agora you can check the status of your application by clicking on the Application Status tab. You must choose the correct school to which you applied. If you applied to a number of BC Graduate Schools, you will only receive one E-mail containing the above information.
If you did not receive an E-mail with credentials you can access the Web Application Status Check here. You will be asked to provide your assigned ID number or confirmation number you received from submitting the application form online.
Note: If you are submitting additional application items beyond a department-specified requirement (i.e. official transcripts from more than one institution or an extra letter of recommendation) please contact the GSAS Admissions office to ensure receipt of all items.
International Students
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences requires students who speak a native language other than English to provide evidence of English proficiency Evidence of English Proficiency through the TOEFL and IELTS. A score of 100 or higher on the TOEFL iBT test or 7.0 or higher on the IELTS test is required. TOEFL and IELTS scores are considered valid from exams taken a maximum of two years prior to application program deadlines. Remember to enter the Boston College School Code 3083 when taking the TOEFL exam to ensure GSAS receives your score report; If submitting the IELTS score report, please send results to the GSAS Admissions Office or designate GSAS as your score report recipient.
Proof of English proficiency is not required if:
- You are a citizen of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean.
- You earned your prior college or university degree in the U.S. or one of the countries listed above or at an institution whose official language of instruction is English. The language proficiency requirement will be waived from your application upon receipt of an official transcript noting degree conferral from said institution.
- You are currently enrolled as a full-time student in a U.S. degree-granting program or at an American or English-speaking school in one of the countries listed above or at an institution whose official language of instruction is English and will have completed two academic years of college/university work before beginning your studies at BC. The language proficiency requirement will be waived from your application upon receipt of an official transcript noting two years/4 semesters completed at said institution.
There is a financial consideration involved for international students. Each year there is a specific amount of money which an international student must certify that he/she has to be able to live in this area of the United States; the amounts granted in the awards of assistantships and/or tuition remission do not equal this requirement. Students are required to make up the difference with funds from their own resources. If you are accepted into the program, the visa process cannot be initiated until the financial requirement has been satisfied. The Office of International Students and Scholars (Tel. 617-552-8005; e-mail: bcis@regaloteas.com) make all decisions on the issuance of visas. Please communicate directly with them concerning visa matters.