phd economics kansas state university

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Program Requirements

The Ph.D. program in economics provides a comprehensive structure with annual milestones and incentives to help students finish in 5 years. Students receive core education in each of microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, and quantitative methods, and take qualifying exams after first year courses. In the second year, students specialize and delve into research with a second-year paper requirement. In the third year, students typically finish specializations and work more intensively on research, culminating in a third-year paper requirement. The fourth year is devoted to research and to pass the comprehensive oral exam (dissertation proposal). During the fifth year, students polish their job market paper, develop additional research papers, go on the Ph.D. job market, and work to finish their dissertation. Here are some more details.

In addition to meeting general College and University requirements, all Ph.D. students in economics complete the following requirements:

• Mathematics and Quantitative Training: Econ 800 and Econ 816
• Microeconomics: Econ 801 and Econ 802 
• Macroeconomics: Econ 810 and Econ 811 
• Econometrics: Econ 817 and Econ 818
• Pass written qualifying exams in microeconomics and macroeconomics after first year, and demonstrate competence in econometrics (evidenced by a combined GPA of 3.0 in Econ 817 and Econ 818)
• Specialize in two (or more) fields in economics by completing two courses in each field
• Complete three additional elective courses
• Pass second-year paper requirement by end of fourth semester (second year) of study
• Pass third-year paper requirement by end of sixth semester (third year) of study
• Pass comprehensive oral examination (dissertation proposal) by end of eighth semester (fourth year) of study. It is strongly recommended that a student pass this exam by the end of the seventh semester.
• Pass final oral examination (dissertation defense)
• Ph.D. students enroll in Econ 910 (in Year 3) and attend weekly department research seminars for 5 continuous semesters or until graduation (whichever is earlier)
• Ph.D. students are required to have training in research skills and responsible scholarship pertinent to economics research. Enrollment in one semester of Econ 910 and successfully completing the third year paper requirement satisfies these requirements   

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M.A. Program

The Masters of Arts program in the Department of Economics at Kansas State University provides an excellent path to a rewarding career or a strong preparation for Ph.D. studies in economics. The program features rewarding courses, a dedicated faculty and considerable flexibility in choosing the path that best meets your needs.

Highlights of our M.A. program:

Excellent preparation for a rewarding career.

Students find jobs with a wide variety of private and public sector employers including:

• Casey Research
• Economic and Policy Resources
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Edward Jones
• G.L. Huyett
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Brattle Group
• Suruga U.S.A
• Koch Industries
• Huron Consulting Group
• Kansas Legislative Research Department
• Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
• Sprint Corporation
• Kansas Corporation Commission
• Kansas Department of Administration.

Strong preparation for Ph.D. studies

The program also provides rigorous preparation for continued studies. Students can build the full set of technical skills required for success in economics Ph.D. programs. Some students continue on to the Ph.D. program at Kansas State University. Others use their training to be well prepared and highly competitive for programs at other universities.

Flexibility

Of the 30 credit hours needed for the degree, only nine hours are from required courses:

• Microeconomics (ECON 720)
• Macroeconomics (ECON 805)
• Econometrics (ECON 730)

Students are free to choose additional courses tailored to individual interests and goals to fulfill the additional required hours. Up to nine credit hours can be taken from outside of economics. This allows students to build expertise in a complementary field such as business or statistics.

Three paths to the M.A. degree

Thesis option.

Students wishing to focus on research enroll in the thesis option. In writing a thesis, students earn six credit hours while working closely with a faculty member on an original research project.

Report Option

Students who want to focus more on coursework can instead choose the report option. This option requires a two credit hour research project and allows time for an additional four credit hours of coursework.

Exam Option

Students continuing on in the Ph.D. program often take the exam option which allows uninterrupted progress toward the Ph.D.

Rigorous, rewarding courses

Courses in the M.A. program provide students with the foundation they will need for career success or continued studies. Students build expertise in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics through a rigorous set of foundational courses. Beyond this, students choose from courses within economics and beyond. Some students choose courses to build a strong general background in economics or expertise in a related field. Others choose courses which expose them to the latest advances in econometrics, economic theory and computation.

A strong research environment

In writing a thesis or report, students work closely with faculty. In this, they are able to develop a project guided by professors working at the frontiers of economic research. Recent publications by our faculty have appeared in Journal of Econometrics , Journal of International Economics , Review of Economic Dynamics , Review of Economic Studies , The Review of Economics and Statistics , and many other top journals. Faculty members serve in editorial roles for journals, referee papers, and present at conferences.

A great place to live

Manhattan is a vibrant, fast-growing city located in the beautiful Flint Hills. It offers a low cost of living, low crime, good restaurants, and plenty of shopping. MHK provides multiple direct flights on a daily basis to Chicago and Dallas, with Kansas City a short drive away if you prefer a larger airport.

Contact the Director

Please do not hesitate to contact me at  [email protected]  for additional information regarding our graduate programs.

We are looking forward to meeting you.

Lance Bachmeier Professor of Economics & Director of Graduate Studies

In addition to general Graduate School requirements, the Department of Economics    has the following requirements for admission.

Course requirements

• 3 credit hours of intermediate macroeconomic theory
• 3 credit hours of intermediate microeconomic theory
• 3 credit hours of statistics
• 3 credit hours of calculus

If these courses are not part of the student’s undergraduate program, admission will be provisional upon completing these courses.

Grade requirements

A 3.0 GPA in the last 60 credit hours taken with no C’s, or lower, in the courses listed above. Although students with academic performance below these standards may be admitted because of other considerations such as high GRE scores, admission will be probationary.

Graduate record examination

Applicants for admission to either M.A. or Ph.D. programs are normally expected to provide their Graduate Record Examination general test scores.

Required course work

As part of the 90 hours required for a Ph.D. degree, each Ph.D. degree program must contain the following 30 hours of course work or equivalent:

• ECON 735 - Mathematical Economics Credits: 3
• ECON 805 - Macroeconomic Theory I Credits: 3
• ECON 830 - Econometrics I Credits: 3
• ECON 905 - Macroeconomic Theory II Credits: 3
• ECON 930 - Econometrics II Credits: 3
• ECON 940 - Advanced Microeconomic Theory I Credits: 3
• ECON 945 - Advanced Microeconomic Theory II Credits: 3

Two graduate economics courses at the 800-level or above, one of which is in a third field. Credits: 6

and select one of these four courses:

• AGEC 901 - Research Methods in Economics Credits: 3
• AGEC 905 - Agricultural Demand and Commodity Marketing Credits: 3
• AGEC 923 - Economics of Agricultural Production Credits: 3
• AGEC 936 - Quantitative Topics in Agricultural Economics Credits: 3

Additional requirement

Also required is course work in two fields of specialization. Normally a field consists of 6 additional hours of course work in economics or in related departments. Students entering the Ph.D. program with a master’s degree in economics may receive 30 hours of credit for that degree.

Ph.D. dissertation

In the process of completing the research and writing of a Ph.D. dissertation, the student must enroll in at least 30 hours of the following:

• ECON 999 - PhD Research in Economics Credits: 1-18

Ph.D. qualifying exams

Students must pass qualifying exams in macroeconomic theory and microeconomic theory. Students are normally expected to take these exams immediately after completing the aforementioned course work. The courses preparing the students for these exams are:

Additional Requirements

A preliminary exam must also be passed in one other fields. This field must include at least six hours of course work at the 800-level or above. The field exam may not be taken until the macroeconomic theory and microeconomic theory exams are passed.

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Department of Agricultural Economics 342 Waters Hall 1603 Old Claflin Pl Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506 785.532.6702

Dr. Allen Featherstone, Department Head

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Initial Employment Accepted by Graduate Students

• Abena Damuah, PhD Student, Kansas State University
• Eliyasu Osman, PhD Student, Kansas State University
• Andrew Anderson, Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas
• Lonnie Hobbs, Jr, Assistant Professor, Kansas State University
• Gerald Mashange, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Abdur Rub.  Econometric Analysis Specialist, FAO at the United Nations
• Lauren Benavidez. PhD Student, Purdue University
• Luke Byers. Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, River Valley District
• Kinzey Cott. Fiscal Analyst, Sorghum & Millet Innovation Lab
• Nash Davtyan. Data Analyst, Vulgamore Family Farms.
• John Green. PhD. Student, University of California-Davis
• Jake Hefley. Master Data Coordinator, Hiland Dairy Food
• Megan Hill. Business Intelligence Specialist, Farm Journal
• Ashling Murphy. Agribusiness Specialist, Mountaire Farms
• Amber Oerly. Senior Analyst, Fulcrum Global Capital
• Sheppard Rogers. Commodity Research & Heading Analyst, Smithfield Foods
• Hunter Biram. Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas
• Micah Cameron-Harp. Post-Doctoral Fellow, Kansas State University
• Kaitlyn Dinges-Weber. Instructional Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University
• Grant Gardner. Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky
• Jody Herchenbach. Agribusiness Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska-Kearney
• Gabriela Quesada-Perez. Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of California-Davis
• Walter AC-Pangan. Kansas State University Ph.D. program.
• Devin Brand. Extension Agricultural Economist at Kansas Farm Management Association.
• Michaela Eden. Animal Welfare Auditor at Frost, PLLC
• Bailey Hinkle. Customer Sales Consultant at WTC Communications
• Mary Kurzweil. Analyst at CattleFax
• Emily Parker. Senior Specialist Enterprise Inventory Management at Tyson Foods
• Bryn Swearingen. Agricultural Economist at USDA – Economic Research Service
• Hannah Taylor. Agricultural Economist at USDA – Economic Research Service
• Paul Aseete. Instructor at Makerere University
• Francis Tisboe. Research Agricultural Economist at USDA – Economic Research Service
• Hannah Shear. Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State
• Justin Bina. Ph.D. student, Kansas State University.
• Gabriel Blairfontinelle. FCS Stone.
• Meghan Brence. Relationship Manager, Northwest Farm Credit Services.
• Claudia Hissong. Public Policy Implementation Coordinator, Kansas Farm Bureau.
• Tori Laird. Economist, Kansas Department of Agriculture.
• Catherine Ofori-Bah. Ph.D. student, Kansas State University.
• Raymond Thomas. Ph.D. student, Kansas State University.
• Abigail Adaku. Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Business, University of Ghana.
• Amer Al-Sudani. Post-Doc, Louisiana State University.
• Sandra Contreras. Economic Instructor, Georgia Military College
• Manzamasso Hodjo. Post-Doc Fellow, K-State University, Feed the Future Innovation Lab
• Minyoung Jun. Visiting Professor, Kyunghee University, Suwon, Korea.
• Munsu Kang. Associate Research Fellow, Africa and Middle East Team Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP).
• Juhee Lee. Postdoctoral Scholar in the School of Public Policy (SPP) at the University of California, Riverside.
• Florence Lwiza. Lecturer, Makerere University, Uganda.
• Patalee Mallika. Post-Doc, University of Kentucky.
• Noah Miller. Research Agricultural Economist, USDA-ERS.
• James Mitchell. Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas.
• Donghyun Moon. Associate Research Fellow, Africa and Middle East Team Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP).
• Agness Myzyece. Lecturer, Iowa Wesleyan University.
• Kazi Tamim Rahman. Professor & Head, Department of Agricultural Economics Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh
• Whitney Bowman. M.S. Commodity Research & Hedging Analyst, Smithfield Foods, Smithfield, VA
• Emily Carls. M.S. Illinois Farm Business Farm Management Association, Springfield, Illinois
• Amanda Clymer. M.S. Farm Credit Services of America, Omaha, Nebraska
• Jared Cullop. M.S. Farm Loan Officer, USDA FSA, Emporia, KS
• Xijian Hao. M.S. Sales Manager, Beijing Enterprises Clean Energy Group.
• Pedro Masi Godo,.  M.S. Financial Analyst, Ag Econ Department, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
• Luke Minnix. M.S. Minnix Farms, Scott City, KS
• Matthew Myers. M.S. Loan Officer, Banner Capital Bank, Beaver City, NE
• Allison Pitts. M.S. North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, North Caroline State University, Raleigh, NC
• Vivian Simmons. M.S. Student. PricewaterhouseCooper, Inc. IL
• Trevor Tyree. M.S. Product Specialist, Tyree Ag, Inc. Kinsley, KS
• Kayode Ajewole. Ph.D. Research Agricultural Economist, USDA-Economic Research Services
• Ralph Armah. Ph.D. Research Fellow, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana, Legon
• Bowen Chen. Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign. 2019
• Elliott Dennis. Ph.D. Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
• Youngjune Kim. Ph.D. Senior Research Associate, Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, University of Missouri – Columbia, Columbia, MO
• Pacem Kotchofa. Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow Socio-Economist, International Research Institute (ILRI), Senegal
• Tebila Nakelse. Ph.D. Policy Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations, Rome, Italy
• Oladipo Obembe. Ph.D. Post Doc, South Dakota State University, SD.
• Madhav Regmi. Ph.D. Assistant Professor, New Mexico State University, NM.
• Becatien Yao. Ph.D. Research Associate, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
• Tanner Aherin, Analyst at Cattlefax
• Micheal Apamaku, Veterinarians Without Borders
• Hanna Ruder, Risk Management Analyst at Dairy Farmers of America
• Emilie Herbst, Sales Analyst Associate at Cargill Feed
• Paul Leiva Lanza, Management Trainee at JBS
• Jayce Stabel, Stabel Family Farms
• Candice Gatson Smart, Research Analyst at Kynetec
• Nathan Smart, Research Analyst at Kynetec
• Lucas Sedbeck Ph.D. Program at the University of Wisconsin
• Weldensie T. Embaye Post Doctoral at McGill University
• Emrah Er, Research Assistant at Ankara University
• Michael Lindbloom, Visiting Assistant Professor at Elmhurst College
• Frank Nti, Agricultural Economist, USDA FAS
• Nicholas Pates, Post Doctoral at the University of Kentucky
• Cody O'Brien, Landmark National Bank
• Christian Torrez Galeano, CattleFax 
• Candice Wilson, Washington, D.C.
• Melissa McKendree, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
• Nicolas Quintana-Ashwell, World Bank, Technical Specialist, Global Water Practice. Research Scientist, University of Wyoming
• Steven Ramsey, Assistant Professor. New Mexico State University
• Ana Claudia Sant'Anna, Post Doc. The Ohio State University
• Shuang Xu, California
• Logan Britton, U.S. Grains Council, Washington, D.C., Graduate Fellow in Economics and Policy Analysis
• Brian Highfill, Cargill
• Claire Newman, Research Assistant, University of California-Davis, California
• Henry Ott, Frontier Farm Credit. Emporia, Real Estate and Chattel Appraiser
• Xia Shang, Data Scientist Econometrics, Monsanto

  2015

• Kassie Curran, IT Support Analyst, Cargill Meat Solutions
• Michelle Estes, Smithfield Farmland, Associate Category Planner.
• Adam Hancock, Informa Economics Washington Office. Consultant specializing in the analysis of goverment policies, programs, and regulations.
• Claire Luensmann, Cargill, Feed Associate
• Hannah Miller, Ameriprise Financial Inc.
• Brady Brewer, University of Georgia, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.
• Elizabeth Canales, Roll Global, Strategy Consultant
• Melissa Lynes, Oil and Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Washington D.C. Industry Economist

  2014

• William Calis, Topcon Precision Agriculture, Business Development Analytics Specialists
• Garret Lister, Innovative Livestock Solutions in Kansas, Risk Management Trainee
• Cooper Morris, Rabo AgriFinance in Kansas, Credit/Relationship Analyst
• Brian Sancewich, University of Florida, Post Doc
• Dustin Shearer, Gordon L. Brown and Associates, Inc. in Pennsylvania.  Engineer in Training
• Graciela Andrango, National Institute of Agricultural and Livestock Research of Ecuador (INIAP)
• Veronica Pozo, Utah State University, Assistant Professor

  2013

• Nathan Clarke, Extension Agricultural Economist, K-State Research and Extension
• Matthew Herrington, Chicago Mercantile Exchange
• Caitlin Lowe, Opportunity International
• Rebecca Manes, Kansas Legislative Research Group, Research Fellow
• Brett Pendell. Commodity Hedging Analyst, Smithfield foods
• Sam Funk, Chief Economist, United Soybean Board
• Bryon Parman, Assistant Professor, Mississippi State University
• Levi Russell, Assistant Professor, Texas AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M University
• Alexi Thompson.  Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
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• Updated: 11/7/23