phd in brown university

Graduate Programs

Through course work, participation in seminars and supervised research, the Ph.D. program in Economics trains students to conduct theoretical and empirical research at the highest level.

The work in the program is demanding and the standards of performance are high. The department's reputation for providing superb training has enabled its graduates to compile an excellent placement record, including major research universities, prestigious liberal arts colleges, government and international agencies, and private industrial, consulting and research firms.

The department faculty includes the editors of the Journal of Economic Growth, the Journal of Development Economics, the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, the Journal of Urban Economics and the Journal of Human Resources, among others; several fellows of the Econometric Society; several Sloan fellows; a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association; and numerous associates and fellows of the National Bureau of Economic Research and the Center for Economic Policy Research.

The atmosphere in the department is highly collegial, and interaction among faculty members and graduate students is easy and extensive. The department hosts six weekly seminars (Economic Theory, Macroeconomics, Applied Microeconomics, and Econometrics, Development, Institutions, and Political Economy and Economics Growth), as well as parallel lunches and breakfasts for graduate student work in progress.

Additional Resources

The department maintains close links with the  Population Studies and Training Center , which provides support for students doing research in population economics and economic development, the  Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs , which hosts an interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Development, the center for  Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences , and the  Institute at Brown for Environment and Society .

Application Information

Application requirements, gre subject:.

Not required

GRE General:

Dates/deadlines, application deadline, completion requirements.

Eight basic courses with a passing grade in these courses; seven advanced courses with grade of B or better; field exam; third–year poster presentation and research paper; seminar presentations; dissertation.

Alumni Careers

Contact and Location

Department of economics, mailing address.

• Program Faculty
• Program Handbook
• Graduate School Handbook

Doctoral Programs

Earn your Ph.D. at the School of Public Health.

Ready to apply?

Start your journey toward a public health education at Brown University.

Pursuing a Ph.D. at the Brown University School of Public Health is a student-centered training experience, involving active partnerships with faculty mentors and the execution of innovative research . Our doctoral candidates are committed to generating new knowledge and aspire to make significant contributions to teaching and leadership roles that prioritize the well-being of populations. 

Our doctoral programs

Behavioral & social health sciences, biostatistics, epidemiology, health services research.

Find a Job in Philosophy

Graduate student handbook.

Find more information about graduate studies in philosophy at Brown University

Brown University Ph.D. program in Philosophy is designed to provide strong support for students’ research.

In the first year, students focus exclusively on course work. Teaching responsibilities begin in the second year, continue through the fourth year, and return in the sixth year. After devoting two years to coursework, students begin their research in the third year by conducting literature reviews under the supervision of faculty members, and by enrolling in a seminar intended to promote work aimed at publication. These special courses help students identify dissertation topics.

Dissertation

Dissertation work begins in earnest in the fourth year. In that year and in succeeding years, students enroll every semester in a special seminar, the dissertation workshop, in which they present their research and receive feedback from faculty and peers. During this time they also work closely with dissertation advisers and other members of their dissertation committees.

In the fifth year, students set teaching aside so they can concentrate on dissertation research. In this year, they may, if they like, spend periods of time at other universities, interacting with faculty and students who share their interests. Teaching responsibilities generally take the form of work as assistants in courses run by faculty, but in the fourth and sixth years, students may apply to be teaching fellows, in which case they have full responsibility for undergraduate courses. There are also opportunities for summer teaching.

Ph.D. Requirements

The preliminary requirements for the Ph.D. are satisfied by demonstrating competence in logic, philosophy of science, language, and mind, ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and history of philosophy. This may be done either by passing prescribed courses with a quality grade or through satisfactory completion of an individually tailored major-minors program, planned in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and submitted to the department for approval.

Within seven semesters of full-time or equivalent residency at Brown, the student must gain admission to Ph.D. candidacy. Admission to candidacy is granted after satisfaction of the preliminary evaluation and distribution requirements and upon approval of a dissertation prospectus by a dissertation committee. An oral defense of the dissertation is required once it is completed.

Master's Degree

Any student who has completed the preliminary requirements for the Ph.D. is eligible to be awarded an M.A., either as an additional or a terminal degree. The degree may also be awarded to Brown undergraduates admitted to the A.B./A.M. program.

Funding and Financial Support

Financial support is guaranteed for the first six years of study, and also for the first five summers.

The Brown Graduate School makes substantial awards in support of travel by graduate students.

The  Open Master's Program  allows students to apply to pursue an M.A. degree in another discipline while pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy. Students admitted in this program automatically receive an additional year of financial support to complete their M.A. degree.

Theatre Arts & Performance Studies

Ph.d. program.

The Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance Studies at Brown University offers a rigorous environment for pursuing doctoral research.

Taking a broad-spectrum approach to the histories, theories, and methods of theatre and performance studies from a global perspective, the Ph.D. program trains doctoral students to use performance as an analytical lens to explore the labor of mimesis in the social.

Cross-currents

Brown’s environment is alive with the intersections of performance practice and theory: Ph.D. students benefit from formal and informal cross-currents with:

• Brown’s acclaimed  MFA Playwriting Program
• Brown/Trinity MFA Programs in Acting and Directing  (offered in consortium with the Tony Award winning  Trinity Repertory Company ),
• Brown Arts Institute
• Rhode Island School of Design (RISD )

Brown’s  libraries  provide exceptional special collections for performance-related research, including:

• Harris Collection of American Drama and Poetry
• Smith Collection of Conjuring, Magicana, and Popular Entertainment
• Albert-Bernard Shaw Collection

Open Graduate Education Program

Our students take full advantage of Brown’s unique interdisciplinary opportunities—including the  Open Graduate Education Program , which enables doctoral students to apply to pursue a Master’s degree in a secondary field of study at Brown—and gain teaching experience through a variety of opportunities in and beyond the department.

How to Apply

_______________________

Applications are due   January 4, 2024   and must be submitted via the Graduate School’s Online Application portal . You can find detailed instructions about the application process and components on the Graduate Website.  For other questions refer to The Graduate School’s application FAQ .

Application requirements.

• A statement of purpose (also called a personal statement, generally 2-3 pages) that should address your current academic research interests, why you wish to pursue a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies, and how you see your work benefiting from the broader context of the department and Brown as a whole. The most successful personal statements make a compelling case for why your research would best be served by our program given the current composition of our faculty and the resources that are available at Brown. 
• An academic writing sample (10- 25 pages). This is an especially  important element of the application, so be sure to submit an example of your strongest scholarly writing to date. 
• Three letters of recommendation. 
• Transcripts from all academic institutions where you have previously studied (graduate and undergraduate).

International applicants whose native language is not English must also submit an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. 

• The GRE is no longer required in order to apply for the Ph.D. Program in Theatre and Performance Studies at Brown.

Financial Aid

Brown guarantees 6 years of funding for all admitted Ph.D. students, which includes full tuition remission, a generous living stipend, and health insurance. This financial support applies to both domestic and international students admitted to our doctoral program. Funding is provided through a combination of fellowships (two years) and teaching/research assistantships (four years). Our students have also been very successful in securing funding for their studies, as needed, through external and internal fellowships and grants. Further details about financial support is available through Brown’s Graduate School website  and the  Graduate Student Funding and Support website .

Frequently Asked Questions

Students in our Ph.D. program have many opportunities to gain teaching experience during their time at Brown. Typically students in their second year serve as Teaching Assistants for undergraduate courses in the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. More advanced students can develop and teach their own classes. Our students find additional opportunities to hone their pedagogical skills through Brown's  Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning ,  Summer@Brown , the  Brown/Wheaton Faculty Fellows Program , and elsewhere.

As an intentionally small program with an emphasis on intensive mentorship and advising, we accept a cohort of approximately 2 to 3 students per year. Most of our Ph.D. students complete the degree within 5 to 7 years.

We welcome applicants who are interested in all aspects of theatre and performance studies research. The best way to learn about the range of research topics and methods that are being pursued in our program is by looking through the profiles of our  current faculty  and  Ph.D. students .

Yes. We accept students who have obtained Bachelor's degrees as well as students who have previously completed an MA or MFA. Depending on the field of study and with the approval of our graduate faculty, students may receive credit toward the Ph.D. degree for previous graduate coursework completed at other institutions.

Graduates of our PhD program have achieved a stellar placement rate into academic positions. Many have gone on to become leaders in the field, holding tenured or tenure-track positions at Yale, Tufts, NYU, UCLA, Washington University-St. Louis, Colgate, Emerson, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Rhode Island, among other institutions. A  recent national study of Theatre and Performance Studies graduate programs  showed that Brown was the top program in terms of placement, with 100% of our graduates holding tenure-track positions.

Please do not email the department with technical questions or requests to troubleshoot your online application submission. For questions about the application process (including how to submit TOEFL scores, Letters of Recommendation, and other technical matters), please contact the Graduate School directly at  a [email protected] .

Patricia Ybarra

Program handbooks.

• TAPS Doctoral Program Handbook (PDF)
• All TAPS Graduate Handbooks

Recent News

Phd student şeyda nur yıldırım published in theatre research international vol. 38, no. 3 (2023)., taps at the american society for theatre research conference, phd candidate marlon jiménez oviedo published in global performance studies.

Anthropology

Ph.d. program.

• Graduate Studies

The graduate program in Brown’s anthropology department encourages a diversity of doctoral research agendas in socio-cultural anthropology, anthropological archaeology, and linguistic anthropology.

Our program balances a rigorous curriculum of core classes with more specialized training in advanced courses. Our graduate seminars and independent study courses provide an engaging and rigorous tutorial approach to training. Graduate courses offered this academic year are listed on  Courses@Brown .

Brown’s graduate program is primarily PhD granting; students are not admitted to the department solely to seek a Master’s degree. Doctoral students complete requirements for a Master’s degree during their course of study, as well as additional requirements described below.

Degree Requirements

Generally awarded as part of the overall requirements for a Ph.D.

Four core courses

• ANTH2010: Principles of Cultural Anthropology
• ANTH 2020: Methods of Anthropological Research (or equivalent)
• ANTH 2501: Principles of Archaeology
• ANTH 2800: Linguistic Theory and Practice
• Four approved electives
• A Master’s Thesis
• 12 additional elective courses beyond the 8 required for the Master’s Degree (or the fulfillment of equivalent through coursework at another university) 
• Preliminary examinations in three topics
• One year of teaching experience, usually as a teaching assistant
• Approved research proposal for doctoral research
• Foreign language requirement (if required by the candidate’s doctoral committee)
• Dissertation, based on independent field research

More detailed information about the program, including a general outline of the timeline for completing the program, can be found in the Anthropology Graduate Handbook . 

Specialized Ph.D. Tracks

They choose a topic within Anthropological Demography as one of their preliminary examination topics, participate in the activities of the Working Group in Anthropology and Population, and attend the regular colloquia of the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC). PSTC also has a set of requirements trainees must meet. Special fellowships are available to students in this program.

More information @ PSTC

The program offers specialized courses, funds field-based research, provides fellowships, hosts visiting faculty, and promotes collaborative research initiatives with partner institutions in the global south. The program builds on a core group of faculty internationally renowned for their research and scholarship in the area of development and inequality. Program activities are open to all PhD students at Brown. All trainees and fellows are eligible for summer fieldwork research grants.

More information @ Watson

Medical anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that seeks to understand human experiences of health, illness, and suffering. Medical anthropologists study topics such as global health, local health systems, indigenous medicine, violence and trauma, disability and the body, gender and sexuality, biotechnology, bioethics, and social suffering. Brown’s PhD program offers an array of opportunities for students seeking specialized training in medical anthropology. Brown’s anthropology faculty are actively engaged in researching a wide variety of topics within the subfield of medical anthropology, including HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, mental illness, reproductive health, gender and sexuality, violence and trauma, biotechnology, language and medicine, anthropology of drugs, and bio-archaeology.

For more information, contact  Professor Daniel J. Smith or  Professor Katherine A. Mason.

Department of Religious Studies

Doctoral programs (ph.d).

We offer Ph.D. study in four areas: Asian Religious Traditions, Islam, Society and Culture, Religion and Critical Thought, and Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean.

RAM now incorporates our prior Ph.D. programs in Early Christianity, and in Ancient Judaism, as well as various other ancient Mediterranean religions. All applications to study one or more religions of the Ancient Mediterranean should be made to RAM. 

Prospective applicants should also note that it is no longer possible to apply for the track in Religion, Comparison and Culture. Students interested in comparative work across two or more areas (ART, ISC, RCT, and RAM) should consult with the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Advisor for these areas before submitting an application.

Asian Religious Traditions (ART)

Islam, society and culture (isc), religion and critical thought (rct), religions of the ancient mediterranean (ram).

Prospective applicants are welcome to direct inquiries to Prof Jae H. Han, Director of Graduate Admissions ( [email protected] ), Prof. Paul Nahme, Interim Director of Graduate Studies ( [email protected] ), Nicole Vadnais, Graduate Program Manager ( [email protected] ) and/or any faculty member in the listed areas.

Graduate Advisors

Shahzad bashir, mark cladis, jason protass.

• American Studies

Ph.D. Program

• Graduate Study

The primary goal of the Ph.D. program in American Studies is to train students to become knowledgeable, engaged, and productive scholars and public humanists.

The Ph.D. program in American Studies is aimed at students interested in careers in college and university teaching, though it also provides excellent training for jobs in cultural or non-profit institutions that require a doctorate.

The Ph.D. program includes:

• Coursework including two required courses
• Preliminary Examinations in three fields
• Teaching as a Teaching Assistant and Teaching Fellow
• Dissertation Proposal
• Dissertation

Most of our Ph.D. students include faculty from outside the department on their preliminary exam committees and on their dissertation committees.

The Graduate Student Handbook lays out in detail the requirements, timelines, and components of the doctoral graduate program in American Studies. It also contains information on departmental and university resources for graduate students.

Download the Handbook

Plain Text Version

Career Options

We train students for faculty positions, for academic administration, and for jobs in various research, curatorial, and digital humanities positions in universities and in cultural organizations, museums, and other public-facing institutions.

We are committed to comprehensive training with broader career paths in mind, and we have expanded our efforts to train and place students in both “traditional” and “non-traditional” positions. Doing so, we work to help students negotiate the pressures that commitments to family and location can place on their professional lives.

We encourage our doctoral students to consider the bigger picture – personal circumstances, individual professional desires – when preparing for the job market. Our Ph.D. students have done well by being flexible and broadly prepared.

Meet our Ph.D. alumni

Graduate School

Research matters celebrating new ideas and discoveries.

Research Matters, hosted by the Graduate School, is a live event, featuring short talks by graduate students on why their research matters. These brief talks showcase exceptional graduate student scholarship and celebrate their ideas.

Please join us for Research Matters on April 18, 2024 . Brown community, alumni, faculty, staff, and all students are invited to attend

Graduate Students

Be a speaker for Research Matters 2024. Tell us why your research matters! We are looking for 5-minute talks on research projects by Brown University doctoral and master’s students. The talks are for a general audience.

What’s Involved

• Nomination. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to nominate a graduate student with a compelling research story to tell. Graduate students may also self-nominate. Nominations for the Research Matters 2024 event are due by February 16, 2024.
• Application submission. Graduate students (no nomination required) are invited to apply with a submission of their research and talk description and short video of themselves presenting their scholarship by February 26, 2024. (Applicants are encouraged to read Speaker Tips .)
• Selection and Semi-finals. Semi-finalists will be invited to give a live talk (no more than 5 min.) at a scheduled session(s) in late-March. The selection panel will be comprised of faculty, graduate students and the Graduate School.
• Final selections. Those selected to speak at the live event are expected to attend a number of training, practice, and mentoring sessions, including a rehearsal scheduled the day before the main event (April 17).
• Research Matters 2024. The live event is planned for April 18, 2024. All talks will be video recorded and will be featured on the Graduate School website.

Get Inspired

Watch videos from previous Research Matters events:

Research Matters 2023

Research matters 2022, research matters 2019, research matters 2017, research matters 2016, research matters 2014.

Learn more about students’ experiences participating in Research Matters.

Please contact: Vanessa Ryan, Senior Associate Dean of Student Development and Byrd McDaniel, Assistant Director of Student Development at  [email protected] .

Nominations

Nominees will need to submit the following via an  application form by February 26, 2024:

• A 350 word description  of your talk and research project.
• A short video:  Give us a sense of you speaking about your innovative idea and research project. This can be as short as one-minute, but no more than 3 minutes. You can use a smartphone or built-in webcam. Video quality is not the priority, as long as you are audible. We just want to get a brief sense of you as a speaker.

If you are unable to submit a short video, please email  [email protected] .

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IT Technology Services & Solutions Internship – Graduate – Summer 2024

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This program is a 10-week full-time opportunity that provides real work experience with a team in your business area. You will be aligned to projects to lead or contribute to while also participating in networking, development, and career exploration activities. Our Corporate Interns can apply for future full-time roles during the program and have an increased likelihood to receive an offer for a post-graduation role.

The Summer 2024 program will run June 3rd – August 9th, 2024. Virtual onboarding activities will also take place May 29th -31st, 2024.

This is a hybrid position with 3 days (generally Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) in the Hartford, CT office location. The other 2 days each week will be working remotely from home, office, or another location of your choice. No housing or housing stipend will be provided, but interns will be given the opportunity to connect with each other prior to the start of the program to coordinate housing if desired.

The hourly rate is $27.50-$55.00 with 40 hours/ week, no work on July 4th (company holiday), and two days of paid leave.

About this business area:

Enterprise Product Acceleration supports the Technology Services and Solutions area which drives technology transformation to enable business growth and create a unique experience for our customers that provides exceptional value. In doing so, we…

Optimize and enhance our core systems to introduce more federated enterprise solutions, integrate hybrid cloud technologies, support mobile devices and incorporate embedded analytics.

Develop a bimodal approach to technology delivery, empowering us to adapt quickly, innovate and compete effectively in the fast-paced digital world.

Cultivate a workforce dedicated to improving user experience, facilitating information access, and effectively managing technology resources.

Ensure the security and integrity of our business by implementing automated cyber security programs that leverage machine learning and risk-based approaches.

Work visa sponsorship is not available for this role. This includes participation in Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), and F-1 Visa programs.

Required Qualifications – Meet educational requirements (see education section)

Preferred Qualifications

– Demonstrated leadership experience. Examples include active roles in student or social organization activities, sports, or school or work-related projects – Experience leading a school or work-related project – Strong written and verbal communication skills

– Problem solving skills

– Project management skills

– An interest in obtaining full-time position within CVS Health upon graduation

– Experience as a Product Manager in an Extreme Programming (XP) environment – Experience with UX design advocacy within large business and technology organizations – Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM) and Healthcare industry experience a plus – Determination to enhance quality and save cost as part of continuous process improvement – Experience with leading others in Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design practices – Deep experience & love for working within an Agile methodology at an enterprise level – Entrepreneurial, with a strong inclination towards action, preferably with experience shipping software – 5+ years of experience operating in an environment driven by KPIs and the ability to determine course of action required to meet goals – Ability to communicate moderate to complex and innovative concepts to a new product development team with proven experience in data-driven decision making – Ability to analyze and interpret moderate to complex concepts – Understanding of and experience working in a development environment

– Demonstrated ability to communicate across multiple levels of leadership

Education – Currently pursuing a Graduate or MBA degree – Have an anticipated graduation date between September 2024 and August 2025 – Have a major, minor or concentration relevant to the position such as related majors:

Engineering, Finance, Computer Science, Marketing or related business degree

Whether in our pharmacies or through our health service offerings, we are pioneering a bold new approach to total health care. As health care innovators, we are making quality care affordable, accessible, simple and seamless. We await your fresh ideas, new perspectives, and the unique contributions you will make to our organization.

Graduate Student Brown Bag Seminar

Space-Time Bridge-Diffusion

Speaker:          Hamidreza Behjoo, Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona

Title:               Space-Time Bridge-Diffusion

Abstract:         In this study, we introduce a novel method for generating new synthetic samples that are independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) from high-dimensional real-valued probability distributions, as defined implicitly by a set of Ground Truth (GT) samples. Central to our method is the integration of space-time mixing strategies that extend across temporal and spatial dimensions. Our methodology is underpinned by three interrelated stochastic processes designed to enable optimal transport from an easily tractable initial probability distribution to the target distribution represented by the GT samples: (a) linear processes incorporating space-time mixing that yield Gaussian conditional probability densities, (b) their bridge-diffusion analogs that are conditioned to the initial and final state vectors, and (c) nonlinear stochastic processes refined through score-matching techniques. The crux of our training regime involves fine-tuning the nonlinear model, and potentially the linear models – to align closely with the GT data. We validate the efficacy of our space-time diffusion approach with numerical experiments, laying the groundwork for more extensive future theory and experiments to fully authenticate the method, particularly providing a more efficient (possibly simulation-free) inference.