Doctoral Studies

The USC PhD in Economics is designed to prepare students to conduct independent research with the goal of preparing them for successful academic careers. The Department emphasizes economic theory, econometrics, and applied economic analysis—microeconomics, macroeconomics, international & development economics, behavioral economics, urban, and environmental economics. Our faculty is ambitious, dynamic, and committed to training the next generation of economics scholars, equipping our students with the skills to produce compelling, original, and significant contributions to economic thought.

Looking for Reasons to Join?

Continual Mentorship

Faculty closely guide students throughout their time in the program, beginning as soon as they arrive! All first-year students participate in organized faculty-student mentorship partnerships, in small groups, designed to familiarize incoming scholars with the USC Department of Economics’ distinguished faculty members and their respective fields of research. The mentoring continues in each student’s second year, with different faculty-student pairings.

When students transition from coursework to research, they participate in small-group discussion workshops (“Reading Groups”). Here, students can expect to regularly present and receive feedback on their own research from a varied group of faculty members and peers.

Our Faculty

Academia & Beyond

Our program is designed first and foremost to train students to conduct original research, with the goal of preparing them for successful academic careers. We are deeply proud of those who pursue this path and celebrate their scholarly contributions. At the same time, we recognize and fully support students who choose to apply their training in impactful economic policy contributions in the public and private sectors, where their analytical and research skills can be highly valued.

Placements

Bloomberg Lab

USC Economics has partnered with Bloomberg to provide our students and faculty with access to Bloomberg terminals and data. Bloomberg is a global leader in real-time financial market data and analytics, and their tools are used throughout the world by financial institutions and academics alike. Whether engaging in a significant research project, or simply reviewing the latest news on the economy and markets, Bloomberg is a key and vital source of information and data for our Economics students.

Location: KAP 305

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM PT

Learn More

Interdisciplinary Research

Our faculty believe in the value of interdisciplinary research and have robust connections to other departments, schools, and research centers at the University. Doctoral students work on multidisciplinary projects in areas such as health care, environmental science and policy, traffic engineering, neuroscience, psychology, and computer science. Students are often encouraged to work with the amazing scholars throughout USC, including those within the following:

USC Marshall School of Business
Sol Price School of Public Policy
Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics
Center for Economic and Social Research

Global LA

USC doctoral students get to experience the many advantages of living in a complex, dynamic, modern, and global city. For students who seek to venture a little further, state and national forests, parks, and reserves in Southern California are a short and scenic drive away. Imagine being able to step foot on sand and snow within the same day. With great weather year-round, students are free to explore opportunities beyond campus and discover new passions.

Life in L.A.

Innovative Seminars

The Department maintains a cutting-edge curriculum and research environment. Each semester, a diverse lineup of emerging and prominent scholars conducting pioneering research are invited to visit and present their latest work to students and faculty at weekly graduate seminars. These seminars are organized by USC Economics faculty, and there is one per week in the following research areas–Applied Microeconomics, Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Development Economics, Econometrics, Economic Theory, and Macroeconomics. There are numerous other seminar series on campus organized by other academic departments and schools, catering to a wide range of economic and interdisciplinary interests.

Seminars

usc's wellness dog, beauregard, is excited

professor and students hiking and throwing up the fight-on sign

Real students, real stories

I study the effects of personalized pricing strategy on revenues and consumer welfare in digital markets. At USC, I could partner with a tech company to run an online field experiment. My advisors supported me in developing economic models and machine learning tools to expand my methodological toolkit and research agenda.

Francesco Gabriele Empirical IO, Digital Economics, Experimental & Behavioral Economics, Causal Inference (2019 Cohort)

Being part of the PhD program at USC has been an incredibly enriching experience. My faculty advisors and the Department have been extremely supportive in helping me apply for and secure the necessary funding to conduct fieldwork for my dissertation project. I have also had the opportunity to co-author a paper with two faculty members through a research assistantship at the Center for Economics and Social Research (CESR). The faculty here are very approachable, and the reading groups provide a great setting for all students to get consistent and constructive feedback on our research from faculty members in our respective fields.

Sneha Nimmagadda Development Economics, Applied Microeconomics (2020 Cohort)

I switched my research area to Macroeconomics during the first two years of my PhD. The supportive and broad-ranging faculty at USC Econ made this transition smooth and rewarding. Being surrounded by a group of world-class economists, who treat you as peers, creates a collaborative environment that nurtures idea generation, fosters close mentorship, and often leads to co-authorship.

Qitong Wang Macroeconomics, Macro-Finance, Urban Economics (2019 Cohort)

As a PhD student at USC, I have been able to engage directly in fieldwork. My research has taken me to Kampala, Uganda, where I am developing a pilot study set to launch later this year. The support from USC faculty has been key in facilitating this ongoing research, offering both valuable connections and sustained mentorship.

Mychaela Paetow Environmental Economics, Developmental Economics (2021 Cohort)