Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Program Description

The Ph.D. degree in Ecological Economics requires 90 credits beyond the Bachelor's degree and 60 beyond the Master's degree. The minimum residency requirement for the Ph.D. is 45 credit hours. Students are required to take ten courses (30 credits) in addition to passing comprehensive exams and proposing, writing, and defending the Ph.D. dissertation. The core requirements consist of three courses: Advanced Macroeconomics, Advanced Microeconomics, and Econometrics. All three courses emphasize applications as an important complement to the study of economic theory and prepare students for written comprehensive examinations in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics. Depending on a student's background, Cost-Benefit Analysis and Quantitative Methods are also taken to prepare for these exams. Two of the following three courses are required to provide core knowledge in the integration of economics and the study of the environment: Natural Resource Economics, Environmental Economics, and Ecological Economics. Other courses offered in the Economics department that complement the Ecological Economics focus include: International Economics, Public Finance, and Economic Analysis of Technological Change. These can be combined with courses offered in other departments and Schools at Rensselaer and the Capital District, so that research programs can be tailored to interdisciplinary interests and career plans. Students are considered each year for admission in the Fall semester.

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