phd economics washington university st louis

2023-24 Bulletin

The Department of Economics at Washington University has a strong reputation for preparing high-quality PhD students for academic positions as well as for private- and public-sector jobs. We accept qualified students from any field who possess strong analytical abilities in mathematics and statistics to complete a challenging  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Economics . The department offers students financial support while they remain in good academic  standing for the duration of the program length.

The Department of Economics also offers two standalone Master of Arts (AM) programs. The Accelerated AM in Economics is available only to qualified Washington University undergraduates. The AM in Economics is available to all qualified students from any field. These programs provide students with the analytical background to prepare them for a diverse set of careers, from positions in government, business, and nonprofit organizations to further graduate studies.

Contact Info

George-Levi Gayle John H. Biggs Distinguished Professorship in Economics PhD, University of Pittsburgh Econometric theory; contract theory; labor economics; personnel economics; corporate governance

Associate Chair

Francisco (Paco) Buera Sam B. Cook Professor of Economics PhD, University of Chicago Macroeconomics; macroeconomic development

Endowed Professors

Costas Azariadis Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences Weidenbaum Center Research Fellow PhD, Carnegie Mellon University Macroeconomic dynamics; economic development; monetary and fiscal policy

Michele Boldrin Joseph Gibson Hoyt Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences PhD, University of Rochester Economic theory; economic growth; macroeconomics

Steven Fazzari Bert A. and Jeanette L. Lynch Distinguished Professor of Economics PhD, Stanford University Macroeconomics; Keynesian economics; investment and finance

Limor Golan Laurence H. Meyer Professor of Economics PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison Labor economics; applied microeconomics; applied econometrics

Rodolfo Manuelli James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor Graduate Admissions Officer PhD, University of Minnesota Economic growth and development economics; macro and monetary economics

Werner Ploberger Thomas H. Eliot Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences PhD, Vienna University of Technology Statistics; econometric methodology; time-series econometrics

Robert Pollak Hernreich Distinguished Professor of Economics PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Environmental economics; microeconomics/industrial organization; business and government; political economy

Yongseok Shin Douglass C. North Distinguished Professor of Economics PhD, Stanford University Macroeconomics; economic growth

Ping Wang Seigle Family Professor NBER Research Associate PhD, University of Rochester Growth/development; money/macro; economic theory; spatial/health economics

Gaetano Antinolfi Weidenbaum Center Research Fellow PhD, Cornell University Macroeconomics; monetary and international economics

Marcus Berliant PhD, University of California, Berkeley Public finance; mathematical economics; urban economics

Ismael Mourifié PhD, University of Montréal Microeconomics (theory and applications)

John Nachbar PhD, Harvard University Economic theory

Brian Rogers PhD, California Institute of Technology Microeconomic theory, in particular, the fields of network formation, social learning, and applied game theory

Jonathan Weinstein Director of Graduate Studies PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Microeconomic theory, game theory

M. Bumin Yenmez PhD, Stanford Graduate School of Business Microeconomic theory, mechanism and market design, choice theory

Associate Professors

Gaurab Aryal PhD, Pennsylvania State University Industrial organization; empirical industrial organization

Ana Babus PhD, Erasmus University Rotterdam Microeconomic theory; finance

Sukkoo Kim PhD, University of California, Los Angeles Economic history; urban and regional economics; trade and development

SangMok Lee PhD, California Institute of Technology Microeconomics

Assistant Professors

Ian Fillmore PhD, University of Chicago Intersection of industrial organization, labor economics, and econometrics; economics of education and education markets

Sanghmitra Gautam PhD, University College London Development economics; applied microeconometrics; public economics

Andrew Jordan PhD, University of Chicago Labor markets, discrimination, and criminal justice

Teaching Professor

Sudeshna Bandyopadhyay PhD, University of Maryland

Senior Lecturer

Maria Canon PhD, University of Rochester

Grace J. Yan Johnson Director of Master's Program PhD, Oklahoma State University

Affiliated Faculty

Mariagiovanna Baccara PhD, Princeton University

Scott A. Baker JD, University of Chicago PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Serdar Birinci PhD, University of Minnesota

James Bullard PhD, Indiana University

John Drobak JD, Stanford University

Maximiliano Dvorkin PhD, Yale University

Philip H. Dybvig PhD, Yale University

Miguel Faria-e-Castro PhD, New York University

Leonard Green PhD, State University of New York

Barton Hamilton PhD, Stanford University

Julian Kozlowski PhD, New York University

Oksana Leukhina PhD, University of Minnesota

Glenn MacDonald PhD, University of Rochester

Fernando Martin PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Serdar Ozkan PhD, University of Pennsylvania

Camillo Padoa-Schioppa PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Paulia Restrepo-Echavarria PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

Juan Sanchez PhD, University of Rochester

Guillaume Vandenbroucke PhD, University of Rochester

Michael Zdinak PhD, Washington University in St. Louis

Professors Emeriti

Lee K. Benham PhD, Stanford University

David Levine John H. Biggs Distinguished Professor Emeritus PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Wilhelm Neuefeind PhD, Universität Bonn

Robert Parks PhD, Purdue University

Bruce C. Petersen Bert and Jeanette Lynch Distinguished Professor Emeritus PhD, Harvard University

Accelerated AM in Economics

The Department of Economics offers a Five-Year Accelerated Master's Degree to qualified Arts & Sciences undergraduate students at Washington University. More information about the Five-Year Accelerated Master's Degree program requirements and application process can be found on the department website.

AM in Economics

This program requires the completion of 30 credits of graduate-level course work, which is equivalent to two to three semesters of enrollment, depending on course load. A grade point average of B (3.0) or better must be maintained in graduate course work. The minimum residence requirement is one full academic year of graduate study.

Information about fundamental courses and electives is available on the Master's Degree Program Structure page of the Department of Economics website.

PhD in Economics

General course requirements.

The PhD in Economics takes five years to complete and requires at least 30 units of 500-level courses with a 3.0 grade point average. Students may transfer up to 24 units of graduate credits completed elsewhere, but they are advised to make such a transfer only after consultation with the director of graduate studies.

Courses taken must include the following:

• Microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory: 12 units ( Econ 501 , Econ 502 , Econ 503 , Econ 504 ); and
• Quantitative methods and econometrics: 9 units ( Econ 511 , Econ 512 , Econ 5161 ).

An Ideal Chronology of PhD Study

Summer Before the First Year (August)

• Mathematics review and statistics review

Core Courses:

• Preliminary exams in late August; retake preliminary exams (if necessary) in January
• Field courses
• Research paper proposal 
• Complete research paper
• Dissertation proposal 
• Write dissertation
• Prepare and present job market paper
• Enter the job market
• Finish and defend the dissertation

More information on degree requirements may be found on the Department of Economics website .

Discover New Knowledge in Finance

Get Your PhD in Finance

Olin’s PhD in Finance emphasizes rigorous analytical training and prepares you to pursue a career in research and teaching at leading academic institutions across the globe.

As a PhD student in Finance, you will train alongside some of the most respected and accomplished academics in the world. Students in this program have strong quantitative backgrounds and analytical abilities, typically with undergraduate training in economics, mathematics, engineering or another quantitative discipline as well as high GMAT/GRE scores.

Finance research is mostly based on economic models, which are used to address problems such as the allocation of capital, risk and rewards in the economy. Empirical work widely uses the tools of econometrics—the application of statistics to economics. Mathematical tools are extremely important in finance, helping to solve sophisticated models that reflect, as closely as possible, the important features of the market.

You have the unique opportunity to benefit from and engage in corporate collaborations with partners such as Equifax and Alibaba. These collaborations have resulted in unique access to robust datasets and have already yielded several dynamic working papers.

Our research-active faculty members are easily accessible to you. Collaboration is encouraged early in the program, with faculty/student joint research resulting in co-authored papers published in important journals.

Our finance faculty members are active and renowned researchers dedicated to advancing the understanding of financial economics. Their research interests encompass many areas of finance, both empirical and theoretical topics, including banking and financial intermediation, corporate finance, corporate control and capital structure, mergers and acquisitions, asset pricing models, investments and portfolio allocation models, and market microstructure.

Research papers by faculty members have recently been published in well-respected journals such as:

• Journal of Finance
• Journal of Financial Economics
• Review of Financial Studies
• Econometrica
• Management Science
• Journal of Financial Intermediation
• Harvard Business Review

Read about collaborative research by Finance faculty and PhD students.

As part of the program, you have access to the Wells Fargo Advisors Center for Finance and Accounting Research (WFA-CFAR). In addition to organizing a number of conferences that bring cutting-edge researchers to Olin, WFA-CFAR also funds data acquisition and student travel.

PhD Finance

Olin’s PhD program in finance emphasizes rigorous analytical training and prepares you to pursue a career in research and teaching.

Research Center Collaboration

The Wells Fargo Advisors Center for Accounting Research is dedicated to the dissemination of cutting-edge research in finance and accounting.

PhD in Finance Curriculum

Prior to the first year, we require mandatory attendance at math camp (offered through the Economics department).

Required Courses

• MEC 610 Microeconomics I (3 credits)
• MEC 611 Microeconomics II (3 credits)
• L11 511 Quantitative Methods I (3 credits)
• L11 5161 Applied Econometrics (3 credits)
• B52 620 Empirical Methods in Finance (if available first year; if not, required in the second year)
• B52 652 Introduction to Asset Pricing
• B52 655 Introduction to Corporate Finance

Prerequisites for FIN 642

• B62 538 Stochastic Foundations for Finance
• B62 539 Mathematical Finance

Olin PhD Finance courses – you will take one of the following groups of courses:

• B52 FIN 643 Info Econ & Corp Finance Theory (3 credits) – Prof. Anjan Thakor
• B52 FIN 642 Advanced Continuous Finance (1.5 credits) – Prof. Phil Dybvig (Pre requisite: B62 539 Mathematical Finance and B62 538 Stochastic Foundations for Finance)
• B52 651 Topics in Finance (1.5 credits)
• B52 654 Empirical Methods in Asset Pricing (1.5 credits) – Prof. Asaf Manela
• Compulsory attendance in all finance brown bag lunches and Friday Seminars
• First-year summer paper; papers are due by end of September after the first year.
• In the summer of the first year, students must meet with the faculty coordinator to discuss progress and complete a progress report to be submitted to the PhD Office by September 1 after the first year.
• The Micro Prelim Exam is offered in August. Students must receive a “Distinction/Honors” or “PhD pass” to continue in the PhD program. One retake of the exam is permitted.
• In August after the first year, students must attend an RA/TA orientation offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning.
• B52 FIN 615A and B Research in Finance (both semesters)
• B52 620 Empirical Methods in Finance (if not taken during the first year)
• Directed readings and/or independent studies

Olin PhD Finance courses—you will take one of the following groups of courses:

Other Electives (see below for some choices)

• B50 665 Applied Empirical Research in Accounting
• B53 620 Empirical Methods in Business
• B50 664 Doctoral Seminar in Financial Accounting
• B55 675 Empirical Methods in Structural Modeling
• B62 500R Topics in Quantitative Finance
• E35 516 Optimization in Function Space
• L11 501 Macroeconomics I
• L11 518B Seminar in Applied Econometrics II: Time Series Analysis and Macroeconomics
• B54 661 Analysis of Time Series Data
• Compulsory attendance in all finance brown bag lunches and department seminars
• Second-year summer paper; papers are due by the end of September after the second year.
• Second-year paper—Students must have paper approved by faculty to continue in the PhD program. Papers will be presented to faculty in fall of the third year.
• Field exam, given in June after the second year. Students must pass the field exam to continue in the PhD program.
• In the summer, students must meet with the faculty coordinator to discuss progress and complete a progress report to be submitted to the PhD office by September 1.
• B25 615 A and B Research in Finance (both semesters)
• B53 660 Seminar in Presentation Skills (fall semester, required)
• Improvisation Course
• Compulsory attendance in all finance brown bag lunches and Friday seminars
• Second year paper (due in September of third year) must be presented during a brown bag seminar before October 30 and must be approved by the faculty to continue in the PhD program.
• Dissertation research
• Paper presentations (brown bag seminars and conferences)
• Dissertation Proposal—Students must be able to assemble a Research Advisory Committee for the proposal of their dissertation and must submit a Title, Scope and Procedure Form as the committee’s approval of the proposed dissertation by September 30 of the fifth year.
• Paper presentations (job market paper presentations with faculty and at conferences)
• Intent to Graduate (complete form online)
• Job market and placement
• Oral defense of dissertation
• Submission of Examination Approval form, which signifies committee’s approval
• Upload of final, approved dissertation to Graduate School of Arts &Sciences
• Submission of Documented Teaching Requirements to PhD office

Download Finance PhD course descriptions

Armando Gomes

Associate Professor

• [email protected]
• 314.935.4569

Asaf Manela

• [email protected]
• 314.935.9178

Doctoral Programs

Campus Box 1133-124-05 One Brookings Drive St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

• [email protected]
• 314-935-6340

Office Hours: Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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• PhD Bulletin
• Research collaborations PDF
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Graduate Programs

Thank you for your interest in the Graduate Program in Economics at the University of Washington. We offer a program leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics. The PhD program is for students interested in pursuing advanced study and doing original research in economics. This program develops professional economists for a variety of careers in teaching, in government, in industry, or with international agencies in the United States and abroad.

Quan Wen Professor, Graduate Program Director

Overview of the Doctoral Program's three phases .

Econ Graduate Student Resources

• Graduate Guide for Students (PDF) A detailed description of the current requirements for the MA and PhD degrees.
• Supervisory Committee Form (PDF) Students may either collect signatures or emails from their prospective committee members. Emails should be printed out and stapled to the back of the committee form.
• Supervisory Committee Change Request   Students need to collect signatures and submit this form for any committee changes
• Econ Grad Job Placement Profiles of some of our recent graduates who have been placed in both academic and non-academic positions.
• How We Allocate TAs (PDF) A description of the process by which students are ranked for funding purposes.
• Graduate Student Travel Policy (PDF) Please refer to this for questions about grad student travel reimbursement.

More Resources

• The UW Graduate School
• Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program
• Computational Finance Certificate Program
• Affiliated Research Centers
• The UW Business School
• The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies
• College of Forest Resources/Forest Economics
• Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology
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Doctor of Philosophy in Economics

• Fall January 10

International students may need to surpass the Graduate School’s minimum English language proficiency exam scores for this program. If the graduate program has unique score requirements, they will be detailed below. Otherwise, please refer to the Graduate School’s minimum score guidelines.

Degree Description:

The PhD in Economics is designed to prepare students for careers as professional economists in academia, government, and the private sector. The program is structured so that a student with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and an appointment as a graduate assistant should be able to complete the required coursework within three academic years, excluding summer sessions. Students with a Master of Arts in Applied Economics degree may be able to complete the required coursework in less time, depending on the content and quality of the previous work. The length of time required to complete the dissertation varies greatly but students usually complete the entire program, including the dissertation, within four years.

Admission Requirements:

Statement of Purpose, Three letters of recommendation, CV, GRE, Unofficial Transcripts

Student Opportunities:

The collaboration between students and professors is really close, our offices are often next to each other, and it is common for professors to coauthor papers with PhD students, which turn into journal publications. In the last years, coauthored papers with our students were published in journals such as BE Journal of Macroeconomics, Economic Inquiry ,  Canadian Journal of Economics ,  Journal of Environmental Economics and Management , and  Economic Letters , among others. In addition, the environment between students and professors is very collegial, and we meet once a week (normally after seminars) for drinks in a more relaxed environment.

We fund around 80% of admitted students, who receive graduate assistantships from our School. The rest of students are often funded by governments in their home countries, or foundations, such as the Fulbright or the Soros Foundations.

Career Opportunities:

Professional Economists in academia, government, and the private sector

Career Placements:

Health Research Scientist, Texas A&M Assistant Professor, Eastern Washington University Economist and Research Fellow, Center for Disease Control in Atlanta

Contact Information:

• Jaimie Dahl, Asst. to the Director, & Graduate Coordinator [email protected]
• Jeffrey Luckstead, Associate Professor, & Graduate Studies Chair [email protected]

Washington University in St. Louis

Ranked in 8 program s and 10+ specialt ies

Social Sciences and Humanities

Explore This School's Social Sciences and Humanities School

Program and Specialty rankings

• # 30 in Economics  (tie)
• # 18 in Macroeconomics  (tie)

Department of Economics Contact Information

Campus Box 1208 , St. Louis , MO 63130-4899

(314) 935-5670

[email protected]

• # 30 in English  (tie)

Department of English Contact Information

Campus Box 1122 , St. Louis , MO 63130

(314) 935-5190

[email protected]

• # 34 in History  (tie)

Department of History Contact Information

Campus Box 1062 , St. Louis , MO 63130

(314) 935-5450

[email protected]

Political Science

• # 12 in Political Science  (tie)
• # 15 in American Politics
• # 18 in Comparative Politics  (tie)
• # 26 in International Politics  (tie)
• # 8 in Political Methodology

Department of Political Science Contact Information

207 Seigle Hall , St. Louis , MO 63130-4899

(314) 935-5810

[email protected]

• # 23 in Psychology  (tie)
• # 8 in Cognitive Psychology  (tie)

Department of Psychology Contact Information

One Brookings Drive , St. Louis , MO 63130-4899

(314) 935-6520

[email protected]

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Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy

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Governor of the Federal Reserve Board Adriana D. Kugler and Weidenbaum Center Director Andrew Reeves at April 2024 Forum event

Hilke Schellmann, emmy award winning journalist and April 2024 forum speaker

National Science Foundation (NSF) Program Officer Lee Walker presenting at February 2024 NSF Grants Conference, hosted by the Weidenbaum Center.

Fall 2023 Women's Networking & Public Policy Event

2023 Weidenbaum Center Annual Reception

About the Center

The Weidenbaum Center is a research institute at Washington University in St. Louis that supports social scientific research in the fields of public policy, economics, political science, and sociology. The Center funds faculty research, provides administrative support for research activities, and sponsors a wide range of public affairs programs. In doing so, the Center serves as a bridge between scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Through unbiased empirical research and events, the Center addresses many of the pressing public policy issues facing America and the world today. 

Weidenbaum Center Location:

The Center is located on the Washington University Danforth Campus in Seigle Hall, Suite 170. We are on the first floor of the building. After entering the main front doors to the building, take a left and we are located just past the main stairwell to the right by the elevator. Click here for campus map & closest parking garage

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How the Key Bridge collapse, Panama drought and Red Sea attacks affect St. Louis companies

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Laura Hurtado-Moreno

Phd Candidate in Economics

Washington University in St. Louis

email: laurah AT wustl.edu

I am a PhD Candidate in Economics at Washington University in St. Louis. My research focuses on structural models of school choice and matching theory.

• The Graduate Center

Incoming Graduate and Professional Students Resource Fair & Fare

Incoming graduate and professional students from all schools are invited to learn about university resources available to our graduate and professional students and designed to support your academic journey and professional development.

A list of participating resources is included below. Additionally, students will also have the opportunity to learn about university-wide graduate student organizations and how to get involved – all while enjoying a variety of St. Louis fare!

Registration and more details will be available later this summer.

List of campus resources at the event:

• Athletics/Sumers Recreation Center
• Becker Medical Library
• Campus Card Services/Bear Bucks
• Campus Store
• Center for Career Engagement
• Center for Diversity & Inclusion
• Center for Teaching and Learning
• Child and Family Care Resources
• Dining Services
• Disability Resources
• Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
• Habif Health and Wellness (Danforth campus students)
• Office of International Students & Scholars
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• Quadrangle Housing
• Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center
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• University Libraries and Data Services
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Arts & Sciences

Economic Theory Center

Faculty Bios

David Ahn is a Professor of Economics at the Olin Business School, specializing in economic theory with a focus on voting theory, mechanism design, game theory, and decision theory. He has held editorial roles in journals like Econometrica, Theoretical Economics, and the Journal of Economic Theory. Before joining Olin, he was a Professor in the Economics Department of UC Berkeley. Currently, he is actively involved in the WUSTL Cluster Hire Review Committee and the Olin Racial Equity Task Force.

Gaurab Aryal is an Associate Professor of Economics. 

Ana Babus is an Associate Professor of Economics. Prior to joining WUSTL in 2017, Ana Babus was a financial economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Previously, she served as a research fellow at the University of Cambridge, a postdoc at Princeton University’s Bendheim Center for Finance, and an Assistant Professor at Imperial College London. Babus’ research has appeared in journals such as Econometrica, Journal of Economic Theory, Journal of Financial Economics, and RAND Journal of Economics. Her recent research topics include over-the-counter markets and financial intermediation.

Mariagiovanna Baccara is a Professor of Economics at the Olin Business School. She is a fellow of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and the Society of Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), and she holds editorial positions at the American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Theoretical Economics, and International Journal of Industrial Organization. Her work has been published in the American Economic Review, the Review of Economic Studies, and other leading academic journals. Currently, her main research interests involve matching, the markets for information, and organization theory. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University in 2003, and she was faculty at NYU Stern before joining Olin.

Marcus Berliant is a mathematical economist at WUSTL who works primarily in urban economics and public finance. After graduating from Cornell University as a College Scholar with a BA in nothing in particular, he received an MA in statistics from the University of California, Berkeley with Betty Scott as his adviser, and then a Ph.D. in economics as Gerard Debreu’s advisee. His first job was at the University of Rochester, a cold and distant outpost, where he interacted with many faculty including Lionel McKenzie and Bill Riker, both of whom had a big impact on his research. Moving to WUSTL in 1994, he received the Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award in 2003, Outstanding Faculty Mentor Awards in 2000 and 2002 for his work with graduate students, and was elected a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International in 2005 and a Fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory in 2023. Uncle Marcus is fond of dogs and his graduate students, 42 of whom have completed their doctorates and one of whom was his boss.

Armando Gomes is an Associate Professor of Finance at Olin Business School, specializing in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and economics. His research leverages game theory and economic tools to develop and assess models, with a focus on recurring themes such as asymmetric information, incentive problems, and topics related to bargaining and contracting. Prior to joining Olin, Armando was at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.

Brett Green is an economist and a Professor of Finance at the Olin Business School. Prior to joining Olin, Brett was a tenured associate professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, a M.S. in financial mathematics from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree of science in economics and engineering from Duke University. His areas of expertise include financial economics, corporate finance, contract theory, and microeconomic theory. In his research, Brett studies the behavior of strategic agents in dynamic settings with an emphasis on the role of learning in markets with information frictions.  Recently, he has been working on how to design contracts to make credit markets more efficient in developing countries. He is currently serving as an associate editor for the Journal of Finance and the Journal of Financial Economics.

SangMok Lee is an Associate Professor of Economics, specializing in microeconomic theory, matching, and revealed preferences. His current research focuses on dynamic matching markets using queues and exchange economies with indivisible goods. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the California Institute of Technology in 2012 and joined the economics faculty at the University of Pennsylvania as a lecturer before becoming an Assistant Professor. In the fall of 2017, he joined WUSTL.

John Nachbar is a professor in the WUSTL Department of Economics. He is a microeconomic theorist who has worked in both general equilibrium theory and game theory. He is particularly known for his work on the learning and evolutionary foundations of equilibrium in games. He is a fellow of both the Econometric Society and the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory.

Paulo Natenzon is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Olin Business School. His areas of expertise include Economic Theory, Decision Theory, and Behavioral Economics. His work has been published in leading economics journals such as the American Economic Review, Econometrica, and the Journal of Political Economy. He got a PhD in Economics from Princeton in 2011.

Werner Ploberger is Thomas H. Eliot Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences. His research focus is in the areas of statistics, econometric methodology and time-series econometrics. Prior to joining WashU in 2006, he has been affiliated with Vienna University of Technology (Austria), the University of St. Andrew (Scotland) and the University of Rochester. He was tenured in 1993 (Vienna University of Technology) and promoted to full in 1995 (University of St. Andrews). Werner received his Ph.D. degree in applied mathematics at Vienna University of Technology in 1981 and his Habilitation in Econometrics there in 1993.

Brian Rogers is a Professor of Economics and the Director of Missouri Social Science Experimental Laboratory. He specializes in microeconomic theory, in particular the fields of network formation, social learning, and applied game theory. Prior to joining WUSTL  in 2013, Brian was an Associate Professor of Managerial Economics & Decision Sciences at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He earned a Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the California Institute of Technology.

Jonathan Weinstein is a Professor of Economics and the Director of Graduate Studies in Economics at WUSTL. His research focuses on microeconomic theory and game theory. Before joining WUSTL in 2013, he served as an Associate Professor at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Jonathan earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005.

M. Bumin Yenmez is a professor in the WUSTL Department of Economics. He studies economic design, recently focusing on affirmative action and diversity issues. Policies that he helped design have been adopted in various settings, such as assigning students to schools in New York and Chile, and state-level vaccine allocation. He taught at Boston College and Carnegie Mellon University and worked as a researcher at Microsoft Research New England before joining WUSTL in the summer of 2023. He currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Economic Theory. He received his bachelor’s degree at the California Institute of Technology and his doctorate at Stanford University.

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• Graduate Studies in A&S

PhD Admissions FAQ

Application status, how can i check the status of my application.

You can login to the admissions website to see whether your materials have been received. We begin to check-in material in mid-December.

What are my chances of being accepted?

Admission to the PhD program in Economics at Washington in St. Louis is a competitive process, and your chances of being admitted will differ from year to year depending on the strength of the applicant pool. It is impossible for us to prescreen candidates, the only way to know your chances of being accepted to our program is to apply.

Before Applying

Can i send you my transcripts/background to see if i am a good candidate for your program.

No. The only way to know your chances is to apply. We WILL NOT prescreen candidates.

Application Materials

Do i need to submit an official transcript.

No. We require a scan of your transcript to be uploaded to our admissions site. If an offer is made, we will then ask you to provide the official transcripts.  

Can I get a TOEFL waiver?

If you have received a graduate or undergraduate degree from a US institution, the TOEFL requirement is waived. You do not need to send a special request. The exception does not apply to other English speaking countries.

I will graduate from my current program in May of next year. Do I still have to submit a TOEFL?

As long as your degree is conferred before the beginning of our program, you are waived from providing the TOEFL exam.

How can I change/update a recommender?

Please email Graduate Admissions at [email protected]​​​​​​​ with the information that you would like to change. No phone calls, please.  

May I submit an IELTS?

Yes, you must have your scores mailed to Graduate Admissions, [email protected]​​​​​​​ .  

I’m still working on finishing my coursework. Can I update my application when new grades are given?

Yes, you may update your application at any time simply by logging into the admissions system.  

What are the WashU codes for GRE and TOEFL?

GRE - 6929, TOEFL - 6929

I have a new GRE score being released after the deadline. Can I use the new score?

We begin reviewing applications December 5.  You are welcome to update your application and scores at any point but we will review what we have on file, it's important to have your application complete by the deadline.  

Fellowships

Should i apply for the chancellor's graduate fellowship or the spencer t. & ann w. olin fellowship for women in graduate study if i qualify.

Yes.  Applying for the fellowships does not impact admission decision, but provides an additional source of funding.

Can I be considered for a fellowship?

Washington University encourages and gives full consideration to all applicants for admission, financial aid, and employment. The university also offers competitive fellowships .

If your question was not answered or have additional questions, please contact Shauna McCann .

It's easy to start your application.

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Martin, O’Sullivan receive Outstanding Faculty Awards from Graduate Student Senate

The McKelvey Engineering faculty were among eight faculty, five staff who received awards

Randall Martin and Joseph O’Sullivan, both professors in the McKelvey School of Engineering, were awarded Outstanding Faculty Awards from the Graduate Student Senate April 10, 2024.

Martin, the Raymond R. Tucker Distinguished Professor, and O’Sullivan, professor and dean of the UMSL/WashU Joint Undergraduate Engineering Program and the Samuel C. Sachs Professor of Electrical Engineering, were among 12 faculty and staff honored at the event.

The awards, now in their 25 th year, honor faculty and staff who positively impact the graduate student experience. Faculty are selected based contributions to graduate students’ quality of life and workplace, scholarly development and professional development, and staff members are selected based on contributions to graduate student community development, personal relationship building and advocacy on behalf of graduate students. 

Martin, an internationally renowned atmospheric expert, was praised for creating an environment for students in which all are valued and included, as well as for fostering intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and academic excellence. Martin's research focuses on characterizing atmospheric composition to address environmental and public health challenges ranging from air quality to climate change.

O’Sullivan was praised for his role as co-director of the Imaging Science PhD program in which he works to improve the quality of life for students by encouraging and implementing student feedback. In addition, he was recognized for his part in starting an imaging science student seminar series, now in its fifth year, as a way for all students to share their imaging related research.

A full list of the current and past award winners can be found on the  Graduate Student Senate website .

Click on the topics below for more stories in those areas

• Graduate Students
• Electrical & Systems Engineering
• Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering

Faculty in this story

Randall Martin

Joseph O'Sullivan

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Office of the Provost

• 2024 She Leads Symposium @ WashU

2024 She Leads Program

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (reception to follow) clark-fox forum, hillman hall at washington university (danforth campus).

Workshop with Laurie R. Weingart, PhD Laurie R. Weingart, PhD, Richard M. and Margaret S. Cyert Professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University; Author of “The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work”

Welcome Remarks

Ida H. Early Composing a Life Panel

3MT® Research Presentations and Awards

Networking Lunch

Fellowship Impact Panel

Karl King Hoagland, Jr. Keynote Speaker Laurie R. Weingart, PhD, Richard M. and Margaret S. Cyert Professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University; Author of “The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work”

4 p.m. Networking Reception

Frequently Asked Questions

There is no cost to attend the Symposium. However, we do ask that if you register to attend and your plans change, please notify us so that we can plan accordingly.

Those who wish to attend the breakfast and/or lunch much register in advance. Onsite registration for the panel events and keynote is available as space permits. However, we do ask that if you register to attend and your plans change, please notify us so that we can plan accordingly.

Those who wish to attend the breakfast and/or lunch much register in advance. Onsite registration for the panel events and keynote is available as space permits.

Guests are welcome to attend. Separate registration for each individual attending is required.

This is easy! Please email [email protected] if you need to amend your registration.

The Symposium takes place at Clark-Fox Forum, Hillman Hall at Washington University in St. Louis. Visitors to campus may park in the East End Garage, between Forest Park Parkway and Forsyth (west of Skinker). Parking validations will be available non-WashU community members.

Business casual attire is suggested.

The symposium venue is easily accessible by everyone. If you have additional/particular needs, please feel free to contact [email protected].

Check out highlights of the She Leads Symposium @ WashU 2023 here

• Graduate Admissions, Academics, and Policies
• Graduate Student Experience and Resources
• PhD Education and Governance
• The Ann W. and Spencer T. Olin – Chancellor’s Fellowship
• The Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Fellowship Program for Women in Graduate Study
• University Awards
• External Funding

Department of Neurology

Section of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Disease

Song Hu, PhD

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering