Cornell Ph.D. in Applied Economics & Management
An immersive Ph.D. program
Offered by the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management (AEM) at Cornell University, this Ph.D. program is fully funded, fully residential and fully designed to prepare you to tackle today’s most pressing economics issues.
Earning a doctoral-level degree opens you up to exciting opportunities, whether you plan to teach at the college level, want to pursue a research-related career in industry, or wish to use your skills and knowledge in the nonprofit sector.
Prepare for research-rich careers in academia and industry
Location
Ithaca, NY
Program format
Full-time residential and STEM designated
Program duration
Five years
Why Dyson?
Considered one of the best national programs for research output, a Dyson School Ph.D. combines Ivy League rigor, experiential learning and faculty mentorship.
Fully funded
Our students receive full tuition assistance, plus health insurance and a stipend for all five years.
STEM designated
Our program prepares you to be a researcher in today’s technologically advanced landscape, and provides benefits for students on an F-1 visa.
Flexible and focused
Choose an industry-focused concentration area, such as food and agricultural economics.
Experience-rich
Partnerships across Cornell give you unprecedented teaching and research opportunities.
Our curriculum
The first two years of the program include foundational coursework in economic theory, applied econometrics and macroeconomic research. Then, you’ll progress into general and concentration-specific electives. The heart of the Ph.D. program is your dissertation, and this faculty-mentored, research-based project will be the focus of your final three years.
Find your required courses, degree timeline and other resources listed in the AEM Ph.D. student handbook.
Developing your expertise
As a doctoral student at the Dyson School, you’ll choose one of four concentrations. As you take electives and engage with faculty in these areas, you’ll hone in on your own area of expertise. Within this concentration, you’ll develop your dissertation idea and form your special faculty committee.
Environmental, Energy, and Resource Economics (EERE)
This concentration covers a wide range of existing and emerging environmental issues. EERE students gain environmental economics experience through partnerships with the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and the Cornell Institute for China Economic Research.
Food and Agricultural Economics (FAE)
Explore every link in the food chain, from farm to market to consumer. Our connection to Cornell’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Food Industry Management Program (FIMP) will give you unparalleled access to a broad range of experts.
International & Development Economics (IDE)
This concentration will expand your knowledge of issues including poverty, public health and agriculture. Teaching and research opportunities for IDE students include the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, the Emerging Markets Institute and the Einaudi Center for International Studies.
Strategy and Business Economics (SBE)
Dive into a variety of business-related topics. This concentration seeks to better understand how markets and business work, and how they might work better and more efficiently for the benefit of all.
Industry-leading scholars
Our acclaimed, widely-published faculty have a broad range of expertise and are ready to support students in their area of interest.
Living and learning at Dyson
When you join the Dyson School, you become part of a vibrant, collaborative learning community that impacts people around the world through economic and management research.
Our community
As a Ph.D. student at Dyson, you will make meaningful connections across campus and beyond. You’ll learn from a world-class faculty, engage with ambitious peers, receive close research mentorship and have access to a broad range of academic and career support services.
Our campus
With historic buildings, modern learning spaces, beautiful scenery and plenty of amenities, Cornell is an amazing place to live and learn. We’d love to show you around campus.
Our expertise
Our faculty are experts in many areas, most notably for consulting, consumer packaged goods, financial services, technology and agribusiness. At Dyson, you’ll work alongside some of the most brilliant minds in economics and management.
After your Ph.D.
A senior data scientist at Citibank. A research agricultural economist at the US Department of Agriculture. An assistant professor at Hong Kong University of Technology.
Dyson School Ph.D. graduates take their research experience into academia and industry. As scholars, they teach and continue their research at institutions across the US and abroad. They also serve in high-profile economist, data scientist, advisory and related roles in federal agencies, global financial services firms, nongovernmental organizations and more.
Questions?
Review program qualifications, admissions and application information, costs and other FAQs.
Next steps
Ready to apply? Start the process today.