Introduction & Message from the Chair

We are pleased that you are considering our graduate program, and in this message I hope to convey some of the things that set our program apart from others. This message gives you information about our department, the University of Washington , and the Pacific Northwest that may help you make a decision about where to go to graduate school.

The UW Department of Economics has a tradition of combining contemporary theory with empirical analysis. In macroeconomics we focus on international macroeconomics, time series analysis, and macroeconomic theory, especially macroeconomic dynamics. In microeconomics, we have strengths in fields such as international trade, labor economics, and contract theory, as well as more policy-oriented fields such as development, environmental and natural resource economics and public finance. You should know that, unlike some departments, we do not attempt to be all things to all people. For instance, students whose primary interest is general equilibrium theory or urban economics might wish to seek a better match.

Our graduate program is successful in training productive scholars, fine teachers, and skilled professionals. In recent years our students have been well placed at research universities and teaching colleges, as well as in nonacademic positions. For example, recent academic placements include the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, and the University of Kansas . Other graduates have taken positions with the International Monetary Fund, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Resources for the Future. Our Ph.D.'s are very successful at publishing in major journals. An article in the April 2000 issue of Economic Inquiry that ranked U.S. departments by the publications of their graduates showed that we were ranked eighth.. While publication is not the goal of everyone applying to our program, we provide good training for those who wish it.

A distinctive and important feature of our program is the willingness of faculty to involve graduate students in their research. This not only provides an environment that nurtures scholarship, it has also led to collaborative research efforts culminating in joint papers written with faculty. As a consequence, our students often graduate with completed research papers that are well advanced in the publication process.

You will find the first year of our program quantitatively demanding, but rewarding. In the first year, we emphasize the core material of micro, macro, and econometric theory--an emphasis that is designed to provide a solid foundation for subsequent course and research work. In their second year, students select from our extensive menu of elective courses. Doctoral students go on to take a number of research seminars that help them select and complete their dissertation research. Most of our doctoral students select research topics that involve quantitative analysis and make extensive use of the applied micro and macro economic theory emphasized in our program.

We offer a number of opportunities for joint work with other schools and departments at the UW. Students with an interest in demography can have access to the teaching, research, library, and computing resources of the Center for the Study of Demography and Ecology, and those with a strong interest in statistical methods can make use of the facilities of the Center for Social Science Computation and Research. In international economics, there are complementary courses in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, as well as in the International Business program in the Graduate School of Business Administration. Students with an interest in environmental and natural resource economics will benefit from the new College of the Environment that is being established at the UW.

If your career goal is teaching at the university level, we strongly recommend our program. Many graduate students have the opportunity to teach their own courses (after the first year), which helps them in their graduate work by reinforcing their understanding of basic principles and requiring them constantly to organize, analyze, and communicate their own ideas. Each year we award several fellowships, as well as a prize to the best graduate teaching assistant. Our graduate students tend to be mutually supportive, and students who receive assistantships find that teaching similar introductory courses encourages interaction and joint effort. Students receiving departmental financial aid are assigned offices.

The University of Washington is a well-respected and highly ranked public institution of higher education. It was recently ranked 4 th among public research universities and 12 th overall by the Center for Measuring University Performance. UW has been the top public recipient of federal research dollars every year since 1974.

Seattle has been rated consistently as one of the best places in the United States to live. With a metropolitan population in excess of one million, Seattle offers extraordinary cultural and recreational opportunities. The climate is mild, though not always sunny, and outdoor activities are considered the best in the country. The University of Washington is located in a residential section of Seattle , five miles north of downtown. Despite its urban location, the campus has a park-like atmosphere with 680 acres that include tall evergreen trees as well as an abundance of rhododendrons and other flowering trees. Two lakes border the campus, and on clear days, mountains are visible in three directions. This constant reminder of natural wilderness, from the midst of urban amenities, makes the campus and the city attractive to urban sophisticates and outdoor recreation enthusiasts alike. The population of Seattle is cosmopolitan; people from every part of the world having discovered this port city and settled here. All of these elements make Seattle a very livable city and an outstanding place to go to graduate school.

If, after reading this message, you find that what we offer matches your interests and needs, we welcome your application.

Robert Halvorsen

Professor and Chair, Department of Economics

Last Updated May 27, 2008