Warwick Economics PhD Training An outline for First Year students

1. Warwick Economics PhD TrainingAn outline for First Year students Michael Waterson Professor of Economics Director of Research Students

2. An outline of the programme • Year 1: Courses and Exams in first two terms (second set of exams in May) • Methodology of Social Science module (if desired/ required) after exams (May/June). • Year 2: Research development, defence and upgrade • Years 3 and 4: Presentations/ posters • Year 4+: Jobmarket

3. Teaching programme- year 1 • First two terms: Macro, Micro, Econometrics, 2 options. • The nature of the options • Exams count and are tough! • Do the exercises! • No monopoly of wisdom in Economics • At end of term 2: Write/ refine a veryshort proposal regarding thesis work, together with suggested supervisors: supervisors allocated from term 3 • Exams in May • Start research and substantive discussions with supervisors

4. Year 2: Defence and upgrade • Your supervisors become your primary point of contact • Assuming exams are passed by now: • Commence work on thesis ideas • If empirical, recommend you take Prof Lavy’s course- Developing a Research Question • Upgrade demonstrates feasibility of an idea, probably relating principally to one paper • Topic choice considerations: • Be strategic about topic area • Try to be ahead of the curve, not copying others • Theory is not superior! • It is quality, not length, that makes a good thesis • Upgrade takes place 6-9 months after completion of exam material (e.g. December/ March)

5. Some top PhD titles from LSE moving into jobs 2011 and 2012 • The Economic Impact of Social Ties: Evidence from German Reunification • Labour Tying and Poverty in a Rural Economy: Evidence from Bangladesh • The Impact of Search Costs on Consumer Behaviour: a Dynamic Approach • Comparisons and Choice • Wishful Thinking • Unemployment History and Frictional Wage Dispersion • Advertising Expenditure and Consumer Prices

6. Years 3, 4 plus • Reading groups, • Writing, • presentations, • poster sessions • Developing a thick skin! • Job-market (Professor Valentina Corradi) • Presentation is a useful and important discipline! • Do not drift!

7. Funding • Most (approx 80%) of our PhD students have funding for their PhD, • particularly beyond year 1 • Wide variety of sources (including Department, primarily through teaching) • No funding guarantees • Relatively limited funding opportunities for non-EU research students

8. Departmental facilities • Departmental space is limited and the price mechanism is not much used in the space allocation process (i.e. we can’t buy more), but we are promised more later in the academic year • You will be offered shared room-space (and computer and printer access) which will depend on whether you are a first or subsequent year student and on whether you teach or not. • You are free to use the kitchen (subject to keeping it in reasonable order) and staff common room • For other details about facilities, see the Postgrad office staff

9. University facilities • The Graduate School provides various facilities for graduate students, in addition to those provided in the Department • Skills courses (Research students skills programme) • Developing DTC courses • Graduate school website for details on induction sessions etc

10. The DTC • Warwick (and ~25 other bodies) has a doctoral training centre funded by the ESRC • This is a new development, first students last academic year • DTC means certain obligations on the student, but funding is generous (and currently Economics is being treated as a special case) • “Training needs assessment” form; some unusual requirements • Some commitment to University training activities

11. Departmental seminars • 3 seminar series- CAGE, CRETA, Departmental • You should attend the most relevant of 1st two (i.e. either CAGE or CRETA) and preferably also Departmental • Papers outside your field can be very useful! • Also workshop series for internal speakers

12. Names • The importance of “contact points”