PhD Economics

The course

Delivery
Full-time, Part-time
Course type
Research
Location
Edinburgh
Entry date
September

Contact

  • Contact

    SoSS Research and Knowledge Exchange Office

  • Telephone

    +44(0) 131 451 4454

  • Email

    soss.pgr@hw.ac.uk

Overview

Economics research at Heriot-Watt is focused around our two research centres:

We also have expertise in the area of Development Economics right from household behaviour through to wider demographic issues, as well as Macro and Monetary Economics, notably monetary policy.

Programme duration

Normally 3 years.

Research

Research projects

In addition to our research on economics of transition, our other research areas include

Research in industrial economics Labour economics research includes the informal sector and labour markets in developing and transition countries.

Applied Econometrics

Instrumental variables estimators and testing procedures for the software package Stata.

Development Economics

Middle-Eastern economies, insurance in developing countries.

Energy Economics

Energy efficiency and utilisation production, resources.

Industrial Economics

Research includes the performance of regulated industries, particularly water, and enterprise restructuring in transition economies.

Macroeconomics

Monetary policy fiscal policy, exchange rate regimes, EMU, and gravity models of trade.

Entry requirements

We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates. Please note that it is not necessary to have identified a potential supervisor before submitting your application.

Students successful in obtaining a place on our PhD programme normally commence their research studies at the start of the academic year in September. However, it is possible to join the PhD programme at an agreed date during the academic year.

Applications should be submitted via the Heriot-Watt online application portal.

N.B: In order that your application can be processed please ensure all of the supporting documents listed below are submitted with your application:

1. Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates

Copies of full academic transcripts from all previous academic degree courses and copies of degree certificates for degrees already awarded.

If you are currently pursuing a degree course please provide all available marks to date.

2. Research Proposal

The research proposal should be around 5-8 pages long and contain as much as possible of the following: an introduction or outline of the proposed topic; a statement of objectives and/or specific research questions; a summary of some of the relevant literature which supports the research objective(s); an indication of the intended research methodology; an indication of the theoretical structure and/or conceptual outline; a provisional timetable of the major phases of the research process; results expected from the research e.g. practical value of the research or possible contributions to knowledge or policy or methodology. At this stage we are not looking for a definitive document but merely an indication that you have thought through most of the above issues.

Please note that work submitted may be subject to screening via plagiarism software.

3. English Language Requirements

See section on English Language Requirements below.

4. Funding Information

You should confirm how you are proposing to fund your studies.

5. References

If you have references available these should be submitted with your application. If they are not currently available please ensure that you provide the names and contact details, including email addresses, of two academic referees on the application form. You may also submit a Curriculum Vitae if you wish.

English language requirements

If you have not already studied a degree programme that was taught and examined in the medium of English we require evidence of language proficiency:

For IELTS: the minimum overall IELTS score is 6.5 with no score lower than 6.0 in Reading, Writing, speaking and Listening.

Read further information on Tier 4 (General) student visa.

Fees

Tuition fees for entry
Status Full-time Part-time
UK £ TBC £ TBC
Overseas £ 19056 £ 9528

Footnotes

  1. Your residency 'status' is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course. Find out more about tuition fees.
  2. Overseas includes applications from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in the UK. Read more about the application process for EU nationals.

Scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View our full range of research scholarships.