Northwestern's Ph.D. program in Economics owes its international reputation to an outstanding faculty, a well-organized program of study, extensive student-faculty interaction, and an excellent record of recruiting, training, and placing talented graduate students.
The Department of Economics at Northwestern University is among the best in the United States. A recent study in the Journal of Economic Perspectives ranked it number five for publications in the eight most-cited academic journals during 1990-94. In addition, the list of the top fifty most productive faculty members over the period included eight people with current or former Northwestern affiliations.
U.S. News and World Report ranked us number eight overall in graduate programs in economics, but number three in industrial organization, six in microeconomic theory, and nine in macroeconomics. The department also maintains considerable strengths in labor economics, economic history, economic theory and the economics of transportation and regulation.
Thirteen Northwestern economists are elected fellows of the Econometric Society. Five members of the department are elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Thirteen are faculty research fellows, or research associates, of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Among department faculty are a recent coeditor of Econometrica, a recent editor of the Journal of Economic History, the president of the Society of Economic Dynamics and Control, and the first non-European president of the European Association for Research in Industrial Organization.
In recent years, our faculty have taken leaves for public service in Washington, D.C. including service on the Council of Economic Advisors and as Chief Economist of the Federal Communications Commission.
One of our Ph.D. alumni was recently awarded a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Award."
Economics PhD students are able to study not only with the department's 35 professors but also with the many economists at Northwestern's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, ranked first or second among management schools in Business Week's surveys since 1988. Three economics journals are edited by Kellogg economists.
In addition there are concentrations of economists working elsewhere on campus at the Transportation Center, the Institute for Policy Research, the Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, and within the School of Education. There are research assistantships, and dissertation year fellowships avaailable from these groups to assist students interested in applied economics.
The winner of the biennial Nemmers Prize in economics, which is awarded to a world-ranked economist who has not yet received the Nobel prize, spends a quarter at Northwestern in advanced seminars, workshops, and other contact with graduate students and faculty. Past winners were Peter Diamond, Thomas Sargent and Robert Aumann.
The Kellogg School and the economics department share a recently renovated (and soon to be further extended) complex adjacent to the library and other core facilities on Northwestern's Evanston campus.
The Campus and Community
Northwestern is a large private research university located on lakefront campuses in Evanston and Chicago. The economics program is offered in Evanston, the first suburb north of Chicago. The location combines many of the best features of small-town and large-city living - a relatively self-contained community just 12 miles north of downtown Chicago and even closer to the city's north-side shopping and entertainment areas.
Cultural and recreational opportunities abound on the 240-acre campus itself. Concert halls and theatres feature performances by visiting artists as well as faculty and students. Films are shown almost daily. Galleries present exhibits and lectures. Northwestern's membership in the Big Ten Conference brings intercollegiate athletic events to campus.
Norris University Center offers a bookstore, cafeteria, crafts facilities, game rooms, browsing library, and weekend entertainment. University recreational assets include a beach, outdoor tennis courts, and a state-of-the-art sports and aquatic center.
Surrounding the campus is the city of Evanston, with stately homes, tree-lined streets, and a cosmopolitan population of 80,000. Adjacent to the University, downtown Evanston blends urban convenience with small-town charm. Restaurants, coffee-houses, bookstores, speciality shops, and services are within a short walk of the campus.
Fast and frequent rapid transit service to Chicago is available from a station two blocks west of the campus. The country's third-largest city is home to an acclaimed symphony orchestra and opera company, theatre groups, blues and jazz clubs, five professional sports teams, and an endless array of restaurants. Chicago's museums and architecture are known throughout the world.
Our mailing address is:
Department of Economics
Northwestern University
2003 Sheridan Road
Evanston, Illinois 60208-2600
United States of America
Our main telephone number is (847) 491-5140
Our facsimile machine number is (847) 491-7001
Our main e-mail address is econ@nwu.edu
Your can request graduate admissions information from econphd@nwu.edu
