The programme consists of two broad stages, and typically takes between 4 and 5 years to complete. In accordance with the program regulations, 5 years is the maximum contractual length.
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Program structure
| First year: Coursework in Macroeconomics, Microeconomic and Econometrics |
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| Microeconomics. Topics include: consumer choice, demand models, markets, asset pricing, externalities, public goods, principal-agent theory, redistribution, incentives and social choice, different levels of game theory, etc. |
| Macroeconomics. Topics include: business cycles, consumption, investment, neoclassical growth, monopolistic competition, overlapping generations models, fiscal policy under commitment etc. |
| Econometrics. Topics include: probability, methods of hypothesis testing, uses of classical regression, linear difference equations, vector auto regressions, qualitative choice models, estimation techniques, etc. |
Each student needs to qualify for, enroll in, and graduate from the full sequence (i.e. Macro, Micro, and Econometrics) of courses offered by the Swiss Program for Beginning Doctoral Students in Economics at the Study Center Gerzensee. Leading academics teach the courses in English, and cover the above areas.
The Study Center Gerzensee conducts its own admission procedure for which students will need to provide high GRE scores (admission only if GRE Quantitative score above 160 and test taken not more than 5 years prior to admission).
The courses are taught by leading international academics in Econometrics (Anna Mikusheva, MIT; Bo Honoré, Princeton), Macroeconomics (Fernando Alvarez, Chicago; Ricardo Reis, LSE; Jordi Galí, UPF; Cristina Arellano, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis) and Microeconomics (Klaus Schmidt, LMU; Piero Gottardi, Essex; Johannes Hörner, Yale; John Moore, LSE). The program covers the material of a US-style first-year PhD program, with the added benefit of an exceptional environment. Students stay in a hotel in the heart of Switzerland, allowing them to interact frequently with professors and other PhD students from various Swiss universities, fostering future collaborations and friendships. More information about the first year.
During this first year, it is not uncommon for some PhD students to start collaborating with professors, particularly in the spring, to begin working on projects and find a supervisor.
Note that PhD students in Health Economics take the additional International Doctoral Course in Health Economics and Policy. This offers a highly specialized study of health economics and policy within the respected framework of the Swiss School of Public Health + (SSPH+).
In case of failure of the qualifying exams, PhD students retake them one year later.
| Year 2-5: Research and PhD dissertation |
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Following the successful completion of stage one, candidates have to validate certain amount credits of advanced courses* by taking classes at the department and other Swiss universities, Advanced Courses at the Study Center Gerzensee, courses in other universities worldwide or Economics summer schools worldwide.
Students conduct research under the guidance of the department faculty.
The department provides generous funding for conference attendance and research stays. Many of our graduate students visit top economics departments in Europe or the USA. Previous visits include MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, LSE etc.
Once per year, PhD students have to present their research to faculty and post-doctoral fellows over several days. This serves as a platform for PhD students to receive feedback on their research and prepare for the job market.
Further details, including the evaluation process, can be found in the program regulations.
*The required credits are 6 ECTS, the exact number of credits for each course is to be verified course by course since the department has its own way of converting ECTS (for instance, 6 ECTS correspond to 3 Gerzensee Advanced Courses).
