online phd in behavioral economics

Tepper School of Business

Behavioral Economics

The field of Behavioral Economics was pioneered by our own Carnegie Mellon faculty Herbert Simon (a Nobel Prize winner in Economics) and George Loewenstein . While Behavioral Economics started as a small movement in the 1970s, it has made an enormous impact on academic research and research in Behavioral Economics papers regularly appears in the top economics journals. Behavioral Economics research has been used to help governments enact better public policy and operate more efficiently, to help businesses improve their profitability, and to help individuals make better decisions.

Joint Program Details

This program builds on the world-renowned Behavioral Economics faculty from the Department of Social and Decision Sciences and the outstanding Economics faculty from the Tepper School of Business . Students in this joint program will have access to world-renowned experts in decision science, organizational behavior, statistics, marketing and many other areas. Research facilities like the Center for Behavioral and Decision Research and the BEDR Policy Lab will also be key resources for students.

As a joint program, oversight will be handled by the Joint Program Oversight Committee (JPOC). This committee is comprised of the Director of Graduate Studies at SDS, the head of the Tepper School Ph.D. Committee, and one faculty liaison between these areas. Most decisions regarding Ph.D. students in this program will be handled by the JPOC. However, it is important to note that students are considered members of both the Tepper School and SDS. This means that decisions regarding Ph.D. education made by those schools separately also apply to students in this joint program. That is, the Graduate Education Committee (GEC) at SDS and the Ph.D. committee at the Tepper School may make changes to the general requirements for ALL graduate students in their respective areas. These changes also apply to joint program students.

P lease visit our Ph.D. Student Profiles page t o view the profiles of our current doctoral candidates. 

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Behavioral Economics: Nudging to Shape Decisions—Online

Organizations around the globe are increasingly using “nudge thinking” to help people make more efficient decisions. Nudge units are applying insights from the field of behavioral science to design policy, create change, and build a customer-centric approach to strategy. When these insights are applied to management, leaders discover new ways to drive enterprise value, improve product and service design, and help stakeholders make better choices.

In this online program, executives will learn how to leverage behavioral economic insights to improve economic, policy and management outcomes.

This program is in partnership with Global Alumni.

Through a highly interactive learning environment, you’ll learn how to use data intelligence to better predict outcomes and practically apply behavioral insights to your organization. You will discover the benefits of a well-designed choice architecture structure and explore the role biases, fallacies, and heuristics play in decision-making.

By attending this program, you will:

• Learn how to design products and services that create more value for customers
• Discover the emotional and cognitive underpinnings of economic behavior changes and how professionals make decisions
• Explore hidden biases and heuristics that either reinforce or counteract outcomes
• Discover how “choice architecture” may optimize decisions to benefit economic, regulatory, and policy creation strategies
• Gain the frameworks to draw actionable insights from data intelligence to improve customer experiences and engagement
• Discover the tools to optimize your value proposition for greater influence and impact
• Increase management decision outcomes that result in improved enterprise-wide efficiencies and processes

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for mid- senior level executives from around the globe who are responsible for making impactful, efficient, and economic decisions for their organizations. Those who are in the role of presenting choices to clients, customers, and key stakeholders (choice architects) will benefit from this program.

In addition, those in the fields of finance, marketing, sales, business development, healthcare, market research, consulting, policy, and entrepreneurship will find this program beneficial.

By exploring the “why” behind our decision- making and understanding the core principles of Behavioral Economics, organizations in all industries will gain a major competitive advantage against competitors. This program can be applied to any industry including healthcare, utilities, insurance, banking, retail, manufacturing, nonprofit, and government agencies.

Devin Pope is the Steven G. Rothmeier Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. Pope is a behavioral economist that researches a variety of topics at the intersection of economics and psychology. He has published work in top journals of economics (Quarterly Journal of Economics, American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, etc.), general science (Science, Nature, etc.), and Management and Psychology (Psychological Science, Management Science, etc.). His research primarily uses observational data and studies how psychological biases play out in important economic markets.

Prior to joining Chicago Booth faculty in 2010, Pope was on the faculty at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a PhD in economics from UC Berkeley in 2007 and a BA in economics from Brigham Young University in 2002. Pope also worked as an Amazon Scholar from 2019-2021 and is currently a co-editor at the American Economic Review.

Steven G. Rothmeier Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics and Robert King Steel Faculty Fellow

Program outline.

A history of behavioral economics and prospect theory

• Analyze the evolution of economics from Classical economics (e.g., Adam Smith) to modern-day neo-classical economics and where behavioral economics started to flourish in this paradigm
• Understand the revolutionary inflection point that occurred at the end of the 1970s by the three fathers of behavioral economics to explain how psychology became part of the economic model of decision making
• Dissect what systematic bias is and learn about the most cited and ground-breaking behavioral economy theory: prospect theory
• Explore several examples of how prospect theory matters both in our personal lives and when running a business

Sophisticated choices and self-control

• Explain the influence of intertemporal components in the choices we make and realize how they can provoke non-standard behavior (such as obesity, addictions, credit card usage and dependence, etc.)
• Formulate mathematical models that explain phenomena such as procrastination and overindulgence
• Visualize examples of how self-control problems can lead to bad decision making: as soon as you turn 18, you are much more likely to be tried as an adult and, yet, we do not see people ceasing committing crimes as soon as they turn 18. Why is this?
• Learn how to apply this knowledge in a way that modifies behavior and improves the health of your business or the people around you
• Compare the dichotomy between the standard rational economics assumption that humans are self-interested and the behavioral economics propositions explaining how and why humans are altruistic and care about giving to others.
• Articulate why thinking in financial terms and incentives might not always be a wise idea, and understand how fairness matters within economic marketplaces, and how fairness is compatible with running a business
• Analyze why and when it is socially accepted to charge fees or surcharges, and more generally, to equilibrate supply and demand using standard economic pricing mechanisms
• Learn the importance of social norms and pressure, reciprocity, and distributive vs procedural justice

The psychology of incentive

• Discover through a Qualtrics-based exercise in experimentation and prediction what kind of motivational treatments work best in the short run in order to make someone execute a given task
• Realize that behavioral economics is only barely getting started when it comes to understanding motivation: what other approaches motivate people to make decisions?
• Think about how to create a company culture that is built on solid psychological principles

Biased belief

• Recognize how information interventions over biased beliefs can modify mindsets and be potential sources of change and development of new standards in decision making
• Learn how nearly everyone exhibits common biases such as projection bias and the bias of winner’s curse
• Identify some of the most important biases, such as survivorship bias and overconfidence and learn how they influence business decision making

Inattention

• Discover how our attention is limited and why this limited attention leads us to make important decision errors when our attention is drawn to some things but not others
• See how something as simple as failing to pay attention to certain digits of a number can dramatically change how certain economic markets function
• Learn how inattention works in a competitive market and how to grapple with the ethics of competing for consumer attention
• Learn the challenges and opportunities in addressing human rights abuses in cybertechnology

Discrimination

• Measure and identify the sensitive topic of discrimination through five distinctive methods: audit studies, all-else-equal studies, own-group bias studies, correspondence studies and eliminating group cues in the decision-making process
• Learn how standard economics categorizes discrimination into one of two models: statistical discrimination and taste-based discrimination
• Become familiar with how psychology can deepen our understanding of how discrimination works and how we can combat it
• Become familiar with basic principles of good choice architecture and the way we can influence people’s behavior by nudging them into a good direction
• Discuss several examples of nudging such as putting numbers into context and smart engineering/design
• Detect examples of nudges and sludge (bad psychology, the exact opposite of nudging) in the real world and apply it to your business or career

Testimonials

The program truly exceeded my expectations! It was very enlightening to better understand why people make their decisions and how those decisions can be influenced. The variety of content in each module was very engaging, and it was a bonus to have such a diverse group of peers from around the globe. The live sessions with Professor Pope, our guest speaker, Scott Young, and our mentors, Stuart and Jessica, were extremely worthwhile. I look forward to applying what I've learned both professionally and in my personal life.

Although I have an extremely demanding role, I found the material easy to manage on the weekends. I truly looked forward to each new module every week and readily shared what I had learned with family, friends, and co-workers. Behavioral Economics was not a dedicated focus area of study when I was in school, but the material resonated with me much more than classical economic theory. I also appreciated Professor Pope weaving ethical considerations into the content and discussions. Thank you!

—Renee Neubecker, Director of Strategy, Motorola Solutions, Inc.

I entered the program with high expectations because of the University of Chicago's reputation in Business and Economics education. My expectations were exceeded because of the quality of the program. I was particularly impressed with the video presentations by Professor Pope, where the research was explained in relatable and understandable ways. The program encompassed the perfect ratios of charm, humor, and earnestness and inspired me to dig deeper into the material of behavioral economics. 

—Richard Korneck

Upcoming Course Dates

September 24 - November 18, 2024 December 3, 2024 - February 10, 2025 Fee: $3,200

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Behavioral Decision Making

The faculty span a broad range of areas, including behavioral economics, cognitive and social psychology, marketing, organizational behavior, behavioral finance, behavioral strategy and public policy. Opportunities exist to work with scholars from neighboring disciplines such as law, medicine and public health. The program emphasizes collaboration and requires students to work on projects with multiple faculty across subject areas, and provides flexibility for students regarding the job markets for which they prepare.

During the first two years of the program, students take coursework in basic methodology/statistics, as well as behavioral economics, choice architecture and judgment and decision-making. Students also take courses in an area of professional focus in preparation for the job market of their choice, such as marketing, organizational behavior, finance or strategy. Students will also attend the Behavioral Decision Making Speakers series, which brings in top decision scholars from around the world to discuss their research. Students are expected to present their research every year to the rest of the area and give feedback on other presentations at the weekly behavioral lab meetings. Through active intellectual interchange, students become adept at developing and evaluating behavioral research and become exposed to a wide array of methods, behavioral insights and research applications. Students are expected to maintain an active research program throughout the course of their graduate studies.

At the end of each of their first two years of study, students are required to submit a paper, either writing up a completed research project or providing a detailed proposal of a research project they are interested in conducting. Each of these two papers must be written in collaboration with a different area faculty member, ensuring that students are exposed to multiple perspectives, paradigms and approaches to research, and that each student has multiple mentors. At the end of their second year, students will take a qualifying exam, which will require them to demonstrate, through the criteria below, that they have mastered the essential skills for behavioral science research:

• Read a research paper by another scholar and provide a critical review of the strengths and weaknesses of that paper
• Design a study to test a novel hypothesis
• Analyze a novel data set and write up a results section

By the end of their fourth year, students must advance to candidacy for a Ph.D. by successfully proposing a dissertation project that details a plan of important, novel, independent research to a committee of faculty, and having that proposal formally approved. Finally, to receive a Ph.D. students must complete a dissertation according to university requirements.

Explore the Program

Monica Peña

Faculty Support Staff Email: [email protected] Phone: (310) 825-2507

Area Chair Email: [email protected]

Hengchen Dai

Ph.D. Liaison Email: [email protected]

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Offered By: Department of Health, Behavior and Society

Onsite | Full-Time | 3 – 5 years

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About the PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences Program

The PhD program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is designed for individuals seeking training for careers as social and behavioral scientists, health educators, and health promotion or communication specialists in the public health arena. The curriculum centers on the application of social and behavioral science perspectives to research on contemporary health problems, with a focus on understanding and influencing the social contexts and behaviors relevant to health. In addition to coursework, students complete a written exam at the end of the first year and gain experience in research skills and approaches. With faculty guidance, students develop and present a dissertation protocol in an oral exam. The final dissertation defense is conducted as an oral exam that includes a public seminar.

The program provides rigorous training in research methodology, theory, and program design and evaluation. Research is primarily focused in two areas—health education and communication, and social and psychological influences on health.

PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences Program Highlights

Interdisciplinary theory.

with multi-level perspective

Rigorous methods

with practical application to contemporary health problems

Application of behavioral and social science perspectives

with attention to context

Community engagement

to understand and influence health behaviors that are risk factors in disease and illness

What Can You Do With a Graduate Degree In Social and Behavioral Sciences?

Visit the  Graduate Employment Outcomes Dashboard to learn about Bloomberg School graduates' employment status, sector, and salaries.

Sample Careers

• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Research Public Health Analyst
• Social Scientist, Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products
• Health Scientist-Alcohol Program
• Project Director
• Senior Communications Adviser
• Tenure Track Faculty
• Senior Program Officer
• Director of Clinical and Academic Research
• Senior Consultant
• Research and Evaluation Officer
• Program Director, Department of Public Health

Curriculum for the PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Browse an overview of the requirements for this PhD program in the JHU  Academic Catalogue , explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory , and find many more details in the program's Student Handbook . 

Research Areas

The emphasis of the curriculum is on the application of behavioral and social science perspectives to research on contemporary health problems. Understanding and influencing health behaviors that are risk factors in disease and illness, as well as behaviors that can be considered protective and health enhancing, are strengths of the program.

Rigorous training in research methods and program design and evaluation are also key elements of the curriculum. The program focuses its research in the following areas.

This area focuses on the application of principles from education, communication, behavioral, social science and psychological theories to encourage health behaviors conducive to optimal health in individuals, groups and communities. Students are exposed to current research on health education and communication, with particular focus on multilevel, ecological models of health and health behavior, design and evaluation of multifaceted intervention programs and patient-provider communication.

This area focuses on social and psychological factors and processes in the etiology and prevalence of disease in health-care-seeking behavior, disease prevention, long-term care and rehabilitation. Students are exposed to current research on health knowledge, attitudes and beliefs; social and psychological factors in disease etiology; risk reduction; and cultural influences in public health, including cross-cultural and multilevel studies.

Admissions Requirements

For general admissions requirements, please visit the How to Apply page.

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores (GRE) are  optional  for this program. The admissions committee will make no assumptions if a standardized test score is omitted from an application, but will require evidence of quantitative/analytical ability through other application components such as academic transcripts and/or supplemental questions.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all application components.

Program Faculty Spotlight

Katherine Clegg Smith

Katherine Clegg Smith, PhD, MA, is a sociologist who examines health experiences and health communication, with a research focus on cancer and chronic disease.

Carl Latkin

Carl Latkin, PhD, conducts biobehavioral interventions for disadvantaged communities, with a focus on social networks, substance use, infectious diseases, and mental health.

Roland J. Thorpe, Jr.

Roland J. Thorpe, Jr., PhD, MS, is a gerontologist and social epidemiologist with nationally-recognized expertise in minority aging, men’s health, and place-based disparities.

Carol R. Underwood

Carol Underwood, PhD '93, MA, MA, studies the role of gender, social class, and marginalization in global health outcomes to contribute to the wellbeing of populations.

Get to Know Our Current Doctoral Students

Learn more about our doctoral students' research interests, publications, and more through our HBS doctoral student pages.

Full-time PhD students matriculating in or after 2022 will receive the following support for the first four years of the program: full tuition and matriculation fee, individual health insurance, University Health Services clinic fee, vision insurance, and dental insurance.

Need-Based Relocation Grants Students who  are admitted to PhD programs at JHU  starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.   These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.  View more information about the need-based relocation grants for PhD students .

Questions about the program? We're happy to help.

Application and Admissions Procedural Questions

Please direct questions about application and admissions procedures to the BSPH Admissions Office.

Email:   [email protected] Phone:   410-955-3543

General Academic Questions

For general academic questions about the PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences program, please contact our Department's doctoral program coordinator, Krystal Lee, EdD, MPA.

Email:   [email protected]

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• Administration

Behavioral Economics

Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Public Economics at Harvard University. He is also the Director of Opportunity Insights, which uses “big...

Benjamin Enke

Benjamin Enke is an Assistant Professor at Harvard's Department of Economics. Ben received his Ph.D. in Economics from Bonn in 2016. His research focuses...

Xavier Gabaix

Xavier Gabaix is Pershing Square Professor of Economics and Finance at Harvard’s economics department. He received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris) and obtained his PhD in economics from Harvard University.... Read more about Xavier Gabaix

Jerry Green

Jerry Green is the John Leverett Professor in the University and the David A. Wells Professor of Political Economy in the Department of Economics.... Read more about Jerry Green

David Laibson

David Laibson is a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research, where he is Research Associate in the Asset Pricing, Economic Fluctuations, and Aging Working Groups.  Laibsonʼs research focuses on the topic of behavioral economics, and he is a co-leader of the Harvard University Foundations of Human Behavior Initiative. ... Read more about David Laibson

Prior to joining the Economics Department Faculty, Shengwu Li was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows.

Staff Support:...

Matthew Rabin

Matthew Rabin is the Pershing Square Professor of Behavioral Economics in the Harvard Economics Department and Harvard Business School.... Read more about Matthew Rabin

Andrei Shleifer

Andrei Shleifer has worked in the areas of comparative corporate governance, law and finance, behavioral finance, as well as institutional economics. He has published six books, including The Grabbing Hand (with Robert Vishny), and Inefficient Markets: An Introduction to Behavioral Finance , as well as over a hundred articles. In 1999, Shleifer won the John Bates Clark medal of the American Economic Association.... Read more about Andrei Shleifer

Tomasz Strzalecki

Tomasz Strzalecki's research interests are in decision theory and economic theory. He has focused on ambiguity aversion, temporal preferences, and bounded rationality.... Read more about Tomasz Strzalecki

Eric Unverzagt

Faculty Assistant to Professors  Pallais ,...

David Y. Yang is a Professor in the Department of Economics at Harvard University and Director of the Center for History and Economics at Harvard. David...

• Behavioral Economics (11)
• Contracts and Organization (1)
• Economic Development (7)
• Econometrics (6)
• Economic History (7)
• Financial Economics (9)
• Industrial Organization (3)
• International Economics (6)
• Labor Economics (11)
• Macroeconomics (16)
• Political Economy (9)
• Public Economics (9)
• Theory (10)

Robert G. and Sue Douthit O’Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics

Advancing research, industry partnerships and graduate student training in behavioral economics & finance at UC Berkeley.

Our Mission

Berkeley’s philosophy is that behavioral economics enriches rather than contradicts standard economic thought. When the tools of psychology and other sciences are joined with the proven analytical methods of economics, the results are more powerful and scholars get closer to underlying truths about human behavior.

At Berkeley, behavioral research is interwoven into the research of academics across departments and schools. Our mission is to serve as the center of gravity supporting researchers, graduate students and industry partners interested in understanding and applying non-standard economic thinking in their fields of interests.

BEAM Conference – UC Berkeley to Celebrate 30th Anniversary of Behavioral Economics

Our History

In 1987, a cross-disciplinary course at the University of California, Berkeley marked a milestone for a new field of study. Two professors, an economist and a psychologist, joined forces to teach a PhD class that used the analytical tools of social and cognitive psychology to investigate economic problems. Their teaching was a foundation for what is now known as behavioral economics. This line of study has reshaped the way scholars explain how people make choices, not only as consumers, investors, and employees, but also as voters, patients, students, and in many other areas of life. The two professors, George Akerlof and Daniel Kahneman, went on to win Nobel prizes. And Berkeley became a standard-bearer in this flourishing field, which emerged as a revolutionizing force in economics.

The O’Donnell Center for Behavioral Economics carries on this proud tradition and ensures that Berkeley remains a center of excellence in this field by supporting research, teaching, and graduate student training that meet the highest standards of scholarship, relevance, and innovation. The center promotes Berkeley’s particular brand of behavioral economics on a global stage, an approach that combines rigorous economic analysis with insights drawn from psychology and across the sciences.

Our Objectives

Strengthening research collaboration.

The center aims to build a research network and community of practice in these areas. This will facilitate interdisciplinary research in the field and enable the adoption of a behavioral lens in new areas. For reference some of the current research by members in IBEF include:

• How can the principles of behavioral sciences be applied to increase diversity in recruitment and selection in firms?
• How do errors in beliefs and judgements such overconfidence and the sunk-cost fallacy hamper entrepreneurs, and which organizational fixes might help to overcome these hurdles.
• How do principles of behavioral economics help explain why wages, unemployment, and organizational structures look the way they do?

Facilitating External Partnerships

The center aims to amplify the impact of behavioral research conducted on campus by enabling strategic partnerships with academic researchers, industry partners, and policy makers . This includes supporting empirical research through industry partnerships, sourcing innovative data for research and disseminating behavioral insights to targeted stakeholders. Through these partnerships, researchers at UC Berkeley will support the adoption of novel, non-standard economic insights to create sustainable systems, processes and policies.

Supporting Adoption of Research Insights

The center is committed to empowering the next generation of industry leaders, entrepreneurs and researchers. IBEF will play an active role in identifying opportunities to incorporate insights from behavioral research in masters’ level curriculum, and serve as a partner to student led organizations interested in incorporating tools and methodologies from research into practice.

Next: People

Smart. Open. Grounded. Inventive. Read our Ideas Made to Matter.

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Bring a business perspective to your technical and quantitative expertise with a bachelor’s degree in management, business analytics, or finance.

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This 20-month MBA program equips experienced executives to enhance their impact on their organizations and the world.

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A non-degree, customizable program for mid-career professionals.

Behavioral Economics

Ideas and insight about behavioral economics from MIT Sloan.

Social learning influences green tech adoption

Dylan Walsh

Government subsidies for green tech should consider the role of social learning in consumer decision making.

How retirement saving incentives amplify wealth gaps in the U.S.

Betsy Vereckey

White employees receive nearly twice as much in employer and tax subsidies for retirement saving than Black and Hispanic workers.

Couples miss out when they fail to coordinate retirement benefits

Better communication between spouses could translate to saving an average of almost $700 more every year, new MIT Sloan research shows.

How informed are voters about political news?

Journalistic truth isn’t dead, a new study has found, but socioeconomic factors affect people’s ability to identify real news.

4 questions to ask before swapping out human labor for AI

Generative artificial intelligence is a game changer, but it’s not for every task. Here are four ideas to consider from an MIT labor economist.

Study demonstrates the value of ‘long ties’

Brian Eastwood

Maintaining relationships with distant contacts takes work but results in a more diverse network and increased access to economic opportunities.

New initiative tracks the trends remaking consumer finance

MIT Sloan’s Consumer Finance Initiative delves into household finance, fintech, crypto, savings and lending markets, and retirement funds.

The dark side of stock market circuit breakers

Circuit breakers are meant to calm the markets. But new research shows that they can backfire and create more volatility if not properly designed.

9 new researchers join MIT Sloan faculty

Meredith Somers

The new faculty joining MIT Sloan in 2022 are experts in finance, system dynamics, technological innovation, and more.

Study: How target date funds impact investment behavior

The average U.S. investor holds more of their wealth in the stock market than in prior decades — a trend drastically accelerated by target date funds.

Behavioral Economics—Virtual

This virtual program offers tools to help you influence customer and employee decision-making in powerful and often surprising ways.

Associated Schools

Harvard Business School

What you'll learn.

Understand the actions of your customers and employees

Expand your personal and professional network

Improve decision-making and performance across your organization

Course description

Bestselling books such as Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational and Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow have opened the world's eyes to the quirky and error-prone ways in which people make important decisions. Building on the work of those scholars and many others in the field of behavioral economics, this live online program prepares you to influence the behavior of customers and employees—and become a bigger contributor to your organization's success.

Behavioral economics provides fundamental insights into how people think—and how altering the decision-making context can make an impact on their choices. In this program, you will learn how to design and rigorously test a "choice architecture" that can help your managers make better decisions, create greater value for your customers, and improve business outcomes for your company.

This program is structured to improve your analytical and decision-making skills and help you bring the principles of behavioral economics to your organization's most pressing challenges. Through dynamic faculty presentations, case studies, role-playing, simulation exercises, and insights from guest speakers, you will discover how subtle yet powerful changes to the decision-making environment can influence outcomes.

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Competing in the Age of AI—Virtual

Move your organization toward an AI-based model, unleash the potential of AI, and create opportunities for building competitive advantage.

Launching New Ventures: Jump-Starting Innovation for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Delve into the entrepreneurial process and learn how to exploit disruptive opportunities to build successful businesses and product lines.

Developing Yourself as a Leader—Virtual

To be a high-potential, emerging leader one must have the skillsets to gain influence and increase impact across an organization. Explore how to put theory into action, improve colleagues' perceptions and collaborate more effectively.

Doctoral Program

The Ph.D. program is a full time program leading to a Doctoral Degree in Economics.  Students specialize in various fields within Economics by enrolling in field courses and attending field specific lunches and seminars.  Students gain economic breadth by taking additional distribution courses outside of their selected fields of interest.

General requirements

Students  are required to complete 1 quarter of teaching experience. Teaching experience includes teaching assistantships within the Economics department or another department .

University's residency requirement

135 units of full-tuition residency are required for PhD students. After that, a student should have completed all course work and must request Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status.

Department degree requirements and student checklist

1. core course requirement.

Required: Core Microeconomics (202-203-204) Core Macroeconomics (210-211-212) Econometrics (270-271-272).  The Business School graduate microeconomics class series may be substituted for the Econ Micro Core.  Students wishing to waive out of any of the first year core, based on previous coverage of at least 90% of the material,  must submit a waiver request to the DGS at least two weeks prior to the start of the quarter.  A separate waiver request must be submitted for each course you are requesting to waive.  The waiver request must include a transcript and a syllabus from the prior course(s) taken.  

2.  Field Requirements

Required:  Two of the Following Fields Chosen as Major Fields (click on link for specific field requirements).  Field sequences must be passed with an overall grade average of B or better.  Individual courses require a letter grade of B- or better to pass unless otherwise noted.

Research fields and field requirements :

• Behavioral & Experimental
• Development Economics
• Econometric Methods with Causal Inference
• Econometrics
• Economic History
• Environmental, Resource and Energy Economics
• Industrial Organization
• International Trade & Finance
• Labor Economics
• Market Design
• Microeconomic Theory
• Macroeconomics
• Political Economy
• Public Economics

3.  Distribution

Required:  Four other graduate-level courses must be completed. One of these must be from the area of economic history (unless that field has already been selected above). These courses must be distributed in such a way that at least two fields not selected above are represented.  Distribution courses must be passed with a grade of B or better.

4.  Field Seminars/Workshops

Required:  Three quarters of two different field seminars or six quarters of the same field seminar from the list below.   

PhD Program

Year after year, our top-ranked PhD program sets the standard for graduate economics training across the country. Graduate students work closely with our world-class faculty to develop their own research and prepare to make impactful contributions to the field.

Our doctoral program enrolls 20-24 full-time students each year and students complete their degree in five to six years. Students undertake core coursework in microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, and econometrics, and are expected to complete two major and two minor fields in economics. Beyond the classroom, doctoral students work in close collaboration with faculty to develop their research capabilities, gaining hands-on experience in both theoretical and empirical projects.

How to apply

Students are admitted to the program once per year for entry in the fall. The online application opens on September 15 and closes on December 15.

Meet our students

Our PhD graduates go on to teach in leading economics departments, business schools, and schools of public policy, or pursue influential careers with organizations and businesses around the world. 

Behavioral Economics: Consumer Choice and Decision Making

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August 1, 2024

6 weeks, online 4–6 hours

PROGRAM FEE

US$2,600 and get US$260 off with a referral

For Your Team

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Participants report that enrolling in a program with colleagues fosters collaborative learning and amplifies their impact.

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The benefit of learning together with your friend is that you keep each other accountable and have meaningful discussions about what you're learning.

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Based on the information you provided, your team is eligible for a special discount, for Behavioral Economics: Consumer Choice and Decision Making starting on August 1, 2024 .

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By tapping into the psychological motivations behind consumer behavior, leaders are improving the predictability of consumer and employee decision making. In fact, investment in the behavioral economy has grown by about 146 percent over the past five years (Source: EY). In this six week program, you will examine your real-world experiences through the lens of behavioral economics. With a better understanding of the psychology that drives decision making, you'll have the opportunity to gain insights needed to influence consumer and workplace behavior.

Investment growth in the behavioral economy in the past five years

The number of choices a human makes each day

Source: Psychology Today

The percentage of CEOs who believe they require new or increased C-level attention on behavioral science competencies to ensure their organizations’ growth

WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR ?

This program is designed for mid- to senior-level executives responsible for making critical business decisions that impact employees, customers, and organizations. The curriculum will equip you with the tools and knowledge necessary for evaluating internal and external factors more effectively.

Whether you're in sales, marketing, brand management, or consultancy, you will benefit from exploring the why behind decision making and uncovering the underlying drivers of choice, such as social forces and norms. The application of these insights can potentially help you influence customer decision making, enhance customer experience, and drive better business outcomes and enterprise value.

Learn how to leverage behavioral economics principles to enhance your decision-making skills, gain a deeper understanding of your customers' behavior, and cultivate long-term relationships with them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Wharton’s Behavioral Economics: Consumer Choice and Decision Making program helps drive positive business impact by using insights from psychology into consumer motivation and bias in decision making. This program will enable you to:

• Analyze consumer behavior through decision environments and choice architecture
• Evaluate how social forces motivate individuals and influence behavior
• Understand principles that drive demotivation and motivation
• Evaluate how present bias, tax salience hidden fees, and add-on charges impact decision making

PROGRAM MODULES

Begin with foundational insights into choice architecture and how it is used to influence behavior, and evaluate how organizations use defaults in various settings to impact decision making.

Learn to identify the types of decisions where you can leverage social forces and how leaders and policymakers can use different types of social levers to influence behavior.

Explore human behavior by understanding their preference for fairness with resistance to incidental inequalities, reciprocity, and gift exchange on motivation, and discuss how you can apply them to influence behavior in a given setting.

Further explore management concepts, such as motivation and demotivation, and learn how the concepts of gamification and personal identity can influence behavior.

Understand a consumer’s perspective through studying present bias and how it impacts the perception of a product’s value, influences purchase decisions, and causes inconsistent behavior.

Dive further into purchasing decisions by exploring the influence of pricing transparency, tax salience, hidden fees, and surcharges, and discuss the ways organizations increase revenue through add-on costs or hidden fees.

PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

Weekly Discussions

Final Project

Assignments

Reflection Prompts

Knowledge Checks

Try-It Activities

Live Webinar

FINAL PROJECT

For your final project, you will pick a concept from the course and write a memo to a CEO expressing your views of how an organization should best apply that concept. You will then present your views to your cohort. Your ability to apply the topics and frameworks from the modules to these real-world environments will determine your grade.

Judd B. Kessler, PhD

Howard marks professor, department of business economics and public policy at the wharton school, university of pennsylvania.

Judd B. Kessler, PhD Howard Marks Professor, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Professor Judd B. Kessler received a BA in economics from Harvard University in 2004, an MPhil in economics from Cambridge University in 2005, and his PhD in business economics from Harvard University in 2011. In his research, Professor Kessler uses a combination of laboratory and field experiments to answer questions in public economics, behavioral economics, and market design. He investigates the economic and psychological forces that motivate individuals to contribute to public goods, with applications including organ donation, worker effort, and charitable giving. He also investigates market design innovations, placing particular emphasis on bringing market design from theory to practice, with applications including course allocation and priority systems for organ allocation. His research has appeared in general interest journals, including the American Economic Review, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Management Science. In 2021, Professor Kessler received the Vernon L. Smith Ascending Scholar Prize.

Certificate

Upon successful completion of the program, you will earn a digital certificate of completion from the Wharton School.

Note: After successful completion of the online program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the program. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of the Wharton School.

This online certificate program does not grant academic credit or a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

How do I know if this program is right for me?

After reviewing the information on the program landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the program brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions on whether this program is a good fit for you, please email [email protected], and a dedicated program advisor will follow-up with you very shortly.

Are there any prerequisites for this program?

Some programs do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the program landing page, as well as in the program brochure. If you are uncertain about program prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at the ID mentioned above.

Note that, unless otherwise stated on the program web page, all programs are taught in English and proficiency in English is required.

What is the typical class profile?

More than 50 percent of our participants are from outside the United States. Class profiles vary from one cohort to the next, but, generally, our online certificates draw a highly diverse audience in terms of professional experience, industry, and geography — leading to a very rich peer learning and networking experience.

What other dates will this program be offered in the future?

Check back to this program web page or email us to inquire if future program dates or the timeline for future offerings have been confirmed yet.

How much time is required each week?

Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.

How will my time be spent?

We have designed this program to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities including:

• Engaging with recorded video lectures from faculty
• Attending webinars and office hours, as per the specific program schedule
• Reading or engaging with examples of core topics
• Completing knowledge checks/quizzes and required activities
• Engaging in moderated discussion groups with your peers
• Completing your final project, if required

The program is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and to demonstrate an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please email us if you need further clarification on program activities.

What is it like to learn online with the learning collaborator, Emeritus?

More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90 percent of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programs said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded. All the contents of the course would be made available to students at the commencement of the course. However, to ensure the program delivers the desired learning outcomes the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the program in a cohort-based manner the cost of which is already included in the overall course fee of the course. A dedicated program support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues, or anything else that may affect your learning experience.

How do I interact with other program participants?

Peer learning adds substantially to the overall learning experience and is an important part of the program. You can connect and communicate with other participants through our learning platform.

What are the requirements to earn the certificate?

Each program includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enroll. This is referenced at the top of the program landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the program brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programs are designed to fit into your working life. This program is scored as a pass or no-pass; participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programs include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the program brochure. Please email us if you need further clarification on any specific program requirements.

What type of certificate will I receive?

Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools, or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter, resume, and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile. The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the program, once grading is complete.

Can I get the hard copy of the certificate?

No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Do I receive alumni status after completing this program?

No, there is no alumni status granted for this program. In some cases, there are credits that count toward a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the program brochure.

How long will I have access to the learning materials?

You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and program materials for 12 months following the program start date . Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.

What equipment or technical requirements are there for this program?

Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. In addition, Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts.

Do I need to be online to access the program content?

Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. For maximum flexibility, you can access program content from a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet, and any livestream webinars and office hours will require an internet connection. However, these sessions are always recorded, so you may view them later.

Can I still register if the registration deadline has passed?

Yes, you can register up until seven days past the published start date of the program without missing any of the core program material or learnings.

What is the program fee, and what forms of payment do you accept?

The program fee is noted at the top of this program web page and usually referenced in the program brochure as well.

• Flexible payment options are available (see details below as well as at the top of this program web page next to FEE ).
• Tuition assistance is available for participants who qualify. Please email [email protected].

What if I don’t have a credit card? Is there another method of payment accepted?

Yes, you can do the bank remittance in the program currency via wire transfer or debit card. Please contact your program advisor, or email us for details.

I was not able to use the discount code provided. Can you help?

Yes! Please email us with the details of the program you are interested in, and we will assist you.

How can I obtain an invoice for payment?

Please email us your invoicing requirements and the specific program you’re interested in enrolling in.

Is there an option to make flexible payments for this program?

Yes, the flexible payment option allows a participant to pay the program fee in installments. This option is made available on the payment page and should be selected before submitting the payment.

How can I obtain a W9 form?

Please connect with us via email for assistance.

Who will be collecting the payment for the program?

Emeritus collects all program payments, provides learner enrollment and program support, and manages learning platform services.

What is the program refund and deferral policy?

For the program refund and deferral policy, please click the link here .

Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at [email protected] or Schedule a call with one of our Academic Advisors or call us at +1 680 205 5118  (US) / +44 185 845 9995 (UK) / +65 3135 1422 (SG)

Early registrations are encouraged. Seats fill up quickly!

Flexible payment options available. Learn more.

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Students in our PhD programs are encouraged from day one to think of this experience as their first job in business academia—a training ground for a challenging and rewarding career generating rigorous, relevant research that influences practice.

Our doctoral students work with faculty and access resources throughout HBS and Harvard University. The PhD program curriculum requires coursework at HBS and other Harvard discipline departments, and with HBS and Harvard faculty on advisory committees. Faculty throughout Harvard guide the programs through their participation on advisory committees.

How do I know which program is right for me?

There are many paths, but we are one HBS. Our PhD students draw on diverse personal and professional backgrounds to pursue an ever-expanding range of research topics. Explore more here about each program’s requirements & curriculum, read student profiles for each discipline as well as student research , and placement information.

The PhD in Business Administration grounds students in the disciplinary theories and research methods that form the foundation of an academic career. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program has five areas of study: Accounting and Management , Management , Marketing , Strategy , and Technology and Operations Management . All areas of study involve roughly two years of coursework culminating in a field exam. The remaining years of the program are spent conducting independent research, working on co-authored publications, and writing the dissertation. Students join these programs from a wide range of backgrounds, from consulting to engineering. Many applicants possess liberal arts degrees, as there is not a requirement to possess a business degree before joining the program

The PhD in Business Economics provides students the opportunity to study in both Harvard’s world-class Economics Department and Harvard Business School. Throughout the program, coursework includes exploration of microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, probability and statistics, and econometrics. While some students join the Business Economics program directly from undergraduate or masters programs, others have worked in economic consulting firms or as research assistants at universities or intergovernmental organizations.

The PhD program in Health Policy (Management) is rooted in data-driven research on the managerial, operational, and strategic issues facing a wide range of organizations. Coursework includes the study of microeconomic theory, management, research methods, and statistics. The backgrounds of students in this program are quite varied, with some coming from public health or the healthcare industry, while others arrive at the program with a background in disciplinary research

The PhD program in Organizational Behavior offers two tracks: either a micro or macro approach. In the micro track, students focus on the study of interpersonal relationships within organizations and the effects that groups have on individuals. Students in the macro track use sociological methods to examine organizations, groups, and markets as a whole, including topics such as the influence of individuals on organizational change, or the relationship between social missions and financial objectives. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program includes core disciplinary training in sociology or psychology, as well as additional coursework in organizational behavior.

Accounting & Management  

Business economics  , health policy (management)  , management  , marketing  , organizational behavior  , strategy  , technology & operations management  .

• Doctoral Programs

Behavioral Marketing

The PhD degree in Behavioral Marketing is a research degree that prepares students for academic positions at top research universities. Students choose the behavioral marketing track if they are interested in the psychological aspects of consumer behavior.

The Ph.D. in Behavioral Marketing

Faculty interests cover a variety of topics including Judgment and Decision-Making, Heuristics and Biases, Attitudes and Persuasion, Motivation, Goals, Cognition, and Emotions. A small number of students are accepted into the PhD Program in Behavioral Marketing each year. Students are encouraged to pursue research collaborations with multiple faculty, and to tailor their program of study to match their own unique interests.

The PhD in Behavioral Marketing is a research degree that prepares students for academic positions at top research universities. The program has an excellent placement record for PhD students, many of whom have gone on to secure tenure-track positions at top research institutions including Stanford, Northwestern, and Columbia.”

New joint concentration in Marketing and Psychology

PhD students admitted to the Behavioral Marketing program can apply to pursue a joint doctoral concentration in Psychology and Marketing. The primary expectation of Ph.D. students admitted to the program is that they (in collaboration with faculty members from both the Department of Psychology and Marketing group) develop a project spanning topics in Psychology and Consumer Behavior.