top 20 economics phd programs

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• Resources for Students
• Preparing for graduate school

Program rankings

The following organizations rank graduate economics programs using various approaches:

• US News and World Report 2023 Best Economics Schools
• US News and World Report Ranking of the Best Global Universities for Economics and Business
• RePEc Ranking of Institutions
• Tilburg University Top 100 Worldwide Economics Schools Research Rankings
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2011 Ranking

Academic research evaluating economics programs

• Amir, Rabah and Malgorzata Knauff. 2008. " Ranking Economics Departments Worldwide on the Basis of PhD Placement ." Review of Economics and Statistics , 90 (1), pp. 185-90.
• Grijalva, Therese C. and Clifford Nowell. 2008. " A Guide to Graduate Study in Economics: Ranking Economics Departments by Fields of Expertise ." Southern Economic Journal , 74 (4), pp. 971-96.
• Kalaitzidakis, Pantelis, Theofanis P. Mamuneas, and Thanasis Stengos. 2011. " An Updated Ranking of Academic Journals in Economics ." The Canadian Journal of Economics , 44(4):1525-1538.
• McPherson, Michael A. 2012. " Ranking US Economics Programs by Faculty and Graduate Publications: An Update Using 1994-2009 Data ." Southern Economic Journal , 79 (1): 71-89.  

Graduate degrees in economics

Understanding the job market.

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. 

Doctor of Economics Programs in America

1-25 of 50 results

MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Cambridge, MA •

Massachusetts Institute of Technology •

Graduate School

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ,

Graduate School ,

CAMBRIDGE, MA ,

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford, CA •

Stanford University •

• • Rating 4 out of 5   4 reviews

Master's Student: Incredibly positive academic experience with inspiring professors and diverse classmates. I have no negative feedback. ... Read 4 reviews

Stanford University ,

STANFORD, CA ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says Incredibly positive academic experience with inspiring professors and diverse classmates. I have no negative feedback. .

Read 4 reviews.

Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Harvard University •

• • Rating 4.56 out of 5   9 reviews

Other: I am Harvard Extension School student pursuing a master degree, ALM, in sustainability. I have achieved a 3.89 in this program so far and have qualified, applied, and accepted as a 'Special Student' in the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Through this School, I will be focusing my time at the John A. Paulson school of Engineering & Applied Sciences. Looking forward to wrapping up my final year on campus! ... Read 9 reviews

Harvard University ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.6 stars.

Featured Review: Other says I am Harvard Extension School student pursuing a master degree, ALM, in sustainability. I have achieved a 3.89 in this program so far and have qualified, applied, and accepted as a 'Special Student'... .

Read 9 reviews.

Colorado School of Mines

Graduate School •

• • Rating 4.33 out of 5   9

Lehigh University

BETHLEHEM, PA

• • Rating 4.42 out of 5   19

Suffolk University

• • Rating 4.56 out of 5   16

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ •

• • Rating 4.33 out of 5   3 reviews

Master's Student: The best part of the Princeton University mechanical engineering graduate degree is the excellent faculty that teach the courses. They are incredibly knowledgeable and also very willing to help students in office hours or in sponsorship of projects. The worst part of the Princeton University mechanical engineering graduate degree is the lack of structure for the graduate research program which can leave you feeling unsure on the direction of your research. ... Read 3 reviews

PRINCETON, NJ ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The best part of the Princeton University mechanical engineering graduate degree is the excellent faculty that teach the courses. They are incredibly knowledgeable and also very willing to help... .

Read 3 reviews.

Sanford School of Public Policy

Durham, NC •

Duke University •

• • Rating 4.75 out of 5   4 reviews

Current Master's student: My academic experience at Duke has been the most rewarding in my life. What makes Duke so great is the opportunity through the Sanford Policy School to exchange and engage ideas with professors and peers connected to my area of policy analysis. I have gotten the chance through summer internships to have real-world policy experience in analysis and implementation. Because my policy analysis is explicitly based on healthcare, I have focused on black maternal outcomes as my point of reference. I have had the opportunity to work with Professor Carolyn Barnes and collaborate since she is an expert in social and economic welfare and its effects on low-income families. The introductory and intermediate microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics classes give students a solid technical base when drafting briefs. One thing I would change is to provide more accessibility of recorded lectures when sick after the coronavirus. ... Read 4 reviews

Duke University ,

DURHAM, NC ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Current Master's student says My academic experience at Duke has been the most rewarding in my life. What makes Duke so great is the opportunity through the Sanford Policy School to exchange and engage ideas with professors and... .

Brown University Graduate School

Providence, RI •

Brown University •

Brown University ,

PROVIDENCE, RI ,

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School of Engineering and Applied Science - University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA •

University of Pennsylvania •

University of Pennsylvania ,

PHILADELPHIA, PA ,

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Evanston, IL •

Northwestern University •

Northwestern University ,

EVANSTON, IL ,

Olin Business School

St. Louis, MO •

Washington University in St. Louis •

• • Rating 4 out of 5   7 reviews

Master's Student: The enrolment process was an absolute pleasure. Being able to sit in on classes and interact with faculty and students was a fantastic opportunity. It gave me a real feel for the academic dynamic and the supportive community. This firsthand experience greatly influenced my decision, and I'm eagerly looking forward to becoming a part of the institution. ... Read 7 reviews

Washington University in St. Louis ,

ST. LOUIS, MO ,

7 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The enrolment process was an absolute pleasure. Being able to sit in on classes and interact with faculty and students was a fantastic opportunity. It gave me a real feel for the academic dynamic and... .

Read 7 reviews.

Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences - California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA •

California Institute of Technology •

California Institute of Technology ,

PASADENA, CA ,

Mendoza College of Business

Notre Dame, IN •

University of Notre Dame •

• • Rating 4.9 out of 5   10 reviews

Master's Student: The University of Notre Dame is primarily centered around building your network. The professors cover material that is vital for your industry and do so in a quick and efficient manner. You will not find a better place to learn and meet people! I cannot speak highly enough of this school! ... Read 10 reviews

University of Notre Dame ,

NOTRE DAME, IN ,

10 Niche users give it an average review of 4.9 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The University of Notre Dame is primarily centered around building your network. The professors cover material that is vital for your industry and do so in a quick and efficient manner. You will not... .

Read 10 reviews.

Social Sciences Division - University of Chicago

Chicago, IL •

University of Chicago •

• • Rating 3.75 out of 5   4 reviews

Master's Student: The University of Chicago offers many clubs you can attend. Do to COIVD most of the clubs meet online and some in person one day out of the week. There's boxing, archery, fencing, and one of my personal favorites ju-jutsu, just to name a few. These sports are completive but they also have clubs that are just for fun and any body of any skill level can join. There is also this amazing climbing wall in the recreation center but we are not allowed to climb it at the moment because of COVID restrictions. It's also convent to be surrounded by hospitals (Rush and UIC). I got hurt while I was at school, I broke my arm, and I did not have to call on anyone to take me to the hospital, I could just walk. The food is okay and you get to chose from a good selection of things. The rooms where a nice size and most of the students were so friendly it was easy to make friends. ... Read 4 reviews

University of Chicago ,

CHICAGO, IL ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 3.8 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The University of Chicago offers many clubs you can attend. Do to COIVD most of the clubs meet online and some in person one day out of the week. There's boxing, archery, fencing, and one of my... .

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• Masters in Applied Economics Programs
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Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Pittsburgh, PA •

Carnegie Mellon University •

Blue checkmark.

Carnegie Mellon University ,

PITTSBURGH, PA ,

Scheller College of Business

Atlanta, GA •

Georgia Institute of Technology •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   2 reviews

Master's Student: The program has been challenging but very rewarding. The professors have been helpful during office hours and the material is very engaging and relevant to real-world workplace issues. ... Read 2 reviews

Georgia Institute of Technology ,

ATLANTA, GA ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The program has been challenging but very rewarding. The professors have been helpful during office hours and the material is very engaging and relevant to real-world workplace issues. .

Read 2 reviews.

Haas School of Business

Berkeley, CA •

University of California - Berkeley •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   3 reviews

Master's Student: I am a new EWMBA admit at Haas and so far the experience has been fantastic! It's a close-knit community of intellectual, humble, and talented working professionals. The entire team of program directors, admissions officers, etc. are SO willing to help! ... Read 3 reviews

University of California - Berkeley ,

BERKELEY, CA ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says I am a new EWMBA admit at Haas and so far the experience has been fantastic! It's a close-knit community of intellectual, humble, and talented working professionals. The entire team of program directors, admissions officers, etc. are SO willing to help! .

D'Amore-McKim School of Business

Boston, MA •

Northeastern University •

• • Rating 2.5 out of 5   4 reviews

Master's Student: Recently began my journey in the GSPA MS in Accounting/ MBA program! So far classes have been tailored to students with nonbusiness/ accounting allowing for any interested parties to join. Teachers are both flexible with grad students and amazing at providing real-world experience. ... Read 4 reviews

Northeastern University ,

BOSTON, MA ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 2.5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says Recently began my journey in the GSPA MS in Accounting/ MBA program! So far classes have been tailored to students with nonbusiness/ accounting allowing for any interested parties to join. Teachers... .

McCombs School of Business

Austin, TX •

University of Texas - Austin •

• • Rating 4.67 out of 5   12 reviews

Master's Student: Being in the accounting program at UT Austin has been a remarkable opportunity for me. The best part of being an accounting major at McCombs is the diverse set of classes that students can utilize to explore different interests within business and broaden their career opportunities. The worst part of being at McCombs is the competitive environment, although it incentivizes students to work harder, it can be mentally draining to constantly try to outperform one's peers. ... Read 12 reviews

University of Texas - Austin ,

AUSTIN, TX ,

12 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says Being in the accounting program at UT Austin has been a remarkable opportunity for me. The best part of being an accounting major at McCombs is the diverse set of classes that students can utilize to... .

Read 12 reviews.

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences - Boston University

Boston University •

Boston University ,

College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI •

University of Wisconsin •

• • Rating 4.22 out of 5   9 reviews

Alum: Aside from being really cold, UW-Madison is a great school. Needless to say, it is one of the top schools in the U.S. with a beautiful campus that has Lake Mendota and a lot of student life to enjoy. Academic was really good too, but given how the city is college town, you can feel the emptiness when students go back home during summer break. It is known as party school too with Mifflin Street Block Party. But it is also highly academically renowned school. So you can make your campus life as fun or as beneficial as you can. There are many gyms and libraries that can handle 40k + students. In addition, you have to check out Camp Randall, the football stadium and attend The MadHatters A Cappella show. I really miss this campus except for the weather. State street has many diverse restaurants that are authentic and delicious. One of the best campuses in the world. ... Read 9 reviews

University of Wisconsin ,

MADISON, WI ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.2 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says Aside from being really cold, UW-Madison is a great school. Needless to say, it is one of the top schools in the U.S. with a beautiful campus that has Lake Mendota and a lot of student life to enjoy.... .

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences - University of Illinois

Urbana, IL •

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign •

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ,

URBANA, IL ,

School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute •

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ,

College of Letters and Science - UC Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA •

University of California - Santa Barbara •

University of California - Santa Barbara ,

SANTA BARBARA, CA ,

College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering - University of Rochester

Rochester, NY •

University of Rochester •

• • Rating 4 out of 5   2 reviews

Alum: The Optics program is the toughest offered at the school. Optics grads do twice as much (60 credit hours instead of 30) class work as other degrees. You learn a ton! The field is so diverse you can pick and choose what subfields to focus on, and all fields are offered. Amazing professors. In all my classes, I felt one professor was bad at teaching. All the others were very competent, and the best were extremely passionate about their class/field of research. ... Read 2 reviews

University of Rochester ,

ROCHESTER, NY ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says The Optics program is the toughest offered at the school. Optics grads do twice as much (60 credit hours instead of 30) class work as other degrees. You learn a ton! The field is so diverse you can... .

College of Science - Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN •

Purdue University •

Purdue University ,

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN ,

Golden, CO •

• • Rating 4.33 out of 5   9 reviews

Other: I have overall enjoyed my experience at the Colorado School of Mines. The professors are very knowledgeable and I truly believe that the goal of this school is to create engineers who are going to succeed and create solutions in the real world. ... Read 9 reviews

GOLDEN, CO ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Other says I have overall enjoyed my experience at the Colorado School of Mines. The professors are very knowledgeable and I truly believe that the goal of this school is to create engineers who are going to... .

Tulane University

NEW ORLEANS, LA

• • Rating 4.17 out of 5   35

College of Business - Lehigh University

Lehigh University •

University of Wyoming

LARAMIE, WY

• • Rating 4.42 out of 5   24

Showing results 1 through 25 of 50

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2024 Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools

College Factual looked at 124 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,248 doctor's degrees in economics to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Doctor's Degree

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on economics students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of economics students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for economics to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized economics related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for economics students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The economics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings , including this list of the Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Economics in the United States

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for economics students seeking a a doctor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

18 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Economics

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in economics has to check out University of Chicago. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from University of Chicago

It's hard to beat Harvard University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in economics. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cambridge. More information about a doctorate in economics from Harvard University

Northwestern University is a good option for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in economics. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. More information about a doctorate in economics from Northwestern University

University of Pennsylvania is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in economics. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from University of Pennsylvania

Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. More information about a doctorate in economics from Stanford University

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Columbia University in the City of New York

Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Yale University

Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Houston. More information about a doctorate in economics from Rice University

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. More information about a doctorate in economics from University of California - Berkeley

Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Duke University

Princeton is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Princeton. More information about a doctorate in economics from Princeton University

Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. More information about a doctorate in economics from Vanderbilt University

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca. More information about a doctorate in economics from Cornell University

Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Georgetown University

Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Brown University

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Carnegie Mellon University

Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Emory University

Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. More information about a doctorate in economics from Washington University in St Louis

Related Programs

Learn about other programs related to Economics that might interest you.

Science & Engineering Bachelors Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)

Science & Engineering Diploma Programs (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Economics students that almost earned our Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Economics by Region

View the Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Other Rankings

Best associate degrees in economics, best master's degrees in economics, best value in economics, best for non-traditional students in economics, best online in economics, most popular online in economics, best bachelor's degrees in economics, best overall in economics, highest paid grads in economics, best for veterans in economics, most popular in economics, most focused in economics.

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Economics Related Rankings by Major

Economics is one of 13 different types of Social Sciences programs to choose from.

Economics Concentrations

Majors similar to economics, notes and references.

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ( IPEDS ) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s ( College Scorecard ).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to pixabay . More about our data sources and methodologies .

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The complete guide to getting into an economics PhD program

Back in May, Noah wrote about the amazingly good deal that is the PhD in economics. Why? Because:

• You get a job.
• You get autonomy.
• You get intellectual fulfillment.
• The risk is low.
• Unlike an MBA, law, or medical degree, you don’t have to worry about paying the sticker price for an econ PhD:  After the first year, most schools will give you teaching assistant positions that will pay for the next several years of graduate study, and some schools will take care of your tuition and expenses even in the first year. (See Miles’s companion post  for more about costs of graduate study and how econ PhD’s future earnings makes it worthwhile, even if you can’t get a full ride.)

Of course, such a good deal won’t last long now that the story is out, so you need to act fast! Since he wrote his post , Noah has received a large number of emails asking the obvious follow-up question: “How do I get into an econ PhD program?” And Miles has been asked the same thing many times by undergraduates and other students at the University of Michigan. So here, we present together our guide for how to break into the academic Elysium called Econ PhD Land:

(Note: This guide is mainly directed toward native English speakers, or those from countries whose graduate students are typically fluent in English, such as India and most European countries. Almost all highly-ranked graduate programs teach economics in English, and we find that students learn the subtle non-mathematical skills in economics better if English is second nature. If your nationality will make admissions committees wonder about your English skills, you can either get your bachelor’s degree at a—possibly foreign—college or university where almost all classes are taught in English, or you will have to compensate by being better on other dimensions. On the bright side, if you are a native English speaker, or from a country whose graduate students are typically fluent in English, you are already ahead in your quest to get into an economics PhD.)

Here is the not-very-surprising list of things that will help you get into a good econ PhD program:

• good grades, especially in whatever math and economics classes you take,
• a good score on the math GRE,
• some math classes and a statistics class on your transcript,
• research experience, and definitely at least one letter of recommendation from a researcher,
• a demonstrable interest in the field of economics.

Chances are, if you’re asking for advice, you probably feel unprepared in one of two ways. Either you don’t have a sterling math background, or you have quantitative skills but are new to the field of econ. Fortunately, we have advice for both types of applicant.

If you’re weak in math…

Fortunately, if you’re weak in math, we have good news:  Math is something you can learn . That may sound like a crazy claim to most Americans, who are raised to believe that math ability is in the genes. It may even sound like arrogance coming from two people who have never had to struggle with math. But we’ve both taught people math for many years, and we really believe that it’s true. Genes help a bit, but math is like a foreign language or a sport: effort will result in skill.

Here are the math classes you absolutely should take to get into a good econ program:

• Linear algebra
• Multivariable calculus

Here are the classes you should take, but can probably get away with studying on your own:

• Ordinary differential equations
• Real analysis

Linear algebra (matrices, vectors, and all that) is something that you’ll use all the time in econ, especially when doing work on a computer. Multivariable calculus also will be used a lot. And stats of course is absolutely key to almost everything economists do. Differential equations are something you will use once in a while. And real analysis—by far the hardest subject of the five—is something that you will probably never use in real econ research, but which the economics field has decided to use as a sort of general intelligence signaling device.

If you took some math classes but didn’t do very well, don’t worry.  Retake the classes . If you are worried about how that will look on your transcript, take the class the first time “off the books” at a different college (many community colleges have calculus classes) or online. Or if you have already gotten a bad grade, take it a second time off the books and then a third time for your transcript. If you work hard, every time you take the class you’ll do better. You will learn the math and be able to prove it by the grade you get. Not only will this help you get into an econ PhD program, once you get in, you’ll breeze through parts of grad school that would otherwise be agony.

Here’s another useful tip:  Get a book and study math on your own before taking the corresponding class for a grade. Reading math on your own is something you’re going to have to get used to doing in grad school anyway (especially during your dissertation!), so it’s good to get used to it now. Beyond course-related books, you can either pick up a subject-specific book (Miles learned much of his math from studying books in the Schaum’s outline series ), or get a “math for economists” book; regarding the latter, Miles recommends Mathematics for Economists  by Simon and Blume, while Noah swears by Mathematical Methods and Models for Economists  by de la Fuente. When you study on your own, the most important thing is to  work through a bunch of problems . That will give you practice for test-taking, and will be more interesting than just reading through derivations.

This will take some time, of course. That’s OK. That’s what summer is for (right?). If you’re late in your college career, you can always take a fifth year, do a gap year, etc.

When you get to grad school, you will have to take an intensive math course called “math camp” that will take up a good part of your summer. For how to get through math camp itself, see this guide by Jérémie Cohen-Setton .

One more piece of advice for the math-challenged:  Be a research assistant on something non-mathy . There are lots of economists doing relatively simple empirical work that requires only some basic statistics knowledge and the ability to use software like Stata. There are more and more experimental economists around, who are always looking for research assistants. Go find a prof and get involved! (If you are still in high school or otherwise haven’t yet chosen a college, you might want to choose one where some of the professors do experiments and so need research assistants—something that is easy to figure out by studying professors’ websites carefully, or by asking about it when you visit the college.)

If you’re new to econ…

If you’re a disillusioned physicist, a bored biostatistician, or a neuroscientist looking to escape that evil  Principal Investigator, don’t worry:  An econ background is not necessary . A lot of the best economists started out in other fields, while a lot of undergrad econ majors are headed for MBAs or jobs in banks. Econ PhD programs know this. They will probably not mind if you have never taken an econ class.

That said, you may still want to  take an econ class , just to verify that you actually like the subject, to start thinking about econ, and to prepare yourself for the concepts you’ll encounter. If you feel like doing this, you can probably skip Econ 101 and 102, and head straight for an Intermediate Micro or Intermediate Macro class.

Another good thing is to  read through an econ textbook . Although economics at the PhD level is mostly about the math and statistics and computer modeling (hopefully getting back to the real world somewhere along the way when you do your own research), you may also want to get the flavor of the less mathy parts of economics from one of the well-written lower-level textbooks (either one by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells , Greg Mankiw , or Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok ) and maybe one at a bit higher level as well, such as David Weil’s excellent book on economic growth ) or Varian’s Intermediate Microeconomics .

Remember to take a statistics class , if you haven’t already. Some technical fields don’t require statistics, so you may have missed this one. But to econ PhD programs, this will be a gaping hole in your resume. Go take stats!

One more thing you can do is research with an economist . Fortunately, economists are generally extremely welcoming to undergrad RAs from outside econ, who often bring extra skills. You’ll get great experience working with data if you don’t have it already. It’ll help you come up with some research ideas to put in your application essays. And of course you’ll get another all-important letter of recommendation.

And now for…

General tips for everyone

Here is the most important tip for everyone:  Don’t just apply to “top” schools . For some degrees—an MBA for example—people question whether it’s worthwhile to go to a non-top school. But for econ departments, there’s no question. Both Miles and Noah have marveled at the number of smart people working at non-top schools. That includes some well-known bloggers, by the way—Tyler Cowen teaches at George Mason University (ranked 64th ), Mark Thoma teaches at the University of Oregon (ranked 56th ), and Scott Sumner teaches at Bentley, for example. Additionally, a flood of new international students is expanding the supply of quality students. That means that the number of high-quality schools is increasing; tomorrow’s top 20 will be like today’s top 10, and tomorrow’s top 100 will be like today’s top 50.

Apply to schools outside of the top 20—any school in the top 100 is worth considering, especially if it is strong in areas you are interested in. If your classmates aren’t as elite as you would like, that just means that you will get more attention from the professors, who almost all came out of top programs themselves. When Noah said in his earlier post that econ PhD students are virtually guaranteed to get jobs in an econ-related field, that applied to schools far down in the ranking. Everyone participates in the legendary centrally managed econ job market . Very few people ever fall through the cracks.

Next—and this should go without saying— don’t be afraid to retake the GRE . If you want to get into a top 10 school, you probably need a perfect or near-perfect score on the math portion of the GRE. For schools lower down the rankings, a good GRE math score is still important. Fortunately, the GRE math section is relatively simple to study for—there are only a finite number of topics covered, and with a little work you can “overlearn” all of them, so you can do them even under time pressure and when you are nervous. In any case, you can keep retaking the test until you get a good score (especially if the early tries are practice tests from the GRE prep books and prep software), and then you’re OK!

Here’s one thing that may surprise you: Getting an econ master’s degree alone won’t help . Although master’s degrees in economics are common among international students who apply to econ PhD programs, American applicants do just fine without a master’s degree on their record. If you want that extra diploma, realize that once you are in a PhD program, you will get a master’s degree automatically after two years. And if you end up dropping out of the PhD program, that master’s degree will be worth more than a stand-alone master’s would. The one reason to get a master’s degree is if it can help you remedy a big deficiency in your record, say not having taken enough math or stats classes, not having taken any econ classes, or not having been able to get anyone whose name admissions committees would recognize to write you a letter of recommendation.

For getting into grad school, much more valuable than a master’s is a stint as a research assistant in the Federal Reserve System or at a think tank —though these days, such positions can often be as hard to get into as a PhD program!

Finally—and if you’re reading this, chances are you’re already doing this— read some econ blogs . (See Miles’s speculations about the future of the econ blogosphere here .) Econ blogs are no substitute for econ classes, but they’re a great complement. Blogs are good for picking up the lingo of academic economists, and learning to think like an economist. Don’t be afraid to  write  a blog either, even if no one ever reads it (you don’t have to be writing at the same level as Evan Soltas or Yichuan Wang );  you can still put it on your CV, or just practice writing down your thoughts. And when you write your dissertation, and do research later on in your career, you are going to have to think for yourself outside the context of a class . One way to practice thinking critically is by critiquing others’ blog posts, at least in your head.

Anyway, if you want to have intellectual stimulation and good work-life balance, and a near-guarantee of a well-paying job in your field of interest, an econ PhD could be just the thing for you. Don’t be scared of the math and the jargon. We’d love to have you.

Update:  Miles’s colleague Jeff Smith at the University of Michigan amplifies many of the things we say on his blog.  For a  complete  guide, be sure to see what Jeff has to say, too.

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Our doctoral program in the field of economic analysis and policy prepares students for research careers in economics. The program offers rigorous training and has several distinct advantages:

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First, enrollment in the program is small. This encourages close faculty-student contact and allows students to become involved in research very early. Students work first as assistants on faculty research projects and, as their interests and skills develop, on their own research. Students often begin their publishing careers before completing their degrees.

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Second, the program is flexible and innovative; students can draw on both the school’s and the university’s distinguished faculty. In addition to the faculty in the economics group at Stanford GSB and in the university’s economics department, students have access to faculty in political and behavioral sciences; accounting and finance; mathematics, statistics, and computer science; and many other disciplines.

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Third, the program is part of a top-ranked professional school. This setting allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the actual processes of business decision-making and public policy formulation.

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Students who enroll in this program have a substantial background in economics and mathematics. They are expected to have, minimally, mathematical skills at the level of one year of advanced calculus and one course each in linear algebra, analysis, probability, optimization, and statistics.

The faculty selects students based on predicted performance in the program. Evidence of substantial background or ability in the use of mathematical reasoning and statistical methods is important. Most successful applicants had quantitative undergraduate majors in economics, mathematics, or related sciences.

In addition to evidence of ability and letters of recommendation, the faculty considers carefully the applicant’s statement of purpose for pursuing the PhD degree. The successful applicant usually has clearly defined career goals that are compatible with those of the program.

Acceptance into the program is extremely competitive. Admitted applicants compare very favorably with students enrolled in the top economics departments of major universities.

Economic Analysis & Policy Faculty

Mohammad akbarpour, claudia allende santa cruz, susan athey, lanier benkard, jeremy i. bulow, modibo khane camara, sebastian di tella, rebecca diamond, yossi feinberg, guido w. imbens, charles i. jones, michael ostrovsky, garth saloner, yuliy sannikov, kathryn shaw, andrzej skrzypacz, paulo somaini, juan carlos suárez serrato, takuo sugaya, christopher tonetti, shoshana vasserman, ali yurukoglu, weijie zhong, emeriti faculty, alain c. enthoven, robert j. flanagan, david m. kreps, peter c. reiss, john roberts, a. michael spence, robert wilson, recent publications in economic analysis & policy, an economic framework for vaccine prioritization, pricing power in advertising markets: theory and evidence, career: a foundation model for labor sequence data, recent insights by stanford business, nine stories to get you through tax season, a.i. can help “personalize” policies to reach the right people, stanford gsb faculty share their holiday reading lists, placement director.

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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.   

About the Ph.D. Program

The Ph.D. Program in Economics at UCLA prepares students for careers as economists in academia, business and government. The program combines rigorous work in economic theory and careful study of real-world problems and institutions. Graduates from this program work at major universities around the world, national and international government agencies, banks, research centers and in private businesses. Some of our graduates have achieved great prominence, such as William Sharpe , who earned both his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees at UCLA, and was co-recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on the capital asset pricing model.

The department includes internationally recognized scholars in economic theory, econometrics, and all the major applied fields. These outstanding scholars form one of the foremost departments of economics in the world.

The Economics Department is situated within one of the world’s most youthful and vibrant universities. Founded in 1919, UCLA first developed into a major university in the 1950’s. After so short a history, the university was ranked second in the United States among public research universities by the Conference Board of Associated Research Councils in 1982. Thirty-one of its Ph.D. programs are currently ranked in the top 20 in their field–third best in the nation.

The Ph.D. is the degree objective of the graduate program. This degree is awarded to students who demonstrate professional competence by passing written qualifying exams and by completing a major piece of individual research (the Ph.D. dissertation).

Preparation for the qualifying exams through coursework and independent study occupies most student time for the first two years. Thereafter the focus shifts to independent research and finally to the writing of a Ph.D. dissertation. Research in progress by our graduate students as well as our faculty is presented at workshops that meet weekly throughout the academic year. Currently, the Dept. has workshops in Theory and Mathematical Economics, International and Development Economics, Labor and Population Economics, Business Organization and Regulation Economics, Economic History, Econometrics, and Monetary Theory. In addition, many graduate students work as research or teaching assistants for faculty members. The normal time to degree is six years.

This degree program classifies as STEM (CIP Code 45.0603: Econometrics and Quantitative Economics).

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The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Economics at Harvard is addressed to students of high promise who wish to prepare themselves in teaching and research in academia or for responsible positions in government, research organizations, or business enterprises. Students are expected to devote themselves full-time to their programs of study.

The program prepares students for productive and stimulating careers as economists. Courses and seminars offered by the department foster an intellectually active and stimulating environment. Each week, the department sponsors more than 15 different seminars on such topics as environmental economics, economic growth and development, monetary and fiscal policy, international economics, industrial organization, law and economics, behavioral economics, labor economics, and economic history. Top scholars from both domestic and international communities are often invited speakers at the seminars.  The Harvard community outside of the department functions as a strong and diverse resource. Students in the department are free to pursue research interests with scholars throughout the University. Faculty of the Harvard Law School, Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Business School, for example, are available to students for consultation, instruction, and research guidance. As a member of the Harvard community, students in the department can register for courses in the various schools and have access to the enormous library resources available through the University. There are over 90 separate library units at Harvard, with the total collections of books and pamphlets numbering over 13 million.  Both the department and the wider University draw some of the brightest students from around the world, which makes for a student body that is culturally diverse and likely unequaled in the range of intellectual interests of its members. These factors combine to add an important dimension to the educational process. Students are able to learn from one another, collaborate on research projects and publications, and form bonds that are not broken by distance once the degree is completed and professional responsibilities lead them in different directions.

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Ph.D. in Economics

The Ph.D. program at Berkeley is designed for students interested in pursuing advanced study and conducting original research in Economics. The Ph.D. degree is awarded in recognition of the recipient's qualifications as a general economist and of the ability to make scholarly contributions in fields of specialization.

In advancing to the Ph.D. degree, students pass through two major stages:

• Preparation for candidacy typically takes two to three years. During the first two semesters, students take courses to achieve competence in econometric methods, methods of economic history and fundamentals of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. During the next two years, students prepare for examination in two fields of specialization of their choosing, prepare a dissertation prospectus, and take an oral examination. When these steps are completed, students are advanced to candidacy.
• Completion of a dissertation after advancing to candidacy typically takes one to two years. The dissertation must be based on original research and represent a significant contribution to the body of Economic knowledge.

The entire process takes approximately five to six years, although some students are able to complete the program in less time. Below is an overview of the program requirements by year and other pertinent information.

The UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science   provides students helpful resources, links, and tools for successfully completing the Ph.D. in Economics.

ECONOMICS GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICES

The economics student services mission is to advise our students holistically by providing a high standard of service in a supportive and collaborative environment.  professional and peer advisors work as a team to provide accurate information in a timely manner.  we partner with faculty to assist students in engaging with the campus and the global economic community.  we value fairness, diversity, and the important roles our students, faculty, and staff in the department of economics play at the university of california, berkeley..

If you or someone you know is experiencing financial, food, housing or other basic needs challenges - you can find support and services at:  http://tinyurl.com/UCB-BNC-C19 .

Meet the members of the Economics Graduate Student Services advising team!

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Rankings of Doctoral Programs in Economics

There are numerous rankings of Economics Ph.D. programs available.

U.S. News and World Report

According to the 2017 rankings released by U.S. News and World Report , Iowa State University's graduate program in Economics was ranked 28th among public universities and tied for 53rd overall. This ranking was two slots higher than the previous ranking.

National Research Council

One recent assessment resulted from a comprehensive survey of doctoral programs undertaken by the National Research Council (“ A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States (2010) ”).  The NRC’s program assessment methodology and results are somewhat complex, but one synthesis of their findings  places our program within the top 30 Economics Ph.D. programs in the U.S .; and among the top 10 in public universities.

Research Papers in Economics (RePEc)

RePEc , sponsored by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, is a comprehensive database of research papers in economics.  The information in the database is used to rank the research productivity of registered authors based on a variety of metrics.  Authors’ rankings, in turn, are used to rank the institutions with which they are affiliated for academic departments of both economics and agricultural economics .

American Economic Association

Links to other rankings of graduate programs in economics are provided on the American Economic Association website .

Econphd.net

By field of specialization, a ranking by econphd.net places our department 4th in the “subdiscipline” of Resource and Agricultural Economics.   This subdiscipline is further partitioned according to JEL descriptors into two parts:  Resource and Environmental Economics, in which we rank 8th; and Agricultural Economics, in which we rank 1st overall.

Journal Articles Ranking Economics Programs

• Based on faculty productivity, “ A Guide to Graduate Study in Economics: Ranking Economics Departments by Fields of Expertise, ” by T.C. Grijalva and C. Nowell, Southern Economic Journal, 2008: 74(4), pp. 971-96.  According to this study, our program ranks 31st overall (15th among public universities) and 1st overall in the field of Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics.
• A more recent ranking of economics programs, see " Ranking U.S. Economics Programs by Faculty and Graduate Publications: An Update Using 1994 - 2009 Data, " by M. A. McPherson, Southern Economic Journal, 2012:  79 (1), pp. 71-89.

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Ph.d. studies at princeton economics.

The Ph.D. program at Princeton Economics is one of the premier economics programs in the world. The small number of students admitted each year receive training in an exceptional research environment, supported by faculty members who are working at the forefront of research in their fields.

Admission to the program is extremely selective. Each year, the department receives approximately 800 applications for a class of 20 to 25 students. Students come from diverse backgrounds and from dozens of countries around the globe.

Princeton provides all admitted Ph.D. students tuition and fellowship support for the academic year. Admitted students also receive fellowship support through the summer months so they can continue their study and research when classes are not in session.

The Economics Department at Princeton does not offer a Master’s Degree. Students looking for information about the Master in Finance can learn more on the Princeton Bendheim Center for Finance website .

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The data presented here are experimental. They are based on a sample of the research output in Economics and Finance. Only material catalogued in RePEc is considered. For any citation based criterion, only works that could be parsed by the CitEc project are considered. For any ranking of people, only those registered with the RePEc Author Service can be taken into account. And for rankings of institutions, only those listed in EDIRC and claimed as affiliation by the respective, registered authors can be measured. Thus, this list is by no means based on a complete sample. You can help making this more comprehensive by encouraging more publications to be listed ( instructions ) and more authors to register ( form ). For more details on the various rankings that are available as well for documentation, follow this link .

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Best Universities for Economics in the World

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in the World ranked based on their research performance in Economics. A graph of 196M citations received by 10.3M academic papers made by 5,995 universities in the World was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Harvard University

For Economics

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3. Stanford University

4. University of California - Berkeley

5. University of Toronto

6. Columbia University

7. University of Pennsylvania

8. University of Chicago

9. University of Oxford

10. University of Washington - Seattle

11. New York University

12. Cornell University

13. Yale University

14. University of California - Los Angeles

15. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

16. Johns Hopkins University

17. University College London

18. London School of Economics and Political Science

19. University of Wisconsin - Madison

20. University of Cambridge

21. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

22. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

23. Pennsylvania State University

24. Ohio State University

25. University of British Columbia

26. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

27. Princeton University

28. Duke University

29. University of Sydney

30. University of Melbourne

31. University of Texas at Austin

32. University of Southern California

33. University of Manchester

34. Michigan State University

35. University of Maryland - College Park

36. University of Hong Kong

37. University of Amsterdam

38. Australian National University

39. University of California-San Diego

40. University of New South Wales

41. National University of Singapore

42. Monash University

43. Arizona State University - Tempe

44. Northwestern University

45. University of Queensland

46. University of Florida

47. Boston University

48. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

49. Carnegie Mellon University

50. University of California - Davis

51. Catholic University of Leuven

52. University of Pittsburgh

53. Imperial College London

54. Erasmus University Rotterdam

55. King's College London

56. University of California - San Francisco

57. University of Warwick

58. University of Virginia

59. McGill University

60. University of Edinburgh

61. University of Nottingham

62. Texas A&M University - College Station

63. University of Arizona

64. University of Alberta

65. University of Sheffield

66. McMaster University

67. University of Copenhagen

68. University of Bristol

69. Washington University in St Louis

70. University of Rochester

71. University of Leeds

72. University of Birmingham

73. Tsinghua University

74. Emory University

75. Iowa State University

76. University of Illinois at Chicago

77. George Washington University

78. Vanderbilt University

79. University of Tokyo

80. University of Southampton

81. University of Iowa

82. University of California - Irvine

83. Utrecht University

84. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

85. Georgetown University

86. Tel Aviv University

87. University of Sussex

88. University of Groningen

89. Chinese University of Hong Kong

90. Georgia Institute of Technology

91. Peking University

92. Tilburg University

93. Hong Kong Polytechnic University

94. University of Calgary

95. Western University

96. University of York

97. University of Auckland

98. Lund University

99. University of California - Santa Barbara

100. University of Utah

Economics subfields in the World

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Department of Economics College of Business Department 3985 Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: 307-766-3124 Fax: 307-766-4028 Email: [email protected]

PhD in Economics

The UW Ph.D. in economics offers a fully funded, cohort-based doctoral program for students seeking a small and collaborative community. In this supportive environment, you can choose your research focus, gain experience working on faculty projects both here and abroad, and develop teaching skills as the instructor of record for an undergraduate course.

The PhD in economics program is designed to equip the student for professional research in university, government, or industry positions. Applicants to the program must complete, or have previously completed, course work that satisfies the PhD prerequisite courses listed on the Graduate Admissions webpage .

About Economics at UW

The University of Wyoming has long been a place where pioneering researchers have developed and advanced the field of environmental economics.

Today, the UW Department of Economics continues its expertise and research in environmental and resource economics, while also pushing the boundaries of other fields, such as behavioral and experimental economics, development economics, energy economics, industrial organization and international trade.

In addition to offering a rigorous background in economic theory and econometrics, the UW doctorate in economics program gives you the flexibility to specialize, work across sub-disciplines, undertake interdisciplinary analyses, collaborate with faculty on existing research projects and delve into your own scholarship.

Collegial and student-centric, this program is purposeful in integrating students in the research process to prepare them for a successful research career. Students regularly publish research from their collaborations with faculty members ( see list ), and the record of our graduates rank among the top 1% globally ( IDEAS ). For instance, a recent student-faculty collaboration led to a study that appeared in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Science ( story ).

In terms of faculty research productivity and impact, UW’s Department of Economics ranks in the top 20 among U.S. economics departments in both experimental and environmental economics, and ranks in the top 35 for energy economics. ( RePEc ).

In terms of research by program graduates, UW’s Economics PhD program ranks among the top 1% of programs in the world. It ranked 13th in the U.S. and 66th internationally ( RePEc ).

Need more information about our graduate degrees in Economics?

Fill out inquiry form and our program coordinator will be in touch! If you're ready to apply, click here for admission requirements .

Learn more about the PhD in Economics program but reading our FAQs and program highlights below.

As a Ph.D. student in economics, you will be part of a program that is deeply committed to collaboration, student engagement and fostering each individual student’s growth. You will have the opportunity to teach undergraduate economics courses, collaborate with faculty on research projects and develop as a scholar in your own right.

These are some characteristics that distinguish our program:

• Cohort-based. Become part of a small peer group of students that promotes learning together rather than competing. Students are not admitted to work with a particular professor, “lab” or project .  Instead, our individualized program enables you to pursue various interests and faculty relationships during your coursework before defining your dissertation focus, advisor and committee.
• Flexibility. Use your electives and faculty research opportunities to customize the program to your interests and career goals.
• Modeling-focused. This program uses economic modeling as its backbone, while also providing empirical expertise.
• Engagement. We facilitate your engagement with the field of economics and policy by bringing scholars to campus for seminars and individual discussions; offering opportunities for conducting fieldwork in the U.S. and internationally; providing support for attending workshops and presenting at conferences; and encouraging participation in projects, meetings and workshops with the policy community.
• Environmental and natural resource economics (including energy economics and interdisciplinary bio-economics)
• Behavioral and experimental economics
• International trade
• Micro, macro and sustainable development economics
• Five-year graduate assistantships. The UW Department of Economics offers Ph.D. students stipends, tuition and fee waivers and student health insurance in exchange for 20-hours of work/week, which can involve teaching undergraduate economics, assisting on faculty research projects and other duties.
• Wyoming Women in Economics Network (WWEN) . Take part in networking events, job-search workshops and talks featuring prominent women in economics.
• Resources . UW is home to an Experimental Economics Lab, the Stroock Forum on Wyoming Lands and People, the Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy and the Journal of Strategic Behavior and the Environment . Learn more .
• Seminar Series . The UW Department of Economics hosts four seminar series that include The Bugas Frontiers Lectures, Guest Speaker Seminars, Brown Bag Workshops and student-organized graduate student seminars, all of which contribute to the department’s rich intellectual environment.

UW Ph.D. graduates in economics go on to distinguished careers as economists, researchers and academicians all over the world.

These are some examples:

• Yasha Feferholtz, Ph.D. ’16, is a senior economist at the EcoHealth Alliance.
• Zafar Dad Khan, Ph.D. ’06, is a professor of economics and finance at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
• Paul Kivi, Ph.D. ’11, is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Minnesota at Morris.
• Katherine Lee, Ph.D. ’16, is an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the University of Idaho.
• John August List, Ph.D. ’96, is the Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago and is co-author of the book, The Why Axis.
• Sakib Mahmud, Ph.D. ’11, is an associate professor of sustainable management and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

See where other Ph.D. alumni have built careers.

As an economics Ph.D. degree student at the University of Wyoming, you will take required courses in:

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Mathematical Economics
• Macroeconomic Analysis
• Econometrics
• Environmental and Resource Economics
• Research Methods

During the first year, a foundation in economic theory and the basic quantitative and mathematical tools necessary for professional research is given. Students take a Micro Theory sequence ( ECON 5020 and ECON 5120 ) and an Econometrics sequence ( ECON 5350 and ECON 5360 ), as well as courses in Mathematical Economics ( ECON 5330 ) and Economic Dynamics ( ECON 5130 ).

To progress to the second year, students must earn a B+ grade or higher in all of these courses. If they fail to do so in a Micro Theory course (including Mathematical Economics and Economic Dynamics), they must pass a Micro Theory comprehensive exam instead. Similarly, if they fail to earn a B+ grade or higher in an Econometrics course, they must pass an Econometrics comprehensive exam. Both exams are given during the summer following the first year.

After the first year, all PhD students take a core sequence of one Macroeconomics ( ECON 5010 ) course, two courses in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, and Research Methods. Additionally, they choose four electives from a menu that varies from semester to semester and is put together with student input. The electives reflect our faculty’s research in areas additional to Environmental and Resource Economics, such as Development Economics, Energy Economics, Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Industrial Organization, and International Trade. For a complete list of the program’s courses, click here . One of the electives may (but need not) be taken outside of the department, for example in Statistics, Mathematics, the Haub School of ENR , or the Energy Management MBA Program at the 5000 level.

The PhD program’s qualifying examination takes the form of a research paper requirement. Students must complete a paper by the end of the summer following their second year, and present that paper to their committee. If the paper and presentation are judged adequate, the student is awarded a Master’s degree in Economics and continues in the PhD program. Otherwise, the student is given one chance to revise and resubmit their paper, by December of their third year. If the revision is still judged inadequate, the student fails out of the PhD program, but may (depending on the quality of the revision) still be awarded a Master’s degree.

During the third year of the PhD program, the student is expected to complete course work and prepare a dissertation proposal. The dissertation committee gives an oral examination based on this proposal, which constitutes the preliminary exam for degree candidacy. We expect students to have received committee approval of their dissertation proposal before entering their fourth year.

During the third year and beyond, the majority of time is devoted to dissertation research. The student must complete a minimum of 30 research credits. The student's Graduate Assistantship entails teaching assistantships, teaching one undergraduate course as the instructor of record, and assisting faculty research projects. Following successful completion of the dissertation, students present an oral defense to their committee. A favorable report from the committee completes the requirements for the doctor of philosophy degree.

For more information please email our department at [email protected] .

Years 4 & 5

Ph.D. in Economics

The Ph.D. program in the Department of Economics at Columbia University trains students to do cutting edge research in economics.  Students in our program do research in all major areas of economics including microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, international economics, labor economics, public finance, industrial organization, development economics, and urban economics.  Our department provides strong training both in theoretical economics and in applied and empirical economics.  The Ph.D. program is primarily designed for students that are interested in pursuing a career in teaching and research within academia but is also useful for student interested in certain positions within governments, research organizations, or private businesses.

The first two years of our Ph.D. program is largely devoted to rigorous coursework. After the second year, however, students devote most of their time to their own research under the supervision of faculty advisors. Students in our program generally complete their Ph.D. in 5 or 6 years.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is highly selective.  We receive approximately 1,000 applications each year for an incoming class of roughly 25 students.  We place a high value on attracting the very best minds, and recruiting members of groups who will both enhance the diversity of research in the field and contribute to the diversity of the university’s academic and professional community.

The Ph.D. program has a long and illustrious history.  Alumni of the program include some of the most distinguished economists of the last century – including Nobel Prize winners Kenneth J. Arrow, Milton Friedman, Simon Smith Kuznets, and William S. Vickrey.

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Ph.D. in Economics

The Ph.D. Program in Economics at Georgia Tech has research strengths in the applied areas of health, energy & environmental economics, global development, international economics, market design, and game theory. Underpinning all our applied fields are strengths in microeconomic theory and statistical methods. 

The program prepares students for research careers in academics, government, and the private sector.

Students in the Ph.D. program benefit from:

• Enthusiastic faculty to mentor students
• High faculty-to-student ratio
• Exceptional research opportunities at the Health Economics and Policy Innovation Collaborative (HEPIC), the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) , the Atlanta Research Data Center (ARDC) , and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Ph.D. Program certification 1
• Core curriculum strengths in Microeconomic Theory and an exceptionally strong Econometrics sequence
• Georgia Tech Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Minor
• Tech to Teaching Certificate for the graduate teaching assistants, including opportunities to teach your own courses
• Competitive financial support for select students
• Georgia Tech’s location in the dynamic Midtown area of the city of Atlanta , one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country

During the first year of the program, our students concentrate on the core areas of Econometrics and Microeconomic Theory. In the second year of the program, students choose one or more fields of specialization and begin focusing on their dissertations.

We offer competitive support packages through the Georgia Tech Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships for select students. Please, consult the rest of the site for additional information. 

Newly admitted Ph.D. students start their program in the Fall semester of each academic year. The application deadline for the Ph.D. in Economics program is Feb. 1  for admission in the Fall semester.

To be considered, applications must be completed with all supplemental materials submitted to the Georgia Tech Office of Graduate Studies  by the posted deadline. Please contact Olga Shemyakina for more information on our Ph.D. program.

1 STEM certification also benefits international students who can, upon graduation, apply for a STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa extension that allows them to work in the United States for up to 29 months rather than one year.

50 Best Colleges for Economics – 2024

April 14, 2024

While some who major in this highly rigorous discipline will go on to obtain graduate degrees and earn the title of “economist,” most economics majors will parlay their skills into employment opportunities in government, finance, and the business world. Job-seekers and future academicians alike will be in a better position to thrive if they attend one of the schools from the list below. Graduates from these institutions on our list of the Best Colleges for Economics emerge from their four years of study with a deep understanding of market forces, regulations, trade, finance, and the principles of economic theory. Along the way toward earning your degree, you’ll tackle coursework in microeconomics, macroeconomics, microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, statistics, calculus, fiscal policies, money and banking, law, labor, game theory, and market design. No matter where you wish to take your future career, the 50 schools profiled below will set you up for success.

Methodology 

Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for Economics.

Salary Information

Want to know how much money graduates of the best economics colleges make when they begin their careers? For each college listed (and hundreds of additional schools), you can view the starting salaries for economics majors .

Best Colleges for Economics

Here’s a quick preview of the first ten economics institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Yale University

2) University of Chicago

3) Harvard University

4) Columbia University

5) Johns Hopkins University

6) Northwestern University

7) Massachusetts Institute of Technology

8) Duke University

9) University of Pennsylvania

10) Dartmouth College

All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the area of economics and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best economics colleges, College Transitions will provide you with—when available—the university’s:

• Cost of Attendance
• Acceptance Rate
• Median  SAT
• Median  ACT
• Retention Rate
• Graduation Rate

We will also include a longer write-up of each college’s:

• Academic Highlights – Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, number of majors offered, and most popular majors.
• Professional Outcomes – Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.

Yale University

• New Haven, CT

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80 majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Among the top departments are biology, economics, global affairs, engineering, history, and computer science. The social sciences (26%), biology (11%), mathematics (8%), and computer science (8%) are the most popular areas of concentration.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 73% of the Yale Class of 2022 had entered the world of employment and 18% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The most common industries entered by the newly hired were finance (20%), research/education (16%), technology (14%), and consulting (12%). The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $81,769 ($120k for CS majors). Nearly one-fifth of students immediately pursue graduate school.

• Enrollment: 6,590 (undergraduate); 5,344 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,705
• Median SAT: 1540
• Median ACT: 35
• Acceptance Rate: 5%
• Retention Rate: 98%
• Graduation Rate: 98%

University of Chicago

• Chicago, IL

Academic Highlights: There are 53 majors at UChicago, but close to half of all degrees conferred are in four majors: economics, biology, mathematics, and political science, all of which have particularly sterling reputations. Economics alone is the selection of roughly one-fifth of the undergraduate population. Over 75% of undergrad sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students, and undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. Business and financial services (30%) and STEM (12%) were the two sectors that scooped up the most graduates, but public policy and consulting were also well-represented. The most popular employers of recent grads include Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Bank of America, Citi, and Accenture. For those heading to grad school, the top seven destinations are Yale, Columbia, Penn, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 7,653 (undergraduate); 10,870 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,040
• Retention Rate: 99%
• Graduation Rate: 96%

Harvard University

• Cambridge, MA

Academic Highlights: There are 50 undergraduate fields of study referred to as concentrations; many are interdisciplinary. Even with a graduate population of over 14,000 to cater to, undergraduate class sizes still tend to be small, with 42% of sections having single-digit enrollments and 71% being capped at nineteen. Economics, government, and computer science are the three most popular areas of concentration at Harvard. Biology, chemistry, physics, math, statistics, sociology, history, English, and psychology all sit atop most departmental ranking lists.

Professional Outcomes: The Crimson Class of 2022 saw 15% of students head directly into graduate/professional school. Of the graduates entering the world of work (virtually everyone else), 58% were entering either the consulting, finance, or technology field. Over 1,000 Harvard alumni presently work for Google and over 500 for Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. Turning our attention to those moving on to graduate school, Harvard grads with at least a 3.5 GPA typically enjoy acceptance rates into medical school of 90% or greater.

• Enrollment: 7,240
• Cost of Attendance: $79,450
• Median SAT: 1550
• Acceptance Rate: 3%

Columbia University

• New York, NY

Academic Highlights: Columbia offers 100+ unique areas of undergraduate study as well as a number of pre-professional and accelerated graduate programs.  Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 58% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (22%), computer science (15%), engineering (14%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Examining the most recent graduates from Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, 73% had found employment within six months, and 20% had entered graduate school. The median starting salary for graduates of Columbia College/Columbia Engineering is above $80,000. Many graduates get hired by the likes of Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft.

• Enrollment: 8,832
• Cost of Attendance: $89,587
• Acceptance Rate: 4%
• Graduation Rate: 95%

Johns Hopkins University

• Baltimore, MD

Academic Highlights: With 53 majors as well as 51 minors, JHU excels in everything from its bread-and-butter medical-related majors to international relations and dance. Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with 78% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. Many departments carry a high level of clout, including biomedical engineering, chemistry, English, and international studies. Biology, neuroscience, and computer science, which happen to be the three most popular majors, can also be found at the top of the national rankings.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 saw 94% of graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 66% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 19% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 for the Class of 2022. JHU itself is the most popular choice for graduate school. The next most frequently attended institutions included Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

• Enrollment: 6,044
• Cost of Attendance: $86,065
• Acceptance Rate: 7%
• Retention Rate: 97%

Northwestern University

• Evanston, IL

Academic Highlights : Northwestern is home to six undergraduate schools, including Medill, which is widely regarded as one of the country’s best journalism schools. The McCormick School of Engineering also achieves top rankings, along with programs in economics, social policy, and theatre. The social sciences account for the greatest number of degrees conferred (19%), followed by communications/journalism (13%), and engineering (11%). 45% of classes have nine or fewer students enrolled; 78% have fewer than twenty enrollees. 57% of recent grads had the chance to conduct undergraduate research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 69% of the Class of 2022 had found employment and 27% were in graduate school. The four most popular professional fields were consulting (18%), engineering (18%), business/finance (16%), and communications/marketing/media (13%). Employers included the BBC, NBC News, The Washington Post , NPR, Boeing, Google, IBM, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $73k. Of those headed straight to graduate school, engineering, medicine, and business were the three most popular areas of concentration.

• Enrollment: 8,659 (undergraduate); 14,073 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $91,290
• Median SAT: 1530
• Median ACT: 34
• Graduation Rate: 97%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates pursue one of 57 majors and 59 minors at this world-class research institution that continues to be one of the world’s most magnetic destinations for math and science geniuses.  The student-to-faculty ratio is an astonishing 3-to-1, and over two-fifths of all class sections have single-digit enrollments, and 70% of courses contain fewer than twenty students. The highest numbers of degrees conferred in 2022 were in the following majors: engineering (31%), computer science and engineering (28%), mathematics (10%), and the physical sciences (7%).

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 saw 29% of its members enter the world of employment and 43% continue on their educational paths. The top employers included Accenture, Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, General Motors, the US Navy, Apple, Bain & Company, and McKinsey. The mean starting salary for an MIT bachelor’s degree holder was $95,000. The most frequently attended graduate schools are a who’s who of elite institutions including MIT itself, Stanford, Caltech, Harvard, and the University of Oxford.

• Enrollment: 4,657
• Cost of Attendance: $82,730

Duke University

Academic Highlights: The academic offerings at Duke include 53 majors, 52 minors, and 23 interdisciplinary certificates. Class sizes are on the small side—71% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. Computer Science is the most popular area of concentration (11%), followed by economics (10%), public policy (9%), biology (8%), and computer engineering (7%).

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 70% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 20% continue into graduate schools, and 2% start their own businesses. The industries that attract the largest percentage of Blue Devils are tech (21%), finance (15%), business (15%), healthcare (9%), and science/research (6%). Of the 20% headed into graduate school, a hefty 22% are attending medical school, 18% are in PhD programs, and 12% are entering law school. The med school acceptance rate is 85%, more than twice the national average.

• Enrollment: 6,640
• Cost of Attendance: $85,238
• SAT Range: 1490-1570
• ACT Range: 34-35
• Acceptance Rate: 6%

University of Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia, PA

Academic Highlights : 90 distinct degrees are available across four schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Applied Science and Engineering, the College of Nursing, and the world-renowned Wharton School. The greatest number of students pursue degrees in business (19%), social sciences (14%), biology (11%), health sciences (9%), engineering (9%), and computer science (9%). The university boasts an exceptional 26% of courses with an enrollment under ten and 59% with an enrollment under twenty as well as multiple ways for undergrads to conduct research.

Professional Outcomes: 75% of Class of 2022 grads were employed within six months of graduating, and 18% were in graduate school. Finance attracted the highest percentage of grads (30%) followed by consulting (20%), technology (15%), and healthcare (10%). Employers hiring the greatest number of 2022 grads included JPMorgan, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, Bain & Company, Meta, and Goldman Sachs. The median starting salary for all graduates is $80,000. For those continuing their educational journeys, the most popular move is to remain at Penn, followed by Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 9,760 (undergraduate); 13,614 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,028

Dartmouth College

• Hanover, NH

Academic Highlights: Dartmouth sports 60+ majors and a stunning breadth of course selections for an institution of its size. The learning environment at Dartmouth is extraordinarily intimate. Not only do 61% of course sections have under twenty students, but 18% have single-digit enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is an outstanding 7:1. Top programs offered by Big Green include biology, economics, neuroscience, and government. The social sciences are the most popular, accounting for 32% of degrees conferred, followed by computer science (10%), mathematics (9%), engineering (9%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: A great reputation along with a passionate alumni network that is 80,000 strong leads Dartmouth grads to successful transitions into graduate school and the world of work. Included in the top ten employers of Dartmouth grads are a number of investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bain & Company, Citibank, and Deutsche Bank. Right off the bat, 52% of graduates make more than $70,000 in salary. Those pursuing graduate degrees often flock to the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton.

• Enrollment: 4,458
• Cost of Attendance: $87,793

Stanford University

• Palo Alto, CA

Academic Highlights: Stanford has three undergraduate schools: the School of Humanities & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. 69% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 34% have a single-digit enrollment. Programs in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, international relations, and economics are arguably the best anywhere. In terms of sheer volume, the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (17%), computer science (16%), engineering (15%), and interdisciplinary studies (13%).

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries in equal distribution: business/finance/consulting/retail (19%); computer, IT (19%); and public policy and service, international affairs (19%). Among the companies employing the largest number of recent grads are Accenture, Apple, Bain, Cisco, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, Microsoft, and SpaceX. Other companies that employ hundreds of Cardinal alums include LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Airbnb. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

• Enrollment: 8,049 (undergraduate); 10,236 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,833

Princeton University

• Princeton, NJ

Academic Highlights: 39 majors are available at Princeton. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 31% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Engineering Department is widely recognized as one of the country’s best, as is the School of Public and International Affairs.

Professional Highlights: Over 95% of a typical Tiger class finds their next destination within six months of graduating. Large numbers of recent grads flock to the fields of business and engineering, health/science, & tech. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary ranges from $40k (education, health care, or social services) to $100k (computer/mathematical positions). Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 5,604 (undergraduate); 3,238 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,700

Claremont McKenna College

• Claremont, CA

Academic Highlights: CMC offers 33 majors and 11 “sequences,” series of courses that can be completed across the neighboring schools in addition to one’s major. The college boasts an average class size of eighteen, and 82% of course sections have fewer than twenty students. Economics, government, international relations, biology, and psychology are the most popular majors, and among the strongest. Interdisciplinary majors such as Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP) and Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) also carry outstanding reputations.

Professional Outcomes: Eighty-eight percent of 2022 graduates found employment within six months of graduation, and only 4% were still looking for work. The median starting salary for a 2022 Claremont grad is $87,000. You name the prestigious graduate/professional program and, chances are, a recent CMC grad (or two or three) is presently studying there. Since 2001, more than 120 alumni have enrolled at USC and UCLA. More than 60 grads have headed to UChicago, Columbia, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 1,386
• Cost of Attendance: $86,500
• Median SAT: 1500
• Acceptance Rate: 10%
• Retention Rate: 96%
• Graduation Rate: 91%

Washington University in St. Louis

• St. Louis, MO

Academic Highlights : WashU admits students into five schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs: Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Art of Architecture programs housed within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (13%), social sciences (13%), business (13%), biology (11%), and psychology (10%). 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. 65% double major or pursue a minor.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 sent 52% of grads into the workforce and 28% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Amazon, Bain, Boeing, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. Of the employed members of the Class of 2022 who reported their starting salaries, 79% made more than $60k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 8,132 (undergraduate); 8,880 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $83,760
• Acceptance Rate: 11%
• Graduation Rate: 93%

Brown University

• Providence, RI

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. Class sizes tend to be small—68% have fewer than twenty students—and 35% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Biology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering are among the most popular areas of concentration at Brown; however, it is hard to distinguish any one program, because Brown possesses outstanding offerings across so many disciplines.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 69% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company. The Class of 2022 saw 27% of graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Right out of undergrad, Brown students boasted an exceptional 81% admission rate to med school and an 81% admission rate to law school.

• Enrollment: 7,639
• Cost of Attendance: $84,828

Vanderbilt University

• Nashville, TN

Academic Highlights: Four of Vandy’s ten schools cater to undergrads: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Blair School of Music, the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and the School of Engineering. In the 2022-23 school year, 87% of course sections contained 19 or fewer students. Of the 70 undergraduate majors, economics, politics and government, and neuroscience are the most popular. The School of Engineering has a strong national reputation as do offerings in biology, economics, education, and music.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 96% of the Class of 2021 were employed or in graduate school. The most commonly entered industry was finance followed by technology, consulting, education, and engineering. Alumni can be found in droves at Capital One, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Company, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Meta. Among 2022 alumni who directly pursued advanced degrees, the majority enrolled at Vanderbilt followed by Columbia, Harvard, Penn, NYU, and Northwestern.

• Enrollment: 7,151 (undergraduate); 6,559 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,590

University of Notre Dame

• Notre Dame, IN

Academic Highlights: 75 majors are offered across six undergraduate colleges: the School of Architecture, the College of Arts and Letters, the Mendoza School of Business (one of the country’s best business schools), the College of Engineering, the Keough School of Global Affairs, and the College of Science. In 2022, the most degrees were conferred in business (20%), the social sciences (18%), engineering (12%), and biology (8%). A solid 60% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students, and 15% have single-digit numbers. 75% of Notre Dame undergrads study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: 69% of 2022 grads directly entered the world of employment, with the most common industries being financial services (21%), consulting (17%), technology (12%), and health services (9%). Massive numbers of alumni can be found at Deloitte, EY, PwC, IBM, Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and McKinsey & Co. The median early-career salary was $76,000. Of the 20% of grads who went directly into their graduate/professional studies, 18% were pursuing medical degrees and 9% were studying law.

• Enrollment: 8,971 (undergraduate); 4,134 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,125
• Acceptance Rate: 13%

United States Naval Academy

• Annapolis, MD

Academic Highlights: The Naval Academy has some of the top-ranked undergraduate engineering programs in the world with standout reputations in aerospace, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering. 26 different undergraduate programs are offered in a variety of disciplines, but at least 65% of each class must complete degrees in a STEM discipline in order to meet the highly technological needs of the Navy. Close to three-quarters of course sections will contain fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is a stellar 7:1.

Professional Outcomes: USNA midshipmen have a mandatory five-year military commitment upon graduating, so the vast majority immediately become ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps. Very few are cleared to enter graduate school directly after receiving their bachelor’s. However, upon entering civilian employment/life, alumni flock to companies that include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen Hamilton, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and McKinsey and Co. They also enjoy some of the highest average salaries of any alumni group in the country.

• Enrollment: 1,175
• Cost of Attendance: $0
• Median SAT: 1330
• Median ACT: 30
• Acceptance Rate: 9%
• Retention Rate: 87%
• Graduation Rate: 86%

Rice University

• Houston, TX

Academic Highlights : Rice offers more than 50 majors across six broad disciplines: engineering, architecture, music, social science, humanities, and natural science. Programs in biology, biochemistry, cognitive science, and music are incredibly strong, while the School of Architecture and the George R. Brown School of Engineering are among the highest-ranking schools in their disciplines. One-third of computer science majors are female, almost twice the national average. Class sizes are ideally small with 66% containing fewer than 20 students and a median class size of only fourteen.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 88% of Rice grads have found careers or a graduate school home. Companies that employ many recent grads include Deloitte, Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, Google, and Microsoft. Over one hundred alumni are also current employees of companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Amazon, Accenture, and Meta. Across all majors, the average starting salary is $73k. One-third of graduates move directly into graduate or professional school, with Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, and Berkeley being the most popular destinations.

• Enrollment: 4,494 (undergraduate); 4,178 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $78,278
• Median SAT: 35
• Retention Rate: 94%

University of California, Los Angeles

• Los Angeles, CA

Academic Highlights: UCLA offers 125 majors in 100+ academic departments, and more than 60 majors require a capstone experience that results in the creation of a tangible product under the mentorship of faculty members. The most commonly conferred degrees are in the social sciences (25%), biology (16%), psychology (11%), mathematics (8%), and engineering (7%). Departmental rankings are high across the board, especially in computer science, engineering, film, fine and performing arts, mathematics, and political science.

Professional Outcomes: UCLA grads flow most heavily into the research, finance, computer science, and engineering sectors. High numbers of recent grads can be found at Disney, Google, EY, Teach for America, Amazon, and Oracle. Hundreds also can be found at Bloomberg, Deloitte, Mattel, Oracle, and SpaceX. The average starting salary exceeds $55,000. 16% of recent grads enrolled directly in a graduate/professional school, with other CA-based institutions like Stanford, Pepperdine, USC, Berkeley, and Loyola Marymount being the most popular.

• Enrollment: 33,040 (undergraduate); 15,010 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $38,517 (in-state); $71,091 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: Test Blind
• Median ACT: Test Blind

University of Virginia

• Charlottesville, VA

Academic Highlights: Undergrads can study within one of seven colleges/schools, which all offer many small classes; 15% boast single-digit enrollment and 48% contain 19 or fewer students. The McIntire School of Commerce and the School of Engineering and Applied Science have glowing reputations. Other notable strengths include computer science, economics, and political philosophy, policy, and law. The most popular degree areas are liberal arts/general studies (22%), the social sciences (14%), engineering (11%), business/marketing (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes:  Upon receiving their degree, 95% of the Class of 2022 immediately joined the workforce–with an average starting salary of $90k–or headed directly to graduate school. The most popular industries were internet & software, higher education, and management consulting. Capital One (85), Deloitte (46), Amazon (38), and Bain & Co. (26) scooped up the greatest number of 2022 grads. UVA itself was the most popular grad school destination followed by Columbia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 17,496 (undergraduate); 8,653 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $39,494-49,874 (in-state); $78,214-90,378 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1470
• Median ACT: 33
• Acceptance Rate: 19%

Georgetown University

• Washington, D.C.

Academic Highlights: The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students. While some classes are a bit larger, only 7% cross the 50-student threshold. Those desiring to join the world of politics or diplomacy are in the right place. The Government and International Affairs programs are among the best in the country. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (38%) followed by business (20%), interdisciplinary studies (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 75% of members of the Class of 2022 entered the workforce, 19% went directly into a graduate or professional program of study, and 3% were still seeking employment. The Class of 2022 sent massive numbers of graduates to a number of major corporations including JPMorgan Chase (22), Citi (21), BOA (18), Morgan Stanley (16), and EY (10). Those attending grad school stay at Georgetown or flock to other elite schools like Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 7,900
• Cost of Attendance: $85,000
• Acceptance Rate: 12%

Williams College

• Williamstown, MA

Academic Highlights: The school’s 25 academic departments offer 36 majors and a number of concentrations rather than minors. An unparalleled 40% of courses have fewer than ten students enrolled; the median class size is 12 students. Programs in economics, English, history, math, and political science are especially renowned, and the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (26%), the physical sciences (10%), math and statistics (9%), psychology (9%), and computer science (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2022, 92% were employed or continuing their educational journey within six months of graduating. Business and education typically attract the most students, with popular companies/organizations including Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, The New York Times Co., the Peace Corps, and Teach for America. The median annual income for 2022 grads was $75,000. 75% pursue an advanced degree within five years of leaving Williams, with the most frequently attended graduate programs being Harvard, Columbia, and Yale.

• Enrollment: 2,152 (undergraduate); 53 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $81,160
• Median SAT: 1520
• Acceptance Rate: 8%

Boston College

• Chestnut Hill, MA

Academic Highlights: The college offers roughly 60 majors across four schools that award undergraduate degrees. Approximately half of the college’s sections contain nineteen or fewer students. 95% of graduates reported learning how to think critically at BC, and 93% said they learned how to write clearly and effectively. BC offers highly respected programs in communications, psychology, and business through the renowned Carroll School of Management. Other popular and well-regarded majors include economics, biology, and chemistry.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 96% of the Class of 2022 had landed at their next destination. The most favored industries were financial services and real estate (26%), health care/science (20%), and business/consulting (16%). The median starting salary for a 2022 BC grad was $67,000. Eighteen percent of the Class of 2022 entered graduate schools including Brown, Columbia, the University of Chicago, and Yale. Examining the Class of 2022 data, 16% entered law school, and 14% pursued some other type of doctoral degree.

• Enrollment: 9,484
• Cost of Attendance: $86,155
• Average SAT: 1482
• Average ACT: 34
• Acceptance Rate: 17%
• Retention Rate: 95%
• Graduation Rate: 92%

Tufts University

• Medford, MA

Academic Highlights: Three schools serve Tufts’ undergraduate population: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. The three schools combined offer more than 90 majors and minors; approximately one-third of all students double major, and half declare a minor. 15% of all courses see fewer than ten students enrolled, and 60% have sub-twenty enrollments. The most popular majors include international relations, economics, computer science, political science, and biology—all of which receive very high marks.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after earning their diplomas, 97% of 2022 graduates were employed or attending graduate school. The most commonly entered fields were finance, consulting, real estate (23%); engineering and technology (22%); health, life sciences, environmental (21%); and education, advocacy, social services (11%). Prolific employers of Tufts alums include Booz Allen Hamilton, JPMorgan, MITRE, Google, Deloitte, Amazon, Raytheon, Morgan Stanley, and BlackRock. Of the 21% of 2022 grads who went directly to graduate school, 85% were accepted into their first-choice institution.

• Enrollment: 6,815 (undergraduate); 6,616 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $88,300
• Graduation Rate: 94%

University of California, Berkeley

• Berkeley, CA

Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools: the College of Letters and Science, the College of Chemistry, the College of Engineering, the College of Environmental Design, the College of Natural Resources, and the Haas School of Business. Many departments have top international reputations including computer science, engineering, chemistry, English, psychology, and economics. 22% of sections contain nine or fewer students, and over 55% of students assist faculty with a research project or complete a research methods course.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 49% of Cal’s Class of 2022 had already secured employment, and 20% were headed to graduate school. Business is the most popular sector, attracting 62% of employed grads; next up are industrial (17%), education (8%), and nonprofit work (7%). The median starting salary was $86,459 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, and Meta, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

• Enrollment: 32,831 (undergraduate); 12,914 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $48,574 (in-state); $82,774 (out-of-state)

Wake Forest University

• Winston-Salem, NC

Academic Highlights: All freshmen enter the Undergraduate College, which offers 45 majors and 60 minors. Sporting a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, classes are kept on the small side with 59% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. 60% of students engage in hands-on research for academic credit. Wake Forest is strong across myriad disciplines, most notably chemistry, communication, accounting, finance, and international affairs. The most frequently conferred degrees are in business (22%), the social sciences (20%), journalism (8%), and biology (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 97% of the Class of 2022 had found their next destination, with 71% starting their first professional job and 26% matriculating into a graduate program. Management/consulting, investment banking, and healthcare were the top three industries. Employers landing the highest numbers of alumni included national and multinational corporations IBM, Siemens, Volvo, Goldman Sachs, Disney, Deloitte, Dell, Gucci, PepsiCo, EY, and Nike. By the start of mid-career, Wake Forest alumni earn the second-highest median salary of any school in North Carolina.

• Enrollment: 5,447 (undergraduate); 3,516 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,622
• Median SAT: 1450
• Acceptance Rate: 21%
• Graduation Rate: 90%

Colgate University

• Hamilton, NY

Academic Highlights: Fifty-six majors are on tap at Colgate, including all of the expected liberal arts concentrations. With a student-faculty ratio of 9:1 and an average class size of 16, Colgate undergraduates work intimately with their instructors. The social sciences account for 35% of all degrees conferred and, within that umbrella, economics, political science, and English are among the most popular and most well-regarded majors.

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduation, only a small number of Colgate alumni are still looking for work; in 2022, that group represented less than 2% of the graduating class. A substantial 80% had already landed full-time jobs. Employers hiring the most Colgate grads included BOA, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, EY, Wayfair, and the NIH. 85-95% of law school applicants are accepted into one of their target institutions. The medical school numbers were even more impressive with 100% of graduating seniors gaining acceptance into at least one med school.

• Enrollment: 3,130
• Cost of Attendance: $83,814

Swarthmore College

• Swarthmore, PA

Academic Highlights: Swarthmore offers forty undergraduate programs and runs 600+ courses each academic year. Small, seminar-style courses are the norm—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 70% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Social science degrees are the most commonly conferred, accounting for 24% of all 2022 graduates. Future businessmen/women, engineers, and techies are also well-positioned, given Swat’s incredibly strong offerings in economics, engineering, and computer science.

Professional Outcomes: 68% of Class of 2022 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Popular industries included education (17%), consulting (16%), and financial services (13%); the median starting salary was $60,000. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and a number of the top universities.  18% of 2022 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 35% pursuing a PhD, 35% entering master’s programs, 10% heading to law school, and 7% matriculating into medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,625
• Cost of Attendance: $81,376

Cornell University

Academic Highlights: A diverse array of academic programs includes 80 majors and 120 minors spread across the university’s seven schools/colleges. Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 55% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Most degrees conferred in 2022 were in computer science (17%), engineering (13%), business (13%), and biology (13%). The SC Johnson College of Business houses two undergraduate schools, both of which have phenomenal reputations.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 68% entered the workforce, 28% entered graduate school, 1% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 3% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. The top sectors attracting campus-wide graduateswere financial services (18%), technology (17%), consulting (15%), and education (10%). Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 15% were pursuing JDs, 5% MDs, and 22% PhDs.

• Enrollment: 15,735
• Cost of Attendance: $88,150

Emory University

• Atlanta, GA

Academic Highlights: This midsize university offers a diverse array of majors (80+) and minors (60+), and 30% of Emory students pursue more than one area of study. Over half of Emory’s student body works directly with a faculty member on academic research and 58% of courses have class sizes of under twenty students. Ultimately, the greatest number of students go on to earn degrees in the social sciences (15%), biology (14%), business (14%), health professions (12%), and mathematics (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduation, 66% of 2022 grads were already employed, and 96% had arrived at their next destination. The top employers of recent Emory grads include Deloitte, Epic, ScribeAmerica, Meta, Morgan Stanley, and Cloudmed. Graduates of the Goizueta Business School found strong starting salaries with an average of $81k.  In the last few years, multiple Emory grads/alums received acceptance letters from the following top law schools like Columbia, Berkeley, and Georgetown. Med school acceptances included Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt.

• Enrollment: 7,101
• Cost of Attendance: $83,702

Wellesley College

• Wellesley, MA

Academic Highlights: There are 50+ departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Thirty-six percent of course sections have single-digit enrollments while 77% have 19 or fewer students. In addition, opportunities for participation in research with faculty members abound. Most programs possess sterling reputations, including chemistry, computer science, neuroscience, and political science, but the Department of Economics shines most brightly, leading many into PhD programs and high-profile careers. Economics, biology, and computer science are the most frequently conferred degrees.

Professional Outcomes : Six months after graduating, 97% of the Class of 2022 had achieved positive outcomes. Of the 76% of grads who were employed, 24% were working in the finance/consulting/business fields, 17% in education, 17% in internet and technology & engineering, and 15% in healthcare/life sciences. Top employers included JPMorgan Chase, Google, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Goldman Sachs. The average starting salary for one recent cohort was a solid $63k. Of the 20% of 2022 grads who directly entered an advanced degree program, common schools attended included Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, MIT, and Emory.

• Enrollment: 2,447
• Cost of Attendance: $84,240
• Median SAT: 1490
• Acceptance Rate: 14%

Wesleyan University

• Middletown, CT

Academic Highlights: With 45 majors and 32 minors, Wes truly has something for everyone. The academic requirements are relatively minimal, giving undergrads a high degree of intellectual freedom. Under 75% of class sections have fewer than twenty students; students rave about the accessible faculty. Research opportunities with professors are plentiful. Offerings in economics, English, film studies, and neuroscience typically receive the most praise from employers/grad schools; accordingly, the social sciences (24%), psychology (17%), and the visual and performing arts (12%) are the most popular.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 66% of 2022 grads had entered employment, with tech/engineering/sciences, education, and arts/entertainment being the three top sectors. The companies employing the highest numbers of recent Wesleyan grads included Google, Epic, Analysis Group, Boston Medical Center, Booz Allen Hamilton, Accenture, and Apple. Graduate school was the next stop for 18% of new alums; enrolling institutions included MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, Temple, and UMass.

• Enrollment: 3,069 (undergraduate); 184 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,094
• Median SAT: 1430
• Median ACT: 32

Bowdoin College

• Brunswick, ME

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are small—64% contain fewer than twenty students—and 21% have fewer than ten students. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1. More than half of Bowdoin undergrads report interacting with a professor outside of regular class time at least once per week. The greatest percentage of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (30%), biology (13%), area/ethnic/gender studies (8%), computer science (7%), and mathematics (7%). Economics and government and legal studies are two of the more popular majors within the social sciences.

Professional Outcomes: An examination of three recent years’ worth of outcomes data reveals that one year after graduation, between 73 and 77% of recent grads have found full-time employment, and 15% have gone directly into graduate school. Of those entering graduate school, 48% were enrolled in master’s programs, 23% in PhD programs, 13% in law school, and 8% in med school. The top twenty graduate schools attended, by volume, in the last five years make an exclusive list including six Ivies along with Duke, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 1,915
• Cost of Attendance: $82,600
• Median SAT: 1510

College of the Holy Cross

• Worcester, MA

Academic Highlights: The college offers thirty traditional majors as well as additional subjects in which one can pursue a student-designed major. The average class size is a manageable 19 students, and 62% of courses have enrollments lower than that. There are no majors that undergrads flock to in overwhelming numbers, but the most popular are the social sciences (29%), psychology (14%), history (7%), and biology (6%). All of those popular departments also rank well nationally.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after moving their tassels to the left, 68% of the Class of 2021 (most recent stats available) were employed, 19% were in graduate school, and only 3% were still seeking full-time employment. Organizations employing more than one recent graduate include Fidelity Investments, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Massachusetts General Hospital, Deloitte, EY, PwC, Oracle, and Dell. Among those enrolled in graduate school, 14% were in law school, 14% were pursuing degrees in a health profession, and 6% were in PhD programs.

• Enrollment: 3,233
• Cost of Attendance: $78,600
• Median SAT: 1360
• Acceptance Rate: 36%

Middlebury College

• Middlebury, VT

Academic Highlights: Midd offers 50 departments and programs in which to major and minor. The school’s 9:1 student-faculty ratio allows 100% of courses to be taught by professors, not graduate assistants. Most classes are small; the mean class size is 16, and 14% of sections contain fewer than ten students. Middlebury is renowned for its Language Department as well as its programs in economics and international studies. The college has a robust international program (75 programs in 40 countries); over 50% of juniors take a semester abroad.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 81% of the Class of 2022 had landed jobs and 12% were in graduate school. The most commonly held jobs fell under the categories of financial services (19%), consulting (14%), science and healthcare (14%), and media and technology (12%). Many Middlebury grads now enter tech-related fields; Google and Facebook are two of the leading employers alongside Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Amazon, and JP Morgan. More than 100 alumni work in the US State Department.

• Enrollment: 2,773 (undergraduate); 70 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,850
• Median SAT: 1460

Davidson College

• Davidson, NC

Academic Highlights: With its small size, the impressive part of the college is the exceptional quality of its offerings, not the breadth of them, as only 37 majors are available. The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, which allows the college to ensure that 62% have fewer than twenty students and 24% have enrollments you can count on two hands. Overall, the average number of students per class is only 18. Top programs at Davidson include psychology, political science, chemistry, and English; biology is also quite popular, accounting for 12% of degrees conferred in 2022.

Professional Outcomes: Looking at the outcomes data for 2022 grads, 70% landed jobs within six months of graduation, 26% were enrolled in a graduate program, and 3% were still seeking employment. Of those who attended grad school, the highest number were in healthcare-related programs (including MDs), law school, and laboratory sciences. Significant numbers of students pursue advanced degrees at other Southern gems including Vanderbilt, Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC.

• Enrollment: 1,927
• Cost of Attendance: $76,450

University of Michigan

• Ann Arbor, MI

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) enrolls the majority of students. The Ross School of Business offers highly rated programs in entrepreneurship, management, accounting, and finance. The College of Engineering is also one of the best in the country. By degrees conferred, engineering (15%), computer science (14%), and the social sciences (11%) are most popular. A solid 56% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school, with healthcare, education, law, banking, research, nonprofit work, and consulting being the most popular sectors. Within three months, 99% of Ross grads are employed with a median salary of $90k. Top employers include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Deloitte, and Amazon.  Within six months, 96% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $84k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta employ the greatest number of alumni.

• Enrollment: 32,695 (undergraduate); 18,530 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $35,450 (in-state); $76,294 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 18%

Bates College

• Lewiston, ME

Academic Highlights: Thirty-four percent of courses at Bates have a single-digit enrollment, and 63% of classrooms contain nineteen or fewer students. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1, and not a single graduate student is present to vacuum up professorial attention. Twenty-eight percent of all degrees earned at Bates are in the social sciences, and psychology (14%), biology (13%), and the physical sciences (7%) are next in popularity. Though strong across many disciplines, Bates boasts exemplary programs in political science, art, philosophy, economics, and psychology.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 99% of the Class of 2022 were either employed, enrolled in graduate school, or otherwise meaningfully engaged in a fellowship or internship. The most frequently entered fields were healthcare (17%), education (16%), finance/banking (14%), and technology (7%). Within ten years of graduation, approximately 13% of Bates graduates are in, or have completed, law school whereas 7% enroll in medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,790
• Cost of Attendance: $81,382
• Retention Rate: 93%

Hamilton College

• Clinton, NY

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, and without any pesky graduate students to get in the way, face time with professors is a regular occurrence. In fact, 28% of all classes have nine or fewer students; 72% have nineteen or fewer. Economics, government, and biology are among the strongest and most popular majors; other standout programs include public policy, mathematics, and environmental studies. Thirty percent of students earn social science degrees, with biology (13%), visual and performing arts (9%), physical science (7%), and foreign languages (7%) next in line.

Professional Outcomes: Examining the 491 graduates in Hamilton’s Class of 2022, an enviable 97% wasted no time landing jobs, graduate school acceptances, or fellowships. The most commonly entered industries were finance (17%), education (13%), business (12%), and science/tech (11%). Only 17% of 2022 graduates went directly into an advanced degree program. In one recent year, 33% of Hamilton grads were studying a STEM field, 22% were in the social sciences, 17% pursued a health care degree, and 5% went to law school.

• Enrollment: 2,075
• Cost of Attendance: $82,430

University of California, Santa Barbara

• Santa Barbara, CA

Academic Highlights: There are 90 undergraduate majors across three schools: the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Creative Studies. The social sciences are the most popular area of study, accounting for 27% of the total degrees conferred. Biology (10%), math (9%), and psychology (9%) are next in popularity. The school has highly regarded programs in communication, computer science, engineering, physics, environmental science, and the performing arts. More than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of earning their diplomas, 84% of grads had found employment. The most popular industries were science/research (16%), engineering/computer programming (14%), business (13%), finance/accounting (11%), and sales (10%). Top employers of recent grads include Google, EY, KPMG, Oracle, Amazon, IBM, and Adobe. Many alumni also can be found at Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Two years after graduating, UCSB alumni make an average salary of $55k; more than half make $100k by mid-career.

• Enrollment: 23,460 (undergraduate); 2,961 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $41,289 (in-state); $73,863 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 28%
• Retention Rate: 92%

Pomona College

Academic Highlights: There are 48 majors and minors to select from with the most popular being social sciences (23%), biology (13%), and computer science (12%). Majors in economics, international relations, chemistry, and mathematics receive especially high marks. More than 600 courses are on the menu at Pomona alone, but students can access any of the Claremont Consortium’s 2,700 courses. Pomona’s 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio leads to an average class size of only 15 students, and over 50% of the undergraduate population conduct research alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: 71% of the Class of 2022 were employed within six months of graduating. Overall, the largest number of alumni can be found at Google, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. Recently, economics degree-earners have landed jobs at Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, or Accenture. Majors in the hard sciences frequently landed at top research laboratories and hospitals. Of the 21% of 2022 grads who were accepted directly into graduate school, the most frequently attended institutions included the University of Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Caltech, UChicago, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 1,761
• Cost of Attendance: $88,296

Bucknell University

• Lewisburg, PA

Academic Highlights: Over 60 majors and 70 minors are on tap across three undergraduate schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. Getting well-acquainted with your professors is easy with a 9:1 student-faculty ratio, and class sizes are reasonably small. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the areas of the social sciences (26%), engineering (14%), business (14%), biology (11%), and psychology (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduation, 94% of the Class of 2022 had launched their careers or entered graduate school. Financial services is the most common sector for Bucknell grads to enter, attracting 24% of alumni. Across all disciplines, the average salary for a Class of 2022 grad was $69,540. Bucknell saw 18% of 2022 grads go directly into an advanced degree program. Bison alumni heading to graduate school predominantly pursue degrees in the medical field, social sciences, business, or engineering.

• Enrollment: 3,747
• Cost of Attendance: $80,890
• Median SAT: 1380
• Acceptance Rate: 33%
• Retention Rate: 91%
• Graduation Rate: 87%

New York University

Academic Highlights: NYU is divided into a number of smaller (but still quite large) colleges organized by discipline; in sum, there are 230 areas of undergraduate study across nine schools and colleges. For its size, a commendable 58% of classes have an enrollment under 20 students. While all schools within NYU have solid reputations, Stern holds the distinction as one of the top undergraduate business programs in the country. For those entering film, dance, drama, or other performing arts, Tisch is as prestigious a place as you can find to study.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of exiting, 94% of Class of 2022 grads had landed at their next destination, with 78% employed and 21% in graduate school. The top industries for employment were healthcare (11%), internet and software (9%), finance (8%), and entertainment (8%). Large numbers of alumni can be found at Google, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Amazon. The mean starting salary is $75,336. In 2022, business, arts and sciences, and law school were the most popular grad school destinations.

• Enrollment: 29,401 (undergraduate); 29,711 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $90,222-$96,172

Lafayette College

Academic Highlights: Lafayette offers 51 areas of study over four academic divisions: engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and the social sciences. One-on-one attention from professors is a reality at Lafayette, thanks to a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and no graduate students to compete with. A solid 62% of sections contain fewer than twenty students; 11% enroll nine or fewer. Of the degrees conferred in 2022, social sciences (34%) and engineering (19%) were the disciplines in which the largest number of degrees were earned.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, a stellar 98% of the Class of 2022 had already landed full-time jobs or were enrolled in graduate/professional school. Companies employing large numbers of Lafayette alumni include Merck, IBM, Morgan Stanley, Citi, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan Chase Co., Deloitte, and EY. Those attending graduate school frequently land at some of the top programs in the country within their respective disciplines. Medical school applicants with a 3.6 GPA or above enjoy a 72% acceptance rate, and dental school candidates find homes at an 89% clip.

• Enrollment: 2,729
• Cost of Attendance: $84,402
• Median SAT: 1400
• Median ACT: 31
• Acceptance Rate: 34%
• Retention Rate: 90%
• Graduation Rate: 89%

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Chapel Hill, NC

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can choose from 74 bachelor’s degree programs in a number of schools and colleges, the largest of which is the College of Arts & Sciences. 44% of classes have a student enrollment under 20. The social sciences (15%), biology (12%), media/journalism (9%), computer science (8%), and business (6%) are the areas in which the most degrees are conferred. The Kenan-Flager Business School is internationally renowned and requires separate admission. Other strong programs include those in chemistry, journalism, psychology, and political science.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Chapel Hill, 97% of 2022 grads had entered employment, military service, or graduate school. Among the for-profit companies that hire the most graduates are Wells Fargo, IBM, Cisco, Deloitte, EY, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. In the nonprofit sector, a large number of alumni are employed by AmeriCorps, NIH, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps. The average starting salary is $70,619. 18% of 2022 grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 20,210 (undergraduate); 11,739 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $27,036 (in-state); $60,040 (out-of-state)

Colby College

• Waterville, ME

Academic Highlights: Offering 56 majors and 35 minors, Colby provides a classic liberal arts education with a high degree of flexibility and room for independent intellectual pursuits. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio is put to good instructional use as roughly two-thirds of courses have fewer than 19 students. Being a true liberal arts school, Colby has strengths across many disciplines, but biology, economics, and global studies draw especially high praise. These programs along with government and environmental science attract the highest number of students.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 93% of the Class of 2022 had either obtained jobs or were enrolled full-time in a graduate program. Eighteen percent of graduates enter the financial industry and large numbers also start careers in education, with government/nonprofit, STEM, and healthcare next in popularity. The Medical school acceptance rate over the past five years is 68%, nearly double the national average.

• Enrollment: 2,299
• Cost of Attendance: $86,720
• Average SAT: 1485
• Average ACT: 33

Boston University

Academic Highlights: In total, the university offers more than 300 programs of study, 100+ of which are distinct undergraduate degrees spread across ten schools/colleges. Many classes at BU are reasonably small—60% contain fewer than twenty students; only 19% contain more than forty. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in social sciences (16%), business/marketing (15%), communications and journalism (15%), biology (11%), engineering (9%), and health professions/related sciences (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 90% of BU grads have found their way into the world of employment or full-time graduate study. Across all graduating years, companies employing more than 350 BU alums include Google, Oracle, Accenture, IBM, and Amazon Web Services. Of the one-quarter of grads who move directly into graduate school, many are welcomed onto the campuses of elite graduate programs. For example, engineering students found new academic homes at MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and Columbia.

• Enrollment: 18,459
• Cost of Attendance: $86,363

California Institute of Technology

• Pasadena, CA

Academic Highlights: Across all divisions, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 70% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Computer science is the most popular major, accounting for 38% of all degrees conferred. Engineering (30%), the physical sciences (20%), and mathematics (6%) also have strong representation.

Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2022, the median figure was $120,000. Forty-three percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 46% of those receiving their diplomas in 2022 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Ninety-seven percent of these students were admitted to one of their top-choice schools.

• Enrollment: 982
• Cost of Attendance: $86,886

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US News & World Report Releases 2024 Rankings Of America’s Best Grad Schools

Texas A&M University is one of the nation’s leaders in graduate education, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The university has 33 programs in the Top 50 spanning across agriculture, business, computer science, education, health, law, political science, public affairs, psychology, science, and veterinary medicine. U.S. News announced this week that the release of rankings for engineering, medical and clinical psychology will be delayed.

In its Best Graduate Schools ranking, the publication placed 10 of Texas A&M’s graduate programs in the Top 20; among those, six are Top 10:

College of Arts and Sciences

• Industrial and organizational psychology, No. 7 (No. 6 public)
• Inorganic chemistry, No. 5 (No. 2 public, No. 1 in Texas)
• Nuclear physics, No. 7 (No. 6 public, No. 1 in Texas)

School of Law, overall No. 26

• Dispute resolution, No. 5 (No. 3 public, No. 1 in Texas)
• Intellectual property, No. 6 (No. 2 public, No. 1 in Texas)

School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, overall No. 10 (No. 9 public, No. 1 in Texas)

According to U.S. News , the rankings are based on expert opinion on program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. Texas A&M currently enrolls 16,762 graduate and professional students (fall 2023), in more than 170 master’s, 94 doctoral and five professional degree programs.

“I’m so proud of our graduate students, the world-class faculty who mentor them and the outstanding programs that set them on a path to success in their chosen fields,” said Gen. (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M University. “Post-graduate education at Texas A&M contributes immeasurably to our research enterprise and our teaching and service missions. Congratulations to the students, faculty and staff whose work is reflected not just in rankings, but each and every day on our campuses and in the world at large.”

Texas A&M School of Law in Fort Worth, which has seen a remarkable rise in the U.S. News rankings, this year rose three spots overall, an increase of 57 spots in five years.

The Bush School of Government and Public Service, which ranks No. 26 overall in public affairs, has seen gains this round in non-profit management, up six places to No. 21. “The Bush School continues to make strides as a world-class Public Affairs school,” said Frank B. Ashley III, interim dean. “Employers know that graduates of our Public Service and Administration program are career-ready leaders with a passion for public service.”

Other notable rankings include:

• Analytical chemistry, No. 11 (No. 10 public)
• Applied mathematics, No. 13 (No. 6 public)
• Legal writing, No. 11 (No. 7 public, No. 1 in Texas)
• Marketing, No. 29 (No. 9 public)
• Management, No. 27 (No. 11 public)
• Statistics, No. 13 (No. 7 public, No. 1 in Texas)

View the full rankings for Texas A&M here and review the U.S. News methodology here .

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Best Undergraduate Economics Programs

The undergraduate economics program rankings were based solely on peer assessment surveys. To appear on these surveys, undergraduate economics programs must have awarded a medium to large number of bachelor's degrees in economics. Read the methodology »

To unlock full rankings, SAT/ACT scores and more, sign up for the U.S. News College Compass !

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Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

• #1 in Economics  (tie)
• #1 in economics  (tie)

Harvard University is a private institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. This Ivy League school is the oldest higher education institution in the country and has the largest endowment of any school in the world.

(fall 2022)

SAT, GPA and More

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Though the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may be best known for its math, science and engineering education, this private research university also offers architecture, humanities, management and social science programs. The school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the Charles River from downtown Boston.

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

The ivy-covered campus of Princeton University, a private institution, is located in the quiet town of Princeton, New Jersey. Princeton was the first university to offer a "no loan" policy to financially needy students, giving grants instead of loans to accepted students who need help paying tuition.

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

The sunny campus of Stanford University is located in California’s Bay Area, about 30 miles from San Francisco. The private institution stresses a multidisciplinary combination of teaching, learning, and research, and students have many opportunities to get involved in research projects.

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA

The University of California, Berkeley overlooks the San Francisco Bay in Berkeley, Calif. Students at this public school have more than 1,000 groups to get involved in, including more than 60 fraternity and sorority chapters.

(out-of-state)

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

The University of Chicago, situated in Chicago’s Hyde Park community, offers a rich campus life in a big-city setting. Since 1987, the private institution has hosted the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt, a four-day event that is regarded as the largest scavenger hunt in the world.

Yale University

New Haven, CT

Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut, offers a small college life with the resources of a major research institution. Yale students are divided into 14 residential colleges that foster a supportive environment for living, learning and socializing.

Columbia University

New York, NY

• #8 in Economics  (tie)
• #8 in economics  (tie)

Columbia University has three undergraduate schools: Columbia College, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), and the School of General Studies. This Ivy League, private school guarantees students housing for all four years on campus in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood in New York City.

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Founded by Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania is a private institution in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students can study in one of four schools that grant undergraduate degrees: Arts and Sciences, Nursing, Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Wharton.

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

• #10 in Economics
• #10 in economics

Northwestern University is a private school in Evanston, Ill., about 30 minutes outside of Chicago. Undergraduate students have about 100 options for majors or can design their own non-traditional degree program.

See all 309 Ranked Schools

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More Schools in this List (Alphabetical)

Albion College

• in Economics
• in economics

Founded in 1835, Albion College is a private institution. The school has 68.2% of its classes with fewer than 20 students, and the student-faculty ratio at Albion College is 12:1.

Allegheny College

Meadville, PA

At Allegheny College in northwest Pennsylvania, students can choose from about 30 majors and must complete and present a capstone project their senior year. William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, attended Allegheny College in the 1800s, but legend has it that he was expelled for shoving a cow into the school’s bell tower.

American University

Washington, DC

Students at American University benefit from the school's location in the political hub of the nation. Washington, D.C., is a playground for the politically and socially oriented with its countless museums, restaurants, clubs and year-round events. The university, located in a suburban pocket of northwest Washington, is close to a stop on the D.C.-area Metrorail transit system. Rides downtown take about 15 minutes. Students at American have been rated among the most politically active in the nation, and there are more than 270 student clubs and organizations on campus. The school also has a sizable Greek system, with more than 25 fraternities and sororities.

Amherst College

Amherst, MA

Amherst College, a private school in Amherst, Massachusetts, is known for its rigorous academic climate. Because Amherst is a member of the Five Colleges consortium, students can also take courses at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts—Amherst.

Appalachian State University

Appalachian State University is a public school tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Students at Appalachian have many programs, sports, and clubs to choose from, including the Appalachian Popular Programming Society, which plans campus events. 

Arizona State University

Arizona State University’s Tempe campus offers more than 200 research-based programs in the arts, business, engineering and more. The campus is located just outside of Phoenix, in the suburb of Tempe, Arizona.

Auburn University

Auburn, Alabama, has been ranked one of the best places to live, and life at Auburn University can be similarly enjoyable for students. Football is a particularly big attraction in the fall, as fans support the Auburn Tigers with the help of school mascot Aubie the Tiger. The Tiger sports teams compete in the NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference, and the influx of football fans makes Auburn the fifth-largest city in the state on game days. Pep rallies are held in the downtown Toomer's Corner, and the area is covered in toilet paper by fans after every big victory. There are more than 500 student organizations on campus, and about 6,000 students are involved in the school's Greek system. Auburn freshmen ease into the college transition through Camp War Eagle, a two-day, overnight summer orientation program. Transition help continues on Hey Day, an annual effort to get students to wear name tags and say hello to one another. Freshmen do not have to live on campus; in fact, a dorm room isn't even guaranteed. Because of space restraints, first-year students are awarded on-campus living assignments on a first-come, first-served basis.

Barnard College

Women at Barnard College can experience two extremes of education—a small, liberal arts school and a large, coeducational Ivy League institution—all the while enjoying an urban lifestyle in New York City. Barnard is an all-female college in Manhattan with a partnership with the school across the street, Columbia University. Barnard women can take classes, play sports and join organizations at Columbia University-—and Columbia students have the same opportunities at Barnard. The two schools are joined in an athletic consortium, and compete in the NCAA Division I Ivy League Conference. The school’s own mascot is a dancing Barnard Bear named Millie. Barnard College has about 80 of its own student organizations, though Columbia students often join, too. The Barnard Student Government Association does not recognize on-campus sororities, but women can join Columbia’s Greek organizations. Students call the school’s location in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of the Upper West Side home, as nearly 95 percent live on campus. Freshmen are not required to live on campus, but 98 percent choose to do so. The school’s Urban New York program takes first-semester students to free events around the city, and all Barnard women get student discounts on tickets to nearby on- and off-Broadway shows, various sporting events and concerts. Barnard students also have year-round opportunities for internships in New York City, organized through the Career Development office.

Bates College

Lewiston, ME

Bates College is located in Lewiston, Maine and was the first coeducational college in New England. The private school’s unique academic calendar includes a five-week spring term, during which students can study a single subject or partake in an off-campus program.

Baylor University

The student community at Baylor University is bound together largely by religion and service. The Waco, Texas, school is a private, Baptist institution, and its student body is particularly active in volunteerism. Each semester, students donate a collective 12,000 hours of time to service projects through a one-day program called Steppin’ Out. Students can volunteer year-round through the school’s Urban Missions, which coordinates service projects in the local community, and Global Missions, which sends students abroad. The student body is also active in faith-based activities. Each year, students lead Be The Change, a week of speakers, breakout sessions and events that give religion a global focus. Freshmen are required to live on campus and must also take two semesters of Chapel, attending worship services every Monday and Wednesday. Students and faculty gather daily for a campus prayer at noon, and weekly for free ice cream floats during "Dr Pepper Hour."