PhD Studentships in Economics at University of Otago, New Zealand

The Department of Economics of the University of Otago in New Zealand is expanding its PhD programme and invites applications for Ph.D. Studentships (Scholarships). Scholarships are awarded based on academic merit. Please note that in order to be considered for a scholarship, the absolute minimum required is an “A-” grade average, aside from other academic achievements. The University of Otago is New Zealand’s leading research university. In the most recent national research evaluation exercise (PBRF) – equivalent to the British RAE and the Australian ERA – Otago was ranked first in Economics and first overall.

Applications are considered throughout the year.

Each Scholarship will pay university tuition fees and in addition a living allowance of NZ $20,000 per annum for up to three years, for a total of NZ $60.000. Additional income from research assistance and/or tutoring may be available.

Information on the relative cost of living in New Zealand is available at http://ping.fm/6zPP0

The normal period of study is three years. Applicants should have completed at least four years of university study in Economics, and hold an Honours or Masters degree, with excellent grades, which includes a research component. The PhD programme at Otago is by research only, that is, it does not include any course work. We expect that you will have taken courses equivalent to our own honours programme, which includes advanced courses in micro- and macroeconomic theory and in econometrics. The fact that the Otago PhD does not include course work means that you need to have obtained the skills (either theoretical, empirical or both) required for your proposed research before coming to Otago. In addition, it is assumed that you have good written English skills.

If you would like feedback on whether you may qualify for a scholarship, please email a CV, copies of your academic transcripts, showing the courses you have taken and the grades you obtained, plus a 2 to 3 page research proposal, that clearly sets out the hypothesis you wish to test, the methodology you will use to test the hypothesis, and how your research will extend the existing literature to:

Professor Alfred A. Haug
Director of Postgraduate Studies
Department of Economics
University of Otago
E-mail: Alfred.Haug@otago.ac.nz

For more information on the PhD programme, please consult the Department’s website at http://ping.fm/PduHl