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2024 Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools

124 Colleges in the United States
1,248 Doctor's Degrees
$99,068 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a doctor's degree in economics, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #24 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

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

Choosing a Great Economics School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools The economics doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

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:

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

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Economics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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

1
43 Annual Graduates

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

2
Harvard crest
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
43 Annual Graduates

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

3
19 Annual Graduates

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

4
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
27 Annual Graduates

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

5
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
25 Annual Graduates

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

6
26 Annual Graduates

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

7
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
20 Annual Graduates

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

8
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
3 Annual Graduates

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

9
38 Annual Graduates

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

10
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
17 Annual Graduates

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

11
Princeton crest
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
20 Annual Graduates

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

12
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
14 Annual Graduates

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

13
19 Annual Graduates

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

14
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
10 Annual Graduates

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

15
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
13 Annual Graduates

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

16
7 Annual Graduates

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

17
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

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

18
8 Annual Graduates

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank College Location
19 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
20 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
21 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
22 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
23 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
24 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
25 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA

Economics by Region

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

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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

Economics Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics 900
General Economics 307
Applied Economics 19
Development Economics & International Development 12
Other Economics 10

Majors Similar to Economics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Political Science & Government 654
Sociology 577
Anthropology 469
Geography & Cartography 249
Other Social Sciences 108
International Relations & National Security 73
Urban Studies 24
Archeology 14
Demography & Population Studies 9
General Social Sciences 6

Notes and References

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