2025 Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia

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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Economics Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 38 doctor's degrees in economics to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to economics students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other economics students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt economics students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• 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 schools for economics students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Economics Schools

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 in Virginia.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Economics in Virginia

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for economics students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top Virginia Schools for a Doctorate in Economics

1

Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

12 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in economics. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.More information about a doctorate in economics from Virginia Tech

2

George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

18 Annual Graduates

$87,415 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in economics needs to take a look at George Mason University. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their doctorate from the economics program state that they receive average early career wages of $87,415.

More information about a doctorate in economics from George Mason University

Best Economics Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Economics Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	138	7
Georgia	126	20
North Carolina	115	39
Mississippi	113	11
Louisiana	103	7
Tennessee	102	15
Alabama	98	3
South Carolina	91	13
Kentucky	87	3
Arkansas	58	1
West Virginia	49	8

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Rankings in Majors Related to Economics

One of 13 majors within the Social Sciences area of study, Economics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Economics Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics	20
General Economics	18

Majors Similar to Economics

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Sociology	18
International Relations & National Security	15
Urban Studies	10
Political Science & Government	9
Anthropology	5
Other Social Sciences	3
Geography & Cartography	2

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.