School of Economics Handbook—PhD Students

PhD Studies for MA Graduates

Applying for Studies

Students who comply with the following are eligible to apply for PhD studies in the School of Economics:

* Students with an MA in Economics in the thesis track, with a minimum grade average of 85, and with a minimum final grade of 85 on their thesis

* Students with an MA in Economics in the non-thesis track with a minimum grade average of 85. Students from this track will be required to complete a cluster of supplementary courses, to be determined by the advanced degree committee. The supplementary studies will include the required courses in the MA thesis track and a final paper equivalent in scope to an MA thesis.

* MA graduates from the thesis track in a different discipline with a minimum grade average of 85, and with a minimum final grade of 85 on their thesis. These students will be required to complete all required MA courses in the thesis track with a minimum grade average of 85. Students not from Mathematics will be required to complete the course Mathematical Methods in Economics.

 

Admissions

Students seeking to apply for PhD studies will approach the advanced degree committee in the School of Economics. This committee is responsible for approving admissions, and determining the academic program for each student. The committee will forward its recommendation to the research student committee in the Faculty of Social Sciences to accept the student as a stage I research student. The university committee will send the student an official letter of admission.

Prospective students must submit the following to the research student secretary of the School of Economics:

- A letter to the committee including a statement of intentions

- A current CV

- Original transcripts and letters of eligibility for the BA and MA degrees

- A copy of the MA thesis

- Two letters of recommendation from lecturers (one from the MA thesis advisor)

- A letter from a faculty member attesting to his or her willingness to act as the student's PhD advisor

 

Studies

Once a student has been accepted to PhD studies, he or she is a stage I research student.

Requirements - Stage I Research Student

1. The student must complete at least 8 credit hours, not including workshops (unless the advanced degree committee has determined that more courses are required), as per the guidelines of the advisor. The student must complete all courses with a minimum grade of 80, and a minimum grade average of 85.

2. The student must fully participate in PhD workshops, and present his or her research at least once a year. 

3. The student must participate in the department seminar and one workshop in his or her field of research.

4. The student must submit a progress report once a year.

5. The student must submit a research proposal before the end of the first year of studies, and after he or she has completed all required courses. The research proposal must be signed by the intended advisor. This period may be extended upon recommendation from the advisor, approval by both the committee for advanced degrees, and the faculty PhD committee.

6. In addition to the above, the School of Economics' committee for advanced degrees may require that students participate in courses, workshops, etc.

The procedure for approving the research proposal will apply to all students, as specified by the accompanying committee for research students in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

While preparing the research proposal, and before submitting it to the accompanying committee, the student will meet with each member of the committee who is in Israel, without his or her advisor.

The student will submit the research proposal to the members of the accompanying committee, and present it before the members of the accompanying committee. Once the proposal has been approved, the student will become a stage II research student.

 

Requirements of Stage II Research Students

1. Students must submit an interim report to the accompanying committee no later than two years after the research proposal was approved. The goal of the report is to inform the committee members of the student's progress, or issues that have arisen during work.

2. Students must actively participate in the PhD workshop and present their research at least once a year. Students must also participate in the department seminar and in at least one workshop in his or her field of research. The student must also complete at least 12 credit hours of courses.

3. The student must submit the PhD thesis within five years of being admitted as a stage I research student. Any exception to this regulation must be approved by the faculty committee and by the university committee. The PhD thesis may not be submitted less than one year from the date of admissions, unless the faculty committee has so recommended, and the university committee has approved.

4. Pending approval by the faculty committee, the student is entitled to publish part of his or her research while working on the thesis.

5. The PhD thesis is to be submitted in Hebrew, and will include an abstract in English, equivalent in scope to 5% of the entire paper. The faculty committee may approve the submission of a thesis in English. In this instance, the thesis will include an abstract in Hebrew, equivalent in scope to 5% of the entire paper.

 

Direct PhD Track

Provisional Admission as a Stage I Student

1.1 Students who have completed their BA in Economics with a minimum grade average of 93 from a research university may apply for admission. A student who complies with these conditions and has not applied for the direct track, may do so during the first year of his or her MA studies.

1.2 Students with an outstanding academic record who have completed at least 20 credit hours by the end of the first year with a minimum grade average of 90, including required first year MA courses, may also apply for the direct track.

The school committee may approve or reject any application request to the direct track, at its discretion. Should the school committee decide to approve an application, it will recommend to the social sciences faculty research student committee to provisionally accept the student to stage I of the direct track PhD program. The university research student committee will forward the student official authorization of acceptance.

To apply to the direct track in the PhD program, the student must submit the following documents to the students' office:

-- A letter of intention detailing fields of interest and future research objectives.

-- Current CV

-- Original transcripts and letter of eligibility from BA studies

-- Two academic recommendations.

 

Candidates wishing to be accepted as per item 1.1 above must submit all documents by May 31 before the beginning of the next academic year. Those considering registering for the MA program if they are not accepted to the direct PhD program should submit all documents by April 15 before the beginning of the next academic year.

 

2. Student Requirements—Direct Track and Provisional Stage I 

2.1 Quota of Hours

Students must complete a total of 48 credit hours.

2.1.1 A student accepted as per item 1.1 above must complete 40 hours in the first two years of studies.

2.1.2 A student accepted as per item 1.2 above must complete the remainder of his or her studies to complete the 40 hour quota, by the end of the first year of the program.

2.2 Students in this track must attain a minimum grade of 85 in all courses.

2.3 Students in this track must submit to the School of Economics advanced degree secretary a letter from a school faculty member expressing his or her willingness to act as advisor for the PhD thesis, up until the qualification exam.

Qualification Exam

2.4 A provisional stage I student must pass the qualification exam to assess his or her knowledge in the specific field of expertise and his or her ability to conduct independent research. A student who has passed the qualification exam and has attained a faculty member's agreement to act as advisor will be a regular stage I PhD student.

The qualification exam is composed of writing a paper, equivalent in scope and length to a MA thesis.

2.4.1 A student accepted as per item 1.1 above must complete the qualification exam at the end of the second year of the program.

2.4.2 A student accepted as per item 1.2 above must complete the qualification exam at the end of the first year of the program.

2.5 Date for Submission of Research Proposal

2.5.1 A student accepted to the direct track as per item 1.1 must submit his or her research proposal within three years of admission to the program.

2.5.2 A student accepted to the direct track as per item 1.2 must submit his or her research proposal within two years of admission to the program.

All students in the direct track must have their research proposal approved, as specified in the regulations of the Faculty of Social Sciences research student accompanying committee.

Before submitting the research proposal to the accompanying committee, the student will meet at least once with each member of the accompanying committee who is in Israel, without the advisor.

 

3. Studies

First two years - 40 credit hours

 

Required MA courses - 28 credit hours

Elective MA courses - 10 credit hours

Workshop in field of research - 2 credit hours

Starting with the second year of studies, students must participate fully in a PhD workshop, and starting from the third year of studies, students must participate in a workshop in their field of research and in a departmental seminar, as required by the PhD program.

 

Third Year

Elective courses - 8 credit hours

Regular participation in the PhD workshop, the department seminar, and a workshop in the field of research.

4. Granting the MA While in the Direct Track to the PhD

The degree will be granted to those students who have successfully completed 40 credit hours, including 28 credit hours of required courses. Students must also pass the qualification exam, and the research proposal must be approved.

5. Requirements - Stage II Research Students

5.1 Students must submit an interim report to the accompanying committee, written no more than two years after the research proposal was approved. The goal of the report is to inform the committee members of progress in the research, or any issues that have arisen during work.

5.2 Students must participate fully in the PhD workshop and present their research at least once a year. Students must also participate in the departmental seminar and in one workshop in their field of research. Students must also complete the 48 credit hours required.

5.3 The student must submit his or her PhD thesis within five years from the date of admission as a stage I research student. The faculty committee and the university committee must approve any extension. The PhD may not be submitted less than one year following approval of the research proposal, unless the faculty committee so recommends and the university committee approves this recommendation.

5.4 The student is entitled to publish part of his or her work while research before final submission of the PhD thesis.

5.5 The PhD thesis will be submitted in Hebrew, and will include an English language abstract, equal to 5% of the scope of the paper. The faculty committee may approve submission of the PhD thesis in English. In this case, the thesis will include a Hebrew language abstract, equal to 5% of the scope of the paper.

 

 

Additional Requirements - Stage I and Stage II Research Students

The school expects research students to participate in:

* Courses offered by guest lecturers in both semesters

* Scientific conferences held in Israel and abroad throughout the year

 

Grants for PhD Students and Provisional Stage I Students

* Research students who dedicate themselves full time to their studies will receive a stipend.

* Provisional stage I students will receive the same scholarships as MA students.

* The scope of the scholarships for students completing supplementary studies will be determined each year anew.

* Every year, at the end of the academic year, requests for grants for the coming year will be submitted. Every student will be asked to declare whether or not he or she intends to dedicate him or herself full time to studies. Students are required to notify the student office of any change in status. 

*The scholarship for full time PhD students is offered for four years, and is contingent on the student's progress.

* Second year stage I research students may be granted a scholarship, based on the student's progress and the advisor's recommendation.

* Stage I research students may receive a scholarship for no more than two years.

* Extension of the scholarship for a fifth year will only be approved in special cases.