A PhD degree in economics provides graduates with the research skills necessary to structure decision problems and use evidence to find innovative solutions in management, government and social sciences.
Eligible to enroll are holders of a master degree with good mathematics and English language skills (as defined in the admission requirements)
Curriculum
Requirements for the Ph.D program are as follows:
| Requirements | Credits | ECTS |
| Course Work | 15 | 25 |
| Core Courses | 6 | 10 |
| Specialization Courses | 9 | 15 |
| Pedagogic Internship | 3 | 10 |
| Research Internship | 3 | 10 |
| Experimental Research Work Including Dissertation and Research Practice |
49 | 123 |
| Final Attestation | 5 | 12 |
| Total | 75 | 180 |
Grade Point Average
A student must maintain a cumulative 3.33 GPA throughout the program. Courses in which grades below “B-” are received but are not accepted for the Ph.D. degree. Grades received in courses transferred from another institution are not included in the calculation of the grade point average. If a grade of “C+” or lower is received, the student should repeat the course. More than one retake should acquire approval from the Council. When the GPA is calculated, the grade for the repeated course will substitute for the original grade. Grades of “I” turn to “F” if work is not completed by the 7th week of the following semester.
Core Course (6 credits/ 10 ECTS)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits | ECTS | Prerequisite |
| ECN6801 | Research Methodology | 3 | 5 | none |
| CSS6103 | Academic Writing for Ph.D Students in the Social Sciences | 3 | 5 | |
| Total | 6 | 10 |
Specialization Courses: (9 credits/15 ECTS)
Students may choose one of the following courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits | ECTS | Prerequisite |
| ECN6042 | Behavioral Economics | 3 | 5 | none |
| ECN6191 | Development Economics | 3 | 5 | none |
| ECN6192 | Political Economy | 3 | 5 | none |
| ECN6226 | Industrial Organization | 3 | 5 | none |
| ECN6014 | Econometrics | 3 | 5 | none |
| ECN6199 | Current Topics in Economics | 3 | 5 | none |
Pedagogic, Industry Internship and Research Work including Dissertation (Total of 55 credits, 143 ECTS)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits | ECTS |
| ECN6588 | Pedagogic Internship | 3 | 10 |
| ECN6888 | Research Internship | 3 | 10 |
| ECN6990 | Experimental Research Work and Dissertation | 46 | 118 |
| ECN 6888.1 | Research Practice | 3 | 5 |
Final Attestation (5 credits/ 12 ECTS)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits | ECTS |
| ECN6991 | Dissertation and Defense | 5 | 12 |
Industry and Pedagogic Internship or Organizational Internship
Internship gives Ph.D. students an opportunity to put into practice the knowledge acquired during their studies, get some business and academic experience, and be better prepared for their future careers. Details of this requirement are specified in the Ph.D. Handbook.
Experimental Research
Under this component of the PhD program, requirements are twofold: (1) a student must take a qualifying exam in order to demonstrate proficiency in the knowledge acquired through course work and be admitted to the candidate status; and (2) undertake appropriate research activities that lead to conference presentations and journal publications. Details of this requirement are specified in the PhD Handbook.
Dissertation and PhD Dissertation Defense
PhD dissertation is a scholarly research work, involving the analysis of a specific problem in the area of specialization, and evaluation of the results of the analysis, which serves as a basis for developing specific proposals and implementing the appropriate solution to the problem. The student will present an oral defense of their dissertation in front of the members of the dissertation committee, in a public forum. Details of this requirement are specified in the PhD Handbook.
Program Plan
Students may take courses in any order they wish as long as courses meet all prerequisites. The following schedule is suggested to ensure that students make orderly progress towards degree completion, by taking prerequisites before the courses that require prerequisites.
Spheres of scientific interests of the department:
- Environmental Economics
- Financial regulation
- Inequality and social policy
- Labor economics
- Money-credit policy
- Public economy
- Regional integration
- Social Valuation and Opportunities in Human Development
- Economics of trade and development
- Transition Pages
The department’s areas of expertise are
- Environmental economics
- Financial regulation
- Inequality and social policy
- Labor economics
- Monetary policy
- Public economics
- Regional integration
- Social evaluation and capabilities in human development
- Trade and development economics
- Transition economies
The PhD program in Economics invites applications from candidates with master degree in economics or a related field who seek a top-level career in
- Academia and think-tanks
- Consultancy
- Top management of financial and business companies
- Government and government institutions and agencies
- Non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations and development agencies
Admission to the PhD program is highly competitive. Admission is granted to candidates deemed most likely to complete and benefit from the program. The final decision on admission is based on a comprehensive assessment of the applicant’s overall qualifications, motivation, determination and commitment to the program.
- Completed graduate degree
- Copy of a diploma confirming the completion of a graduate degree “master”
- Copy of transcripts (diploma supplement) with grades
- Possession of the valid international certificates proving the knowledge of the English
Language- IELTS – at least 5,5
- IELTS INDICATOR– at least 5,5
- TOEFL ITP – at least 460
- TOEFL IBT – at least 46
- TOEFL PBT – at least 45
- CEFR level – В2
PHD candidates who have received master degrees from the universities located in the countries where English is the state or official language, and these universities have specialized accreditation from the accreditation agencies officially recognized by OECD member states, are exempted from English proficiency requirement. In this case candidate’s master degree diploma should be no older than 5 years.
- Additional consideration by a selection committee:
- The graduate GPA shall be 3.0 and above or more than 69% equivalent when converted into a scale comparable to the KIMEP grading scale
- Valid KGET (KIMEP graduate entry test) score of 25 and above or a valid GMAT or GRE certificate with a score which the Economics Department considers equivalent
- A typed statement of purpose of up to 500 words that states the applicant’s academic and professional interests; how the applicant will benefit from the PhD program professionally and personally; the applicant’s strengths and qualities that will enable them to complete a rigorous doctoral program.
- A 2-3 page research proposal: In this proposal, the candidate should lay out the general idea of their intended research and some indicative description of the method they intend to use. The candidate should demonstrate familiarity with current research, the ability to identify open research questions and the ability to create an original research proposal.
- An interview with program admissions committee where admissions committee may consider additional evidence of excellence or aptitude such as prior publications of work experience and have the final decision making authority on the recommendation of the candidate for admission to PHD program
Application package shall consist of the following:
- Application form
- Copy of passport or of State ID
- Digital photo with a resolution of 300 ppi (pixels per inch) with a size of no less than 8 MP (Megapixels) in JPEG format with low compression (high quality)
- Copy of a document on completion of Master degree
- Professional CV
- Valid results of International Language Proficiency Tests (copy of IELTS certificate or original certificates of TOEFL)
- Medical certificate – Form # 086-U or its equivalent for foreign citizens
- Two professional letters of recommendation
- List of relevant publications and sample publication (if available)
- Upon own discretion, an applicant may include other documents that he/she believes are relevant for inclusion into the application package, such as copies of certificates, awards, and honors in the applicant’s sphere of interest, particularly ones received at national and international level.
Copies of documents have to be submitted to the Admissions Office together with originals. After authentication, originals of documents are given back to the owners.