Prospective Graduate Students

 

Ph.D. Program Application Requirements

• All applicants must submit the following:

  • Original Undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts - 2 original copies are strongly preferred

    • You may send both to the Department at the address below, we will then forward one to the Graduate School. However, the department recognizes this can be a financial hardship. While we prefer to have the official transcripts, you may submit scanned transcripts with your application. If you are accepted, you MUST submit official transcripts to the graduate school.

  • GRE scores (submit directly to Virginia Tech-ETS code 005859)

  • 3 recommendation letters. The department strongly prefers letters to be submitted through the online system. If it is not possible, paper letters may be mailed to the Economics department.

  • A resume and a personal goals statement essay.

• Minimum Entry requirements:

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university

  • Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) for the last two years (60 semester credit hours) of undergraduate studies

  • GRE:  NEW Scale: No set minimum on Verbal. 148 minimim on Quantitative (155 preferred) OLD Scale: No set minimum on Verbal, 600 on Quantitative (700 preferred).

  • TOEFL: International students whose primary language is not English must submit a TOEFL score with the following minimums:

    • Paper Version (PBT) 600 Total with no Sub score below 55, especially Listening and Writing

    • Computer Version (CBT) 250 Total with no Sub score below 22

    • Internet Version (IBT) 80 minimum to be considered.

      • If your total score is below 100, you are advised to have your recommendation letters explicitly address the issues of your oral and written fluency in English.

      • Preferred Score: 100 Total with no Sub score below 21 and at least 24 on the Speaking sub test

    • TOEFL Waiver: ONLY International students who earn an undergraduate or graduate degree in a country where English is the primary language can waive the TOEFL requirement.

    • The TOEFL is the preferred English Language Proficiency test however, the IELTS can substitute for the TOEFL with an overall Band 6.5 being the required minimum.

• Prerequisites:

  • All graduate courses presume the student has had intermediate microeconomic theory and intermediate macroeconomic theory.

  • Students are assumed to have a working knowledge of basic statistics, differential and integral calculus, and analytic geometry.  Our program is very math intensive

• Admission and financial assistance (stipends and tution) are awarded on a competitive basis. - We typically admit less that 10 students out of approximatley 100 applicants.

• The Economics department does NOT offer a free standing, terminal Master's degree.

 

Mail recommendation letters and transcripts to:
Graduate Program Committee
Department of Economics
3016 Pamplin Hall (0316)

880 West Campus Drive
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061