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Matriculation in U.S. Economics Ph.D. Programs: How Many Accepted Americans Do Not Enroll?

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Author Info
Wendy A. Stock () (Department of Economics and Agricultural Economics, Montana State University)
T. Aldrich Finegan () (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University)
John J. Siegfried () (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University and AEA)

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Abstract

Using a sample of 26 U.S. economics Ph.D. programs in Fall 2003, we estimate that only about 12 percent of the U.S. and Canadian students accepted for doctoral study did not enroll in any U.S. economics Ph.D. program in Fall 2003 or Fall 2004. It is not possible to increase the supply of new Ph.D. economists substantially by "closing the sale" on accepted applicants: additional qualified applicants are needed. Nonmatriculants are remarkably similar to enrollees in demographics, prior education, test scores, and fields of special interest, but express less interest in economic research and are less likely to have been offered financial aid. An expected financial aid deficiency was also the most-cited reason for deciding not to matriculate, followed by how long it takes to earn an economics Ph.D., and the expectation of higher lifetime earnings in a career other than economics. Most who decided against an economics Ph.D. enrolled in an alternative graduate program.

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File URL: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Econ/wparchive/workpaper/vu06-w09.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: First version, 2006
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Paper provided by Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University in its series Working Papers with number 0609.

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Date of creation: Mar 2006
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Handle: RePEc:van:wpaper:0609

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Keywords: Matriculation economics Ph.D. programs

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
A23 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economics Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Graduate
I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Wendy A. Stock & T. Aldrich Finegan & John J. Siegfried, 2006. "Attrition in Economics Ph.D. Programs," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 458-466, May.
    Other versions:
  2. Charles E. Scott & John J. Siegfried, 2006. "American Economic Association Universal Academic Questionnaire Summary Statistics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 527-530, May.
  3. John J. Siegfried & Wendy A. Stock, 2006. "The Undergraduate Origins of Ph.D. Economists," Working Papers 0611, Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University. [Downloadable!]
  4. Ronald G. Ehrenberg, 1999. "The Changing Distributions of New Ph.D. Economists and Their Employment: Implications for the Future," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(3), pages 135-138, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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