Ph.D. Program Prerequisites
Economics Courses
Our first semester courses presume a thorough knowledge of Microeconomics
at the level of a rigorous treatment of undergraduate intermediate theory.
More economics background is preferred, but an Economics Major is not
required.
Mathematics
The student must have at a minimum two semesters of calculus as well as
some linear algebra. This is an absolute minimum and is rarely seen as
competitive for a financial aid offer. There is a strong admissions and
financial aid bias towards students with more mathematics: differential
equations, real analysis, mathematical probability and statistics.
Courses called Mathematics for Economists, Mathematics for Social Scientists, and Econometrics are not a substitute for formal Mathematics.
A mathematics refresher course is offered before classes in mid-August.
In our experience most entering students can benefit significantly from
that course, though it is not required.
Main Office
Department of Economics
404 Uris Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, N.Y. 14853
Phone: (607) 255-4254
Fax: (607) 255-2818