Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Health Economics PhD


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Program Director: Brian Duncan, Ph.D., Department of Economics

Program co-Director: Richard Lindrooth, Ph.D., Health Systems, Management & Policy

Graduate Advisor: Daniel Rees, Ph.D., Department of Economics

The Ph.D. in Health Economics is designed to train scientists to engage in modern economic research related to questions pertinent to the health care sector and to personal and public health. Students take courses both from the Economics Department, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and from the Health Systems, Management & Policy (HSMP) Department, which is housed in the Colorado School of Public Health. The ECON coursework grounds students in rigorous economic theory and modern statistical methods, whereas the HSMP coursework connects students to institutional details of the health care sector, administrative data methods, grant writing, and the development of interdisciplinary health care research.

Admission Requirements

· Meet all general admission requirements of the Graduate School (including a 3.0 undergraduate grade-point average).

· Submit three letters of recommendation (at least two letters should come from individuals who are familiar with your scholarly record. The third can be an additional academic reference or professional reference from someone who knows you well and can comment on your potential as a graduate student).

· Submit official transcripts from all colleges attended.

· Have completed 15 credit hours of undergraduate economics, including intermediate microeconomic theory and econometrics (upper division courses).

· Have completed courses in calculus and statistics (preferably a year of calculus. A course in linear algebra and/or differential equations is recommended).

· Submit GRE scores. All applicants, international and domestic, must submit GRE scores regardless of prior degrees, course work, or work experience. The institution code for CU Denver is 4875. GRE scores are used in conjunction with other indicators of academic success at the PhD level. Applicants must show strong evidence of quantitative ability either through high grades in math, statistics, and economic courses, a high quant score on the GRE, or preferably both.

· International students must submit TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic scores. The institution code for CU Denver is 4875. The minimum required score is 203 (computer-based TOEFL), 75 (IBT-based TOEFL), 537 (paper-based TOEFL), 6.5 (IELTS), or 51 (PTE). Minimum subscores also apply. More information about TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE waiver requirements can be found on the International Admission’s website. Please contact the International Admissions office if you have questions about this requirement.

Application Deadlines: June 1

Students are encouraged to apply by February 1 for full consideration of financial aid. The final application deadline is June 1.

Degree Requirements


The Ph.D. degree requires the completion of 46 didactic credits and 30+ doctoral dissertation credits, of which 37 hours are core requirements.

Students are expected to meet all course prerequisites. A grade of B- or better is required in all courses, with a cumulative grade point average of B (3.0) or above. No course may be taken more than twice.

Core Courses


Total: 37 Credits


Electives


Any course numbered 6000 or higher with an ECON or HSMP subject code. Courses numbered 6611 or higher with a BIOS subject code may be taken with the graduate advisor’s approval.

Total: 9 Credits


Preliminary Exam, Dissertation Proposal, and Dissertation


Students must successfully pass a preliminary examination covering topics in microeconomic theory, econometrics, and health economics by the start of their fourth semester coursework to ensure that they are qualified for doctoral study.

Ph.D. students must defend their dissertation proposal after completing or registering for all non-dissertation coursework and concurrent with applying for admission to candidacy. Students are advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. once they have completed all required coursework and examinations, and have successfully presented their dissertation proposal to their dissertation committee.

After students are advanced to candidacy, they must complete a total of 30 hours of dissertation credits to complete the PhD. Each fall and spring semester, students are expected to register for a minimum of 5 semester hours of dissertation research; if unable to register for at least 5 semester hours, students must request a leave of absence from the PhD program until able to complete the minimum dissertation requirement. Students may take up to two semesters’ leave of absence before they are unenrolled from the program. Students then would need to reapply to the program.

Each student must write and defend a dissertation containing original contributions and evidence of significant scholarship that the student’s primary advisor and dissertation committee deem satisfactory.

Total: 30+ doctoral dissertation credits


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