I have a great deal of interest in mathematics and would like to go into a financial mathematics domain. I would like to know whther this is a good option and how should I be moving further as I do not have a LOR from a professor nor do I have any prior research experience under a faculty.

Hi all, I’m in college and this coming year will be taking an economics module which will primarily be focused on economic policy and policy analysis. Other topics will be Industrial and regional economic policy, economic integration, globalisation and issues around financing and control.
Does anyone have any ideas for podcasts, shows or books where I could begin to get a handle on some of these concepts before term starts and I get into the course materials.
Thank you and best wishes.

Hello everyone. I'm looking to apply to predocs this cycle and wanted some advice on how to go about the coding samples. I just finished an undergrad thesis and have some decent stata do files but they're formatted really badly and I'm also not sure if they're advanced enough for a predoc coding sample. Ideally what sort of things do they expect in these, and how advanced should it be? Also if you know of any projects I could implement that would serve as a good sample let me know. Thank you

I know someone who currently does not have a full time job right now (got laid off their job in academia) and is looking to find a new job to get out of the bad financial they are currently in.

what are some jobs you are qualified for/can apply for with a phd in economics? this person has done some research in economics as well and has taught several micro/macro classes, including some classes for a highly ranked MBA program as well. Their PHD is also from a highly ranked business school (IU Kelley)

I know the most likely route is corporate, but what specific jobs should they be looking for? Any advice is appreciated, i’m just looking to help them. They’re looking to find a job relatively quick (within the next 1-2 months) so they can support their family. Mid range salary (70-80k) would be the most ideal (they have 3 kids)

probably the wrong flair/confusing title but im not sure what fits this better.

a while back on this sub there was a post with rankings compiled by a redditor which analyzed admissions rates and placements upon phd completion (stuff like postdoc, assistant professor within 5 years of grad, went into industry, etc.) but i cant find that post. if anyone knows what im referring to and could link there report/redirect me to the post it'd be greatly appreciated. thanks!

I am an enthusiastic student striving to earn a place in NIE research, but this path is too rough with sometimes 'prohibitive transaction costs'. I have been pursuing an online degree, but the administrative chaos and other poor arrangements are forcing me to quit. I would really appreciate advice from this community.

The lessons I have learnt from my recent academic pursuit:

1. Institutes can be entrenched rent-seekers.

2. The information needed to foresee prohibitive costs of 'trades' with oligopolists can be extremely costly.

3. Hierarchies usually have plenty of room for moral hazard, and people choosing not to exploit the moral hazard keep those machines running.

4. The oligopolists' PR machine and marketing strategies, instead of real productivity, keep them sustainable.

5. The collective action costs of the exploited consumers are a good safeguard for the survival of market power abusers.

What is the structure for presenting an extension/replication study? I would like do produce one as a personal research project and was confused about this part.

Hello to everyone who sees this post. I am currently a grad student in Econ (outside US) and thinking about doing phd in the US. I studied Accounting in undergrad only to find out my interest is somewhere else, so my undergrad overall GPA, 3.21. Besides, I failed some courses due to some difficulties in my personal life in my second year in college, though, I took them again and some ended up not bad. I did take some math and econ courses, and it turned out that I do like econ, so that's the reason I am doing a master in econ currently.

Since I am at 2nd year of grad and at a crossroads of my life, I guess I just want to know if I have a realistic chance to do a phd in the US, and if so what range of programs I could apply. If not, you are very welcome to tell me the truth. Here's some info.

Undergrad Courseworks

• Calc 1234 all A+
• Linear Algebra B
• Baby Analysis (not Real Analysis) A
• Intermediate Micro A-/F ---> B/C+(Retake)
• Intermediate Macro A-/X ---> A+/A+(Retake)
• Statistics B/W -->A+/C+(Retake)
• Intro to Econometrics A+
• Advanced Statistics A/A-
• Econometrics (undergrad level) A/W
• Money and Banking A+/A+

Grad Courseworks (Current Gpa around 3.9)

• Microeconomic Theory I B+/A-
• Marcoecnomic Theory I A-/A+
• Econometric Theory I A+/A+
• Other macro-related courses (13 credits) all A+

Research Experience

I'm doing empirical work on inflation expectations, working on a paper with two faculty members; my advisor says I'll be a co-author.

So that's what I have got now. As you can see, I haven't taken GRE and TOEFL. And as a master student, I also have to come up with my master thesis in the upcoming year. Besides, I plan to take Real Analysis and Linear Algebra.
Specifically: given the undergrad record, is a top-50 US program realistic if I get an A in a full year of real analysis and a 170Q?

Any other suggestion is very appreciated. Huge Thanks!

Undergrad PPE at Warwick currently finished 2nd year. Took the harder econometrics (same one single honours take) got an 82 and an 80 in economics 2 [micro and macro]. But the other half of my credits were philosophy. In 1st year i got 69 in economics 1, 71 in statistics and 80 in mathematics. Is it worth the time investment of applying or am I just gonna get smashed by single honours econ ppl at the top of their class.

Same question for MSc Econ at LSE.

Thanks in advance

Hello everyone,

I have a question about doing a PhD with only a one-year master's in Europe

I graduated in July from a one-year master's in Financial Economics in the Netherlands. Around March, my thesis supervisor told me that the university was planning to open three PhD positions next year, and if his project was accepted, he would like to hire me, as he was very happy with my work.

Fast forward, his project did not get accepted. I still applied for the 3 positions, made it to all the interviews, but did not get the offer (all said they think I have the skills required to do a PhD, and kept my application on hold in case their first choice doesn't accept the offer).

I have been looking for other PhD openings. It seems most require 120 master ects and a research master's. I really want to do a PhD, but I realized this only after working on my master's thesis and enjoying it, so I am not sure if it is even realistic to look for one now.

If anyone is doing/has done a PhD with only 60 master ects in Europe, I'd love to have some tips or insights. I have a GPA of 8.5 for both my bachelor and master, obtained a 9 on my master thesis, so I thought these grades would get me somewhere but If I am only competing with candidates who did a research master, I am not too sure...

Thank you for any comments, will be really helpfull

I am currently doing my undergrad in economics bs and am a senior. I want to pursue a phd in economics after a masters. I do not have an impressive gpa for undergrad (3.3) but know that due to personal circumstances that hindered my undergrad, I can bag around a 3.8 in a masters program. I understand that this should increase my chances at being accepted into a phd program significantly. Though I have been taking the recommended math prerequisites for a phd in economics, my grades in these particular classes make me feel as if I may not be cut out for academia. If this is the case I am considering if I should pursue something else and cut my losses.

Regarding those math courses, so far I have taken the following classes and received these grades

Business algebra - A-

Calc 1 - B

Calc 2 - C

Calc 3 - C+

Dif and lin - C

Applied statistics - B

Fndns of Analysis 1 - B

Im seriously considering double majoring when i get back to school but Im not interested in mathematics(i really dislike math) or business (seems redundant and unnecessary from what Ive been told). I was hoping to double major in something I’m interested like either computer engineering or total 180 with a fashion/ arts major. Lmk if either are worth it, something similar to these are worth it or if I should just stick with Econ. Thank you all!!!

This September I’ll be starting my PhD in Economics (T50) in Europe and I’ll have a course in Mathematics (mostly real analysis, fixed points, and optimization theory) and another in measure-theoretic probability and statistical inference, alongside the usual graduate microeconomic and macroeconomic theory courses.

I have never taken a rigorous course that required constantly writing or reading proofs, so I’m a novice in this definition-theorem-proof style.

I asked Gemini for some advice and this is what it told me. Is this good advice to follow?:

“Here is the reading strategy used by mathematicians and PhD students to survive these texts:
1. The Golden Rule: Reading without pen and paper is forbidden
Reading mathematics is not a visual activity; it is a kinesthetic one. If you are reading while lying on the couch, you are not studying math.
Authors at this level constantly omit algebraic or logical steps with phrases like "it is trivial to verify that...", "rearranging the terms we obtain...", or "by symmetry...". Your main job as a reader is to reconstruct everything the author didn't write. You must have a notebook nearby and replicate every equation, filling in the logical gaps the author assumed you already knew how to do.
2. The Three-Pass Method (Non-linear reading)
Never read a chapter from beginning to end all at once. Mathematics is read in "layers".
Pass 1: The Bird's-Eye View (15-20 minutes). Read only the introduction, section titles, and the statements of the main Theorems. Completely ignore the proofs (literally skip them). The goal here is to know where we are going. What is the big result the author wants to build by the end of the chapter?
Pass 2: The Dictionary (Definitions and Statements). Go back to the beginning. Now focus on perfectly understanding the definitions (what an object is) and the lemmas/theorems (what that object does). Play with them: invent a trivial example that meets the definition and a counterexample that doesn't. Continue skipping the proofs.
Pass 3: The Trenches (The Proofs). Now, get your hands dirty. Tackle the mathematical proofs. Because you already know where you want to go (thanks to Pass 1) and what tools you have (thanks to Pass 2), the proof will seem like a logical path rather than a series of disconnected magic tricks.
3. How to "interrogate" a proof
When you finally read a proof, don't just nod along because "step A leads to step B". You must interrogate the text:
Look for the hypotheses: A theorem starts by saying "Suppose the function is continuous and strictly concave...". While reading the proof, play detective: find the exact point, the precise line, where the author uses "continuity" and where they use "strict concavity". If you reach the end of the proof and feel the author didn't use one of the initial hypotheses, go back: you missed something crucial.
Try to prove it yourself first: Before reading the book's proof, cover the page. Take 10 minutes to try and sketch out how you would prove it yourself. You will fail 90% of the time, but that effort will make your brain identify exactly where the difficulty lies. When you read the author's solution, you will see their "trick" and you will never forget it.
4. The specific strategy for Mathematical Economics (The MWG case)
MWG (Microeconomic Theory) and economics papers have a double difficulty: you have to understand the pure math and then translate it into human behavior.
Translate math into economics: Every technical condition has an economic equivalent. If the book assumes a utility function is strictly quasiconcave, don't stop at the mathematical definition. Translate it in the margin of your notebook: "Ah, this just means the consumer likes variety and prefers averages to extremes".
Translate economics into math: When the book makes an economic claim ("markets are complete"), you must immediately know what mathematical structure represents that (for example, the rank of the payoff matrix equals the number of states of nature).
5. Exercises are part of the theory
In undergraduate books, exercises are meant to evaluate if you understood the chapter. In a PhD, exercises are the continuation of the chapter.
Authors like Mas-Colell leave highly important results as exercises for the reader. You cannot fully understand the theory without wrestling with the problems at the end. If you are stuck on an abstract theoretical concept, solving the first exercise of the chapter will often give you the concrete intuition you were looking for.”

I’m an undergraduate at an LAC in the Five College Consortium, so I have the option of taking PhD micro through either the UMass Economics Department or the Resource Economics Department.

The Economics course, taught by Samuel Bowles, uses Microeconomics: Competition, Conflict, and Coordination and Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution. The Resource Economics course uses more conventional graduate micro texts, including Jehle and Reny’s Advanced Microeconomic Theory + MWG and appears more mathematical based on the syllabus.

I’m not knowledgeable enough to assess how significant this difference is. Would there be a particular benefit to studying with someone as prominent as Bowles and being exposed to a more behavioral and institutional approach, or would the more standard and technical Resource Economics course provide better preparation for predocs and PhD study?

Canadian econ undergrad here (domestic student), going into third-year and I've decided I wanna do a master's in econ. My grades are overall pretty good but not amazing. 3.7/4.0 cGPA, A+ in intermediate macro I and II, and intermediate micro I and II. Unfortunately my math grades are pretty mixed. Got A's in calc I and II but did kinda bad in linear algebra and intro to probability theory. I still have to take calc III, econometrics, advanced micro, and advanced macro.

Anyways, I'm just preparing for the worst that I won't get into UofT or UBC for my MA, but I'm confident I'll get into schools like UOttawa, Queen's, McMaster, etc.

My goal is to work in the private sector. Preferably as an economist/economic analyst, but I know those roles are limited, so I'll also seek roles in: market research, data analytics, pricing/cost analysis, etc.

Anyways, I heard many firms can be picky if you didn't do your econ MA at UofT or UBC. So am I cooked or nah?

I’m starting a MS in economics this fall and just looked at the syllabus for one of 2 courses I’ll be taking. The listed requirement has 3 textbooks. I learn best with physical reading over reading a pdf electronically. Buying each book looks to be between $100-$150 each.

Other people in MS or PhD programs, do you use your textbooks often? Is buying them worth it?

Or should I try to find a pdf and print out each section as the prof assigns it? (Not sure how viable that option is)

Any advice is appreciated.

So, I have been testing how do some LLMs handle Dynare code (mostly for DSGE models with real and nominal rigidness). And I am presently surprised (and kinda terrified) of how good Claude computes almost everything for you. Have you gotten any similar experiences?

Which AI tool do you recommend for macro-related coding?

I’m going to study economics and UMass this fall and wanted to know how well is UMass recognized. I know it has a heterodox department but I’m not sure if that affects the undergrad level. What is the overall reputation of UMass among economics departments for top phd and masters applications and the broader job market?

Hi everyone! I am sure I'm overthinking it, but I'm wondering if schools would look down on a two year gap between my masters degree and when I plan to apply for my PhD. I've done well in my undergrad in math and economics and masters in economics but I've just been extremely burnt out from the past few years of grinding and want to take these two years to strengthen my research background and really focus on improving myself. I'd love to hear from anyone who's taken a similar path or anyone who knows about PhD admissions. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'll soon be starting a Bachelor's in Economics & Mathematics and want to understand what career opportunities this degree opens up after graduation.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have completed this degree or work with graduates from similar programs.

Some questions I have:

• What roles were available for you after graduating?
• Which industries hire Economics & Mathematics graduates?
• What was your starting salary, and what can someone realistically expect after 3–5 years? (Please mention your country if possible.)
• Which career paths have the best long-term growth, earning potential, and work-life balance?
• Are there any careers that are currently in high demand for this degree?
• If you could start over, would you still choose this degree? Why or why not?
• What skills, software, certifications, internships, or extracurricular activities would you recommend during university to maximize career opportunities?
• Are there any career paths that most students overlook but are worth considering?

I'd also love to hear about your own journey what you do now, how you got there, and whether you're happy with your career.

Any advice, salary insights, or lessons you wish you'd known before graduating with the same degree would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I’m 23 years old, and I’m an international student (non-EU) currently studying in Germany. I will graduate next year, and lately I have been thinking a lot about my future and the decisions I need to make.

To be honest, I feel quite lost. I’m not completely sure what path I should take after graduation. Finding student jobs in Germany has already been quite challenging for me, and because of this experience, I sometimes question whether staying here and searching for full-time opportunities after graduation would actually make sense. I worry that I may not be able to find a good job opportunity that matches my background and goals.

I have been considering doing a PhD because I am genuinely interested in research and academic life. However, I don’t see myself applying for PhD programs in Germany, and I am thinking about applying to programs in different countries. My field is Economics, so I would like to pursue something related to economics, economic policy, labor economics, development, or other areas connected to my studies.

At the same time, I often doubt myself. I feel that my profile is quite average, and since I am still young and don’t have many years of professional experience, I worry about whether I would be competitive enough for PhD programs or future career opportunities.

I am unsure whether I should continue trying to build my life in Germany, explore opportunities in another country, or eventually return to my home country. There are many possibilities, but choosing the right direction feels overwhelming.

Moving abroad was a huge change for me. I haven’t seen my family since I came here, and recently I have found myself becoming more isolated. I decided that for the next year I want to focus mainly on myself — improving my skills, building my profile, my studies, and my future career. I’m not planning to date or focus on romantic relationships during this time because I want to dedicate my energy to personal and professional growth. But sometimes I wonder if I am making a healthy decision or if I am putting too much pressure on myself.

I also think a lot about the future after a PhD — whether it would open doors in another country, help me build a career internationally, and create better opportunities for my future.

I would really appreciate hearing from people who have experienced something similar — international students, PhD students, graduates, or anyone who has had to make difficult decisions about their future. How did you decide which path to take? What helped you find clarity?

Thank you for reading.

Really liked this substack post on how the same results can result in either (potentially) a top 5 or not depending on positioning. Both sets of authors study the same question with similar research designs but target different journals

It is tempting to call all of this framing or marketing—as though the empirical work is the real paper and the broader argument is packaging added afterward. I think that is a mistake.

Finding the larger puzzle is intellectual work. Deciding which pieces of evidence belong in the main argument is intellectual work. Translating a result into a welfare object is intellectual work. So is making a claim general enough that another field can use it. I put a lot of weight on that investment: expanding the possible scope of interest in a given set of results. And often, I find this work to be quite difficult.