PhD in Economics and Decision Sciences

The Economics and Decision Sciences specialization prepares students for high-quality research on a wide array of both theoretical and empirical topics in Economics.

The Department of Economics and Decision Sciences at HEC Paris offers a Ph.D. in Economics program inclusive of a five-year fellowship. Our students are trained to the highest international standards to secure competitiveness in the international job market, spanning both academic and policy-making institutions.

The program

The first two years of the program expose students to cutting-edge courses in Economics as part of the Master in Economics, a collaborative postgraduate program jointly offered by HEC, ENSAE, and Ecole Polytechnique. This collaboration assembles the best researchers from the Economics departments of the three schools and HEC's Department of Finance, providing students with unique and invaluable support in developing their research. In this vibrant and rich academic environment, students have significant flexibility and a broad range of options in assembling their study plans, allowing them to select courses that most effectively complement their initial background and desired research profile.

The subsequent three years are primarily focused on the completion of the thesis, promoting a rigorous and comprehensive approach to research. The high faculty-to-student ratio ensures that each student is actively involved in the life of the department, so that interactions happen continuously, far beyond the formal supervisor-student relationship. Integral to the training, the program encourages periods of visiting research at globally renowned institutions, enabling students to better understand the international academic community in which they will grow as researchers, particularly as they approach the job market towards the end of their studies. A variety of funding sources will ensure all the resources needed for a successful competition of any research in economics.

The department offers a rich array of research events that foster intellectual development and collaboration. One cornerstone is our weekly research seminar, where accomplished researchers from various universities share their latest findings, providing exposure to diverse perspectives and cutting-edge research. Furthermore, our faculty recurrently organizes international conferences, where Ph.D. students are encouraged to attend and take an active role; these include the “D-TEA workshop”, “Firms location and Economic Geography workshop ”, and “Salento Macro Meetings”, to cite only a few of them. Another highlight is our annual Econ Ph.D. workshop, a lively conference organized by our PhD students, where PhD students across prominent programs in Europe and the US present and discuss their work. This workshop serves as a nexus for forging connections with future researchers and colleagues, nurturing interactions that often lead to collaborative research projects.