With an ever-increasing emphasis on a technology-driven economy, interdisciplinary economic research has become the key to global economic prosperity. IIT Kanpur’s Department of Economic Sciences – the first among all IITs – is a pioneer in economic research, teaching and outreach activities. With its rigorously trained and proficient faculty, the department is fast emerging as a prominent center for India's economic research.

The Ph.D. program in Economic Sciences was introduced at IIT Kanpur in 1974, in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur. Students in our program do research in various economics areas, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, development economics, health economics, and financial economics. Our department provides intense training both in theoretical economics and in applied and empirical economics. The Ph.D. program is primarily designed for students interested in pursuing a career in teaching and research within academia. It is also useful for students interested in certain positions within governments, research organizations, or private businesses.

Course Structure:

• Five-years program, with a set of courses and high-quality research opportunities.
• The first year consists of two-semester coursework, followed by a comprehensive examination.
• After the first year, students devote most of their time to their own research under the supervision of faculty advisors.

The two-semester Ph. D. coursework will consist of compulsory courses in the following fields:

• Advanced Microeconomics.
• Advanced Macroeconomics.
• Quantitative Methods.
• Econometrics.

Moreover, the students will be asked to choose a set of elective courses. In recent years, the following elective courses have been offered:

• Applied Econometrics
• Bayesian Econometrics
• Contract Theory
• Development Economics
• Efficiency and Productivity Analysis
• Financial Econometrics
• Foundations of Finance
• Game Theory
• Labour Economics
• Law and Economics
• Mathematical Analysis for Economics
• Monetary Economics
• Topics in Economic Growth