The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Doctoral studies at the Department of Economics

The Department of Economics has a PhD programme that provides students with advanced training in economic theory and analytical methods. Students learn how to perform theoretical and empirical research at the highest level through coursework, seminar participation, and supervised research.

The student body of the programme is highly international. Each year, around 4 to 7 students are admitted to the programme. As a PhD student, you will join a vibrant and dynamic research community.

The closing date for admissions is normally at the end of January each year, and the programme starts at the end of August. All students are fully funded and provided with a salary from the start of the programme. The programme consists of four years of full-time studies, but as most students teach up to 20 % of their time, the programme is, in effect, closer to 5 years.

Graduates of the programme hold positions at universities, governments, NGOs, banks, research institutions, and private businesses.

The programme consists of 240 credits (60 credits per year), of which 90 credits are courses and 150 credits are thesis work.

Typically, students devote the first year to coursework. The course package consists of a set of compulsory core courses providing students with key analytical and empirical skills and a broad knowledge of economics. The remaining elective courses are chosen based on the interest of the student.

Towards the end of the first year, students gradually shift focus towards working on their thesis. The PhD thesis is usually written as a collection of separate papers together with an introduction. Usually, it consists of three papers, of which at least one must be single-authored. The papers can be in different fields. The papers are presented at seminars and reviewed by external reviewers before being publicly discussed and defended. The School of Economics and Management appoints an official discussant from another university and an examination committee to judge the thesis.

All PhD students are fully funded from day one of the programme. The funding comes in the form of a salary and is associated with the standard Swedish package of social security benefits. The funding is usually not tied to a specific professor or research project, which provides students with flexibility and independence regarding the choice of research topics. The department also offers travel funding to attend courses, summer schools, and conferences at other universities. All PhD students are offered a fully equipped office space and have access to the IT infrastructure and services linked to Lund University.

The department offers a very active and dynamic research environment supported by frequent seminars, visitors, workshops, and conferences. The research activities are broadly divided into three areas reflected in the department’s seminar series: i) Applied Microeconomics, ii) Microeconomics: Theory and Experiments, iii) FEM - Finance, Econometrics and Macroeconomics. PhD students usually have full flexibility and independence regarding the choice of research topics, although many develop joint research projects with other students and faculty members.

The programme prepares students for highly qualified work inside and outside of academia. Around 50 per cent of the graduates pursue an academic career. The others find jobs in governmental agencies, NGOs, banks, research institutions, and private companies. Recent academic placements include Aalto University, BI Oslo, Copenhagen Business School, University of Copenhagen, University of Galway, University of Gothenburg, University of Oslo and University of York. Recent non-academic placements include Danske Bank, Danmarks Nationalbank, IKEA Group, OECD, Swedish Competition Authority, Sveriges Riksbank and Region Skåne.

Contact


Director PhD Programme
Erik Wengström

Programme coordinator
Ulf Persson
 

Admission 2024

Unfortunately, we will not be able to admit any PhD students in 2024.

We are committed to resuming PhD admissions in 2025. More information and the official announcement for the 2025 admissions will be provided in December 2024.