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GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Director of Graduate Studies (Ph.D. Program)
Allen C. Goodman
Email: allen.goodman@wayne.edu
Director of M.A. Program
Michael H. Belzer
Email: Michael.H.Belzer@wayne.edu
Administrative Assistant
Ms. Delores Tennille
Email: dtennil@wayne.edu
Department Secretary
Ms. Cheri Miller
Email: cmiller@wayne.edu
Department of Economics
Wayne State University
656 W. Kirby, 2074 FAB
Detroit , Michigan 48202
Telephone: (313) 577-3345
Fax: (313) 577-9564
To apply to our Ph.D. Program click Ph.D
To apply to our M.A. Program, click M.A.
For information on our Joint JD/MA Program, click JD/MA.
(updated August 21, 2012)
Graduate Programs in Economics
The Department of Economics at Wayne State University offers both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in economics. The Master’s program, begun in 1934, seeks to prepare students for careers in industry and junior college teaching. To accommodate people with full-time jobs, the Department schedules many of its Master’s level and some Ph.D. courses in the evening. Approximately forty students are currently enrolled in the M.A. program. The following fields are currently offered both within the M.A. and the Ph.D. sequences:
Health Economics
Labor and Human Resources
Industrial Organization
International Economics
Applied Macroeconomics (not available in M.A. sequence)
The Ph.D. curriculum provides thorough training for future economists through graduate courses, seminars, tutorial instruction, and research workshops. It is designed to give students a solid foundation in economic theory and quantitative methods and a wide choice of specializations in preparation for careers in universities, research organizations, industry, and financial institutions. Over 190 students have received doctorates in economics since the inception of the Ph.D. program in 1960.
The M.A.E.L.R. (Master of Arts in Employment and Labor Relations) Program is also oriented toward students with full-time jobs. Sponsored jointly by the Departments of Economics, Management, and Psychology, the program offers professional preparation for a career in industrial relations with a focus on the structure and process of collective bargaining.
The department participates in a special program to train graduate students from the Universities of Nuremberg and Augsburg in Germany. Under a program known as the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), high-quality students normally spend one year receiving intensive training in the M.A. program.
We offer a Joint JD/MA program for a J.D. in Law and an M.A. in Economics. Since the end of World War II there has been an enormous increase in the use of economic analysis and statistics in the study and practice of law. The new program is designed to provide lawyers with a rigorous foundation in economics and econometrics, to enable them to use the methods of the social sciences in the analysis of legal controversies.
For a look at the departmental entry in the Wayne State Graduate Bulletin, click http://www.bulletins.wayne.edu/gbk-output/index.html.
Wayne State University
The university is composed of thirteen colleges, schools and divisions - the Colleges of Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Fine, Performing and Commercial Arts, the Graduate School, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Library Science Program, Lifelong Learning, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, and Social Work. The university, which was founded as Detroit Medical College in 1868, became Wayne State University in 1956, with its own Board of Governors, autonomous capital endowment, and budgetary status.
The current student body of over 30,000 is housed on two campuses. The main campus is in the Detroit Cultural Center and contains the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, of which the Economics Department is a part, and all the other colleges and schools except the School of Medicine. Located in the Cultural Center along with the University are the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Science Center, the Society of Arts and Crafts, the Rackham Educational Memorial, the International Institute, the African American Museum, and the Detroit Historical Museum. One mile from the main campus is the Detroit Medical Center, a one billion dollar hospital, outpatient care, and educational complex that houses the University’s School of Medicine.
Research and graduate training at Wayne State have developed rapidly through College and Department initiative and with University and outside support. The University is classified by the Carnegie Commission as a “Research University I” Institution, which means that it is considered to be among the top research institutions (out of more than 2,200 four-year colleges and universities) in the United States.
The Economics Department maintains and continually updates a site on the World Wide Web, http://www.econ.wayne.edu/ which enables users anywhere in the world to examine current course schedules, course syllabi, lists of faculty publications, and other information important to graduate students such as rules and regulations for the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees, times of workshops and approaching preliminary examinations.
Studying and Living in the Detroit Area
With its massive industrial base, large corporations, strong unions, and creative economic planning by local and regional governmental agencies, the Detroit area provides an excellent laboratory for the advanced study of economics, particularly urban and labor economics, fields in which the Department offers special research opportunities. Students aiming for careers as economists in business, government, or in trade unions may also find Detroit’s urban laboratory a useful place to study, do research, and make professional contacts.
Students who prefer the convenience of campus living may choose apartments in one of the University’s eight buildings. The University Tower offers luxurious one, two- and three-bedroom housing, and each apartment has Internet access. 120 University apartments are specially equipped for handicapped students, and all buildings on campus are barrier-free to accommodate wheelchair students.
The University’s Department of Public Safety is staffed by commissioned police officers trained at a State-certified Police Academy. Officers patrol the campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to the very visible public safety officers, there are more than 125 blue beacons throughout the University area indicating emergency telephones. Crimes against people, as well as less serious offenses, occur less frequently here than in most suburbs and small town campuses throughout the country.
Newly arrived students are often astonished at the amenities and opportunities for recreation on the University’s campus. The Wellness Center (2 minutes from our offices) features a swimming pool, and state-of-the art fitness devices. The Student Center includes dozens of restaurants and lounge areas. The Frederick C. Matthaei Physical Education Center includes an Olympic-size swimming pool, handball, racquetball, squash, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, a weight room and outdoor playing fields.
Wayne State is minutes away from downtown Detroit, where one can enjoy shopping and dining in such unique settings as Greektown and the Renaissance Center. Closer to campus, one can see a play at the Hilberry or Bonstelle Theaters, or perhaps a performance at the world-renowned Detroit Symphony Orchestra or Michigan Opera Theater. Also nearby are the Fisher Theatre, Fox Theatre, the Gem Theatre, the Detroit Institute of Arts, which maintains one of the most comprehensive art collections in the U.S., the Eastern Farmers’ Market, Mexican Town, the Detroit Historical Museum and the Museum of African-American History. Well within the environs of Detroit are the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, Historic Fort Wayne, and Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, which draw tourists from all over the world. Just across the Ambassador Bridge is the vibrant, cosmopolitan city of Windsor, Canada, which has a wide variety of ethnic restaurants and entertainment options.
For those interested in sports, there are major-league professional teams in every sport: the Detroit Tigers in baseball, the Detroit Lions in football, the Detroit Pistons in basketball, and the Detroit Red Wings in hockey, among others. Moreover, there are boundless opportunities for participation in amateur sports in sports such as boating, swimming, tennis, ice skating, skiing, and running events of all kinds.
Faculty Research
The Department’s faculty members maintain a brisk rate of publication in economics and other social science journals. At weekly faculty-student workshops, working papers are presented and discussed. Participants include faculty from the Schools of Business Administration and Law and from other universities as well as Economics Department members. Department faculty members are often appointed to the editorial boards of economics journals and hold leading positions in professional associations. Currently, Professor Ralph Braid is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Regional Science, and Regional Science and Urban Economics. Professor Allen Goodman is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Housing Economics, Journal of Housing Research, and Real Estate Economics, and Prof. Robert Rossana is on the editorial board of the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics.
Funded research gives many graduate students an opportunity to work closely with the faculty and often generates material for joint publications and doctoral dissertations. During the last few years, department members have obtained outside support for a number of projects, including:
“Evaluation of Any Willing Provider Laws,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1996-1998.
“Analysis of Markers for Group Health Insurance in 1995,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 1995-1996.
“Analysis of Insurance for Chiropractic Coverage in the U.S. (Supplement to Chiropractic vs. Physical Therapy – A Randomized Trial),” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1994-1995.
“Evaluation of State Initiatives to Expand Health Insurance Among Small Businesses,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 1992-1995.
“Employer-Sponsored Insurance Coverage for Alcohol Abuse,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, 1989-1991.
“The Dynamics of Health Insurance Coverage Among Persons Aged 55 to 64,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Commonwealth Fund, 1989-1990.
“Analysis of Employer-Sponsored Retiree Health Insurance,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by Health Care Financing Administration, 1988-1990.
“An Analysis of Employer Innovations to Control Health Benefit Costs,” by Gail A. Jensen, funded by National Center for Health Services Research, 1986-1988.
“Models of Drinking: Economic Behaviors and Policies,” by Li Way Lee, funded by the National Institute of Alcohol and Alcohol Abuse, 1989-1991.
“Economic Analyses of Drug Treatment Costs and Demand,” by Allen C. Goodman, funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1993-1997.
“Comorbidities, Time to Treatment, and Episode Costs,” by Allen C. Goodman, funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1997-2001.
“University of Michigan Trucking Industry Program”, by Michael H. Belzer, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 1997-2003.
“Impact of Compensation Practices on Number of Citations & Recordable Accidents Incurred”, by Michael H. Belzer, funded by U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (formerly Office of Motor Carriers, Federal Highway Administration, 1998-2002.
“Economic Impact Assessment of Proposed Hours of Service Changes”, by Michael H. Belzer, funded by U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 1998-2002.
“Trucking Industry Program Trucking Security Project”, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2002.
“Wayne State University Trucking Industry Benchmarking Program”, by Michael H. Belzer, funded by the Sloan Foundation and others. 2003-2007.
“The Effects of Monitoring on Medical Group Practices,” by Noelle A. Molinari, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2000-2001.
Wayne State University Truck Driver Occupational Safety and Health Conference, April 24 and 25, 2003, by Michael H. Belzer and funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH), Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), and participant registration fees 2002-2003.
“Firms, Workforce Quality, and Economic Growth: New Data, New Approaches, and New Evidence,” by Michael H. Belzer and funded by the Census Department and five Sloan Foundation Industry Centers, 2003-2004.
“Exploring Effects of Deductibles: SA Parity Applications,” by Maia Platt, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004-2006.
“Exploring Effects of Deductibles: The Case of Michigan,” by Maia Platt, Blue Cross-Blue Shield Foundation (BCBSF) of Michigan, 2004.
“An Economic Analysis of Cigarette Smoking,” by Juliette K. Roddy, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2000-2002.
“Health Effects of Managed Care Among the Near-Elderly,” by Xiao Xu, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2003-2004.
“Occupational Study Project: Pennsylvania Logistics and Transportation Workforce Cluster,” by Michael H. Belzer, funded by the Keystone Research Center and he Pennsylvania Department of Labor, 2004-2005.
“Truck Crashes and Work-Related Factors Associated with Drivers and Motor Carriers.” Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS) Research project funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through Volpe National Transportation Systems, 2007-2009,
“Paying the Costs, Reaping the Benefits: What Unfettered Competition in the U.S. Trucking Industry Means for Regions, Tax Payers, and the Workforce”, by Michael H. Belzer, funded by The Brookings Institution, George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy and Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, and the Urban Institute, 2007-2009.
“Study in Turkey,” by Jennifer L. Ward-Batts, Fulbright Fellowship, 2008-2009.
“North American Motorcoach Bus Industry”, by Michael H. Belzer, Transportation Trades Department – AFL-CIO, 2008-2009.
Critique of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulatory evaluation for “Truck Driver Hours of Service, Interim Final Rule; 72 FR 71247, December 17, 2007”, for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Public Citizen, 2008.
Prospects of Increased Gateway Traffic using an Inland Terminal in Southern Michigan, funding to Michael H. Belzer from Dalhousie University, Halifax.
“Economic Development Stimulation for Southeast Michigan Via Emerging Global Supply Chain Management Solutions: Opportunity Assessment for Southeast Michigan Supply Chain Hub”, funded to Michael H. Belzer by the New Economy Initiative, 2009-2011.
“U.S. vs. Swedish Refugee Integration Programs and Policies: Cost-effectiveness and Public Health Assessment of Two Contrasting Approaches,” WSU President’s Research Enhancement Program, Bengt Arnetz, Principal Investigator, Allen C. Goodman Co-Investigator, 2010-2011.
“Medicare Part D and Its Impact on Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Access to Prescription Medications,” by Elham Mahmoudi, 2011 Dissertation Fellowship grant - Boston College Center for Retirement Research and the Social Security Administration, 2011-2012.
“The Economics of Safety: How Compensation Affects Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver Safety,” by Michael H. Belzer, funded by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 2010-2012, and submitted to the U.S. Congress, House Committee on Small Business, in testimony July 11, 2012.
Our Ph.D. graduates since 1993 have written over 200 articles and reports. Here is a partial list!
Financial Aid
Fellowships and assistantships are granted to superior students admitted to the Ph.D. program. The estimated award value, including tuition, stipend and health benefits, is over $35,000 per year. Assistantships may be renewed on the basis of good performance as a student and as a teaching assistant. Research assistantships are sometimes available through the Department’s funded research projects. Benefits for Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships include Health Insurance coverage for the students’ family. Very few universities other than Wayne State University provide Health Insurance benefits not only to graduate students with assistantships, but also to their families.
The Graduate School awards Thomas C. Rumble University Graduate Fellowships each year to highly qualified Ph.D. students throughout the University. These fellowships include a stipend, housing allowance, a full tuition subsidy, and full Health Insurance benefits. Resident students (and those who expect to become Michigan residents) may also compete for one of almost 300 Graduate-Professional Scholarships, which provide tuition at the in-State resident rate. The Graduate School also awards, at the rate of approximately eight per year, King-Chavez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowships to minority graduate students who apply for them. Those desiring more information about scholarship and fellowship programs sponsored by the Graduate School should contact the Graduate School, Scholarships and Fellowships Office, 4302 Faculty/Administration Building, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202. Telephone: (313)577-2172; Fax: (313)577-2903; World Wide Web site: http://www.gradschool.wayne.edu/.
The department’s annual competitions provide additional funds for students. The Samuel Levin Essay Award of $1,500 goes to the writer of the best research paper; the Mendelson grant provides a $1,500 summer stipend for the graduate student who submits the best research proposal.
Our department provides a quick decision on graduate assistant applications, once students have submitted all necessary materials. These include official academic transcripts, GRE scores, and three letters of recommendation, as well as University and Department admissions forms. Scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL – minimum score of 550) are required from applicants from countries in which English is not the principal language. There is no deadline for graduate assistant applications; these awards can be made at any point in the year.
Hiring Policy toward Graduate Teaching Assistants
- Assistantships are granted to superior students admitted to the Ph.D. program.
- Assistantships typically begin in the Fall term, but may be available to start in the Winter term.
- Applications received by January 31 receive priority in the award of assistantships. Applications will continue to be accepted and the awarding process will continue until all assistantships have been filled.
- Applications can be obtained at http://www.gradschool.wayne.edu/, or from the Graduate Secretary at the Department of Economics, 2074 FAB, 656 W. Kirby St., Detroit, MI 48202.
- Contact information:
Allen C. Goodman, Director of Graduate Studies, aa3897@wayne.edu
Michael H. Belzer (MA Program), Michael.H.Belzer@wayne.edu
Delores Tennille, Administrative Assistant, dtennil@wayne.edu
- Hiring decisions will begin on March 1 and continue until all assistantships have been filled.
- Non-discrimination statement (Article X of Agreement between GEOC and WSU):
A. Wayne State University and the GEOC (Graduate Employees Organizing Committee – American Federation of Teachers) recognize an obligation and reaffirm by this Agreement their commitment to achieve equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination within the University. Accordingly, it is agreed that, consistent with University policies, the University and members of the bargaining unit shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, veteran status, height, weight, ethnicity, religion, creed, political affiliation, political beliefs, membership in any social or political organization, national origin, ancestry, marital or parental status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or disability, including HIV status, of those capable of performing their professional duties. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit Wayne State University from the application of bona fide occupational qualifications as may be appropriate or from taking such measures as may be permissible by law, to protect the health and safety of the University community.
B. Employees who believe that they have been subject to discrimination in violation of this article may choose to pursue their claim either through the University’s internal discrimination process administered by the Department of Equal Opportunity or through the grievance procedure of this Agreement. The initial choice of one of these two internal procedures is binding as to the discrimination aspect of any claim and prohibits the filing or processing that same discrimination claim through any other internal procedure. An employee may first attempt to resolve his or her claim informally with his or her immediate supervisor without invoking the grievance procedure. If the employee proceeds through the grievance procedure, the grievance will begin at Step 2 as set forth in Article III of this Agreement.
C. The Parties agree that neither the University nor Union shall directly, or indirectly, discriminate against any employee with respect to hours, wages, or any terms, or conditions of employment by reason of such employee’s membership in the Union, such employee’s participation in any activities of the Union or collective professional negotiations with the University, or such employee’s institution of any grievance, complaint, or proceeding under this Agreement or otherwise with respect to any terms or conditions of employment.
Admission to the Ph.D. Program
Admission to the doctoral program requires an undergraduate honor point average of at least 3.0 (B). Scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be submitted to the Department as part of the application for admission. Applicants from countries in which English is not the principal language must attain either (1) a score of 550 on the TOEFL examination, or (2) a score of 85 on the Michigan Test (MELAB).
We welcome applications from students who have majored in disciplines other than economics. Economics issues address a wide range of social behaviors, so the Ph.D. student will find it an advantage in a career as an economist to have a broad intellectual background. However, students beginning the program are expected to arrive with the following preparation:
- at least two courses in mathematical calculus. Additional courses in calculus (including multivariate calculus and integration), as well as linear algebra, will strengthen students’ preparation for Ph.D. work.
- a course in intermediate microeconomics
- a course in intermediate macroeconomics,
- one or more courses in statistics
Official deadline dates for filing an application for graduate admission are:
Fall Semester (8/25-12/31) Deadline is May 1
Winter Semester (1/1-5/4) Deadline is September 1
Spring/Summer Term (5/5-8/30) Deadline is January 1
Although students are encouraged to meet these deadlines, the Department will consider applications submitted before classes begin each semester. We encourage foreign students, however, to apply early to allow sufficient time for correspondence, and the TOEFL examination, and obtaining a visa. We urge foreign students to use a January 15 deadline so that appropriate decisions can be made in evaluating transcripts and in offering financial aid.
Ph.D. students must successfully complete ninety semester hours of graduate study, sixty in course work plus thirty in dissertation research. They must pass sequences in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, and quantitative methods, acquire a basic knowledge of the history of economic thought, and demonstrate competence in multivariate calculus.
Two of the following specialized fields must be elected for study:
Health Economics
Industrial Organization
International Economics
Labor and Human Resources
Applied Macroeconomics
The Department, in rare cases, will approve one special area in economics or one cognate field outside of economics in place of one of the above areas of specialization.
Students achieve Ph.D. candidacy by passing the written and oral qualifying examinations in economic theory and their two elective fields and by completing a dissertation outline approved by the Department and the Graduate Division.
Admission to the M.A. Program
Master’s program applicants should have upper division honor point averages of at least 3.0 (B). They are also expected to have taken previous course work in intermediate microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, statistics, and elementary calculus. Those with G.P.A.s above 3.0 who show promise but have not taken the prerequisites may be admitted as pre-master’s students. M.A. applicants need not take the Graduate Record Examination.
The M.A. degree calls for thirty-two graduate credits in Economics 6000 (Price and Allocation Theory), 6050 (Macroeconomics), and 6100 (Introduction to Econometrics). In addition, M.A. students must complete at least eight credits at the 7000 level or above (excluding directed study and the M.A. essay or thesis). These courses are usually taken in the student’s field of concentration. Final written examinations (University Plan C) are required of all Master’s candidates. University plans A and B are not available.
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