Program
January 15th is the deadline to apply if you wish to begin the program in September. Students are not required to identify a faculty supervisor.
| Program | Expected Length | Project and/or thesis | Course based |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | 4 years |
A Ph.D. in Applied Economics will give you the skills to conduct research for businesses, governments, think tanks, and other research organizations, as well as to train the next generation of applied economics professionals as an academic.
The Ph.D. program combines advanced courses in applied economics with a major research dissertation. The core of the program focuses on microeconomic theory and quantitative methods with one advanced course in macroeconomics. The student and their advisory committee determine the remainder of the student’s field courses.
The Ph.D. in Applied Economics is a collaborative program offered by the departments of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Economics, and Finance and Management Science, and the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan.
Research areas
Students in the applied economics Ph.D. program have a wide variety of focus research areas to choose from, each with a multidisciplinary component that spans across academic units.
Application of novel empirical methods to applied economics questions. Applications include, for example, labour markets, education, health care, international economics, efficiency and productivity measurement in agriculture, financial markets.
Understanding decision-making at the level of individual consumers, firms, and organizations. Applications include, for example, risk tolerance and responses to risk; health behaviours; food consumption behaviours; technology and innovation adoption decisions by firms; computational economics, behavioural responses to policy nudges. Researchers have access to state-of-the art research facilities at the Experimental Decision Laboratory (Social Sciences Research Laboratories).
The application of economic theory and empirical methods to environmental and resource management and policy issues. Applications include, for example, ecological economics, forestry economics, water resources, adaptation to climate change, biofuels policy, pollution, indigenous land/resource use issues, and environmental valuation.
Applications include the empirical research in the areas of corporate finance (including capital structure, dividend policy, financing costs, corporate governance, corporate ownership and control, corporate social responsibility, mergers & acquisitions, international corporate finance, and firm valuation), asset pricing, banking, financial derivatives and risk management, financial institutions, venture capital, agricultural finance and public finance.
Applications to the analysis of labour markets, health care provision and costs, income inequality, and economics of nutrition.
Analysis of firm behaviour and decision-making and industry structure. Applications include, for example, game theory, agricultural co-operatives, agri-food supply chains, firm strategy; managerial economics; competitiveness.
International trade, including trade theory and policy, international finance, and international macroeconomics. Applications include, for example, exchange rates, trade agreements, agricultural trade policy.
Analysis of the economic welfare outcomes of policy decisions, and public policy formation. Applications include, for example, innovation and science policy; trade policy; agricultural policy; food policy; environmental policy; resource management policy; health policy; transportation policy, wetland and wildlife conservation policy.
Understanding how economies operate at the national, sub-national and local level and understanding how decision-making at the household, firm and community level influences development outcomes. Applications to regional economic development, rural development, international development, Indigenous communities.
Research supervisors
It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you begin an application. However, the list below may be helpful to learn about the research interests of our faculty.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Ecosystem goods and services; Natural resource and environmental policy; Land conservation; Wildlife and biodiversity conservation | |
| International trade; environment; pollution; resource; water | |
| Applied economics, interface of marketing & operations management, interface of finance & operations management, ecommerce, supply chain management | |
| Commodity prices; econometrics; exchange rates; international finance | |
| Applied econometrics; Earnings inequality; Economics of Education; Labour Economics; Socioeconomic status and education | |
| Genomics and agricultural innovation; Agricultural and environmental policy; Grain marketing and transportation | |
| Environmental Economics, Forestry economics, Resource economics | |
| Supply chains, Consumer behaviour, Food policy | |
| Aboriginal; Arctic; Indigenous; Saskatchewan; forecasting; indigenous; microeconomics | |
| Economic development; labour market; microeconomics; transport economics; urban | |
| 19th Century; 20th Century; Institutional and social economics; economics of development; economics of transition; history of economic thought | |
| Development economics, Behavioral and experimental economics, Social networks, Poverty and vulnerability analysis, Socioeconomic impact assessment | |
| Environmental and resource economics, Non-market valuation, Water resources, Consumer behaviour, Ecosystem services | |
| Monetary policy and banking, bank risk management, financial economics, M&A | |
| Dividend signaling, asymmetric information, corporate governance, market timing, credit ratings | |
| Farm and agribusiness management, Agribusiness marketing, Entrepreneurship, Agricultural finance | |
| Corporate Finance, International corporate finance, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Cost of Capital, CEO and Board Attributes | |
| Applied Economics; Economic Development; Economic Growth; Energy Economics; Technological Changes | |
| Public finance | |
| Economic anthropology, Water, energy and food (WEF) security, Arctic sustainable development, Indigenous natural resource management | |
| Transportation economics and policy, Regulatory economics, Computational economics, Experimental economics | |
| Science, tech, & innovation policy, International political economy, Regulation, gov. & trade policy, Decision making & behavioural experimentation | |
| Money, banking and the financial sector; fiscal and monetary policy,co-operatives | |
| Employment insurance; growth; macroeconomics; quantitative methods; unemployement | |
| Asset pricing, risk measurement, corporate social responsibility, financial literacy, behavioral finance, financial econometrics | |
| Healthcare optimization, supply chain management, scheduling optimization | |
| Anti-smoking policies; cost benefit analysis; cost effectiveness; econometrics; economic evaluation; health; health economics; quality of healthcare; quantitative methods; sports & exercise | |
| Macroeconomics; Monetary Economics | |
| Agri-environmental policy, applied microeconomics, farm-level decision making, agricultural finance | |
| Adoption of novel foods, Social economics | |
| GM crops, regulation, sustainability | |
| Entrepreneurship, social enterprise, angel financing, venture capital | |
| Derivatives trading, option writing risks & rewards, derivative securities & bank risk management, corporate ownership structure & capital investment | |
| Economics of genetic resources and biodiversity, Agricultural innovation, Environmental and development economics, Experimental economics | |
| E-commerce and social commerce, Social media and social network analysis, Big data analytics, Digital innovation and transformation, Online learning | |
| Data analytics, Operations research modeling in transportation and health care, Lean process improvement | |
| Corporate finance, corporate governance | |
| Corporate finance, financial markets | |
| Consumer behaviour, Food economics, Experimental economics, Food policy | |
| China; games; microeconomic; organization; taxes |
Tuition and funding
Funding
Highly qualified students who are engaged in the program on a full-time basis will be eligible for financial support in the form of scholarships, teaching and research assistantships allocated on a competitive basis. All complete applications received by January 15 will be automatically considered for funding.
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Tuition
Doctoral program
Doctoral students pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program. Both international and domestic Ph.D. students pay the same rate.
| Term | |
|---|---|
| January 1 - April 30, 2025 | $1,726.00 CAD |
| May 1 - August 31, 2025 | $1,726.00 CAD |
| September 1 - December 31, 2024 | $1,726.00 CAD |
| Total per academic year | $5,178.00 CAD |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2024 | Winter 2025 | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $504.45 CAD | $666.08 CAD | $35.00 CAD | $35.00 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Admission requirements
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English
- Master's degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in a relevant academic discipline
- A completed on-line application, the application fee, and all supporting application documents
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of full-time study (e.g. 60 credit units)
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT): Submission of the GRE and/or the GMAT is recommended for all applicants. Applicants who have not earned a degree from Canada or the United States are required to submit an up-to-date GRE and/or a GMAT score.
Application process
Submit an online application
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable $120 application fee. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application, and upload the documents outlined below.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college, and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
Post-secondary Transcripts
If you receive an offer of admission, you will then be required to have your official post-secondary transcripts sent (by mail in a sealed envelope directly from the institution) to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- Transcripts usually indicate the institution’s name, grading scheme (typically on back of transcript), your name, course names, numbers, credits, and the grades you have received. Depending on the country or institution, some features may not be available.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
- If you are a current University of Saskatchewan student completing your undergraduate program then a letter of completion of degree requirements will be required from your college.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- It is your responsibility to have completed a relevant test with the appropriate score before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
If you receive an Offer of Admission you may be required to have your official language test scores sent to the address below. Please do not send official documents until we request them.
College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Room 116 Thorvaldson Building - 110 Science Place
Saskatoon, SK CANADA S7N 5C9
- A curriculum vitae or resume
- A statement/letter of intent outlining your research interests
Your statement/letter of intent offers you the opportunity to describe to the graduate program admissions committee your research interests and your fit with the applied economics Ph.D. program. It also provides you the opportunity to clearly detail your background and preparation, and to indicate the particular area (or areas) of applied economics that interest you. In your statement, please clearly address the following:- Why do you want to pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Economics?
- Describe your research background and preparation for the program
- Outline one or more areas of applied economics in which you would like to do research.
Your statement should be around 1000 words in total length. You do NOT need to have a well-developed research proposal. The letter is an opportunity to show your personality, critical thinking ability, and interest in applied economics research. Consider saying something distinctive that sets you apart from other applicants. The letter will also help the admissions committee determine if there is a good match among the faculty in the participating units within the program to supervise you in one of your proposed areas of research.
Contact
Applied Economics Ph.D. Program
Rm 2D14 - 51 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8
Graduate Administrator
Melissa Zink
Email: applied.economics@usask.ca
Graduate Chair
Peter Slade
Email: peter.slade@usask.ca
- Applied Economics
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements
Graduate committee
Dr. Peter Slade (Chair), Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Dr. Andreas Pollock, Department of Economics
Dr. Mohammadreza Nematollahi, Department of Finance and Management
Dr. Alaz Munzur, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
The Ph.D. in Applied Economics is a collaborative program offered by the following departments:
- Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
- Department of Economics
- Department of Finance and Management
- Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy
All inquiries to: Graduate Administrator