THE PHD IN ECONOMICS AT CEMFI consists of two years of graduate course work and research training in the Master in Economics and Finance , followed by up to four years of full-time PhD dissertation work.
PhD students at CEMFI initially enroll in the Master program, which contains the required course work and research training for being in a position to do successful PhD research. Upon completion of the Master, students that are eligible for PhD research will work on a thesis as full time research students normally for a period of three years.
During their third year at CEMFI, PhD students are expected to define their thesis project and to match with an advisor, through meetings with CEMFI Faculty.
Each PhD student is assigned a thesis committee formed by his/her supervisor and two other faculty members who provide advice and follow the student’s progress during the thesis period. Upon successful examination of the thesis, students will be awarded the official degree of Doctor in Economics UIMP-CEMFI.
The UIMP-CEMFI PhD in Economics has been awarded the Quality Distinction (“Mención de Calidad”) of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science for the academic years 2007-2008 to 2010-2011.
Working on a PhD dissertation marks the transition from a primarily passive training, where the goal is mastery of the subject, to an active training, where the goal is contributing to the subject. PhD students at CEMFI are regarded as an integral part of our research community. Their progress is closely monitored and it is viewed as central to CEMFI's goals. They actively participate in seminars, workshops and conferences, and in the schedules organized for visitors. Their research is often integrated into larger research projects, and we fund the presentation of their work at some of the major international conferences. Moreover, their research papers are included in the working papers series.
CEMFI is a place with an intellectually exciting atmosphere, reflected not only in the course work teaching but also in the numerous seminars and lunchtime workshops in which students participate. Also in the frequency and high quality of the visitors that spend time at CEMFI and give talks or invited lectures. We foster a close interaction across research fields and research styles. At a typical workshop there will be lively discussion bringing together theoretical, empirical, econometric, and policy insights.
Research Facilities
All PhD students at CEMFI have their own desk and other office furniture in an ample open space area for doctoral students. They are also allocated an up-to-date personal computer and other research facilities. Computers are linked to a network, which maintains and centralizes easy access to software and databases. CEMFI has a library, which contains a teaching collection and most of the mainstream journals in Economics and Finance. In addition, students have access to the research library of the Banco de España.
The goal of this seminar is to monitor the progress of students in their research projects and to ensure that students' ideas are put into workable shape. An additional goal is to help students develop effective presentational skills. Another valuable feature of this seminar is involvement in the research activity of other students.
PhD students also participate at CEMFI's regular seminars, and at the workshop presentations that are relevant to their research. We also run series of lunchtime workshops on macroeconomics, econometrics, microeconomics, and finance, which bring together researchers from various local institutions.
Finally, PhD students participate in a reading group that meets regularly and it is supervised by two CEMFI professors. Each student prepares, once every quarter, the presentation of a paper recently published in a top journal.
International Visiting Studentships
The experience of visiting other universities as PhD students is very valuable for exposing one's research to the scrutiny of other experts in the field, and the interaction with other students. CEMFI encourages, organizes and funds such visits for a period of three months. In the past our PhD students have enjoyed visiting positions at Boston, Carnegie Mellon, Chicago, CREST, Duke, ECARE, London Business School, LSE, McMaster, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, and University College London, among others. In turn, CEMFI welcomes visiting PhD students from other institutions whose area of research is of interest to members of our faculty and students.
Participation in Conferences and Congresses
PhD students are internally awarded funding for presentation of their work at some of the major international conferences, like the European Meetings of the Econometric Society and the Congress of the European Economic Association. They also attend more specialized conferences relevant to their research.
