Economics and Public Policy

The sustainability of economic development and growth have become central policy concerns of our time. In order to address these issues, you will need the ability to integrate comparative and international political economy perspectives.

The mission of the joint Ph.D. program in Economics and Public Policy to produce scholars and policy-makers who can address the emerging critical issues centered on economic development.

Offered jointly by Tufts Department of Economics and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the Economics and Public Policy program draws upon the expertise of well-established scholars whose work centers on development, energy, and environmental issues, political economy and, in particular, on the intersection of these concerns.

The program includes three required, two-term core courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics-econometrics. These will typically be followed by field courses in the areas of development, energy and environmental policy, and political economy. Suggested coursework and research schedules for completion of the degree are shown below.

All students will choose two fields of study from among the following areas: 1) Development Economics; 2) Energy and Environmental Policy; and 3) Comparative and International Political Economy. Each field will require three courses for completion, including a required core course. The courses taken to fulfill the field requirements must be approved by the program's Advising and Curriculum Committee, which is made up of Economics and Fletcher faculty, and chaired by a member of the program's Steering Committee. Each student's transcript will indicate his or her field of study.

Progression through the program will require that students demonstrate "Acceptable" performance. This will include earning passing grades in all courses. It will also require passing field exams in two of the three fields listed above.

1. Online application for admission
2. Scanned copies of all college transcripts
3. Letters of Recommendation: one for certificate programs, two for the engineering management program, and three for all other degree programs
4. Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
5. Personal statement elaborating on your reasons for wanting to pursue graduate study at Tufts
6. Application fee of $85 
7. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
8. Achieved competitive scores on both the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections of the GRE
9. Applicants who are not native speakers of English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A minimum TOEFL score of 90 on the internet based exam is required for M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. applicants, and a minimum score of 85 is required for M.F.A. applicants. The minimum IELTS score is 6.5. 

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Scholarships

For students who show scholarly promise, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering offer scholarships, fellowships, and research or teaching assistantships to full-time students in doctoral programs. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences also offers awards to full-time students in master’s programs. Certificate students are not eligible for these awards.

• Tuition Scholarships are available in most master's and doctoral programs for qualified students.
• Teaching Assistantships are offered by most departments.
• Research Assistantships are generally available in the science and engineering areas.
• Fellowships are offered to students who demonstrate outstanding records of achievement and a well-articulated plan of study.