Econometrics

Overview

Overview of Courses

The department offers an intensive six semester sequence of courses in econometric theory and its applications. These courses enable incoming students to cover foundational material in probability theory and econometric methods. Students with strong backgrounds are encouraged to enter the second year sequence which covers modern asymptotic theory, parametric and nonparametric modeling, time series, panel data methods, and microeconometrics. Further advanced topics courses are available in the following year as well as courses taught by faculty who specialize in empirical work.

Requirements

Seminars

The Department runs three weekly workshop meetings in econometrics. A formal Econometrics Seminar hosts speakers invited from other universities to report on their latest research and to provide overviews of developing research areas. A less formal Econometrics Research Workshop enables students and faculty to discuss their own ongoing work and go over the details of technical proofs in their papers. The Workshop also provides a venue for short term visitors to discuss extensions and applications of the work presented in the Econometrics Seminar. An informal Econometrics Prospectus Lunch, funded by the Cowles Foundation, is intended primarily for our graduate students to assist them in moving forward with their own research agendas, to prepare them for writing a dissertation prospectus, and to report on ideas and early findings. The Lunch enables faculty to discuss recent ideas and wider issues of econometrics, including the history of econometric thought. The Lunch is a convenient venue also for our former students who are working in government or industry to report on their work in these sectors.

Other Recommended Courses

Students are encouraged to take advanced courses in the Statistics, Mathematics, and Computer Science Departments, where many complementary courses are offered.