The interfield degree in Political Science and Economics combines courses from two departments in the Division of Politics and Economics.

Students must be accepted by both departments. One department will serve as the student’s primary department and dictate the field to be listed first on the student’s diploma at graduation–whether Political Science and Economics or Economics and Political Science.

Admission. Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

University Policies. Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

General Requirements

Coursework: A minimum of 80 units is required, composed of core, research tools, a political science concentration, and an economics field of study.

Research Tools: Satisfactory completion of research tool requirements through our core methods courses are necessary (see below). If you completed a research tool at another institution, you may petition to apply the tool to your CGU degree program. Non-CGU tools must meet the following qualifications: 1. Transfer credit requirements apply – that is, graduate level achievement from an accredited institution and documented on an official transcript, 2. In compliance with transfer credit policies, grades received in non-CGU coursework must be B or better, 3. Tools completed at another institution must have been accomplished within three years of the date of your petition; 4. A faculty advisor must approve transfer courses. In some cases, you must also successfully pass a test in the material covered by the tool.

Transdisciplinary Requirement: Doctoral students are required to complete 4 units of Transdisciplinary courses (TNDY) within the first two years of their program or by the completion of 48 units in their program. The TNDY coursework will count as 4 units towards the doctoral degree requirement.

Practical Experience Milestone: Please see below.

Qualifying Examinations: A modified qualifying exam structure takes into account the requirements of the two programs. There are three qualifying exams in total:

• Economics: Successful completion of the Interfield Microeconomics qualifying exam AND either a qualifying exam in econometrics/statistics OR the Economics field of study (IEDP field students only).
• Political Science: Successful completion of a qualifying exam in the chosen concentration in Political Science.

Students can attempt each written qualifying exam twice. In the event that a student fails a second attempt, an oral examination is administered as soon as possible after the written examination is graded, but at a time that meets the scheduling needs of both the student and examining faculty. A third attempt may be petitioned to the examination committee, Dean, and Provost; however, approval is generally subject to the student having passed other qualifying exams. Failure to pass the required qualifying exams results in the student’s termination from the PhD program. 

Dissertation: Students must successfully defend a dissertation proposal and successfully defend a dissertation that meets the rigorous methodological standards of and draws from both fields. Campus policies and procedures are detailed in the Doctoral Degree Regulations section of the Bulletin and on the registrar’s Completion of Degree webpage.

Degree Requirements (80 units)

Core Courses (24 units)

Political Economy

• SPE 411 -  International Political Economy 
• SPE 352 - Comparative Political Economy 

Microeconomics & Macroeconomics 

• ECON 313 - Microeconomic Analysis OR ECON 316 - Consumer Theory and General Equilibrium 
• ECON 302 - Modern Macroeconomics: Analysis, Policy and Applications 

• ECON 317 - Game Theory and Asymmetric Information (4 units)
• SPE 489 – Computational Tools for Social Sciences (4 units)

Research Tools (16 units)

Choose one of the following four-course statistical sequences.

Track 1 (required for those whose primary department is Economics)

• PP 480 - Nature of Inquiry: Quantitative Research in Social Sciences 
• ECON 381 - Probability and Statistics for Econometrics (ECON 308: Math for Economists*  or equivalent coursework is a prerequisite; note that ECON 308 starts in early August as a Module 1, Fall course)
• ECON 382 - Econometrics I (Prerequisites are ECON 308 and ECON 381 or equivalents)
• ECON 383 - Econometrics II

*Please note that this course starts in early August as a Module 1, Fall course. Any student who wishes to, may attempt to test out of this class. If you test out of this class, then you can add an additional elective. Students who enter the program with an equivalent version of this course, for example, from a master’s degree program, may skip this requirement with faculty permission. Students who take the course for credit may count the course as an elective. 

Track 2 (open to those whose primary department is Politics & Policy​)

• PP 480 - The Nature of Inquiry: Quantitative Research in Social Sciences
• PP 481 -  Introduction to Statistical Analysis 
• PP 482 - Multivariate Regression Analysis 
• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis (various letters and topics) 

Field Options (40 units)

40 units are required according to the following distribution. See Student Handbook for a complete lists of courses by field: 

Political Science (20 units)

The Faculty of Political Science requires a minimum of five (5) courses to complete a field of concentration (20 units). Here is a list of concentrations available:

• American Politics
• Comparative Politics
• International Relations and International Political Economy
• Public Policy Analysis
• Research Methodology

Economics (20 units)

In Economics there are two fields of study, and students must choose one field:

• Applied Microeconomics
• International Economics & Development Policy 

Practical Experience Milestone

Doctoral students in the Division of Politics and Economics must meet the Practical Experience Milestone through:

• A Teaching Assistantship OR
• A Research Assistantship OR
• An external teaching opportunity OR
• A research project with CGU or 5C faculty OR
• One or more articles submitted for publication OR
• Completion of one or more semesters in Doctoral Study that includes relevant work experience and/or progress on thedoctoral dissertation.

Students must have their milestones approved by the department prior to the submission of their Final Approval Form. Thismilestone is to be completed during the time to degree at CGU (7 years for doctoral students). Extensions of Time to Degreeciting the need to complete this milestone will not be approved. Students can have a maximum of 4 years of experience for thePractical Experience Milestone.