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PhD applicants should submit by the priority deadline, January 15. The fellowship application deadline is January 15. The application fee is $135 for the domestic application and $155 for the international. Click here for information on fee waivers.

Admission Criteria

Acceptance into the Ph.D. program is based on a holistic review of the applicant's full record by the graduate admissions committee. Criteria that factor into our admissions decision are:

Statement of Purpose

This statement should describe why the student wants to pursue a graduate degree in ARE at UC Davis.

Personal History and Diversity Statement

The purpose of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and potential graduate student. Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree.

Letters of Recommendation

We place considerable weight on the three required letters of recommendation.

GRE Scores

We require all students to submit GRE scores and attach a higher weight to the quantitative score. GRE scores should be sent electronically to Institution code 4834 and Department code 0101.

TOEFL Scores

Graduate Studies require the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if your native language is not English or your instruction has not been in English. TOEFL scores should be sent electronically to Institution code 4834 and Department code 67.  TOEFL scores expire after two years and the minimum score is 80.  As an alternative, you may submit scores from the Academic Modules of the international English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Coursework and Transcripts

UC Davis requires official records from each college-level institution you have attended. Click here for more details.

A minimum GPA of 3.3 is required for admissions.Our admissions criteria places an emphasis on performance in economics and mathematics courses. For international students, we recommend you include an official explanation of the grading system and details on course content.

Given the quantitative nature of the first-year courses, either an undergraduate degree focused on quantitative analysis−such as Economics, Applied Economics, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Mathematics, or Statistics−or an M.S. degree in similar fields is recommended for ARE Ph.D. students, but is not required.

Prior to enrollment, students are expected to have completed the equivalent of (UC Davis courses):

• Calculus-based Intermediate Microeconomics (ARE 100A & 100B)
• Statistics (STA 103, STA 103A or STA 103B)
• Econometrics (ARE 106)
• One year of Calculus, including the study of partial derivatives (MAT 21A, 21B,21C)
• One course in Linear Algebra (MAT 22A)
• Additionalupper-divisioncoursesinEconomics,AppliedEconomics,or Agricultural and Resource Economics, as well as Mathematics and Statistics are strongly encouraged.

For exceptional students who lack a strong economics background, we offer the opportunity to spread the core Ph.D. required courses over two years. A typical pattern is to take our M.S. sequence in microeconomic theory along with Ph.D. econometrics in the first year and the rest of the Ph.D. core in the second year. By “splitting the core” in this way students gain a deeper understanding of core economic principles, which better prepares them for dissertation research.

Diversity

The Graduate Program in Agricultural & Resource Economics reviews each application for leadership potential in diversity. As a Graduate Program, we are committed to the University's mission of diversity and equality in higher education. Along with other admission criteria, we take into account applicants’ potential to contribute to diversity in our program and field in our admission decision. We encourage applicants to reflect their leadership potential in diversity in the Personal History and/or the Statement of Purpose portion of their application.

For more information on graduate studies, please visit the Office of Graduate Studies