PhD program

Welcome to the PhD Program of Aix-Marseille School of Economics

Our PhD track is an international PhD Program, tailored for talented and passionate students. Our PhD candidates are trained in advanced economic theories and empirical methods, closely supervised by scientifically recognized faculty and produce frontier research in all fields of theoretical and empirical economics. Our PhD naturally leads to academic jobs as well as to positions in international organizations and in the private sector.

As full members of the research department, our PhD students benefit from AMSE’s dynamic academic environment. They attend our various seminars series, present their work at our PhD brownbag seminar as well as at international conferences, participate to summer schools to acquire skills in their specific fields of specialization, and do visiting research stays in the best international universities. They also benefit from the expertise of AMSE senior faculty members, who are leading researchers working in all areas of economics and publishing their work in the best international journals. Finally, they benefit from interactions with their fellow students from all over the world.

As researchers at the service of society, AMSE PhD students can also disseminate their research through our Sharing department, and in particular through its online media Dialogues Économiques.

On top of the standard academic track, the AMSE PhD program offers an “on-the-job” track, which is an in-service training which allows PhD candidates to write a PhD dissertation while in employment.

The PhD program at AMSE consists of two parts: first, the one-year ETE Research Master during which students follow advanced coursework in economics and training to research; second, the actual PhD which lasts three to four years. Note that, though the ETE Master is the main entry door into the PhD, direct external entry is also possible for candidates holding a degree in Economics equivalent to the ETE Master.

How to apply?

Doing a PhD at AMSE has been, so far, an excellent experience.
AMSE has a high academic level and it is a dynamic institution with constant progress.
Diverse seminars are organized weekly. For instance, each Monday an academic from an external institution comes to present his or her research and each Tuesday at the PhD seminar, one or two of us present our works and receive useful comments from other students and professors.
Besides, PhD courses in Economics and professional seminars (such as presentation or academic writing skills) are internally organized. As PhD students we also have the chance to benefit from funding to attend conferences, summer schools and to do research stays in foreign universities.
I also highlight the enjoyable daily life in the lab, where the atmosphere is remarkably pleasant and with the feature of having a high share of international students.

Julieta PEVERI, AMSE PhD 2022

I defended my PhD thesis at AMSE in 2014. My research area is time series econometrics with a focus on fractionally integrated processes.
During my PhD training, I had the opportunity to meet several renowned AMSE econometricians and statisticians that helped me overcome some very technical issues I encountered.  I also enjoyed the AMSE PhD program that greatly enhanced my ability to deal with theoretical econometrics and macro-finance applied economics questions. 
Besides, I appreciated the intensive academic activity of the AMSE and notably the numerous research seminars organized each year. They gave me the opportunity to meet many international researchers in my field.
The AMSE has also always encouraged me to attend international conferences, thereby contributing to the development of my research network.
Overall, I would say that AMSE has undoubtedly helped me reach my professional objectives as I have earned the Aix-Marseille University PhD thesis price and I am now Associate Professor in the economics department “EconomiX” of the University of Paris-Nanterre.

Gilles de Truchis, AMSE PhD 2014

AMSE has been a very good incubator and I am glad to have done my thesis there. The economics department is on a human scale and the doctoral student community is great. The researchers in the department are accessible and are a source of inspiration. I enjoyed working at AMSE: the material working conditions (offices, work equipment), the opportunities for research stays abroad (visiting, conferences, summer schools), and all the exposure to research (seminars, globalization lectures, workshops, conferences, guest researchers, to name a few). The support provided to students after their PhD is also very much appreciated.

Samuel Kembou Nzale, AMSE PhD 2019

Contact

Director: Cecilia Garcia-Peñalosa
E-mail: cecilia.garcia-penalosa[at]univ-amu.fr
 
Secretary: Bernadette Vouriot
E-mail: bernadette.vouriot[at]univ-amu.fr
Phone: +33 (0)4 13 55 25 83