Resource And Environmental Economics

Faculty | PhD | Courses

Director - John Livernois (710 McKinnon, Ext. 8946)
(E-mail: live@css.uoguelph.ca)
Graduate co-ordinators:

FACULTY
Louis N. Christofides BA, MA Essex, PhD British Columbia - Professor, Economics
Brian S. Ferguson BA Mount Allison, MA Guelph, PhD Australian National - Associate Professor, Economics
Glenn C. Fox BSc (Agr), MSc Guelph, PhD Minnesota - Professor, Agricultural Economics and Business
Michael J. Hoy BMath Waterloo, PhD London School of Economics - Professor, Economics
Kris E. Inwood BA Trent, MA, PhD Toronto - Associate Professor, Economics
Qi Li BS Peking, MS Nankai, PhD Texas A&M - Professor, Economics
John R. Livernois BA Toronto, MA, PhD British Columbia - Associate Professor, Economics
Christopher J. McKenna BSc Salford, DPhil York - Professor, Economics
Ross McKitrick BA Queen's MA, PhD British Columbia - Assistant Professor, Economics
Truman P. Phillips BS (Eng) Stanford, PhD Newcastle - Professor, Agricultural Economics and Business
David M. Prescott BA Durham, MA Warwick, PhD Queen's - Associate Professor, Economics
Kim S. Rollins BA Maine (Orono), PhD Wisconsin (Madison) - Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics and Business
Clive Southey BComm Natal, BA Capetown (South Africa), PhD British Columbia - Associate Professor, Economics
Thanasis Stengos BSc, MSc London School of Economics, PhD Queen's - Professor, Economics
D. Peter Stonehouse BSc (Agr), MSc Guelph, PhD Manitoba - Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics and Business
Calum G. Turvey BS (Agr), MSc Guelph, PhD Purdue - Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics and Business
Alfons J. Weersink BSc Guelph, MSc Montana State, PhD Cornell - Associate Professor, Agricultural Economics and Business

Associated Graduate Faculty
Willem van Vuuren BEcon, MEcon Free (Amsterdam), PhD California - Retired

PhD PROGRAM
The PhD in resource and environmental economics is shared by the Departments of Economics, and Agricultural Economics and Business. Students in the program enroll in one of these departments and the degree is awarded in the subject area of that department. The management committee considers applications and monitors student progress. The members of this management committee are: J. Livernois (Director of the PhD program), G. Fox (Agricultural Economics and Business), A. Weersink (Agricultural Economics and Business), C. Southey (Economics) and A. Sadanand (Economics).
   The objective of the resource and environmental economics PhD program is to provide opportunities for advanced study in this specialized area of economics. The theoretical and practical issues that are addressed in this field demand the attention of highly trained professionals who are competent in a wide range of skills; have an understanding of the relevant economic theory, quantitative methods, and institutions; and are familiar with the biological and ecological aspects of environmental and natural resource management.

Admission Requirements
   Applicants to the PhD program should have a master's degree in economics or agricultural economics with a minimum average of 80% ('A-') in their postgraduate studies. Applicants without a master's degree but with an outstanding record at the baccalaureate level may be admitted initially to the MA program in economics or MSc program in agricultural economics. For students who achieve a superior record and show an aptitude for research, the Board of Graduate Studies, on the recommendation of the department, may authorize transfer to the PhD program without requiring the student to complete a master's degree.

Degree Requirements
   The PhD requires the completion of a minimum of 12 courses (see list below). Students with an MA or MSc typically will have completed some of the required courses (or their equivalents) already and, when appropriate, these may be accepted in lieu of required courses. The minimum duration for the PhD is nine semesters of full-time study (or the equivalent).
   Two of the required courses satisfy the quantitative methods requirement, one satisfies an interdisciplinary requirement, and the remaining courses prepare the student for the qualifying examinations. These take place in core economic theory and in two fields of specialization. The first field is natural resource and environmental economics and the second is selected by the student from the field offerings of the two departments. The first phase of the qualifying exams covers microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and is written at the end of the first year, normally before the beginning of classes in the fall semester. The second phase covers the fields of specialization and includes an oral defense of a thesis prospectus. This phase of the exam is taken during the seventh semester of the program. Upon satisfactory completion of the qualifying exams, the student becomes a candidate for the PhD degree.
   The following summarizes the program requirements:

  1. Quantitative Methods: All students must satisfy the quantitative methods requirement by successfully completing a minimum of two of the following courses:
    • 0206360 Mathematical Programming
    • 3606140 Econometrics I
    • 3606160 Econometrics II

  2. Theory: All students must satisfy the theory requirement by successfully completing the following four courses and by successfully completing the qualifying examination in economic theory.
    • 3606000 Microeconomic Theory I
    • 3606010 Microeconomic Theory II
    • 3606020 Macroeconomic Theory I
    • 3606040 Macroeconomic Theory II

  3. Fields of Specialization:
    1. Resource and Environmental Economics
      All students must satisfy the field requirement in natural resource and environmental economics by successfully completing the following four courses and by successfully completing the qualifying examination in this field.
      • 0206610 Economics of Renewable Resources
      • 0206700 Advanced Resource Economics
      • 3606800 Environmental Economics
      • 3606810 Economics of Nonrenewable Resources

    2. Elective Field of Specialization
      All students must select one additional field of specialization from the following list of fields offered by the two departments.
      • Labour Economics
      • Econometrics
      • Agricultural Marketing
      • Agricultural Policy and Trade
      • Production Economics
    Please consult the listings for the Department of Agricultural Economics and Business and the Department of Economics in this calendar for the course requirements for each of these fields. Students must successfully complete the indicated course requirements and a qualifying examination in the selected field.

  4. Interdisciplinary Requirement
       All students must successfully complete one course from outside the two departments. The course is selected by the student in consultation with the thesis adviser and graduate co-ordinator.

  5. Thesis
       Submission and defense of an acceptable thesis on a topic approved by the student's advisory committee completes the requirements for the PhD. The thesis is expected to be a significant and original contribution to knowledge in its field and must demonstrate scholarship and critical judgment on the part of the candidate. Theses must be submitted within 48 months of completing the minimum duration.

    COURSES
       Please consult the Agricultural Economics and Business and Economics listings for descriptions of the courses available to students in the shared PhD program in resource and environmental economics.

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