PhD in Economics

structured research training and supervision by subject experts. It begins with two years of rigorous coursework (MSc Economics (PhD Route) and MRes Advanced Economics), equipping you with the theoretical knowledge and analytical tools necessary to proceed to the research stage. Subject experts will guide and supervise you during your PhD programme. In addition to your thesis, an oral examination will form an integral part of the assessment of your doctoral research. We ensure that PhD students are fully integrated members of our research community. As a doctoral student, we will expect you to contribute fully to the advancement of knowledge within your chosen research area. Throughout your candidature, you will be active in presenting your work in the weekly PhD student workshop, which is supervised by faculty, and also in the weekly Economics Section internal workshop. You will also attend a third weekly Economics Section seminar, which is reserved mostly for invited external speakers. As a PhD student, you will also have an opportunity to seek feedback and share ideas with academics, business practitioners and your postgraduate peers from Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor Universities in a collaborative and friendly atmosphere at our annual Welsh Postgraduate Research Conference (WPGRC) in Business, Management and Economics, jointly funded by Cardiff Business School and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Wales Doctoral Training Partnership. Career The PhD programme will prepare you either for a career as a leading academic scholar or professional researcher, or to excel in business practitioning or senior public policy decision making. At Cardiff Business School, we are proud to see our PhD graduates occupying prestigious academic positions in top university departments across UK, Europe, US, South Africa, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, China, and India. In addition, our PhD graduates hold high-level positions in international organisations, government ministries and central banks, think-tanks, and private-sector organisations, including major banks and consulting firms. Programme Structure Areas of research include: macroeconomics banking finance labour economics (including gender and disability) regional studies and the Welsh economy international development microeconomics Admission Requirements Academic requirements GPA: Upper Second Class English requirements TOEFL iBT: 90 PTE Academic: 69 IELTS: 6.5 Other requirements General requirements Students applying to pursue a specialist PhD in Economics must have a first-class or strong upper-second-class honours degree, and a master’s degree in Economics (or equivalent) with an average mark of at least 65%. Applications can also be considered from holders of a first-class undergraduate degree in Economics or a similar subject with significant economic content. As part of your application process, you will have to submit a research proposal demonstrating an interest in pursuing in-depth research in an appropriate area. It is also possible for suitably qualified students to join the PhD in Economics programme at the MRes stage, though they will be required to follow a slightly different programme to those students progressing directly from the MSc Economics (PhD Route). Fees and Funding Tuition Fees Tuition fees are shown in AUD. International: 50,857 AUD / year (≈ 26,700 GBP / year) Domestic: 9,535 AUD / year (≈ 5,006 GBP / year) Living costs Cardiff, United Kingdom: 1,196-2,030 AUD / month Funding / Scholarships Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Economics. Fulbright-Cardiff University scholarship (Deadline: 07 Oct 2026) Cardiff University Marshall Scholarship (Deadline: Not specified) Fulbright U.S. Student Program (Deadline: 07 Oct 2026) ACES Scholarships (Deadline: 15 Nov 2026) ServiceScape Scholarship (Deadline: 30 Nov 2026) Erasmus+ - Grants for study mobility (Deadline: Not specified) Scholarships for PhD Students (Deadline: Not specified) Boustany Astronomy PhD Scholarship (Deadline: 28 Feb 2027) $1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship (Deadline: 31 Oct 2026) Women Scholarship for International Students (Deadline: 28 Aug 2026) Voice Talent Online Scholarship (Deadline: 01 Mar 2027) The PhD Prep Fellowship (Deadline: 01 Sep 2026) Dream Chaser Scholarship (Deadline: 13 Jan 2027) Scholarship for students with disabilities (Deadline: 31 Dec 2026) Commonwealth Shared Scholarship – University Bids (Deadline: Not specified) Grants of the Leopold Figl Foundation for students with residence in Lower Austria (Deadline: 31 Dec 2026) The Annual IELTS from 6 to 9 Scholarship (Deadline: Not specified) Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme (Deadline: 11 Jan 2027)