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PhD Fellowship Program

The Mercatus Center PhD Fellowship Program is a three year competitive fellowship program for students who are pursuing a PhD in economics at George Mason University. Our PhD fellows take courses in Virginia political economy, Austrian economics, and institutional analysis and work on projects that use these lenses to understand global prosperity and social change.

Program Requirements

Mercatus Center PhD fellows...

Are required to:

• maintain a 3.5 G.P.A. each semester
• enroll in 9 credits each semester 
• attend the weekly "Graduate Student Paper Workshop"
• attend the weekly "Workshop in Philosophy, Politics and Economics"
• spend approximately 20 hours each week working with Mercatus Center staff and faculty mentors throughout the year
• ensure that the Director of Graduate Student Programs always has a copy of their current bios and CVs
  

Are expected to:

• (beginning in their second year) present quality original research at the weekly "Graduate Student Paper Workshop" 
• (beginning in their second year) present quality original research at professional academic conferences 
• (beginning in their third year) submit quality original research to professional academic journals 
• actively participate in the Mercatus Center's Social Change Project, Global Prosperity Initiative or Regulatory Studies Program
  

Are encouraged to:

• participate in Mercatus Center projects and programs
• (beginning 2008) take "Qualitative Methods in Economic and Policy Studies" and "Entrepreneurship and Public Policy" or "Regulation and the Market Process"
• build relationships with Mercatus Center scholars and members of our faculty network
• attend Mercatus Center brown bags and occasional lectures
• attend The Center for the Study of Public Choice weekly seminars

Application Process

To apply for our PhD Fellowship, please complete the standard application for admission to the George Mason University Department of Economics' PhD program. Please indicate on that form that you would like to be considered for the Mercatus PhD Fellowship.

In addition to completing the general application, please submit an additional 500-1000 word essay on "Why do some societies prosper, while others remain stagnant and poor?" and a 10 page writing sample. Please send your additional essay and writing sample, along with a cover letter to graduatefellowships@mercatus.org.

The deadline for applications for the Fall 2008 semester is February 1, 2008.

Contact Information

For more information about the Mercatus Center Ph.D. Fellowship program please contact:

Dr. Virgil Henry Storr
Director of Graduate Student Programs
Mercatus Center
vstorr@gmu.edu