Departmental Assessment Update - Social Sciences Report

Department: Economics
Program: PhD
Level: Graduate

1. List in detail your graduate Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for each degree/certificate offered.

The goal of the Ph.D. program is to train professional economists for careers in teaching, research and policy analysis. 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of economic theory and analytical and quantitative tools. 2. Students will demonstrate an ability to understand, integrate, and apply the various tools, concepts, and principles of economics and quantitative methods to analyze and to develop solutions to economic problems in a clear and concise written form. 3. Students will demonstrate a "frontier" level competency and familiarity with the literature in the student's perceived specialty area. 4. Students will demonstrate the ability to conduct independent and original research in economics.5. Students will have the skills necessary to qualify for teaching positions at the university and college levels, and for research positions in the public or private sector. 6. Program graduates will be able to obtain employment that uses the level of expertise obtained in the Ph.D. program. 

2. Where are these SLOs published (e.g., departmental web page)?

In the Department's intranet website accessible to faculty only.  We will consider making it public on the department webpage.

3. Explain how your SLOs map onto your curriculum, i.e., how does your program of graduate studies produce the specific SLOs in your students?

Each year, the Graduate Committee evaluates the performance of our graduate students and our curriculum to see what needs to be done to improve achievement of SLOs.

4. What population(s) is covered by your assessment(s)?

Every graduate student.

5. Please list/describe all the assessment events and devices used to monitor graduate student progress through the program. Consider the following questions:

4. Existing Assessment Activities The Graduate Core.  A key component of our graduate programs is continual evaluation of the content and methodologies covered in the seven-course Ph.D. and four-course MA core curricula.  The most significant evaluation typically occurs at the time of new faculty hires; recent Department recruitment in microeconomic theory and econometrics have led to substantial revisions to these core courses that bring them more closely in line with curricula at leading institutions.    Revisions to core structure and content also occur periodically in response input from faculty and graduate students. Qualifying Exams.  The qualifying (preliminary) exams, given at the end of the first year of the Ph.D. program, serve as a means of assessing the effectiveness of the program in facilitating student learning of core theory and economic methodology.   Research Seminar and Third-Year Research Paper.  In our department, all Ph.D. students are required to enroll in Econ 730 Research Seminar during the fall of their third year, and to complete their Third-Year Research Paper.  The course is designed to survey research methods and to get students started on dissertation research.  Their Research Paper is reviewed by a three-person committee who are able to assess the student’s preparation for advanced research in their intended research area.  This evaluation and the students’ work in the Research Seminar also provide the Graduate Chair with information useful for assessing the success of core and field courses in providing students with preparation necessary for dissertation-level research. Dissertation Proposal.  The research proposal and oral comprehensive exam are the primary tools used in the Department for assessing the readiness of students for dissertation research.  While the emphasis is on assessment of the preparation of individual students, the proposal process also provides more general information about the extent to which students are learning core theory and methods, and to which the program is facilitating the transition from formal coursework to independent research. The Dissertation or Individual Project.  For Ph.D. students, their committee’s evaluation of the dissertation in the final defense is the ultimate appraisal of the learning they have accomplished.  The dissertation defense is an excellent evaluative tool both for the individual and for the program because it measures core learning and research accomplishment against the continually evolving yardstick of best practices within the discipline.  Because we have rather large committees at UH (4 disciplinary advisors and 1 outside member), dissertation proposals and defenses often provide opportunities for discussion about general shortcomings that we observe, and so they influence department deliberations on the nature and coverage of the Ph.D. program. For MA students, the capstone experience is an individual project.  Students are evaluated on their ability to apply theory and methods from the program to an applied research topic appropriate to their career orientation.  They are also required to make an oral presentation of research findings to faculty and students. Placement.  Placement of graduates is arguably a key measure of success for a graduate program.  The Department has complete information about the initial placements of students who enter the American (actually, global) market for Ph.D. economists.  This information tells us quite a bit about the qualifications of our graduates as viewed by the broader academic and business community.  In recent years, for example, an increasing number of our graduates have proven highly competitive in this market, suggesting that training and reputation may have improved.  Aside from the primary academic market, the department has a strong tradition of training economic professionals, particularly from Asia, who go on to significant careers in public service. Teaching Experience.  Graduate students interested in academic careers often lecture for the Department, either during the regular term or in summer sessions.  Consultation with faculty and results of student course evaluations provide useful assessment information.

6. Please list/describe how your graduate students contribute to your discipline/academic area? Consider the following questions:

Our third-year PhD students are required to write an orginal (and hopefully publishable) research paper in their chosen area of interest.Our PhD students work on joint faculty-student research projects and publish their findings together.Our PhD students participate in our seminars and also organize and run research workshops.Our graduate students act as TAs in our beginning undergraduate courses; they serve as RAs in faculty funded research projects; and they are given opportunities to teach their own courses during the summer sessions.

7. What attempts are made to monitor student post-graduate professional activities?

Through the Department website, we try to keep contact with our former graduate students. We publish news about them when they send in information about them.Some of our former PhD students continue to work on joint research projects with the faculty.  

8. How were the assessment data/results used to inform decisions concerning the curriculum and administration of the program?

 To some extent, this has been discussed above.  Information from the Ph.D. qualifying exams has a regular and direct impact on the content and pedagogy of these courses, since the exam graders are drawn from faculty teaching in the core.  Information about research preparedness and competence is gleaned from the dissertation process by participating faculty and indirectly affects faculty decisions on the structure and content of the program.  In some cases, this indirect evidence has a demonstrable influence on policy.  The department’s recent decision to adopt a Third-Year Research Paper in lieu of the traditional field exam was a direct outgrowth of observations that many students were insufficiently prepared to make the transition from coursework to independent research.   Several years ago, the Department instituted a summer Math Cram Course for incoming M.A. and Ph.D. students.  This was in response to faculty observation from exam results, course evaluations and student feedback that first-year graduate students were often inadequately prepared for the quantitative rigor of first-year courses.  Course content and pedagogy have been assessed through evaluations after each summer, and the results have informed course design. Department faculty take a keen interest in the content of the graduate program and the quality and placement of graduates.  Because of this, there is a nearly-continual process of reevaluation of the curriculum, and student achievement.  As an example, at present there is an ongoing discussion about whether the two-course core sequence in microeconomics adequately prepares students for their field work and research.  Such discussions often begin as casual conversations among interested faculty before moving through the Graduate Committee and the full faculty.  

9. Has the program developed learning outcomes? Please indicate yes or no.

Yes

10. Has the program published learning outcomes? Please indicate yes or no.

No

11. If so, please indicate how the program has published learning outcomes.

12. What evidence is used to determine achievement of student learning outcomes?

4. Existing Assessment Activities The Graduate Core.  A key component of our graduate programs is continual evaluation of the content and methodologies covered in the seven-course Ph.D. and four-course MA core curricula.  The most significant evaluation typically occurs at the time of new faculty hires; recent Department recruitment in microeconomic theory and econometrics have led to substantial revisions to these core courses that bring them more closely in line with curricula at leading institutions.    Revisions to core structure and content also occur periodically in response input from faculty and graduate students. Qualifying Exams.  The qualifying (preliminary) exams, given at the end of the first year of the Ph.D. program, serve as a means of assessing the effectiveness of the program in facilitating student learning of core theory and economic methodology.   Research Seminar and Third-Year Research Paper.  In our department, all Ph.D. students are required to enroll in Econ 730 Research Seminar during the fall of their third year, and to complete their Third-Year Research Paper.  The course is designed to survey research methods and to get students started on dissertation research.  Their Research Paper is reviewed by a three-person committee who are able to assess the student’s preparation for advanced research in their intended research area.  This evaluation and the students’ work in the Research Seminar also provide the Graduate Chair with information useful for assessing the success of core and field courses in providing students with preparation necessary for dissertation-level research. Dissertation Proposal.  The research proposal and oral comprehensive exam are the primary tools used in the Department for assessing the readiness of students for dissertation research.  While the emphasis is on assessment of the preparation of individual students, the proposal process also provides more general information about the extent to which students are learning core theory and methods, and to which the program is facilitating the transition from formal coursework to independent research. The Dissertation or Individual Project.  For Ph.D. students, their committee’s evaluation of the dissertation in the final defense is the ultimate appraisal of the learning they have accomplished.  The dissertation defense is an excellent evaluative tool both for the individual and for the program because it measures core learning and research accomplishment against the continually evolving yardstick of best practices within the discipline.  Because we have rather large committees at UH (4 disciplinary advisors and 1 outside member), dissertation proposals and defenses often provide opportunities for discussion about general shortcomings that we observe, and so they influence department deliberations on the nature and coverage of the Ph.D. program. For MA students, the capstone experience is an individual project.  Students are evaluated on their ability to apply theory and methods from the program to an applied research topic appropriate to their career orientation.  They are also required to make an oral presentation of research findings to faculty and students. Placement.  Placement of graduates is arguably a key measure of success for a graduate program.  The Department has complete information about the initial placements of students who enter the American (actually, global) market for Ph.D. economists.  This information tells us quite a bit about the qualifications of our graduates as viewed by the broader academic and business community.  In recent years, for example, an increasing number of our graduates have proven highly competitive in this market, suggesting that training and reputation may have improved.  Aside from the primary academic market, the department has a strong tradition of training economic professionals, particularly from Asia, who go on to significant careers in public service. Teaching Experience.  Graduate students interested in academic careers often lecture for the Department, either during the regular term or in summer sessions.  Consultation with faculty and results of student course evaluations provide useful assessment information. Ongoing Graduate Chair Assessment The Graduate Chair regularly assesses student satisfaction with the program and specific courses through informal discussions and periodic surveys.  This information is particularly useful in gauging the appropriateness of entry criteria, the content of core courses, and the demand for field courses.  5. Proposed Additional Assessment Activities Publication.  Ph.D. students are encouraged to publish early and to participate in professional meetings. Publication and professional travel activities can be an indicator of student preparedness for professional careers and for the academic job market.  While we are aware of some student’s activities through their inclusion in the Department’s Working Paper series and through anecdotes, we could implement a more comprehensive inventory of these activities.   Placement.  We have noted above the information that comes from placements of graduate students in the primary market for Ph.D. economists.  We could do a better job of tracking initial graduate placements of students who take other kinds of jobs.  Better tracking of alumni would permit us to maintain more complete records of career advancement beyond the initial placement. Post-graduate publication and accomplishments.  We could implement a survey to better track the impressions, accomplishments and careers of graduates once they leave our program.  At present, we have only incomplete information that comes in via personal correspondence.  A survey, perhaps conducted 1, 5 and 10 years beyond graduation, could include questions to gauge how well we are preparing graduates for various aspects of professional life. 

13. Who interprets the evidence?

The Graduate Chair and Graduate Committee

14. What is the process of interpreting the evidence?

See response to #12 above.  As well,Ongoing Graduate Chair Assessment The Graduate Chair regularly assesses student satisfaction with the program and specific courses through informal discussions and periodic surveys.  This information is particularly useful in gauging the appropriateness of entry criteria, the content of core courses, and the demand for field courses.

15. Indicate the date of last program review.

1999