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Placements Finalized for Graduates of GSE Reference Doctoral Programs

August 2009

The 2009 job market is coming to a close for graduating doctoral students of the GPEFM program of the UPF and the IDEA program of the UAB, the reference doctoral programs of the BSE.

The majority of this year’s graduates accepted tenure track positions at universities and research institutions, while others chose to apply their PhDs in positions at central banks, commerical banks, and other areas of the private sector.

Prof. Jaume Ventura, Placement Officer of the GPFEM program and GSE Affiliated Professor, observed that graduates found excellent placements despite the difficult economic climate. "Both the academic and non-academic job markets were very competitive this year due to the global economic crisis," he said. "Despite the crisis, our students are accepting offers from top university departments and research centers. Others have chosen to take jobs at central banks and other private institutions throughout Europe and in Latin America."

The success encountered by graduates this year demonstrates the continued excellence of the GPEFM and IDEA programs, which were cited last year in The Review of Economics and Statistics. In their article, "Ranking Economics Departments Worldwide on the Basis of PhD Placement," coauthors Rabah Amir (University of Arizona) and Malgorzata Knauff (Warsaw School of Economics) lay out a global ranking of economics departments based on the idea that a department's value is reflected in the reputation of the accumulated placements achieved by their PhD students; the higher the total value of the employing institutions, the higher the value of the PhD program.

The ranking highlights the strong position of the GPEFM and IDEA doctoral programs. In a short period of time (they are both 15 years old) they have managed to position themselves as the 9th and 14th in Europe, respectively. As Amir and Knauff say, "several Departments have entered the global market for PhD education in the last 15 years at a level that earned them a place in the rankings."

The Graduate Program in Economics, Finance and Management (GPEFM) of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the International Doctorate in Economic Analysis (IDEA) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona enjoy a close link with the GSE, sharing both faculty and resources.

Some students at the BSE aspire to continue their studies in a top level PhD program. Many of these students seek admission into the reference PhD programs of the BSE. In the Class of 2008-2009, eleven were accepted to enter the second year of the official master that precedes entry into the programs. 

The Postgraduate School at the UAB's Bellaterra campus, site of the IDEA program

The Ciutadella campus, site of the UPF's GPEFM program
 

Related Links

GPEFM Program

IDEA Program