Economics

The skills and expertise that you build now are fundamental to your continuing professional development (CPD), and will be part of your toolset throughout your working life, whether academic or elsewhere. We’re also very keen that you should consider taking part in the University's Postgraduate Researchers' Programme which offers training in a wide range of generic and transferable skills in key areas such as research management, personal effectiveness, communication skills, networking, team-working, and career management.

It’s great if you can enter the programme with research training and experience of research at Masters level, but we don’t expect you to be the finished article. You’ll get together straight away with your supervisor to identify your training needs, and you’ll both monitor and adapt them as your research develops and new challenges emerge.

In the first year of your PhD study the appropriate department(s) in the Business School will specify discipline and subject-specific training which may be methods training, research philosophy, or thematic modules to upgrade your knowledge of the subject. You may be asked simply to attend some modules; you may be required to pass others that are vital to your doctoral studies.

You’ll also need to attend staff-postgraduate seminars addressed by visiting speakers and School staff and you’ll present your research to fellow students and academic staff at our annual research conference or a similar event. This is a key opportunity to get feedback from staff and fellow students on your research, as well as giving you the chance to enhance your presentation skills. Successful presentation is a criterion of upgrade from MPhil to PhD status

We can source most training requirements within the University of Exeter, but where this is not feasible, for instance on specialist software, or cutting-edge methods or techniques vital to your studies, we work with partner organisations like research councils, professional associations and training companies to provide external training. 

You need to be able to communicate your research clearly and effectively to a variety of audiences, and we encourage doctoral students to present their work to external audiences at seminars, symposia and conferences. Each student is allocated a yearly allowance for professional development.

You should enter your doctoral programme in October at the start of the academic year if at all possible. This is when taught modules commence within the School, as does the University’s research training programme and the widest array of training courses. After the training-needs assessment with your supervisor you may be asked to attend one or more first semester modules commencing in October and, if the training is deemed essential to your programme, this may be a requirement for any offer of a place.

October is also the start of the academic year for all students, with a formal induction programme as well as a vibrant calendar of events, and you’ll definitely benefit socially if you start your studies with other new students.

The Business School provides research students with many opportunities to develop skills in teaching, and other academic and non-academic employment, and actively supports students who wish to take on ad-hoc or part time work during their studies.

The School has a Code of Practice for Employment of PGR students which complements the University's central Code of Good Practice for the Employment of Postgraduate Students. Students who wish to undertake work during their studies must ensure they read both the School Code and the University Code before commencing any duties.

The skills and expertise that you build now are fundamental to your continuing professional development (CPD), and will be part of your toolset throughout your working life.

We strongly recommend that our students take part in the University's Postgraduate Researchers' Programme, which offers training in skills such as:

• research management
• personal effectiveness
• communication
• networking
• team-working
• career management

The Business School provides research students with many opportunities to develop skills in teaching, as well as other forms of employment (both academic and non-academic). We actively support students who wish to take on ad-hoc or part time work during their studies.

The School has a Code of Practice for Employment, which complements the University's central Code of Good Practice for the Employment of Postgraduate Students. If you wish to undertake employment during your studies, you must ensure that you read both the School Code and the University Code before commencing any duties.

We are very proud that our graduates have forged successful careers throughout the world in a variety of occupations. Here are just a few:

• Lecturer, Mahidol University International College
• Lecturer, University of Birmingham
• Lecturer in Accounting (E&R), University of Exeter
• Tax Inspector, Agency of Revenue Italia
• Post-Doctoral Researcher, FAU-Erlangen-Nuremberg
• Research Manager, Northwestern University
• Senior Lecturer in Economics, Oxford Brookes University
• Teaching Assistant, Queen Mary University of London
• Lecturer in Economics, RMIT University
• Lecturer, Shanghai University University of Finance and Economics
• Lecturer in Business Economics, Sheffield Hallam University
• Senior lecturer, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia
• Lecturer, University of Exeter
• Post Doctoral Associate, University of Exeter
• Visiting Faculty Member, University of Exeter
• Lecturer, University of Manchester
• Assistant Professor, University of the Punjab, Lahore Pakistan
• Real Estate Strategist, Zurich Insurance
• Programme Manager, Cambridge University
• Project Manager, Erasmus+ National Agency
• Statistician, Museums Galleries Scotland
• Senior Teaching Fellow, University of Warwick

• Postgraduate Study careers
• University of Exeter Doctoral College career development