RGS Econ at a glance
Located in Germany’s Ruhr Valley Region, the Ruhr Graduate School in Economics (RGS Econ) is a center for research and higher education in economics, offering a structured PhD program, workshops, courses, and conferences for early-career researchers.
The explicit combination of research and higher education, both complying with the highest international standard of excellence, is the core objective of the RGS Econ. This goal entails a transmission and advancement of sophisticated research methods and their application to real world problems in Economics.
RGS Econ was founded in 2004 and is operated by the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, one of Germany’s leading economic research institutes, in cooperation with the economics departments at the three universities of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) , all located in proximity in the Ruhr Valley metropolitan area of Germany:
RGS Econ leverages the breadth and scope of this expertise by creating a collaborative research and learning environment to cover almost all areas of economics and to productively combine theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented analyses within a structured doctoral program that delivers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art education in economics.
RGS Econ currently consists of 40 senior researchers (RGS Faculty, most of these are professors at the cooperating universities) and around 45 doctoral students. Many more senior and junior researchers at the cooperating institutions as well as their research groups and institutes are part of RGS Econ’s extensive, international research network.
RGS Econ’s structured doctoral program - including its curriculum, infrastructure, structured supervision and guidance - is geared to allow outstanding and research-oriented students to pass their exams and complete a high-quality dissertation within four years. The quality of the program and of its students' dissertations and research contributions allow graduates to obtain distinguished positions in academia as well as public and private institutions.
RGS Econ charges no tuition fees. Students are fully funded, generally via scholarships during their first-year course phase and subsequently via research and teaching assistant positions.
Scholarships are made possible through the generous support from several sponsors.
Diversity, Organization and Governance
Diversity is an integral aspect and necessary component of an open and creative research environment. Our admission and selection process and the support of our students’ individual needs is overseen by a Diversity Officer, a member of RGS Econ’s Board of Management. We take care to especially support and accommodate our students with special needs, family responsibilities, and international backgrounds.
The Board of Management consists of 9 RGS Faculty members from the cooperating institutions and regularly meets to steer RGS Econ’s processes and development. The RWI's Scientific Advisory Board regularly advises and evaluates RGS Econ, especially to ensure that it operates according to the highest international standards.
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