What is overseas education?

Overseas education is leaving your home country and going abroad to pursue further education. Through overseas education, you can avail of long-term degree courses as well as short-term certificate courses to learn a language or upskill yourself.

How to get a scholarship to study abroad?

If you are aiming to study abroad, identify your career goals, look for relevant courses and universities abroad, know the tuition fees and other expenditures, prepare well for the entrance exams, apply to shortlisted universities, accept the offer letter from the desired university, apply for a student visa and get ready to jet off!

The best way to study abroad for free is to avail of full-funded scholarships or university grants. The fully-funded scholarships are typically awarded to students who excel in academics or extracurricular activities and cover their tuition fees, travel expenses, accommodation, and other living expenses.

How to study abroad for free?

To get an education loan for studying abroad, you need to have the admission offer letter from the university and fulfill the eligibility criteria for securing the loan. In order to get an education loan at the best rate of interest, seek guidance from a reputed study-abroad consultant.

How to get an education loan for studying abroad?

Choose to study abroad to leverage better learning opportunities, see the world, meet new people, boost your resume, develop a broader perspective, become culturally competent, and avail yourself of lucrative job opportunities globally.

How to go abroad for studies?

The best way to go abroad for studies is to get in touch with reputed study-abroad consultants. They can help you explore courses aligned with your academic interests, guide you in preparing for entrance exams, help you with university and student visa applications, and even provide post-arrival assistance.

Economics PhD

Overview

Our PhD in Economics is designed to:

give you greater depth to your professional life
equip you with the skills necessary to succeed in a knowledge-intensive economy

We are a research-intensive and generalist economics subject group. Our members have specialisation in all three foundational areas of economics. We use both theoretical and applied methods, including:

microeconomics
macroeconomics
econometrics

Our members of staff often publish on a wide range of topics in top generalist and field journals. This includes:

Economics Journal
International Economics Review
Review of Economics and Statistics
Journal of Economic Theory
Journal of Economic Growth
Journal of Development Economics
Journal of Money, Credit and Banking
Journal of Health Economics
Journal of International Money and Finance
Journal of Financial Stability

Members of the group are part of several funded research projects. These are awarded by research councils and international organisations.

We have a vibrant research community. They organise a rich and regular series of external and internal seminar presentations throughout the year.

As a PhD student, you’ll have the opportunity to present your research to colleagues in an informal and encouraging setting.

The economics groups offer supervision across the broad range of:

microeconomics
macroeconomics

We have many doctoral students in these areas.

We encourage you to examine the research interests of our Economics staff to find out more about our expertise. We welcome informal enquiries.

Important information

We’ve highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.

Qualifications explained

Find out about the different qualification options for this course.

How you’ll learn

Your development

Along with the training offered at a Faculty level (Humanities and Social Sciences), we offer a series of training and development modules to PhD students. These modules run across the two semesters and include:

NBS8565 Applied Time Series Econometrics (semester 1)
NBS8564 Research Practice in Economics and Finance (semester 2)
NBS8563 Causal Inference and Applied Microeconometrics (semester 2)

The exact mix of modules depends on the research area or topic that a PhD student is focused on as well as on your training needs. The modules should be decided in consultation with your supervisory team.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) researcher development programme

Each faculty offers a researcher development programme for its postgraduate research students. We have designed your programme to help you:

perform better as a researcher
boost your career prospects
broaden your impact

Through workshops and activities, it will build your transferable skills and increase your confidence.

You’ll cover:

techniques for effective research
methods for better collaborative working
essential professional standards and requirements

Your researcher development programme is flexible. You can adapt it to meet your changing needs as you progress through your doctorate.

Find out more about the Researcher Education and Development programme

Doctoral training and partnerships

There are opportunities to undertake your PhD at Newcastle within a:

Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT)
Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP)

Being part of a CDT or DTP has many benefits:

they combine research expertise and training of a number of leading universities, academic schools and academics.
you’ll study alongside a cohort of other PhD students
they’re often interdisciplinary
your PhD may be funded

Find out more about doctoral training and partnerships

If there are currently opportunities available in your subject area you’ll find them when you search for funding in the fees and funding section on this course.

The following centres/partnerships below may have PhD opportunities available in your subject area in the future:

ESRC Northern Ireland/North East (NINE) Doctoral Training Partnership

Your future

Our Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Quality and ranking

42% of our research is classified as 4* world-leading research – Research Excellence Framework 2021
65% increase in research power since 2014 – Research Excellence Framework 2021
Global Top 130 University – QS World University Rankings 2025
Global Top 170 University – Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024
Top 25 in the UK and Top 100 in the world for sustainable development – Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024

Professional accreditation and recognition

Newcastle University Business School accreditation

Newcastle University Business School is accredited by the:

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
Association of MBAs (AMBA)

Only 1% of business schools worldwide hold this triple crown. Our accreditations reflect the investments we make for our students through providing a high quality teaching environment, innovative programming and active engagement with industry.

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body

Facilities

Newcastle University Business School is one of the largest Schools in the University. We have over 3,500 students representing over 80 nationalities. This valuable network extends beyond our current students to include:

regional, national and international leaders
over 34,000 alumni in our network, spanning over 150 countries
leading professionals and practitioners from industry

The Business School is the gateway to Newcastle Helix – an innovation hub and community that brings together industry leaders, businesses and top researchers.

Our facilities include:

flexible conference room with panoramic views across the city
Wi-Fi enabled connectivity throughout the building, including three computer clusters housing over 120 PCs
four large lecture theatres and over 25 seminar and teaching spaces, providing comfortable teaching and group study space
dedicated Student Hub and Quiet Space, providing a balanced mix of study space for group work or quiet, individual study
contemporary café
employability hub to support your career aspirations
Bloomberg Room to give you a real feel for the trading room floor
Experimental and Behavioural Economics Lab, a state-of-the-art research facility for conducting studies in experimental economics and economic psychology

The Frederick Douglass Centre at Newcastle Helix also offers further study and learning spaces. This includes a 750 seat auditorium – the largest in the University.

Entry requirements

The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

Academic entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree and a merit award at master’s level, or international equivalent, in a relevant subject.

If you don’t have a master’s degree there is a wide range of programmes for you to choose from in Newcastle University Business School.

Alternatively, you may apply for 1+3 funding under the North East Doctoral Training Centre (NEDTC) in which you first complete the MA in Finance and Economics (Research) before proceeding to the PhD track. This master’s degree is designed for applicants who have a relevant undergraduate degree but require research methods and subject-specific training in finance and/or economics. This programme is highly competitive and potential applicants are asked to contact a staff member early on in the academic year in order to work-up their application for entry in the following year.