Summer Research Assistantship Opportunities

One of the strongest indicators of success in a predoctoral position is previous research assistant experience. Several organizations and institutions offer research assistantship programs during the summer term. These research positions are ideal to gain experience and thus learn what research in economics and business is all about. 

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Leadership Alliance

The leadership alliance is a consortium of over 30 institutions—many overlapping with the PREDOC consortium—aimed at training, mentoring, and inspiring students to pursue doctoral studies. 

Leadership Alliance
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Pathways to Science

Pathways to Science has a database of paid part-time Summer RA opportunities in a variety of social sciences, as well as STEM fields like computer science and applied mathematics.

Pathways to Science

Summer Schools

Several institutions and organizations run summer school programs. Scholarships to access such programs are often available. 

Information and Workshops about Doctoral Studies

Several organizations provide information and workshops about doctoral studies in business and economics.

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IDDEAS

The Introduction to Diversity in Doctoral Education and Scholarship (IDDEAS) program is a two-day immersion workshop to introduce students to doctoral studies in economics and business.

IDDEAS
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PhD Project

The PhD Project’s expansive network helps Black/African-Americans, Latinx/Hispanic-Americans and Native Americans attain their business PhD and become the business professors who will mentor the next generation of leaders.

PhD Project
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The Sadie Collective

By empowering and equipping Black women in quantitative sciences, The Sadie Collective addresses the pipeline and pathway problem in economics, finance, data science, and public policy through curated content creation, programming, and mentorship.

The Sadie Collective
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The PhD Excellence Initiative

The PhD Excellence Initiative drives diversity in the field of economics by offering rigorous, post-baccalaureate fellowships to high-achieving scholars of color, setting them on the path to pursue doctoral degrees and research careers at the nation’s top institutions.

The PhD Excellence Initiative
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NSF GRFP

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a prestigious funding tool for graduate school. Click here for an orientation given by NSF program officials and a past winner of the GRF.

NSF GRFP

Degree-Granting Programs

Note that degree-granting programs, while they may have financial aid, typically charge tuition. This makes them substantively different from the other programs we outline on our website, which are either paid opportunities or at least incur no extra cost. There are many terminal Master's degree programs that can serve as good preparation for a PhD.  Below are a few examples.  

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HASPERE

Through a partnership between Hunter College and the African School of Economics (ASE), this program aims to increase the number of African American students admitted to Hunter College's master's program in economics and prepare them to compete for acceptance in America's most prestigious PhD programs.

HASPERE
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Wharton Statistics and Data Science Bridge

Wharton's Bridge to a Doctorate in Statistics and Data Science is a two-year research master's (AM) degree program which provides advanced coursework and research experience to students who are from groups underrepresented among PhDs in Statistics and Data Science. Bridge Fellows will work with faculty on an individualized curriculum and receive financial support.  

Wharton Statistics and Data Science Bridge

Other Programs and Resources

  • NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates: The National Science Foundation provides a list of sites with NSF-funded undergraduate research opportunities.  These part-time opportunities span the social sciences.  Apply at individual site websites.
  • Pre-Doctoral Program in Policy: The Pre-Doctoral Program in Policy is an opportunity for a diverse set of policy school master's students to be mentored and to develop the skills and experience needed to prepare for doctoral studies and an academic career in policy.  
  • University of Virginia Bridge to the Doctorate: UVA’s Graduate School seeks to support post-baccalaureate students from groups that are underrepresented in their disciplines and who have not had sufficient training and research experiences to prepare them for admission to doctoral programs.