Minimum University of Guelph admission requirements for a Doctoral program include: 1) a satisfactory baccalaureate; and 2) at the very minimum high second-class honours ('B' standing) in a recognized Master's degree. Students entering the PhD program are expected to have satisfied the requirements, or their equivalents, of the department's MSc degree in Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics. We strongly suggest students provide the department with GRE scores.

In cases where a student's master's degree is not equivalent to that offered by the department, the student may initially be accepted into the MSc program and may then apply for transfer to the PhD program at some time during the first three semesters. Applications for transfer must be supported by the Departmental Graduate Program Committee and approved by the Board of Graduate Studies. The student does not have to complete all the requirements of the MSc before transferring to the PhD program, but must achieve high academic standing.

Students enrolled in the PhD program must successfully complete a program of at least ten taught courses that prepare them for the various elements of the qualification examination and thesis research, as outlined below. However, students that are able to demonstrate a satisfactory level of competence in any of these requirements may have these course requirements adjusted accordingly, subsequent to evaluation and the decision of the Departmental Graduate Program Committee.

It should be noted that successful completion of the above courses is not necessarily sufficient for qualification to PhD candidacy.

Students are expected to complete successfully the qualifying examination in microeconomic theory that aims to assess a student's understanding of key theoretical concepts. Students are allowed two attempts at this qualifying examination. Students that fail the examination at the second attempt will not be permitted to continue.