Career Placement
The Department actively and successfully assists its graduate students in career placement. Placement is a well-organized activity among hiring institutions and those seeking employment. Information is exchanged and interviews are arranged at MIT and at the annual American Economic Association meetings with the guidance of the Departmental Placement Officer. In a typical year, every MIT Economics Ph.D. graduate finds a job.
Over the past five years, the department has placed a total of 85 graduates in academic, research, and government jobs. Of these, 60 graduates (71%) chose positions at academic institutions and 25 graduates (29%) chose non-academic positions. Of the 60 academic placements, 26 (43%) were at top-15 economics departments or top-10 business schools.* The tables below break out these proportions for each cohort and highlight some of our top placements.
In addition to an excellent placement record, several other statistics illustrate the success of MIT's graduates in their economics careers. Please see our data on past Clark Medal Winners and REStud Tour participants.
Total Placement, 2007-2011
| Year | Academic | Non-Academic | Academic: Top Depts. |
| 2011 | 73.3% | 26.7% | 45.5% |
| 2010 | 76.5% | 23.5% | 53.8% |
| 2009 | 78.9% | 21.1% | 53.3% |
| 2008 | 64.7% | 35.3% | 18.2% |
| 2007 | 58.8% | 41.2% | 40.0% |
| 5-Year Average | 70.6% | 29.4% | 43.3% |
Top Economics Department and Business School Placements, 2007-2011
| School | Placements |
| Stanford | 4 |
| Harvard | 3 |
| Yale | 3 |
| Wharton School | 3 |
| Penn | 2 |
| NYU | 2 |
| Chicago Booth | 2 |
| Yale SOM | 2 |
| Columbia GSB | 2 |
| Princeton | 1 |
| Northwestern | 1 |
| Kellogg GSM | 1 |
*Top-10 and top-15 schools and departments obtained from US News & World Report rankings.
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