I wanted everybody’s opinion on attending a PhD program in economics at a University that is not a top 20 school (MSU, The Ohio State, Georgetown, etc). What do you think the job prospect is for those students or does it not matter? Do those graduates have to work a little harder than they would if they went to a top 20 school. Any point of view on this thread is welcomed and appreciated.
The faculty at these places like to work with the best students and so the best students tend to get pretty decent jobs. If you are interested in staying in academia, what is important is getting a first job placement where you have time to do your research. The program you go to does play a role in determining your first placement but then where you go after that depends on your own productivity.
Students getting full-pay offers MSU, OSU, etc. often sometimes have unpaid offers from better places but my recommendation is to follow the money. Students who go to Chicago, for example, without money often have difficulty attracting interest from faculty. It doesn’t seem from the placement info that the students who go to Wisconsin or Michigan without money (with the expectation of getting an assistantship in future years) do better than the top students at the 20-30 ranked places.
I do appreciate your comment. I have always thought about following the funding to whatever school offers it to me. I want to attend a PhD program that helps me secure a job at an Econ firm or a Government Job and from what I researched, Ohio and Oklahoma University have produced the most Government workers from their PhD program which prompted my question.