Department of Economics

The teaching of economics in the University began in 1901 as a core subject in a BA degree, with Professor William Mitchell.  The course was to be conducted every other year thereafter.

In 1902 the Advanced Certificate in Commerce was introduced. The University of Adelaide was the first Australian university to make formal provisions for the teaching of commercial subjects.  Soon afterwards, in April 1903, Joseph Fisher gave a 1,000 pounds to the University to promote the study of Commerce.  This endowment was used to provide for the Joseph Fisher Medal to be awarded to the most successful student completing the Certificate Course, and to establish the Joseph Fisher Lecture.

In 1904 The Department of History and Commerce was formed, within the Faculty of Arts.

In 1907, the Advanced Commercial Certificate was upgraded to a Diploma in Commerce.

In 1917, Herbert Heaton was appointed the first full time lecturer in economics.

In 1929 the University decided to establish a Chair of Economics. Leslie Melville, who had been Government Actuary and part-time lecturer in statistics, was appointed to the Chair and was the first full time Professor of Economics.

In 1930 the degree of Bachelor of Economics was introduced and for 22 years was administered by the Faculty of Arts.  In 1938 a Masters of Economics degree was introduced..

In 1946 a new Department of Economics was formed within the Faculty of Arts by splitting the Department of History and Economics.

The Board of Studies in Commerce and Public Administration had its last meeting in December 1951 and in 1952 the Faculty of Economics was formed comprising the Department of Economics and a new Department of Commerce.  In 1952, under the leadership of Professor Peter Karmel, studies in Economics and Commerce were greatly expanded.  It became possible to proceed to a Bachelor of Economics Degree with a range of commercial and other subjects; and no new enrolments were then accepted for the Diploma.

In 1960 the University of Adelaide became the first Australian university to establish a postgraduate programme leading to the degree of Master of Business Management.  Seminar courses for this degree began in 1963. 

Financial support from five financial, commercial and industrial organisations made it possible, in 1962, to establish the first Senior Lectureship in Business Management.  

In 1989 the Faculty of Economics became the Faculty of Economics and Commerce.

In 1996 the Departments of Economics and Commerce were re-named Schools.

In 1997 the Faculty of Economics and Commerce were absorbed into a larger Faculty of Performing Arts, Law, Architecture, Commerce and Economics (PALACE).

In 2001 PALACE was restructured and renamed Faculty of the Professions.

The School of Economics is now housed within the Faculty of Professions. The School of Commerce was merged with the Adelaide Graduate School of Business to become the University of Adelaide Business School on 1 January 2008.

Taken from:

• University of Adelaide Archives Provenance Record - UAR-0477
• The University of Adelaide, 1874-1974: A Statement of the Case for Supporting the University's Centenary Appeal.  1972.

Professor of Economics

• Professor Leslie Galfried Melville, BEc (Syd), FIA, 1929-1931
• Professor Edward Owen Giblin Shann, MA (Melb), 1935
• Professor Keith Sydney George Isles, BCom (Tas), MA, MSc (Camb), 1939-1945
• Professor John Hedley Brian Tew, BSc (Econ)(Lond), PhD (Camb), 1950-1965 (Emeritus Professor 1965)
• Professor Peter Henry Karmel, AC, CBE, BA (Melb), PhD (Camb), 1950-1965 (Emeritus Professor 1965)
• Professor Harold French Lydall, BA (SA), MA (Oxf), 1962-1967
• Professor Eric Alfred Russell, BA, BCom (Melb), MA (Camb), 1964-1977
• Professor Geoffrey Colin Harcourt, MCom (Melb), PhD (Camb), FASSA, 1958-1985 (Emeritus Professor 1988)
• Professor Clifford Walsh, BSc (Econ), MSc (Lond), 1980-1988, Centre for Economic Studies UofA and FUSA,1992-2001 (Emeritus Professor 2001)
• Professor Francis George Jarrett, BScAgr (Syd), PhD (Iowa), FASSA, 1968-1988 (Emeritus Professor 1989)
• Professor Jonathan James Pincus, PhD (Stanford) BEc (Hons) (Qld) FASSA, 1991-2003
• Professor Paul Kerin, AM, PhD (Harvard), MEc, BEc (Hons) (Adel), 2011-2016
• Professor Gerd Muehlheusser, PhD (Bonn), Diplom-Volkswirt (Frankfurt), 2017
• Professor Renou Ludovic, PhD (European University Institute), MScEc (Paris), 2017
• Professor Richard Pomfret, BA (Hons) (Reading UK), MA (East Anglia), PhD (Simon Fraser), 1992-2017
• Professor Kym Anderson, BAgEc (Hons) (New England), MEc (Adel), MA (Chicago) (Stanford), PhD (Stanford), Doctor of Economics (hc) (Adel), 1991-2018 (Emeritus Professor 2018)
• Professor Christopher Findlay AM, BEc (Hons) (Adel), MEc (ANU), PhD (ANU), 2005-2019 (Emeritus Professor 2019)