The Ph.D. Program - Finance

Course Requirements

The curriculum requires a minimum of 60 semester credit hours of course work two intermediate research papers, and an original dissertation for graduation. Key features include:

1. The coursework consists of graduate-level courses in economics, econometrics, mathematics, statistics, and finance. In addition, the curriculum includes seminars in which students must conduct research, present their research findings, and write research papers.
2. Students must complete a first-year paper due before the start of the second year to consist of an in-depth review of the literature in some area of finance and replication of an empirical result from one of the reviewed papers. The first-year summer research paper is required as part of the first-year research seminar. In addition to the research paper, all students are required to attend the Finance Seminar Series.
3. Students must complete a second-year paper due before the start of the third year to consist of original research and to be reviewed by at least three members of the graduate faculty. The second-year summer research paper is required as part of the second-year research seminar.
4. An expectation that students will work closely with faculty as research assistants on faculty research projects and on their own research projects.
5. An expectation that, at graduation, students will have at least two completed papers of original research, at least one of which is single-authored, and each of which is of publishable quality.
6. An expectation that, at graduation, students will have one or more papers under review, or accepted for publication, at a top-tier journal.
7. An expectation that graduating students will have at least two semesters of teaching experience.
8. An expectation that students will graduate within six years.

Curriculum

Summary:
The Finance Ph.D. Committee has the final approval for each student's curriculum, including courses, waivers, transfers, or substitutions for specific degree requirements. Each student will be assigned a Faculty Advisor until he selects a Dissertation Chairperson and Committee.

The general degree requirements are:

• Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 60 semester credit hours of approved coursework;
• Satisfactory completion of a qualifying examination administered by the Finance Graduate Faculty;
• Satisfactory completion of a comprehensive examination in finance administered by the Finance Graduate Faculty;
• Two research papers approved by the Graduate Faculty (at least one of which would be single authored);
• An original dissertation approved by the student's Dissertation Committee; and,
• Teaching experience in one of the Freeman School's degree programs.

Prerequisites:

To be completed before admission to the program:

1. Differential and Integral Calculus/Multivariate Calculus
2. Linear Algebra
3. Proficiency in Use of Standard Business Computing Software Packages

1. The curriculum may be subject to change depending upon the availability of faculty to teach specific courses, and elective courses may change from year to year.
2. It should be noted that while working on assigned research work for faculty does not grant co-author status to the student.
3. Students should have an academic background with sufficient proficiency in economics, mathematics, statistics, and computing to complete graduate-level courses in economics, econometrics, finance, mathematics, and statistics.