Finance

The PhD in Business Administration-Finance track is a full-time, in-residence program lasting 4 to 5 years. The program prepares students to be academic researchers, tenure-track professors, or careers in government organizations and the private sector.

The curriculum has been updated to include the newest state-of-the-art data science and analytics classes, keeping up with current academic research and teaching trends. For example, courses in Natural Language Processing and Textual Analysis have been introduced. A new emphasis on data science provides students with the tools to differentiate their research in a competitive area. 

Students accepted into the program are offered full tuition credits and a $25,000 stipend to help defray living costs for up to four years. Summer stipends of $6,000 are also available annually to all qualified students. Travel grants annually fund academic conference presentations.

Small class sizes (4-6 students) also allow closer interaction with faculty publishing in top-ranked journals to develop research niches. We organize international conferences to signal that competence (Corporate Social Responsibility in 2019 and 2021). Mindful of the teaching career – a course on teaching skills is also part of the required curriculum. Recognizing the diverse insights other disciplines may bring, students can attend classes from two additional tracks of our PhD Business Administration program – The Organizations & Social Change and Information Systems for Data Science track. Also, competency tests in Accounting are part of the required curriculum. 

We are not accepting applications for fall 2023. We accept applications every other year; please check back next fall.

Notable Placements:

Meet our recent alums
 

Who Should Apply
 

The finance program track is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a full-time doctoral program specializing in areas such as:

• corporate finance (e.g., corporate governance and control, executive compensation, capital structure, payout policy, raising capital, and corporate social responsibility)
• investments and asset pricing (e.g., asset management and portfolio analysis, market microstructure, stock-price modeling, fixed-income market, derivative markets, financial systems in emerging markets)
• accounting (e.g., financial reporting, accounting anomalies, managerial accounting)

Students accepted in the program generally qualify for a stipend ($25,000 per year for four years, subject to satisfactory academic progress) and full tuition credits to cover their educational expenses and help defray living costs. Additionally, teaching opportunities and summer internships at financial institutions are encouraged to complement the stipend. 

Curriculum

The program is designed to give students a solid foundation in finance, economics, accounting, and econometrics in the first year through coursework. The intensity of the coursework takes into consideration that applicants come from multiple disciplines. To proceed, students take a qualifying exam in the summer of their first year. The second year is dedicated solely to seminar courses, with some covering investments, asset pricing, corporate finance, and accounting. Courses are designed to prepare students for taking on instructor duties in their third year. 

Sample Program of Study