The Economics Department, in collaboration with the Jones School of Business, now offers a Ph.D. in Economics with a Major Concentration in Finance. This program recognizes the close relationship between the departments and provides the opportunity for motivated students to draw from the strengths of both to improve and focus their research. In essence, the program will require the students to meet the doctoral requirements of both the Economics departments and the Finance department but culminate in only one dissertation that unifies and demonstrates techniques and methodologies from both. This major concentration will be available for students admitted into either the Economics Ph.D. program or the finance area of the Business Ph.D. program.
About the Coursework
The required courses includes graduate-level courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Real Analysis, Computational Economics, Financial Economics, Corporate Finance and Empirical Methods in Finance. The special topics in Finance courses (BUSI 524, 525, 526, and 527) and the Topics in Financial Economics are highlighted as key courses in the preparation towards writing an independent and original dissertation of sufficient quality to merit publication in a top economics or finance journal.
Degree Requirements
Students pursuing the PhD degree program in the field of Economics and a major concentration in Economics and Finance must:
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Achieve a minimum grade of B (3.00 grade points) in each of the 10 required courses (32 credit hours), including Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Real Analysis, Computational Economics, and Financial Economics.
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Successfully complete Corporate Finance and Empirical Methods in Finance.
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Successfully complete 6 credit hours of elective requirements from the following courses: BUSI 524, BUSI 525, BUSI 526, and BUSI 527.
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Successfully pass a comprehensive exam on Asset Pricing, Corporate Finance, and Empirical Methods administered by the Finance faculty at the end of the Fall semester of the second year.
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Write and present a paper in the third year of the program. The paper and its presentation must be approved by two faculty advisors, one of whom must be in the Economics department and one of whom must be a member of the Finance group in the Business school.
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Write and defend a thesis. The thesis committee must include at least one member from the Economics department and at least one member from the Finance group in the Business School.