PhD in Business Administration A PhD for Scholars and Researchers
Make Lasting Impacts on the Business World with a PhD in Business Administration
Earn your PhD in Business Administration at Tulane.
Program Overview
When you join the PhD in Business Administration program at Tulane University, you’ll delve into advanced topics in both finance and financial accounting to build a vast range of skills and knowledge that can help you become a cutting-edge researcher or teacher.
As a PhD business student, you’ll also get to work alongside highly respected faculty mentors performing your own research and teaching classes. By the time you graduate, you’ll have the confidence and knowledge to mentor others in the areas of corporate finance, investments and financial accounting, as well as to conduct industry-changing empirical research.
PhD Concentrations
Earning the PhD in Business Administration lets you concentrate on finance and financial accounting. This dual focus will help set you apart from other professionals throughout your career.
PhD Program Length
You can complete the PhD program in four to five years. The first application deadline is December 15th. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until January 15th. Candidates will be informed of admissions decisions in February 2025 and will begin studies in August.
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Financial Support
You’ve chosen to dedicate your education to teaching and research by earning a PhD, and we in turn invest in you through a tuition waiver and competitive financial support through a research and teaching assistantship.
Student Spotlight
Yimeng Li from Liaoning, China speaks to her experience as an international student pursuing her dual degree in Finance/PhD." after the list of PhD candidate students
Jobs with a PhD
Earning a PhD in Business Administration from the Freeman School of Business can unlock a broad range of careers in academia as well as the private and nonprofit sectors. You’ll build research and critical thinking skills through creating original scholarly work in the fields of finance, economics and financial accounting as well as participating in an active seminar series with national thought leaders.
Our graduate business students embody Freeman’s priority of training future researchers to contribute to the fields of finance and economics.
"Tulane taught me to think critically and let my interests guide me freely."
– Vivian Fang (MFIN '05, PhD '09)
Associate Professor and Honeywell Professorship in Accounting Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
PhD Program Highlights
When you join our PhD program, you can enjoy rigorous courses and research projects that will challenge and prepare you to share your passion for finance and economics with others through instruction and scholarly journals.
As the fields of financial accounting and finance continue to evolve, you’ll be at the vanguard of this quickly growing world with a PhD in Business Administration.
Teaching Assistantship
Each of our PhD students becomes more comfortable in the classroom through working with expert faculty members as a teaching assistant during the first three years of the program.
Mentoring
Our PhD students complete one teaching assistantship and attend the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning (CELT) class for graduate teaching assistants before they teach a class independently to ensure that they are ready to become mentors to students.
Independent Teaching
Beginning the fourth year, PhD students will teach two of their own courses per year for their assistantship — invaluable experience at the head of the classroom.
In the Freeman School of Business, we support every PhD student throughout the admissions process and during their time as a student. Learn more.
PhD Curriculum
As a student in our PhD in Business Administration program with a concentration in finance and financial accounting, you’ll take a minimum of 48 credits — including coursework in your first two years, a third-year paper, innovative electives, and independent research credits after advancing to PhD candidacy.
First Year
During the first year, PhD business students complete a semester as a research assistant to a faculty member. In the summer after the first year, they replicate an empirical paper in finance or financial accounting or may co-author a study with a tenured faculty member to complete research.
Second Year
During the second year, PhD business program students co-author an article with tenured faculty members aimed at a top finance or accounting journal. Our students have presented their papers at top conferences and been considered for publication in distinguished journals.
Third Year
No later than the summer after the second year, PhD business students start work on an independent research project in finance or financial accounting under the supervision of a faculty committee. The PhD student then presents the paper to the finance and financial accounting faculty to advance in the program by the end of the third year.
Our curriculum provides a solid foundation in finance, financial accounting, economics, and econometrics, and courses are designed to build critical research skills to prepare students for publishing academic papers.
Renowned Faculty
The finance and financial accounting doctoral faculty includes leading researchers in their respective areas, who publish groundbreaking research in top journals, serve on influential editorial boards and top conference program committees, and referee in top journals.
Gans Narayanamoorthy
Professor
Professor Gans Narayanamoorthy’s research focuses on capital markets in accounting, with particular emphasis on market efficiency, litigation risk, insurance and bank accounting. His research has appeared in top journals and been featured twice in the Harvard Law Forum on Corporate Governance. His research has won the Founders Prize from the National Association of Active Investment Management. As a teacher, Professor Narayanamoorthy enjoys working with doctoral students and has served on ten Ph.D. committees to date.
Oleg Gredil
Associate Professor
Oleg Gredil conducts research on financial intermediaries with a primary focus on private equity and hedge funds. His papers have been published in academic journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, the Review of Financial Studies, the Review of Finance, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis and the Journal of Corporate Finance.
Stephanie Cheng
Assistant Professor
Stephanie Cheng's research interests include the roles of accounting and alternative information in capital markets, reporting and disclosure incentives of local governments and corporations, as well as municipal finance and emerging geographical issues.
Freeman ranks among the top 100 business schools for research contributions in 24 top journals, and in the latest UT Dallas Top 100 Business School Research Rankings had the highest jump among North American schools.
Freeman Community
Freeman Alumni
As a graduate of the PhD program in the Freeman School of Business, you’ll be a member of a thriving community of alumni that spans the globe and helps each other achieve great things every day.
PhD in Business Administration Connections
Thanks to the collaborative nature of research and teaching, you’ll make many meaningful connections while in the PhD program that will help you create a solid professional and personal network.