PhD Curriculum and Requirements

Students earning the finance and financial accounting concentration of the Freeman School's Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration degree are required to take a minimum of 48 credits. These credits include required coursework in the first two years of the program, a third-year paper, electives, and independent research credits once advanced to candidacy.

Econometrics Comprehensive Exam
In the summer after the first year, students will be required to take and pass the comprehensive exam in econometrics (to be administered and graded by the Department of Economics, with the passing grade determined by the tenure system Finance/Financial Accounting faculty).

First-Year Paper
First Year Paper: In the summer after the first year, students are required to complete a replication of an empirical paper in finance or financial accounting. The paper assignment will be the principal requirement of a for-credit course and should be completed by the end of the summer term under the supervision of two tenure system faculty members. Alternatively, students may work as a co-author with a tenured or tenure track faculty member, who along with a second tenured or tenure track faculty member will certify that the student has met the requirements for the first year paper in the joint work. Co-authoring arrangements will be based on voluntary agreements between students and faculty members.

Second Year Paper
In the spring semester of the second year, students are required to start (or join) a co-authored project with at least two tenured or tenure track Freeman School faculty members who have successfully published in A level journals. The goal is to learn how to write and polish research papers from people who have done it successfully. The faculty co-authors will grade and evaluate your performance on the paper. Co-authoring arrangements will be based on voluntary agreements between students, the Faculty Doctoral Program Director, and faculty members, without any a priori guarantee or compulsion.

Major Area Comprehensive Exam
In the summer after the second year, students will be required to take and pass the comprehensive exam in finance.

Third-Year Paper
Starting in the summer after the second year (or earlier), students will be required to work on an independent research project in finance or financial accounting. This project should result in a paper and is to be completed under the supervision of an appropriate faculty committee approved by the program director. The student must complete and successfully present the paper to the finance and financial accounting faculty for advancement in the program. The final paper should be completed and presented by the end of the spring semester of the third year. The presentation will be considered an oral examination. Students successfully passing this examination will be admitted into candidacy.

Dissertation Proposal and Defense
After entering candidacy, students will be expected to actively pursue dissertation research.

Finance Seminars/Workshops
Freeman offers a series of finance/financial accounting workshops and seminars throughout the year featuring notable guest speakers from universities across the country. Students will also present their own original research to their professors and peers in preparation for speaking at conferences and colloquia during their career.

Students are expected to attend unless they have a class conflict or an emergency. They are also encouraged to attend seminars in the economics department.

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