PhD Student Spotlight

AACSB US News Ranking

PhD in Management Science, Finance Concentration

The PhD in Management Science with a concentration in Finance is designed for students seeking training in the most advanced issues, both theoretical and applied, in the field of financial management and analysis.

Admission Procedures

Applicants should have at least a bachelor's degree. Admission is based on grade point average, graduate examination test score (GRE or GMAT), letters of reference (at least three, with two from academic references), business and professional experience (if applicable), a written statement of personal objectives and compatibility with faculty research activities. Since the School of Management starts making first-round admission decisions on January 16th, it is best to complete the entire application process no later than January 15th. While applications will be accepted after that date, applying after January 15th may significantly lower your chance of acceptance. Applications for admission can be made using the UT Dallas Graduate Application Website.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete at least 75 semester hours of approved graduate work before a degree may be conferred. Credit may be granted for courses taken elsewhere.

Prerequisites

Calculus, matrix algebra, computer programming and statistics are prerequisites for the doctoral program - every admitted student is responsible for ensuring he/she has satisfied these prerequisite requirements before joining the program.

Master's-Level Courses (12 hours)

Students entering the program without an MBA or equivalent must complete a minimum of four courses typically required of MBA students to provide them knowledge required of professional managers. In certain instances, a higher-level course approved by the PhD Finance advisor may be substituted for an MBA-level course. However, if a student enters the program with a prior business degree, the PhD advisor may require him to take additional courses in mathematical sciences to address any deficiencies in this area.

Advanced Master's-Level Course (3 hours)

  • FIN 6370 Theory of Finance and its Applications

Research Methods Core (30 hours)

The Management Science PhD core curriculum consists of 10 courses.

Please visit the Management Science Degree Plan page for core and secondary core course requirements.

Doctoral Seminars (12 hours)

  • Finance Theory Core (FIN 7330 Asset Pricing Theory and FIN 7340 Theory of Corporate Finance)
  • Finance Empirical Core (FIN 7310 Seminar in Contemporary Finance, FIN 7335 Empirical Asset Pricing and FIN 7345 Empirical Corporate Finance)

Additional Coursework (21 hours)

  • Electives may be from accounting, computer science, economics, finance, mathematics, statistics or other fields. Specific courses must be approved by the Finance PhD advisor; however, students must take the following classes as additional coursework:
  • MAS 6v00 - Doctoral Writing Seminar
  • MAS 8v00 - Teaching Practicum

Research Papers

Students are expected to write a research paper under the supervision of or in collaboration with School of Management faculty during their first and second summer of work at UT Dallas.

Written Preliminary and Qualifying Examinations

PhD in Finance students take a written preliminary exam at the end of their first year in the program over a set of core courses (ECON 6309 Econometrics I, MECO 6315 Statistics, MECO 6345 Advanced Managerial Economics, MECO 6350 Game Theory, OPRE 7353 Optimization). At the end of their fifth semester in the program, students take a written qualifying exam over research core and finance theory core courses, which they must pass before admission for candidacy for the doctorate degree.

Dissertation

The dissertation is written under the supervision of the dissertation committee. The student must identify a committee and a chairperson within one semester following successful completion of the written qualifying examination. Students must present and pass their dissertation proposal before they can proceed to their final oral defense. Twelve to 24 semester hours may be granted for the dissertation toward the minimum 75-hour requirement for the degree.