PhD in Finance

Admission Information

Applications for Fall 2008 admission are accepted beginning with September 1, 2007. The priority application deadline is on January 15, 2008. In addition, please note the separate deadlines for Mays Business School (see http://mays.tamu.edu/grad/phd/faq.htm).

Application Process

A formal application is required of all persons seeking admission to the finance PhD program.

If you are currently enrolled in another graduate degree program at Texas A&M, please contact us at finc-phd@mays.tamu.edu regarding the application procedure.

The application procedure for all other candidates is as follows:

1. You must submit a formal application on-line, at http://www.mays.tamu.edu/apply/graduate. 
2. As part of this on-line application process, you will be asked to provide the names of three referees and their e-mail addresses.  The referees will then be contacted with detailed instructions on how to submit their letters of reference in an electronic format.  Please note that referees are strongly encouraged to submit recommendations electronically.  Sending via postal mail will significantly slow the review process.
3. Towards the end of on-line the application process, you will be asked to upload a personal statement in which you should explain why you would like to pursue a PhD in Finance at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University.  Please limit your statement to two typed pages, double-spaced. 
4. At the end of the on-line application process you will be asked to pay the application fee using a credit card.  This is the only acceptable form of payment.
5. After you conclude steps (1) through (4) above, you must submit your supporting documents electronically in Adobe pdf format to Finc-PhD@mays.tamu.edu.  Documents should be scanned as needed.  The subject line of your e-mail should include only your last name followed by a comma, and your first name.  (Example:  Smith, John.)  No other text should be in the subject line.  Supporting documents consist of:
   1. Your resume (maximum two pages).  Please do not include or attach images.
   2. Transcripts from all university-level coursework followed since graduating from high school. Include English translations as applicable. Unofficial transcripts and translations will be accepted in the initial review stage.

Important tips:

• For maximum consideration, we strongly encourage applicants to observe the page limits and e-mail specifications above. 
  
• The submission of additional materials not specifically required generally slows the review process. 
  
• Applicants who meet the criteria for admission will later be asked to produce official test score reports, as well as official transcripts and degree verifications, properly translated into English where applicable.  Detailed instructions will follow for those applicants.  Admission to the PhD program will only be granted once such official documents are received. 
  
• If any significant discrepancies between unofficial and official documents are revealed, your admission will be automatically withdrawn.
  
• If you are an international applicant, we can review your application and make a decision without a TEOFL score on file. However, if you are admitted to the program, university regulations may require you to take the TOEFL in the first year here.
  
• We can review applications and make decisions based on GMAT/GRE scores that are less than ten years old. However, if you are admitted to the program, university regulations may require that you re-take the GMAT/GRE in the first year here, if your score is older than five years.
  
• You do not need to send official scores with your application. Self reported scores are acceptable in the initial review stage. If your application is approved, you will be asked to send official scores at that time.

Review Process

We experience intense competition for the doctoral student / assistantship slots that we have available. The Department of Finance typically receives approximately 80-100 applications for approximately 4-6 openings each year.

Your complete application will be reviewed by the Finance Department.  Applicants should note that admission to our program is extremely competitive, with an average of approximately seventy applications received for two to four openings each Fall.   Multiple criteria are considered when evaluating candidates for admission. They include:

• Performance in previous degree programs;
• GMAT or GRE scores;
• Letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant's potential for success in a competitive graduate program;
• A written personal statement in which the candidate demonstrates that his or her research interests are consistent with those of the Mays Finance faculty, and that the applicant's professional and educational goals are congruent with the requirements and objectives of the PhD program.

Applicants who meet the initial selection criteria will be contacted for a personal or telephone interview. Please note that the written personal statement, letters of recommendation, and area of research interest often make the difference between interview invitations and rejections for otherwise well-qualified applicants.

Applicants who successfully pass the interview process will be recommended for admission, subject to final review and approval by the Head of the Department of Finance, and by the Executive Associate Dean of Mays Business School.  This multi-step process insures that only the best-qualified applicants will be admitted into the program.

The primary consideration in determining how many new students admitted depends largely upon faculty members' ability to supervise doctoral students' education. A secondary consideration in setting enrollment limits is the ability to provide new students with adequate funding. Only under extremely rare circumstances will students be admitted to the PhD program without financial support. This is because the duties associated with research and graduate Assistantships form an integral part of the PhD educational process.

Admission to Texas A&M University and any of its sponsored programs is open to qualified individuals subject to the above conditions regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or educationally unrelated handicaps.