PhD in Finance
Curriculum
During the first two or three years, students will enroll in courses designed to impart knowledge of fundamental theory as well as build the basic empirical skills necessary to conduct research in the field of finance.
Following the summer of the first year, each student is required to pass a qualifying examination. During the summer of the second year, each student is required to present an original research paper.
Coursework
The schedule for the Finance PhD students will typically be as follows:
1st Summer semester (Summer II)
| ECMT669 |
Math for Economists |
3 |
| ECMT685 |
Introductory Econometrics |
3 |
1st Fall semester (12 hours required)
| FINC688 | Finance Theory I | 3 |
| ECON629 | Microeconomics I | 3 |
| ACCT675 | Research Methods | 3 |
| Econometrics or approved substitute | 3 | |
1st Spring (10 hours required)
| FINC688 | Finance Theory II | 3 |
| ECON630 | Microeconomics II | 3 |
| Econometrics or approved substitute | 3 | |
2st Summer (6 hours required for all students)
| QUALIFYING EXAMINATION - Students must pass this exam to continue in the program |
||
| FINC691 |
Research Hours |
3 (required for all students) |
2nd Fall (9 hours required)
| FINC688 |
Advanced Empirical Seminar in Finance (required, if offered) |
|
| FINC690 |
Research Topics Seminar |
|
| Econometrics or approved substitute |
||
| FINC691 |
Research Hours (if needed) |
|
2nd Spring (9 hours required)
| FINC688 |
Advanced Empirical Seminar in Finance (required, if offered) |
| FINC690 |
Research Topics Seminar |
| Econometrics or approved substitute |
|
| FINC691 |
Research Hours (if needed) |
2nd Summer
| FINC691 |
Research Hours (3 hours required if the student receives one month of financial support during the summer; 6 hours required if the student receives two or three months of financial support during the summer; 6 hours required for all students who do not hold a Master's degree) |
| WRITTEN PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION (SUBMISSION OF ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER) |
|
3rd Fall (9 hours required)
| ORAL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION (DEFENSE OF RESEARCH PAPER) |
|
| FINC688 |
Advanced Empirical Seminar in Finance (required, if offered) |
| FINC690 |
Research Topics Seminar |
| FINC691 |
Research Hours |
3rd Spring (9 hours required)
| FINC688 |
Advanced Empirical Seminar in Finance (required, if offered) |
| FINC690 |
Research Topics Seminar |
| FINC691 |
Research Hours |
3rd Summer
| FINC691 |
Research Hours (3 hours required if the student receives one month of financial support during the summer; 6 hours required if the student receives two or three months of financial support during the summer; 6 hours required for all students who do not hold a Master's degree) |
4th Fall (9 hours required)
| FINC688 |
Advanced Empirical Seminar in Finance (required, if offered) |
| FINC690 |
Research Topics Seminar |
| FINC691 |
Research Hours |
4th Spring (9 hours required)
| FINC688 |
Advanced Empirical Seminar in Finance (required, if offered) |
| FINC690 |
Research Topics Seminar |
| FINC691 |
Research Hours |
4th Summer
| FINC691 |
Research Hours (3 hours required if the student receives one month of financial support during the summer; 6 hours required if the student receives two or three months of financial support during the summer) |
DISSERTATION PROPOSAL DEFENSE
To maximize the student’s job market placement prospects, the department strongly recommends that the dissertation proposal defense be complete before job market applications are being mailed out. The target recommended defense date is therefore between March and May of the student’s fourth year in the program.
PREPARATION OF JOB MARKET PACKAGE (August)
Otherwise, the student must still enroll in every FINC688 and FINC 690 courses offered while in residence at the Texas A&M Campus, until admission to candidacy.
5th Fall (9 hours required)
| FINC691 | Research Hours |
| FMA Interviews Campus visits |
|
5th Spring (9 hours required)
| FINC691 |
Research Hours |
| AFA interviews |
|
5th Summer
FINC691 |
Research Hours (3 hours required if the student receives one month of financial support during the summer; 6 hours required if the student receives two or three months of financial support during the summer) |
Distinguished Lecture Series
Doctoral Students are required to attend the PG&E Corporation Distinguished Lecture Series hosted by the Department of Finance, as part of the FINC690 doctoral seminar. Through this series, we expose our doctoral students to some of the most renowned academic leaders in the discipline. Current information on our seminar series can be found at http://wehner.tamu.edu/finc.www/seminar/. Previously, the following distinguished scholars have visited Texas A&M since Fall 1999:
- Mike Barclay, University of Rochester
- Schmuel Baruch, University of Utah
- Rob Battalio, University of Notre Dame
- Matt Billett, University of Iowa
- David Chapman, University of Texas Austin
- Tarun Chordia, Emory University
- Jay Coughenour, University of Delaware
- Jennifer Conrad, University of North Carolina
- Martin Dierker, University of Houston
- Bob Dittmar, Indiana University
- Chris Downing, Rice University
- Chitru Fernando, Tulane University
- Wayne Ferson, University of Washington
- Mark Flannery, University of Florida
- Jeff Fleming, Rice University
- Jon Garfinkel, University of Iowa
- William Goetzman, Yale University
- Rick Green, Carnegie Mellon University
- John Griffin, Arizona State University
- Charles Hadlock, Michigan State University
- Charles Jones, Columbia University
- Steve Jones, Indiana University
- Ed Kane, Boston College
- Imre Karafiath, University of North Texas
- Andrew Karolyi, Ohio State University
- Jon Karpoff, University of Washington
- Praveen Kumar, University of Houston
- Rafael LaPorta, Harvard University
- Dimitri Livdan, University of Houston
- Ananth Madhavan, University of Southern California
- Sattar Mansi, Virginia Tech
- Ronald W. Masulis, Vanderbilt University
- Stewart Mayhew, University of Georgia
- Bill Megginson, University of Oklahoma
- Vikas Mehrotra, University of Alberta
- Darius Miller, University of Indiana
- Steven Ongena, Tilburg University
- Christine Parlour, Carnegie Mellon
- Robert Parrino, University of Texas
- Raghu Rau, Purdue University
- Jay Ritter, University of Florida
- Roberta Romano, Yale University
- Henri Servaes, London Business School
- Andrei Simonov, Stockholm School of Economics
- Cliff Smith, University of Rochester
- Robert Stambaugh, University of Pennsylvania
- Phil Strahan, Boston College
- Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, UCLA
- Ragu Sundaram, New York University
- Sheridan Titman, University of Texas
- Ralph Walkling, Ohio State University
- Michael Weisbach, University of Illinois
- James Weston, Rice University
- Lei Yu, University of Notre Dame
