PhD in Finance

General requirements

All students are required to complete a minimum of 16 courses. Those concentrating in Finance must take six courses or seminars in Finance (as described below), a two-course sequence in advanced economic theory, and a two-course sequence in either advanced econometrics or an equivalent sequence of courses in advanced statistics. With the advice and consent of the departmental Ph.D. committee, students also select other supporting coursework. The first year of study is regarded as "Tier I" in the Ph.D. program, and successful completion of this year of study is a prerequisite for enrollment in some of the more advanced courses.

You are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.5 or better in the six departmental courses that comprise the Finance concentration. In addition, you are expected to maintain a GPA of 3.3 or better in all of you coursework.

A Sample Course of Study

The sample program of study below describes the schedule for a typical student. Variations may be allowed for some students, and, of course, the requirements may changed at the discretion of the Ph.D. Committee.

**The sequence in Micro-Economic Theory, ECO 7115 and ECO 7116, may be substituted for this sequence in Financial Economics.

***The sequence in Econometrics, ECO 7424 and ECO 7425, may be substituted for this sequence in Statistical Methods in Finance.

Finance Courses*

Seminar in Futures Markets
Seminar in Investments
International Corporate Finance
Seminar in Corporate Finance
Financial Theory I
Financial Theory II
Financial Theory III
Financial Markets and Institutions
Seminar in Options and Contingent Claims
Seminar in Portfolio Theory
Foundations of Financial Models
Statistical Methods in Finance I
Statistical Methods in Finance II
Financial Economics I
Financial Economics II
Doctoral Research Project in Business
Doctoral Dissertation in Business Administration
Dissertation Preparation

*Many of the courses listed here are available only if there will be a sufficient number of doctoral students enrolled in the course.

Research Projects

You are required to complete research projects during the summer semesters following your first and second years in the program. One faculty member will serve as an advisor for all research projects in a given summer.

The primary objective of the first summer research project is to enhance your skills in using computer programs for research. You are expected to undertake a research project that will require you to use computers in order to complete it. To this end, you are expected to replicate some previously-tested hypothesis using new data or to engage in some other meaningful computer-based project.

The second summer research project, in contrast, requires you to develop an original research hypothesis. This hypothesis should be developed well in advance of the second summer semester so you will have enough time to execute the project during the summer semester.

For both summer projects, you must submit a written paper and make a presentation to the faculty. Ideally, these papers should be of sufficient quality to merit submission to a conference or a journal.

You must satisfy all university and college dissertation requirements.

For Information

For more information about the Finance Concentration, please contact:

Arun Jai Prakash
Professor of Finance and Ph.D. Program Coordinator
Department of Finance
College of Business Administration
11200 S.W. 8th Street
Ryder Business Building
Florida International University
Miami, FL 33199-0001
Phone (305) 348-2680 and (305)348-3324
Email: prakasha@fiu.edu