These cookies are essential to enable the services to provide the requested feature, such as remembering you have logged in.
Confirm My Selections
As a finance PhD student at Chicago Booth, you’ll join a community that encourages you to think independently.
Taking courses at Booth and in the university’s Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics, you will gain a solid foundation in all aspects of economics and finance--from the factors that determine asset prices to how firms and individuals make financial decisions. Following your coursework, you will develop your research in close collaboration with faculty and your fellow students. Reading groups and workshops with faculty, student-led brown-bag seminars, and conferences provide many opportunities to learn from others.
The Finance PhD Program also offers the Joint Program in Financial Economics , which is run by Chicago Booth and the Department of Economics in the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago.
Chicago Booth finance faculty are leading researchers who also build strong relationships with doctoral students, collaborate on new ideas, and connect students with powerful career opportunities.
Assistant Professor of Finance and Liew Family Junior Faculty Fellow, Fama Faculty Fellow
Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurship
Leo Melamed Professor of Finance
Merton H. Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance
Robert R. McCormick Distinguished Service Professor of Finance
Neubauer Family Associate Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow
David Rockefeller Distinguished Service Professor The University of Chicago Departments of Economics, Statistics and the Booth School of Business
Joseph L. Gidwitz Professor of Finance
Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance and Kessenich E.P. Faculty Director at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Stevens Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Finance
AQR Capital Management Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow
Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow
Fama Family Distinguished Service Professor of Finance
Assistant Professor of Finance and Cohen and Keenoy Faculty Scholar
Neubauer Family Professor of Finance and Kathryn and Grant Swick Faculty Scholar
Charles P. McQuaid Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Robert King Steel Faculty Fellow
Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance
Bruce Lindsay Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Public Policy
Assistant Professor of Finance and Fama Faculty Fellow
Deputy Dean for Faculty and Chicago Board of Trade Professor of Finance
Myron S. Scholes Distinguished Service Professor of Finance and Neubauer Faculty Director of the Davis Center
Associate Professor of Finance
Robert C. McCormack Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance
Professor of Economics and Finance
Graduates of the Stevens Doctoral Program go on to successful careers in prominent institutions of higher learning, leading financial institutions, government, and beyond.
Assistant Professor of Finance UCLA Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles Shohini Kundu's research lies in financial intermediation and macroeconomics, security design and externalities of financial contracts, and emerging market finance. Her dissertation area is in finance.
Assistant Professor of Business, Finance Division Columbia Business School, Columbia University Jane's research lies at the intersection of macroeconomics and finance. She is particularly interested in how financial intermediaries affect the real economy and how different types of financial institutions can contribute to financial instability. Her dissertation area is in financial economics.
The pages of Chicago Booth Review regularly highlight the research findings of finance faculty and PhD students.
Chicago Booth’s Eugene F. Fama describes the serendipitous events that led him to Chicago, and into his monumental career in academic finance.
It was a dramatic example of how White House communications on climate policy can affect asset prices, according to Washington University in St. Louis’s William Cassidy, a recent graduate of Booth’s PhD Program.
It’s become harder for many prospective borrowers to access capital. But private debt funds have stepped in to fill the gap, according to Joern Block (Trier University), Booth PhD candidate Young Soo Jang, Booth’s Steve Kaplan, and Trier’s Anna Schulze.
While go-betweens can benefit the broader economy by smoothing the flow of credit, there are now probably too many links in the credit chain, argue Zhiguo He and Jian Li (Booth PhD graduate).
Chicago Booth is home to several interdisciplinary research centers that offer funding for student work, host workshops and conferences, and foster a strong research community.
Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance Tasked with pushing the boundaries of research in finance, the Fama-Miller Center provides institutional structure and support for researchers in the field.
Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Bringing together researchers from the entire Chicago economics community, the Becker Friedman Institute fosters novel insights on the world’s most difficult economic problems.
Center for Research in Security Prices CRSP maintains one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive stock market databases. Since 1963, it has been a valued resource for businesses, government, and scholars.
Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets Enhancing the understanding of business and financial market globalization, the Clark Center positions Chicago Booth as a thought leader in the understanding of ever-changing markets and improves financial and economic decision-making around the world.
George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State Dedicated to examining issues at the intersection of politics and the economy, the Stigler Center supports research by PhD students and others who are interested in the political, economic, and cultural obstacles to better working markets.
Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation Committed to making the world more equitable and sustainable, the Rustandy Center works to solve complex social and environmental problems. The center’s student support includes fellowships, research funding, and networking opportunities.
For Itzhak Ben-David, PhD ’08, the PhD Program in Finance was an exploratory journey.
Video Transcript
Itzhak Ben-David, ’08: 00:03 For me, the PhD Program was an exploratory journey. It was about discovering what was interesting for me, what will be interesting for other economists. It was about discovering something new about the world. Much of the PhD Program experience is to explore and to wonder a bit and to just think and expose yourself to new ideas and new disciplines. Back then, this was 2006, I found a billboard that said, "If you buy this house, we're going to give you a free car or $20,000 in cash." And this seemed really odd to me. What I realized that was going on, that this was part of a borrower fraud and the idea was that seller and the buyer will agree on a higher price on a house and the lender would be under the impression that the collateral worth more than it really is.
Itzhak Ben-David, ’08: 00:58 So I started to investigate other parts of the real estate food chain. What I saw is that in many parts of this chain, there were incentives in place pushing the intermediaries or the different economic agents to inflate prices. It's not always a bubble, but oftentimes it points out behavior that is not consistent with our textbook behavior. I had the dream team of advisors, Toby Moskowitz, Dick Taylor, Steve Levitt, and Erik Hurst. Each one of them contributed in different way to my dissertation and brought different ideas, brought different aspects. There is no better place of doing research than in Booth. It's really a hub of academic activity. There is no important work that doesn't pass at Chicago before being published. It's really an intellectual home. When you meet people and you know that they are from Booth, you can see the difference in their thinking.
PhD students in finance study a wide range of topics, including the behavior and determinants of security prices, the financing and investment decisions of firms, corporate governance, and the management and regulation of financial institutions. They go on to careers at prestigious institutions, from Yale University to the International Monetary Fund.
Current Students
Rahul Chauhan Ching-Tse Chen Aditya Dhar Mihir Gandhi Huan (Bianca) He Jessica Li Edoardo Marchesi Rayhan Momin Lauren Mostrom Meichen Qian Francisco Ruela Sixun Tang Hui (Judy) Yue
Booth also offers joint degrees. Learn more about the current students in our Joint Program in Financial Economics .
The Stevens Doctoral Program at Chicago Booth is a full-time program. Students generally complete the majority of coursework and examination requirements within the first two years of studies and begin work on their dissertation during the third year. For details, see General Examination Requirements by Area in the Stevens Program Guidebook below.
Download the 2023-2024 Guidebook!
It is currently 11 Jul 2024, 16:44 |
Customized for You
Track Your Progress
Practice Pays
Practice thousands of GMAT questions with top expert solutions.
Identify and improve upon mistakes efficiently using our Error Log.
Get the latest tips and news from our top GMAT professionals.
- it’s free and easy!
Thank you for using the timer! We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer. There are many benefits to timing your practice , including:
We’ll give you an estimate of your score
We’ll provide personalized question recommendations
Your score will improve and your results will be more realistic
Mastering your MBA Application
Emory MBA Info Sessions (Online)
Begin your MBA admissions journey with a free 1-1 strategy call
How to Grab Big Opportunities after MBA | GMAT Club Career Talks EP2
Join the GMAT Club Olympics
How to Write a Well Formatted MBA Essay that Makes Greater Impact
FREE Prospects Evaluation!
Conversation with Tuck Admissions
GMAT Focus Edition explained in 5 minutes
Ivy Groupe - Recognized as a Top MBA Admissions Consultant by Business Insider and Poets & Quants
What Matters Most to You - Essay that Stunned Stanford Admissions
Maximize your MBA prospects with a free profile consultation from our seasoned experts.
Write Your Way into HBS, Wharton, or Stanford GSB!
Personal MBA Coach’s M7 Essay Analysis E-book
Profile Evaluation and Enrichment
09:00 PM IST
11:30 PM IST
08:30 AM EDT
09:30 AM EDT
12:00 PM EDT
01:00 PM EDT
12:00 PM PDT
01:00 PM PDT
07:00 AM PDT
08:00 PM PDT
09:00 PM PDT
10:00 AM EDT
10:00 AM PDT
11:00 AM PDT
02:00 PM PDT
03:00 PM PDT
03:00 PM EDT
04:00 PM EDT
09:00 AM PDT
11:00 AM EDT
12:30 PM EDT
01:30 PM EDT
Question banks.
Forum Home
|
--> --> Prep Toolkit Announcements ➡ --> Ex-Deloitte, Vice President @ Planned Parenthood ➡ --> --> --> With a particular emphasis on generative AI, the new courses span ground-breaking topics and timely challenges facing business and leaders today. --> --> |
The post is bookmarked successfully
Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.
Q&A for work
Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.
I earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in finance. Eight years later I am thinking of going back to school to earn my PhD. I am currently a high school math teacher but I want to be a professor at the university level, so I want to do a PhD. The question is which one is easier and faster? Finance, economics, or mathematics? I know finance and economics require less math and more practical experience and knowledge of business and economics culture (which is something I am lacking). On the other hand, finance and economics are in-demand fields. Has anyone been through the same experience? Please advise, thank you.
These are incredibly differently fields, and I feel like you should gain a much firmer grasp of these differences before looking into PhD programs in any. It's also meaningless to consider which field is "harder", since there will be huge variation between different programs within each field, and between how individuals experience those fields.
Finance and econ USE a lot of math, but they aren't math degrees. Between these two I would at least recommend econ over finance unless you know for certain that you want to work/research in finance. Most econ degrees include some work in finance, along side other econ areas, so you can cast a broader net while still learning what interests you. In my experience the majority of econ PhD programs require no practical experience, and in fact skew very heavily toward theory. Econ is also not necessarily related to business - there are a lot of specialties under the "economics" umbrella.
Also, I think it's great your goal is to teach (I also like teaching), but your PhD will be very heavily focused on doing original research. Do you also enjoy this? Consider that strongly before embarking on this path, because completing your degree will hinge almost entirely on you being able to sustain a multi-year research project, while practically not at all on your ability to teach.
Women, black voters, gaza.
Sign up here.
Reporting by Jeff Mason, Nandita Bose, Bianca Flowers, Alexandra Ulmer, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed Editing by Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell and David Holmes
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab
Thomson Reuters
Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA's work was recognized with Deutsche Welle's "Freedom of Speech Award." Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA's “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure" award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists' "Breaking News" award. Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union. Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.
Bianca Flowers is an award-winning multimedia journalist based in Chicago where she focuses on enterprise stories in areas of race, inequality, identity and social justice. She joined Reuters in 2022 as a manufacturing correspondent, covering the bedrock of the U.S. economy. She reported on labor unions strikes, corporate finance for global agriculture and construction companies and the impact of automation and artificial intelligence in the industrial sector. Prior to joining Reuters, she was a Senior Video Journalist at Dow Jones, covering short and long-form features on personal finance, income inequality, and diversity in the tech industry.
Biden mixes up zelenskiy, putin names as calls to end campaign grow.
U.S. President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as "President Putin" on Thursday, before beginning a high-stakes news conference where the 81-year-old aims to quell concerns that he is too old to run for re-election.
A cooling towel, odorless mosquito repellent and more summer essentials — starting at $5
Follow today
More Brands
At 6-foot-9, LeBron James is quite literally a towering figure in the history of basketball, but he can envision the possibility of trying another sport.
James, 39, will go for his third Olympic gold medal when he and Team USA take the court this summer in Paris. He was on the 2008 and 2012 squads that won gold, but says if he could compete in a different sport in the Olympics , he knows exactly what it would be.
“I would — man, the four-by-one relay, man — track and field,” he told Craig Melvin in an exclusive interview for TODAY.
Noting that he’s a “team guy,” the Los Angeles Lakers star continued to say he even has an idea of what he would do in the event.
“Yeah, I want to be anchor, for sure, I want to finish it off the right way,” he said.
As a four-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, James has pretty much done everything that can be done at the highest level of the sport, so why does he feel the need to return to the Olympics?
“I think just timing,” he said. “Timing’s everything, and I think — you know, at this point in my career, I still, I have a lot to give, and Team USA has given a lot to me, so I feel like it’s an opportunity for me to give back.”
No matter what happens in Paris, James, who will become the oldest U.S. men’s basketball Olympian ever this summer, will remain synonymous with basketball long after he steps away from the game. He says he wants to be known for more than that, though.
“I hope it’s not just talking about basketball. You know, for me, what I do in our community and the people that I inspire all over the world is what I want my — a lot of my legacy to be talked about,” he said.
James knows how vital basketball has been to his own life, but he wants to be seen beyond that.
“Basketball has definitely given me an opportunity to see parts of the world and do things that I’ve never, I would never even imagine or be able to do without it. But if my legacy is only talking about the game of basketball, then I failed in my mission, so — we’ll see, though,” he said.
The Summer Olympics head to Los Angeles in 2028. And while James recently signed a two-year extension to remain with the Lakers, don’t expect him to be in the City of Angels during the next Games.
“No, I won’t be there,” he said.
“I’m getting the hell out of that city when the Olympics come to Los Angeles,” he added, laughing. “All right, I’ll live there all year. I will not be in Los Angeles in ‘28. I’m getting out of there.”
Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.
Paris olympics.
Pop culture.
Fund next-gen business journalism with $10 a month
Free Newsletters
Back in May, Noah wrote about the amazingly good deal that is the PhD in economics. Why? Because:
Of course, such a good deal won’t last long now that the story is out, so you need to act fast! Since he wrote his post , Noah has received a large number of emails asking the obvious follow-up question: “How do I get into an econ PhD program?” And Miles has been asked the same thing many times by undergraduates and other students at the University of Michigan. So here, we present together our guide for how to break into the academic Elysium called Econ PhD Land:
(Note: This guide is mainly directed toward native English speakers, or those from countries whose graduate students are typically fluent in English, such as India and most European countries. Almost all highly-ranked graduate programs teach economics in English, and we find that students learn the subtle non-mathematical skills in economics better if English is second nature. If your nationality will make admissions committees wonder about your English skills, you can either get your bachelor’s degree at a—possibly foreign—college or university where almost all classes are taught in English, or you will have to compensate by being better on other dimensions. On the bright side, if you are a native English speaker, or from a country whose graduate students are typically fluent in English, you are already ahead in your quest to get into an economics PhD.)
Here is the not-very-surprising list of things that will help you get into a good econ PhD program:
Chances are, if you’re asking for advice, you probably feel unprepared in one of two ways. Either you don’t have a sterling math background, or you have quantitative skills but are new to the field of econ. Fortunately, we have advice for both types of applicant.
Fortunately, if you’re weak in math, we have good news: Math is something you can learn . That may sound like a crazy claim to most Americans, who are raised to believe that math ability is in the genes. It may even sound like arrogance coming from two people who have never had to struggle with math. But we’ve both taught people math for many years, and we really believe that it’s true. Genes help a bit, but math is like a foreign language or a sport: effort will result in skill.
Here are the math classes you absolutely should take to get into a good econ program:
Here are the classes you should take, but can probably get away with studying on your own:
Linear algebra (matrices, vectors, and all that) is something that you’ll use all the time in econ, especially when doing work on a computer. Multivariable calculus also will be used a lot. And stats of course is absolutely key to almost everything economists do. Differential equations are something you will use once in a while. And real analysis—by far the hardest subject of the five—is something that you will probably never use in real econ research, but which the economics field has decided to use as a sort of general intelligence signaling device.
If you took some math classes but didn’t do very well, don’t worry. Retake the classes . If you are worried about how that will look on your transcript, take the class the first time “off the books” at a different college (many community colleges have calculus classes) or online. Or if you have already gotten a bad grade, take it a second time off the books and then a third time for your transcript. If you work hard, every time you take the class you’ll do better. You will learn the math and be able to prove it by the grade you get. Not only will this help you get into an econ PhD program, once you get in, you’ll breeze through parts of grad school that would otherwise be agony.
Here’s another useful tip: Get a book and study math on your own before taking the corresponding class for a grade. Reading math on your own is something you’re going to have to get used to doing in grad school anyway (especially during your dissertation!), so it’s good to get used to it now. Beyond course-related books, you can either pick up a subject-specific book (Miles learned much of his math from studying books in the Schaum’s outline series ), or get a “math for economists” book; regarding the latter, Miles recommends Mathematics for Economists by Simon and Blume, while Noah swears by Mathematical Methods and Models for Economists by de la Fuente. When you study on your own, the most important thing is to work through a bunch of problems . That will give you practice for test-taking, and will be more interesting than just reading through derivations.
This will take some time, of course. That’s OK. That’s what summer is for (right?). If you’re late in your college career, you can always take a fifth year, do a gap year, etc.
When you get to grad school, you will have to take an intensive math course called “math camp” that will take up a good part of your summer. For how to get through math camp itself, see this guide by Jérémie Cohen-Setton .
One more piece of advice for the math-challenged: Be a research assistant on something non-mathy . There are lots of economists doing relatively simple empirical work that requires only some basic statistics knowledge and the ability to use software like Stata. There are more and more experimental economists around, who are always looking for research assistants. Go find a prof and get involved! (If you are still in high school or otherwise haven’t yet chosen a college, you might want to choose one where some of the professors do experiments and so need research assistants—something that is easy to figure out by studying professors’ websites carefully, or by asking about it when you visit the college.)
If you’re a disillusioned physicist, a bored biostatistician, or a neuroscientist looking to escape that evil Principal Investigator, don’t worry: An econ background is not necessary . A lot of the best economists started out in other fields, while a lot of undergrad econ majors are headed for MBAs or jobs in banks. Econ PhD programs know this. They will probably not mind if you have never taken an econ class.
That said, you may still want to take an econ class , just to verify that you actually like the subject, to start thinking about econ, and to prepare yourself for the concepts you’ll encounter. If you feel like doing this, you can probably skip Econ 101 and 102, and head straight for an Intermediate Micro or Intermediate Macro class.
Another good thing is to read through an econ textbook . Although economics at the PhD level is mostly about the math and statistics and computer modeling (hopefully getting back to the real world somewhere along the way when you do your own research), you may also want to get the flavor of the less mathy parts of economics from one of the well-written lower-level textbooks (either one by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells , Greg Mankiw , or Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok ) and maybe one at a bit higher level as well, such as David Weil’s excellent book on economic growth ) or Varian’s Intermediate Microeconomics .
Remember to take a statistics class , if you haven’t already. Some technical fields don’t require statistics, so you may have missed this one. But to econ PhD programs, this will be a gaping hole in your resume. Go take stats!
One more thing you can do is research with an economist . Fortunately, economists are generally extremely welcoming to undergrad RAs from outside econ, who often bring extra skills. You’ll get great experience working with data if you don’t have it already. It’ll help you come up with some research ideas to put in your application essays. And of course you’ll get another all-important letter of recommendation.
And now for…
Here is the most important tip for everyone: Don’t just apply to “top” schools . For some degrees—an MBA for example—people question whether it’s worthwhile to go to a non-top school. But for econ departments, there’s no question. Both Miles and Noah have marveled at the number of smart people working at non-top schools. That includes some well-known bloggers, by the way—Tyler Cowen teaches at George Mason University (ranked 64th ), Mark Thoma teaches at the University of Oregon (ranked 56th ), and Scott Sumner teaches at Bentley, for example. Additionally, a flood of new international students is expanding the supply of quality students. That means that the number of high-quality schools is increasing; tomorrow’s top 20 will be like today’s top 10, and tomorrow’s top 100 will be like today’s top 50.
Apply to schools outside of the top 20—any school in the top 100 is worth considering, especially if it is strong in areas you are interested in. If your classmates aren’t as elite as you would like, that just means that you will get more attention from the professors, who almost all came out of top programs themselves. When Noah said in his earlier post that econ PhD students are virtually guaranteed to get jobs in an econ-related field, that applied to schools far down in the ranking. Everyone participates in the legendary centrally managed econ job market . Very few people ever fall through the cracks.
Next—and this should go without saying— don’t be afraid to retake the GRE . If you want to get into a top 10 school, you probably need a perfect or near-perfect score on the math portion of the GRE. For schools lower down the rankings, a good GRE math score is still important. Fortunately, the GRE math section is relatively simple to study for—there are only a finite number of topics covered, and with a little work you can “overlearn” all of them, so you can do them even under time pressure and when you are nervous. In any case, you can keep retaking the test until you get a good score (especially if the early tries are practice tests from the GRE prep books and prep software), and then you’re OK!
Here’s one thing that may surprise you: Getting an econ master’s degree alone won’t help . Although master’s degrees in economics are common among international students who apply to econ PhD programs, American applicants do just fine without a master’s degree on their record. If you want that extra diploma, realize that once you are in a PhD program, you will get a master’s degree automatically after two years. And if you end up dropping out of the PhD program, that master’s degree will be worth more than a stand-alone master’s would. The one reason to get a master’s degree is if it can help you remedy a big deficiency in your record, say not having taken enough math or stats classes, not having taken any econ classes, or not having been able to get anyone whose name admissions committees would recognize to write you a letter of recommendation.
For getting into grad school, much more valuable than a master’s is a stint as a research assistant in the Federal Reserve System or at a think tank —though these days, such positions can often be as hard to get into as a PhD program!
Finally—and if you’re reading this, chances are you’re already doing this— read some econ blogs . (See Miles’s speculations about the future of the econ blogosphere here .) Econ blogs are no substitute for econ classes, but they’re a great complement. Blogs are good for picking up the lingo of academic economists, and learning to think like an economist. Don’t be afraid to write a blog either, even if no one ever reads it (you don’t have to be writing at the same level as Evan Soltas or Yichuan Wang ); you can still put it on your CV, or just practice writing down your thoughts. And when you write your dissertation, and do research later on in your career, you are going to have to think for yourself outside the context of a class . One way to practice thinking critically is by critiquing others’ blog posts, at least in your head.
Anyway, if you want to have intellectual stimulation and good work-life balance, and a near-guarantee of a well-paying job in your field of interest, an econ PhD could be just the thing for you. Don’t be scared of the math and the jargon. We’d love to have you.
Update: Miles’s colleague Jeff Smith at the University of Michigan amplifies many of the things we say on his blog. For a complete guide, be sure to see what Jeff has to say, too.
Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Greetings everyone, First off, I have to say that Quantnet is brilliant! So much information and so many people willing to help! I'd like to hear some of your opinions on which degree would be more useful for a job in FE: PhD Finance or Phd Financial Mathematics? I plan on attending an FE program next year - I'll start applying in the fall. After completion of a Master's program, I'd like to continue on to a PhD program. But I'm unsure of what would be more relevant in the industry...:-k
Search QN, I think this issue was addressed already in some other thread. BTW, why do you want to do a PhD? Also, it seems that people can become Quants faster if they do a PhD in Physics than in any of those two fields you mentioned. There is a reason for it.
For a few reasons.. 1) it's a personal goal 2) if for some reason, after working as quant, I decide it is not for me, having the phd would allow me to, perhaps, have academia as a backup 3) 30-40 years down the road, I'd like to settle into academia
which schools offer a phd in fin. math? the only school i know is chicago
Quant headhunter.
As a headhunter I struggle to care about the difference between the two labels. Hold a gun to my head, I might pick Fin Math, or not. What matters more is what you learn, and show that you've learned in your study. Quality of program matters, as does reputation, but not the subtle variation that most people would call equal.
FSU offers something similar as well http://www.math.fsu.edu/~okten/FMGuide/
Seanny, There are several schools who now offer PhDs in Fin Math...FSU, BU, CMU , UF, and Claremont offer doctorates in Fin. Math specifically. But after reading Dominic's post, I did a bit of digging and realized there is little, if any, difference between a Fin Math Phd and a Finance Phd.
Fin Math over Fin or go for physics or another hard science
But is it possible to get into a Physics or another hard science PhD at a reputable school after completing a Masters in Fin. Math - especially considering my undergrad majors were Finance & Econ?
To get into a reputable Physics PhD program, I believe one needs to have taken pure math classes at the level of an undergraduate math major. For example, 2 Real Analysis classes, 1 Abstract Algebra class and 1 complex analysis class, in addition to other physics classes.
I looked at the admissions requirements of some of schools - it's I'd have to take some time to complete an undergrad physics degree first.
forty two said: But is it possible to get into a Physics or another hard science PhD at a reputable school after completing a Masters in Fin. Math - especially considering my undergrad majors were Finance & Econ? Click to expand...
By reputable, I mean something along the lines of top 10 in physics. MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Cal-Tech, Princeton, Michigan, Johns Hopkins, UCB and so on. As opposed to University of Phoenix... :D
Unless your majored in physics as an undergrad, you would have to consider going back to school to pick up the necessary physics foundations. I believe most of the 'reputable' Phd programs require the Physics GRE. You can always go to one of the 'good' programs instead of one the 'great' programs - especially if you're inclined the get the degree. Admissions at the schools you listed is likely to be fiercely competitive. There probably isn't much harm in going to a lesser program. After all, as Alain mentioned, it is a Phd in Physics after all.
I think it is stupid to pursue PhD in Physics just because you want to become a quant ten years from now.
Physics PhD is something very serious, you have to like and understand Physics before even thinking about PhD in it. PhD in Fin Math vs. PhD in Fin. These are two different areas. PhD in Fin Math would require you to do a lot of math, completing all requirements for a regular Math PhD plus you will have your electives in financial math and might get a chance to do your thesis in Fin Math. PhD in Finance is just finance with limited math exposure. You will be learning things about mergers, bankruptsies, etc, and your thesis might not have any math at all but be something like ' effects of X on the financial situation in Y '.
Andriy said: I think it is stupid to pursue PhD in Physics just because you want to become a quant ten years from now. Click to expand...
This subreddit is for discussing academic life, and for asking questions directed towards people involved in academia, (both science and humanities).
Hello, I spent 4 years in industry as a Risk Analyst after completing my bachelor’s in Economics and master’s in Finance, but I am considering going back for a PhD in Financial Economics since I was thinking after this period of industry experience I would be interested in being a professor of some sort. Honestly, I enjoyed being an ECON Teaching Assistant during school, and would love to share my actual industry experience with future students.
Has anyone gone back to school after working? What are pros/cons and why would you (or would not) do it? Mainly my concern is the length of a PhD degree (I’ve already spent 5 years in university thus far).
Trump then alluded to barron's next step — his choice of university to attend in fall 2024 — but did not reveal where barron would seek his college degree..
DORAL — Barron Trump made his Trump rally speech debut Tuesday night here at the family golf resort west of Miami.
The youngest son of the 2024 Republican presidential nominee did not speak at the event, but his father lauded him to the loudest cheers of his three sons as Donald Jr. and Eric were also in attendance. It was the first Trump political rally the now 18-year-old has attended.
"Look at this," Trump said as cheers grew as he referenced Barron though not by name. The former president then asked Barron to stand up and be recognized, leading to even more applause and cheers.
Barron Trump and fall 2024 college: Key dates for universities he's been linked to
"That's the first time he's done it," Trump said of Barron's presence at the political event. "You're pretty popular. He might be more popular than Don and Eric. Hey, Don, we have to talk about this."
Trump then alluded to Barron's next step — his choice of university to attend this fall — but did not reveal where Barron would seek his college degree.
"He's now going to college, got into every college he wanted to," Trump said. "He made his choice and he is a very good guy."
Barron is the sole child of Donald and Melania Trump , the former president's third wife. Melania Trump did not appear to attend the rally.
Barron Trump was initially selected to serve as a Florida delegate at next week's Republican National Convention. But Melania Trump stated May 10 that Barron would not be able to attend due to "prior commitments."
Barron Trump, who turned 18 on March 20, graduated from Oxbridge Academy near West Palm Beach, Florida, on May 17. For Barron and thousands of other class of 2024 high school graduates, summer is half over, and upcoming freshmen are getting ready for fall classes.
While it is not known where Barron Trump will attend classes in the fall, below are key dates for the universities he's been linked to.
As of Tuesday, July 9, it has not been announced where Barron Trump will attend college.
However, Barron Trump's half-siblings — Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump (born to Donald Trump and Ivana Trump) and Tiffany Trump (born to Donald Trump and Marla Maples) — have ties to the University of Pennsylvania or Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Donald Trump has said in the past that he believed his youngest son might follow in his footsteps by attending the University of Pennsylvania. The former president graduated and studied at UPenn's Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, graduating in May 1968 with a bachelor's degree in economics.
Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., graduated from UPenn in 2000. Like his father, Donald Trump Jr. has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance.
According to UPenn 's calendar , "move-in" dates for fall 2024 are Monday, Aug. 19, to Sunday, Aug. 25, for new and returning students. "Guests" (usually parents and family) will have to be registered by Tuesday, Aug. 1, to accompany fall 2024 students on "move-in" day . New student orientation at Penn will be from Aug. 21-26, with first day of classes Tuesday, Aug. 27.
Other key dates for fall 2024 at UPenn include "family weekend" Oct. 25-27 and homecoming on Nov. 16.
Where did the Trump family graduate? Donald, Melania, Ivanka ... Here's a list of who graduated from college (and who didn't)
Another possibility for Barron Trump could be Georgetown, which has Trump ties already.
Barron Trump's older brother, Eric, graduated from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in finance and management in 2006.
According to a March 2017 story in the Georgetown Voice , Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, was a student at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown, but transferred after two years to the Wharton School of Business at UPenn. Ivanka Trump graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in economics from UPenn in 2004.
Like her father, Tiffany Trump attended UPenn and graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. Four years later, Tiffany Trump graduated from Georgetown Law School as part of the class of 2020. Like many class of 2020 seniors (for high school and college), Tiffany Trump's college graduation was a virtual commencement ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another speculated possibility for Barron Trump is New York University. The NYU campus in Manhattan is not far from where Barron Trump spent much of his childhood — and lived until his father was sworn in as the 45th president in early 2017.
According to NYU's calendar, fall 2024 classes begin Tuesday, Sept. 3, the day after Labor Day. Interestingly, the school's " Legislative Monday" event is Tuesday, Oct. 15 , 2024, and " Legislative Friday" is Wednesday, Dec. 11 , 2024, the calendar states.
Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected] . Help support our journalism. Subscribe today .
By clicking Allow All , you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and help our marketing efforts.
Student Loans
Internationals
Refinancing & Consolidation
Juno In Our Words
Juno in Your Words
Talk to Juno
Student Loan Guides
Calculators & Scholarships
Financial Literacy Hub
Other Resources
Our 2024 student loan deals are live now! See your rates without affecting credit here.
Have existing federal student loans? Calculate potential forgiveness here.
Getting a PHD is a big decision. This article lists the top Reddit posts regarding getting a PHD.
Sep 10, 2021
As a current or prospective PhD student, Reddit can be an excellent place to share your experience and learn from the experience of others. It's also a good way to get advice if you're not sure whether a PhD program is right for you.
The good news is that there are already plenty of PhD Reddit posts that provide a wealth of information about the process and what to consider before you pull the trigger on a doctorate program.
Here are five of those posts and how they can help you make the best decision about your education.
Many people pursue a PhD program in order to increase their chances of getting a good job or earn more money. According to data gathered by Michigan State University , the expected lifetime earnings for someone with a PhD is $3.3 million, compared to $2.7 million for Master's degree holders and $2.3 million for graduates with a bachelor's degree.
But just because the averages work in favor of getting a PhD — some career paths offer more potential than others — that doesn't mean it's going to work for you.
In one post , user AltAcAcct shared their regret of going through a PhD program. Despite attending a prestigious "public ivy" school and having many other impressive experiences, AltAcAcct was in their second year of trying to find a job with no luck.
They implored readers to reconsider why they want to obtain a PhD and think about the potential downsides. While they had more pointed advice leaning toward not pursuing a PhD at all, it's important to decide for yourself if it's worth it to you.
The important thing is that you take the time to research your options — including ways to excel in your field without a PhD — and determine whether the potential risk of not getting a return on your investment of time and money is worth it to you.
Going along with the idea that a PhD program doesn't guarantee future success, user acapncuster shared a tip in response to a PhD Reddit post asking for advice: "Have a plan B."
Some other commenters agreed, with one going so far as to say: "Have a plan B, then make that your plan A." Another user recommended having a plan C as well, just to be safe.
The idea that you should expect your first plan to fall through — and possibly even your second — may be enough to turn some off to a PhD program completely.
But that's not to say you should ditch the idea. After all, many PhD graduates find success in their field, so it can pay off. The worst thing that can happen, though, is if you go through the program and spend the time and money earning your PhD, only to not have a backup plan when you don't accomplish your original goal.
Take some time to consider alternate plans before you commit to a PhD program. Think about asking others who have pursued your particular field of study and learn some potential options that you can pursue in the event that your plan A doesn't work out.
A PhD program can be time-consuming, with one Redditor saying they spend roughly 50 to 60 hours a week keeping up with coursework and doing additional research. But user SnowblindAlbino, who is now a professor, mentions in their comment that a lot of that time is unstructured.
In other words, time management is crucial to a successful PhD experience, not only in how much time you spend but how you separate that time into different activities.
Another commenter on that post, user cosmospring, wrote that their time spent on their program varied wildly depending on whether or not they had a deadline:
"Not really average days/weeks. More like 'average days when staring down the barrel of a deadline' and 'average days when not staring down a deadline.' The former: 10-12h at the keyboard. The latter: 6-8h at the keyboard and 2-4h doing something else academic (teaching, reading, navigating bureaucracy...). Once or twice/week cut those by 50-75% (the days off) and do laundry/something fun, unless there's a looming deadline."
Every program is different, so it's important that you approach your time management based on what works best for you and your program.
A PhD program can be grueling, so it's crucial that you find balance, according to user Theblackswapper1. On one post where another Redditor asked for advice, Theblackswapper1 commented that students owe it to themselves to have a workout routine and to take breaks when needed — though not as an avoidance activity.
More importantly, don't neglect your mental health and get help if you need it, they wrote: "Most colleges and universities have free counseling services for students. Now everyone's path is unique, and everyone's story is different, but I know that I regret not reaching out for help earlier."
While there's no guarantee that a PhD program will improve your career path, you can still use average figures to try to find out what the return on investment of a doctoral degree can be.
As part of that formula, user buspsych comments on one post , recommending that you consider the opportunity cost of pursuing a PhD. Even if you get free tuition, you're missing out on income you could be earning with a full-time job. Depending on how much the degree increases your salary, divide that by the opportunity cost to find out how long it'll take to make the degree worth it.
You'll also want to consider how pursuing a PhD program may delay your retirement savings and other important financial goals.
Ultimately, there's no right or wrong answer to whether a PhD program is worth pursuing, so it's crucial that you run the numbers for your situation to decide if it's right for you.
Join Juno today to find out more about your options for affordable private student loans to help fund your degree.
Ben Luthi is a personal finance and travel writer based in Salt Lake City, UT. He loves helping people better understand their finances. When he's not traveling, Ben enjoys spending time with his kids, hiking, and watching films. His work has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, MarketWatch, Fox Business, and many other publications.
All categories:.
Awards Monthly
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Endlesscroc. • 10 mo. ago. My understanding, based on studying a finance adjacent subject, as well as further degrees in finance, as well as working for years across different aspects of finance is this. A PhD in finance is only for people who want to pursue a career in academia. Simple as that. If you want to be a quant, do a PhD in Stats or CS.
For those struggling with "high finance or bust", remember that there are plenty of high paying, good WLB paths in finance upvotes · comments r/FinancialCareers
I recommend considering why you want a finance PhD. If you want to teach and do research while making a good salary, and don't mind 4-5 years of being a poorly paid grad student, a PhD may be for you. The job market is good in finace, unlike most academic fields. Not having a strong background in math is not a dealbreaker, although it's worth ...
18. 10/27/09. #1. I am doing Ph.D in Finance. The structure of the program and the courses that I am taking does not give me much chance to apply my knowledge in c++, stochastic calculus and other math topics. So I think I am losing much of my quantitative skills instead of improving them. You guys are working at hedge funds and investment banks.
Though tuition rates vary widely among programs, total tuition for the best online Ph.D. in finance programs on our list averages around $45,000. To help fund your degree, you can apply for ...
Program of Study. Wharton's PhD program in Finance provides students with a solid foundation in the theoretical and empirical tools of modern finance, drawing heavily on the discipline of economics. The department prepares students for careers in research and teaching at the world's leading academic institutions, focusing on Asset Pricing ...
The PhD program in finance involves a great deal of very hard work, and there is keen competition for admission. For both these reasons, the faculty is selective in offering admission. Prospective applicants must have an aptitude for quantitative work and be at ease in handling formal models. A strong background in economics and college-level ...
It will help if you can narrow down the sort of job you seek as only some of these roles would benefit from advanced skills in specific areas such as quantitative analysis, modelling, and coding ...
This is one of the best PhD in Finance programs you can do completely online. It aims to prepare students to address issues in business finance through research, best practices, and relevant literature. Courses: Managerial Finance, Investments & Derivatives, Business Valuation, etc. Credits: 60. Duration: 3 years average.
PhD finance for a job in market (Originally Posted: 07/17/2015) Hi there, I am starting a PhD program in finance this September. My ultimate aim is to be a researcher in the AM industry and maybe in hedge funds. You might think that PhD is a painful and not a certain path to achieve it, but I would also like to keep options open for academia ...
One graduate of Harvard Business School even made a video ranking the various finance jobs according to income, free time and likability. (Venture capital and private equity workers fall at the ...
8. Rutgers University. This university offers a PhD in Management; concentrations include Finance, Accounting or Accounting Information Systems. The concentration in finance offers courses like Investments, Corporate Finance, Theory of Corporate Disclosures, Control and Governance, and Econometrics.
PhD in Finance. Finance. Chicago Booth has long been recognized for its PhD in finance. Our finance faculty—which includes Nobel laureates Douglas W. Diamond, Eugene F. Fama, and Lars P. Hansen—sets the course for research in all areas of the field. As a finance PhD student at Chicago Booth, you'll join a community that encourages you to ...
PhD-Finance. Admissions. I'm currently completing my Masters in Finance and recently was asked about possibly doing a PhD by one of my professors after my performance this semester. At the moment I have a 4.0 in my masters although my undergrad was a low 3.2. I didn't put the effort in my undergrad but I'm now seriously considering a PhD.
The only ones outside of US that managed to show up in Worldwide Top 25 based on prolific research are London Business School (UK), Rotman Toronto (Canada) and Swiss Finance Institute (Switzerland). Other than that, there are not much surprise on the list, but is worth noting that Fisher (Ohio State University) and Caroll (Boston College) do ...
I have recently finished my Master studies in Finance and now I have the following two options: 1. PhD in Finance at a Norwegian Business School. It's a 4 year program, including a scholarship. The school is not bad but I think there are at least ten better ones in Europe. 2.
Finance and econ USE a lot of math, but they aren't math degrees. Between these two I would at least recommend econ over finance unless you know for certain that you want to work/research in finance. Most econ degrees include some work in finance, along side other econ areas, so you can cast a broader net while still learning what interests you ...
William Krause, PhD, left; Muriel Babey, MD, center; and Holly Ingraham, PhD, right, at the Ingraham Lab in Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Hall at the UCSF Mission Bay campus. Photo by Susan Merrell . Authors: Other UCSF authors include Candice B. Herber, Zsofia Torok, Joni Nikkanen, Ruben Rodriquez, Saul Villeda and Fernanda Castro-Navarro. Other ...
He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar. ... covering short and long-form features on personal finance, income inequality, and ...
At 6-foot-9, LeBron James is quite literally a towering figure in the history of basketball, but he can envision the possibility of trying another sport. James, 39, will go for his third Olympic ...
We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us.
Here are the Best Finance MBA Programs. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) University of Chicago (Booth) New York University (Stern) Columbia University. Stanford University. Massachusetts ...
Here is the not-very-surprising list of things that will help you get into a good econ PhD program: good grades, especially in whatever math and economics classes you take, a good score on the ...
PhD in Fin Math vs. PhD in Fin. These are two different areas. PhD in Fin Math would require you to do a lot of math, completing all requirements for a regular Math PhD plus you will have your electives in financial math and might get a chance to do your thesis in Fin Math. PhD in Finance is just finance with limited math exposure.
View community ranking In the Top 1% of largest communities on Reddit. Going back for a PhD after industry experience. ... I spent 4 years in industry as a Risk Analyst after completing my bachelor's in Economics and master's in Finance, but I am considering going back for a PhD in Financial Economics since I was thinking after this period ...
Barron Trump's older brother, Eric, graduated from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in finance and management in 2006.
Here are five of those posts and how they can help you make the best decision about your education. 1. There's no guarantee that a PhD will improve your career path. Many people pursue a PhD program in order to increase their chances of getting a good job or earn more money.