The student pursuing a concentration or major in finance typically specializes in corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, or investments. The Ph.D. curriculum consists of course work of four types: research foundations, the major field, a minor or supporting field, and a breadth requirement.

The research foundation requirements are comprised of courses in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, mathematical methods and applications to economics, mathematical statistics, and econometrics. The actual courses will depend on the student’s background and proposed thesis research.

The major field in finance consists of at least 16 credit hours in graduate course work in finance including financial theory, corporate finance, and seminars in empirical methods, market micro structure, and special topics. Students may elect to have one “strong” minor (16 credit hours), two “weak” minors (8 credit hours each), or a supporting field which is not declared as a minor. If a supporting field is chosen, at least 16 hours of course work acceptable to the student’s supervisory committee must be taken. The supporting field option is selected when a student wishes to take courses across a number of departments. The department offers a combined B.S./M.S. program. Contact the graduate coordinator for information.

The breadth requirement applies only to students with no prior course work in business and consists of financial and managerial accounting or their equivalents, plus two courses out of the following areas: managerial economics, production operations management, or problems and methods in marketing management. Other requirements are listed in the General Information section of this catalog.