Business Administration (PhD) – Finance

The Finance track in the Business Administration PhD program prepares students for careers in higher education and management within profit and nonprofit industries.

Success in the program is judged by the student's understanding of the issues and methodologies essential to the advancement of knowledge.

The Finance track of the Business Administration PhD program requires 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. Students must meet prerequisite requirements of 18 credit hours, and then complete 18 credit hours of finance core courses, 6 credit hours of a minor/support area, 12 credit hours of research methods/tools courses, 3 credit hours of electives, and 15 credit hours of dissertation.

Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Required courses for all students are indicated with an asterisk in the lists below. Specific courses from the foundation body of knowledge category are determined based on a student's background in consultation with the doctoral program coordinator. Required course work prior to beginning study includes successful completion of at least a two-course sequence of 6 credit hours of calculus and previous course work in economics, finance, and statistics. The program requires 27 hours of formal course work, exclusive of independent study, as well as 15 credit hours of dissertation research.

Degree Requirements

Prerequisites—Foundation Body of Knowledge

• Earn at least 18 credits from the following types of courses: In the Finance track of the Business Administration PhD program, the foundation body of knowledge includes (a) the finance, accounting, statistics and economics common body of knowledge in a MBA degree or its equivalent and (b) graduate courses in financial management, investments, financial institutions and international finance. Alternatively, this requirement may be satisfied by courses deemed essential by the Finance track program coordinator in consultation with the PhD committee.

Required Courses

Finance Core

• Complete all of the following
  • Complete the following:
    • FIN7935 - Finance Research Forum (3)
    • FIN7808 - Introduction to the Theory of Finance (3)
    • FIN7807 - Corporate Finance Theory (3)
    • FIN7816 - Investment Theory (3)
    • FIN7845 - Empirical Methods I (3)
    • FIN7864 - Empirical Methods II (3)
  • Other courses as deemed acceptable by the doctoral program coordinator.

Minor/Support Area

• Complete the following:
  • ECO6118 - Microeconomic Theory I (3)
  • ECO7116 - Microeconomic Theory II (3)

Research Methods/Tools

• Complete all of the following
  • Earn at least 12 credits from the following:
    • ECO6403 - Mathematical Economics (3)
    • ECO6424 - Econometrics I (3)
    • ECO7426 - Econometrics II (3)
    • ECO6404 - Games and Economic Behavior (3)
    • ECO7428 - Time Series (3)
    • ACG7157 - Seminar in Archival Research in Accounting (3)
  • Other courses as deemed acceptable by the doctoral program coordinator.

Elective

• Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: Elective course approved by the doctoral program coordinator 3 Credit Hours

Dissertation

• Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: FIN 7980 - Dissertation 15 Credit Hours minimum

Admissions to Candidacy

• Students must complete a comprehensive candidacy examination that includes written and oral portions. Students must defend a written dissertation proposal in an oral examination conducted by the student's advisory/dissertation committee. Students officially enter candidacy when the following have been accomplished: Completion of all course work, except for dissertation hours. Successful completion of the comprehensive candidacy examination. The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved graduate faculty and graduate faculty scholars. Submittal of an approved program of study. Students must defend a written dissertation proposal in an oral examination conducted by the faculty, at least one semester prior to their final dissertation defense. The final defense of the dissertation will also require an oral examination.

Teaching Requirement

• The requirements for the teaching component of the degree will be developed with the doctoral graduate program director based on the student's experience. Normally, this requirement will be satisfied through teaching a minimum of three credit hours of class instruction under the direct supervision of a faculty member. As appropriate, students will also be required to attend teaching development workshops and seminars.

Independent Learning

• The dissertation serves as the independent learning experience.

Grand Total Credits: 72

Application Requirements

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
• Official, competitive GRE or GMAT score taken within the last five years.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Goal statement.
• Résumé.
• Other: Previous publications and/or other relevant supporting documentation.
• A computer-based score of 233 (or 91 internet-based score) on the Test of English as a Foreign language (TOEFL) if an applicant is from a country where English is not the official language, or if an applicant's degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, or if an applicant did not earn a degree in a country where English is the only official language or a university where English is the only official language of instruction. Although we prefer the TOEFL, we will accept IELTS scores of 7.0.

Admission decisions are made based on faculty recommendations from the appropriate department or school. Admissions will generally be made only for fall semester, every other year. All interested students should contact the program director for their track for information about applying to this program. The college strongly encourages applications from minority and diverse populations. Race, national origin, and gender are not used in the evaluation of students for admission into graduate and professional programs.

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.