Finance Doctoral Program

General Description

The Finance doctoral program admits three highly qualified students per year. The program prepares students for careers in research, classroom teaching, and service. The program emphasizes current research topics in Investments, Corporate Finance, and Financial Institutions and Markets. In addition, students are taught a variety of theoretical and empirical research methods and tools using statistics, econometrics, mathematical economics, and financial mathematics.

Analytical Tools and Research Area (TAR)

Students must take the following three courses:

  • ECO 5403 Introduction to Mathematical Economics
  • ECO 5416 Econometrics I
  • ECO 5423 Econometric Theory
  • Plus two additional quantitative courses in Statistics, or Economics numbered 5000 and above with the approval of the primary area adviser.

Primary Area

The doctoral Primary Area in Finance covers the foundations and theories of finance.

In addition to the economics requirement in the Tools and Research Area, finance majors are required to take graduate courses in micro and macro-economics. The selection of these courses is subject to the approval of the primary area adviser.

Doctoral Students in Finance must take the following doctoral seminars and courses:

  • xxx xxxx - One elective approved by the doctoral advisor
  • FIN 6808 - Foundations of Financial Theory I
  • FIN 5935 - Foundations of Financial Theory II
  • FIN 6842 - Empirical Research in Finance
  • FIN 6527 - Doctoral Seminar in Investments - Finance and Investments
  • FIN 6449 - Doctoral Seminar in Corporate Finance
  • FIN xxxx - Supervised Research/Directed Individual Study in Finance
    (number of courses and topics vary)

The requirement for an elective, course chosen in consultation with the doctoral adviser, is designed to allow some minimum specialization by students. As some examples, this course could be a multinational finance course, a financial institutions course, an economics course or an additional quantitative course. In addition to these regularly scheduled seminars, the Finance Workshop meets periodically to share the results of recent research conducted by FSU faculty and doctoral students and by invited scholars from other universities. Finance doctoral students are required to attend the Finance Workshop seminars.

Finance majors typically choose a Support Area in econometrics. Normally, four courses are required in the Support Area. In addition, at least two of the courses required in the Support Area cannot be used to satisfy other requirements.

There is also a required research paper that begins in June of the first year and is completed by the end of the spring semester of the second year. The paper is directed by two faculty members and is designed to prepare the student for the dissertation and subsequent research.

Suggested Course Sequence for Finance Doctoral Students

  FALL SPRING SUMMER
1st YEAR
  • FIN 6808 Foundations of Financial Theory I
  • ECO 5416 Econometrics I
  • ECO 5403 Static Optimization (microeconomics)
  • FIN 5935 Foundations of Financial Theory II
  • ECO 5423 Econometric Theory
  • FIN 6842 Research Methods in Finance
  • ECO 5427 Limited Dependent Variable Models
  • STA 5207 Applied Regression Methods
    OR
    STA 5440 Intro to Probability I
  • FIN 6946 Supervised Teaching
2nd YEAR
  • FIN 6527 Investments Seminar
  • STA 5207 or STA 5440
  • Elective or DIS
  • FIN 6449 Corporate Seminar
  • ECO 5428 Time Series
  • Supervised Readings for Dissertation
  • Comprehensive exam – June
  • Dissertation
3rd YEAR
  • Dissertation
  • Dissertation
  • Dissertation
4th YEAR
  • Dissertation
  • Dissertation
  • Dissertation and Defense


For more information on the Finance Ph.D. Program, please contact Dr. David Peterson.