Curious about a Finance PhD?

Graduate School
1

<p>Hey all, </p>

<p>I'm only a junior in undergrad, but have had an interest in pursuing a Finance PhD that has developed over the past school year. I look at the Finance PhD as more of a long-term goal though, as I am going into Investment Banking industry now. </p>

<p>I had a few questions that I was hoping you all could weigh in on... </p>

<p>First of all, how crucial would my math abilities be for a Finance PhD? I know this sounds obvious, but at my school, we only have to take an intro statistics course and business calculus. Admittedly, I never had any ambition to take additional math classes, but have never felt deficient in any way during my finance classes. Will I experience problems down the road? </p>

<p>Also, how long does a PhD in Finance typically take? At my current school, I researched the program a bit and saw a suggested 4 years, however, one of my professors, a current PhD candidate, is in his 6th year. Is that the general time-frame (4-6) or is my professor an unusual example? </p>

<p>Last, what determines acceptance to a PhD program? Obviously grades and I'm assuming GMATs, but does work experience factor in at all? </p>

<p>Thank you in advance for any help you can give. It's much appreciated.</p>

2

<p>I looked into pursuing a finance phd back in the day; you'll need more math. I met with a few professors, and they all told me that at the VERY least I'd need linear algebra, probability, and calc III.</p>

3

<p>Yeah I second what Intaglio5 said. I am persueing a econ phd and grad schools won't even read your application unless you have all 3 calcs and linear algebra. I am a math major so that stuff isn't really a problem. When I talked to some professors they said you need some advanced calc/real analysis to really get you in the clear. I imagine finance is similar.</p>