Finance

2019-2020

As a PhD student in finance, you will research three basic areas, investments, corporate finance and financial institutions. See the curriculum below to guide you through your program with the support of your faculty advisor.

Major Requirements

First Year Second Year Third Year and Beyond

Fall Semester

Typically four of the following:

(MGF 743-required when open)

 • MTH 558 Mathematical Finance
 • ECON 712 Time Series Analysis

Spring Semester

  • MGF 744SEM Empirical Methods in Finance (required when open)

If research interests dictate, you may register for research seminars or other classes in related disciplines such as econometrics (e.g., ECON 712 Time Series Analysis; ECON 713 Advanced Econometrics; ECON 796 Special Topics in Econometrics), accounting (e.g. accounting research methodology, seminar in financial accounting), computer science (e.g. machine learning, big data, computing), industrial and systems engineering (e.g. simulations and stochastic models), etc. Some of these are subject to approval by your PhD advisor.

By the end of your second year, you will be required to present a full research paper of publishable quality. The Department of Finance uses the 2nd-year paper requirement in order to evaluate each student’s potential and ability to develop and execute research ideas independently. The evaluation of research potential/capabilities will be made by the Second-Year Paper Committee (hereafter ‘committee’). The committee is chosen by the student and should consist of at least two finance faculty members (including a committee chair and a committee member).

In the summer after the second year, you will be required to pass the comprehensive exam. The exam consists of two written parts and takes two days. On day one, you will be asked to answer questions inspired by the finance research classes you have taken. On the second day, you will be required to write a paper review for a hypothetical finance journal.

 

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Admissions
150 Jacobs Management Center
Buffalo, NY 14260-4000
Tel:  716-645-3204
Contact Admissions

Student Services
203 Alfiero Center
Buffalo, NY 14260-4000
Tel:  716-645-3200
mgtgsrv@buffalo.edu

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Minor in Finance

Required Courses Electives

MGF 740 Theory of Finance

And two of:

MGF 742 Information and Capital Markets

Any of the 600-level courses may be waived if the student has had an equivalent prior course.