The University of Cincinnati Finance & Real Estate Department offers a rigorous, highly structured doctoral program that develops the skills required for a successful career as a financial economist. Our primary objective is to develop scholars who will join top academic and research institutions and make important contributions to the field of financial economics.
Our internationally renowned faculty works with a select number of PhD candidates each year to offer systematic, rigorous training in quantitative methods and economic and financial theory (You can see our faculty's recent publications here). Due to the selectivity of the program, our faculty is able to work closely with each candidate to customize a program of study that meets your interests and needs. The goal of this interaction is for you to develop the ability to conduct original research that will become the cornerstone of your dissertation.
A collegial environment has long been a hallmark of the UC PhD program. Students frequently collaborate with one another and with faculty to produce original research. We strongly encourage these collaborations and place a high priority on students pursuing their own research agendas as quickly as possible.
An independent academic study was recently published that found that the UC Finance PhD program was among top 10 ‘value added' program in terms of training students to publish in high impact finance journals. Other top-ten value-added programs include Purdue, Pittsburgh, Arizona, LSU, and U Toronto.†
Because we are also committed to enhancing students' ability to teach well, the college and university offers teaching workshops to develop your classroom skills. Early in your career you will be mentored by finance department faculty in various teaching assistant roles. Finally, hands-on teaching experience in the classroom will complete your teacher training.
The program begins with a thorough grounding in quantitative methods and economic and financial theory. This is complemented by a sequence of seminars covering all the major areas of financial economics (for more on the curriculum, see here). In addition, through your work on an independent research paper you will develop the skills and ability to conduct original research. Satisfactory performance on a written comprehensive examination marks the student's transition from coursework to full-time thesis research. A very brief list of the research topics that you may choose to pursue as a dissertation topic include theoretical, experimental, or empirical aspects of asset pricing, corporate finance, financial institutions, market microstructure, or real estate. A list of recent graduates and their thesis topics is available here.
At UC we have high standards and strive to continually improve. Our goal is to offer you a first-class doctoral education in Finance and to assist you in finding an academic position. To that end, I invite you to explore the opportunities in Finance at the University of Cincinnati.
Michael F. Ferguson
Associate Professor of Finance
Coordinator, Finance Phd Program
†For more on the ranking process and result, see Chan, Kam C., Carl R. Chen, and Hung-Gay Fung, “Pedigree or Placement? An Analysis of Research Productivity in Finance,” The Financial Review 44 (2009), 87-111.
