Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in the field of Economics and a Major Concentration in Economics and Finance

Rice University

Upon completing the PhD degree in the field of Economics and a major concentration in Economics and Finance, students will be able to:Carry out independent research in economics and finance, using mathematical, statistical, econometric, and computational tools. Write an independent and original thesis that is of sufficient quality to merit publication in a top economics or finance journal. Conduct a focused review of the literature and develop a research design to carry out independent research. Defend their research design and modeling choices by presenting their paper in a seminar environment. Communicate their research effectively by writing clearly, concisely, and cogently. Read critically and assess research manuscripts related to their field of study and in other fields. Achieve a minimum grade of B (3.00 grade points) in each of the 10 required courses (32 credit hours), including Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Real Analysis, Computational Economics, and Financial Economics. Successfully complete Corporate Finance and Empirical Methods in Finance. Successfully complete 6 credit hours of elective requirements from the following courses: BUSI 524,BUSI 525, BUSI 526, and BUSI 527. Successfully pass a comprehensive exam on Asset Pricing, Corporate Finance, and Empirical Methods administered by the Finance faculty at the end of the Fall semester of the second year. Write and present a paper in the third year of the program. The paper and its presentation must be approved by two faculty advisors, one of whom must be in the Economics department and one of whom must be a member of the Finance group in the Business school. Write and defend a thesis. The thesis committee must include at least one member from the Economics department and at least one member from the Finance group in the Business School.

School of Social Sciences