Program Overview
- Degree: PhD
- Study mode: Full-time
- Duration: 4 years (48 months)
- Intake size: 1–2 students per year
- Funding: Full scholarship (covers 4 years of tuition and living expenses)
Research Areas
- Financial Economics
- Quantitative Finance
- Financial Markets and Institutions
- Financial Risk Management
- Empirical Asset Pricing
- Financial Econometrics
- Computational Methods in Finance
Eligibility
- Academic background: Master’s degree in Finance (business, economics, statistics, or related master’s degrees are less likely to be accepted)
- Undergraduate degree: 2:1 honours or equivalent (China: Double First-Class ≥ 85%; US: GPA ≥ 3.5/4.0)
- English proficiency: IELTS overall ≥ 7 (no section < 7, no General Training/Online tests) or TOEFL ≥ 110 (L ≥ 22, R ≥ 24, W ≥ 24, S ≥ 25, no Best Score results)
- English waiver: Master’s degree from English-instruction country may be exempt
- Programming: Proficiency in Matlab or Python required
- Letters of recommendation: 3 academic (if degree pending, one must be from degree-granting institution)
Application Windows
- Now–early October: Submit application materials for preliminary evaluation
- October–early November: Interview with potential supervisor (for shortlisted applicants)
- Before December: Submit official application via university website (after passing interview)
- Late January (next year): Admissions committee interview
- Late February (next year): Admission offer
Timeline (Fall cycle)
- Now–early October: Submit application materials for preliminary evaluation
- October–early November: Interview with potential supervisor
- Before December: Submit official application via university website (after passing interview)
- Late January (next year): Admissions committee interview
- Late February (next year): Admission offer
Source URL
- TBD
Notes
- Application materials:
- Undergraduate and master’s transcripts
- Official GMAT or GRE score report (within 5 years, no provisional scores)
- Official TOEFL or IELTS score report (within 2 years)
- 3 academic writing samples:
- Research proposal (≤ 2,000 words)
- Personal statement (≤ 1,500 words)
- Previous written work (≤ 2,000 words, sole author)
- 3 academic recommendation letters (if degree pending, one must be from degree-granting institution)
- First year: research methods training and coursework (6 required, 2 elective)
- Second year: research proposal (5,000–7,000 words)
- Third year: two draft papers/chapters (≤ 25,000 words)
- Fourth year: dissertation (≤ 100,000 words, substantial contribution to finance)
- Opportunities: paid TA/RA positions, student committee participation, career development resources
- Programming in Matlab or Python required