Plan of Study
Refer to the Drexel Course Catalogue for the full list of course requirements and class descriptions.
Degree Requirements
60 credits (Post-Master’s degree)
90 credits (Post-Bachelor’s degree)
- 15 credits of core courses
- 30 credits of specialization requirements
- 15 credits of dissertation research
- 30 credits for students without Master’s degree
Specialization Courses
Students specializing in finance take the following courses in addition to the PhD core courses:
- ECON 910: Advanced Microeconomics I
- ECON 920: Advanced Macroeconomics I
- ECON 940: Econometrics I
- ECON 941: Econometrics II
- FIN 920: Foundations of Finance Theory
- FIN 924: Seminar in Macro Finance
- FIN 928: Applied Capital Markets
- FIN 922: Corporate Finance Theory
- Three electives with the permission of the adviser
Academic Timeline
Year 1
- 20 hours of research assistant work per week
- Present at least one idea during PhD Idol (winter/spring)
- 1st year comprehensive exam (summer)
- 1st year summer paper (summer)
- 1st year assessment
Year 2
- 20 hours of research assistant work per week
- 2nd year exam
- Solo-authored term paper (by end of summer)
- 2nd year assessment
Year 3
- Teach one course in fall or winter quarter
- Teach two courses in the subsequent quarter
- 1st paper submitted to a top-three journal (by the end of the third year/early 4th year,
Year 4
- Teach two courses (if not completed in year three)
Year 5
- Proposal Defense before the FMA
- FMA interviews (fall)
- Final defense (spring)