PhD Finance Queen's University Belfast

The finance group is an energetic and enterprising research cluster that continuously strives for excellence in both its teaching and its scholarship. The group's research strengths cover finance and financial history, financial markets and institutions and not-for-profit financial institutions. Research students benefit from attending courses and tailor-made reading groups to complete their background preparation in finance. Queen's Management School prides itself on research-led teaching and offers its research students experience as teaching assistants in a variety of undergraduate courses. Students regularly attend the School's various seminar series, which attract leading academics from around the world. Students also present their work at these events, gaining invaluable advice and preparation for the academic job market.

Mode of study/duration

Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University. You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD, or two years for MPhil (or part-time equivalent).

Subject Summary

Finance academic staff have been involved in a diverse range of projects such as adaptiveness in stock markets, derivative pricing, investor sentiment, economic and financial history, credit unions, corporate finance, crises and contagion, commodity markets, sustainable finance and household finance. You will benefit from attending courses and tailor-made reading groups to complete your background preparation in finance. You will be able to gain experience as a teaching assistant in a variety of undergraduate courses. You will regularly attend seminar series, which attract leading academics from around the world, and present their work at these events, gaining invaluable advice and preparation for the academic job market.

Key Facts

Research students are encouraged to play a full and active role in relation to the wide range of research activities undertaken within the School. Resources include: WRDS, CRSP/Compustat, London Share Price Database, Bloomberg, S&P Capital IQ

Office accommodation with access to computing facilities and support to attend conferences for full-time PhD students

Course structure

There is no specific course content as such. You are expected to carry out your research under the guidance of your supervisor. You are expected to take research training modules that are identified by your supervisor and supported by the School.

Over the course of study you can attend postgraduate skills training organised by the Graduate School.

To complete with a doctoral qualification you will be required to submit a thesis of approx 80,000 words and you will be required to attend a viva voce [oral examination] with an external and internal examiner to defend your thesis.

A PhD programme runs for 3-4 years full-time or 6-8 years part-time. Students can apply for a writing up year should it be required.

The PhD is open to both full and part time candidates and is often a useful preparation for a career within academia or consultancy.

Full time students are often attracted to research degree programmes because they offer an opportunity to pursue in some depth an area of academic interest.

If you meet the Entry Requirements, the next step is to check whether we can supervise research in your chosen area. We only take students to whom we can offer expert research supervision from one of our academic staff. Therefore, your research question needs to engage with the research interests of one of our staff.

The School has a proven track-record of placing its PhD graduates in tenure-track research and teaching posts at top universities in the UK and elsewhere.