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| First phase: PhD Courses |
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| The Doctoral Program in Finance at the University of Zurich
starts with a curriculum of first year doctoral courses (core courses) taught
mainly by local Faculty. The aim of this intensive course-work is to equip all
candidates with a broad and complete education covering the basic building
blocks and conceptual tools of finance. It should provide a perfect working
basis to successfully finish the doctoral program within three more years. More
information on the current list of first year doctoral courses at the
University of Zurich can be found
here.
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There will be examinations following each core course. The responsible faculty
member can decide to attribute the final grade for his/her course based only on
project assessments, on class participation as well as on graded interim
homework. Students' admission to the second phase (dissertation writing) is
determined on the basis of the grades obtained on the core courses as well as
the successful completion of a summer research paper. The summer research paper
should be the first draft of a "publishable" research paper. It should contain
original theoretical or empirical work (no survey paper) developed by students
on their own (under "minimal guidance" by supervisor). |
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An extensive selection of additional Master level courses is available to PhD
candidates wishing to complete their education during the first phase of their
curriculum. In addition to the courses listed above, a large number of courses
in related fields are offered by partner academic institutions in the Swiss
Finance Institute PhD program. These courses can be integrated into the course
curriculum of Swiss Finance Institute PhD candidates with the approval of the
local Doctoral Program coordinator.
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| Second phase: PhD Research |
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| Upon admission to the second phase of the program, Swiss Finance
Institute PhD students select a thesis topic and choose their thesis advisor.
Typically, students can become part of the research projects carried out at one
of the various institutes involved and work within this project as a research
or teaching assistant. The NCCR FINRISK network also guarantees intensive
contact with researchers and PhD students from other Swiss Universities and
provides an excellent and stimulating research environment.
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In this second phase of the doctoral program, all PhD students are required to
follow the annual PhD workshop at the Study Centre Gerzensee, the
faculty’s Research Seminar in Finance, and the internal Brown Bag Lunch
Seminar. In addition, the NCCR FINRISK institutions offer a large variety of
advanced doctoral courses taught by internationally renowned academics
from Switzerland, Europe, and North America. The goal of these advanced courses
is to provide students with the opportunity to acquire the specialized skills
that are most relevant to their thesis work. The selection of the appropriate
advanced doctoral courses for each candidate will be made jointly with his/her
dissertation supervisor. |
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The completion of the Doctoral Program in Finance at the University of Zurich
requires a successful final defense of the doctoral dissertation. The degree
"Doctorate in Economics with Specialisation in Finance" is awarded by the
University of Zurich.
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