Why Pursue a PhD in Finance
The PhD in Finance offers classes that are diverse in terms of professional experience, academic experience, cultural influences and international experiences. Commitment to research and a passion for teaching are two of the qualities that distinguish both our doctoral faculty and our graduates. Students work closely with faculty members in small classes, seminars, research projects and other assignments, aimed toward developing the analytical skills competencies to conduct independent quality research.
Research Opportunities
At the Alvarez College of Business, professors are conducting research in their fields to strive for current findings. In turn, this also helps students keep current and aware of trends or changes in the fields of Accounting, Finance, Information Systems & Cyber Security (IT), Marketing, Management & Organization Studies (Management) and Management Science & Statistics.
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
| Finance (PhD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Admission is only available for the Fall semester | ||
| Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
| GRE/GMAT | Required scores not older than five years. | |
| English Language Proficiency | 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 | |
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Resume | Required | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 3 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Admission Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Finance (PhD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application. | |||
| Academic Year 2023-24 | International | Domestic | |
| Fall 2023 | February 1 | February 1 | |
| Spring 2024 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer 2024 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Academic Year 2024-25 | International | Domestic | |
| Fall 2024 | February 1 | February 1 | |
| Spring 2025 | Not Available | Not Available | |
| Summer 2025 | Not Available | Not Available | |
Funding Opportunities
PhD’s are generally funded with a financial package which consists of an assistantship in the form of a research or teaching assistantship with paid tuition and fees for up to four (4) years.
Career Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
While in a doctoral program, a student may earn a master’s degree provided the following conditions are satisfied:
- A student must be admitted to candidacy.
- A student is eligible to receive a master’s degree upon completion of University-wide requirements and any additional degree requirements specific to the program.
- The Doctoral Studies Committee, Department Chair, and the Graduate Associate Dean of the College must recommend students for the degree.
- The student must apply for graduation by the published deadline the semester prior to awarding the doctoral degree.
- All required coursework in the doctoral program at the time of admission to candidacy must have been taken within the previous six years.
- If the master’s degree requires a thesis, the degree cannot be awarded on the basis of the doctoral qualifying examination.
- Students will not be approved for an additional master’s degree in the same field in which an individual has previously received a master’s degree.
This is a full-time program. Students will normally be expected to enroll for nine hours each semester. Most courses will be offered during the day. PhD students normally serve as either a teaching assistant or research assistant throughout the program. These experiences are an important part of the training and overall doctoral experience. It would be difficult for someone to manage both a full-time job and the doctoral program’s requirements.
