Sample Schedule

Fall:

• GSBA 602. Selected Issues in Economic Theory I
• GSBA 604. Regression and Generalized Linear Models for Business Research
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• Elective(s)

Spring:

• GSBA 612. Selected Issues in Economic Theory II
• FBE 630. Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
• FBE 633. Fundamentals of Asset Pricing
• [Statistics or research design]
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• Elective(s)

Summer

• First year paper
  

Students are assigned a faculty mentor upon entering the program. The faculty mentor advises the student on course selection and as appropriate involves the student in a research project. During the first summer, each student conducts a supervised reading of the literature and prepares a research proposal or study.

Sample Schedule

Fall:

• FBE 631. Advanced Corporate Finance
• FBE 634. Advanced Asset Pricing
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• Elective(s)

Spring

• FBE 670. Selected Topics in Finance Research #1
• FBE 670. Selected Topics in Finance Research #2
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• GSBA 690. Tutorial on the Research Process

Summer:

• BUCO 637. Communication for Doctoral Students
• Second Year Paper (Screening Exam)

Students spend much of the second year developing and producing an independent study in coordination with a faculty committee. The study is submitted to the program at the end of the summer and serves as the qualifying exam for the second year.

Sample Schedule

• FBE 670. Selected Topics in Finance Research #3-#N
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• Dissertation proposal (USC Qualifying Exam)
• Third Year Paper

Sample Schedule

• Dissertation proposal
• GBSA 794. Doctoral Dissertation
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• Job Market Paper

Sample Schedule

• GSBA 794. Doctoral Dissertation
• FBE 621. Research Forum
• Dissertation

The culture of the program is research focused, collegial, supportive, and highly interactive. PhD students are “junior colleagues” encouraged to participate in academic research with faculty from the very beginning. The low PhD student/faculty ratio coupled with the faculty’s “open door” policy promotes frequent and meaningful interactions between faculty and students about research, careers and teaching. Students also serve as colleagues and mentors to each other and often develop papers together.

Faculty and students attend weekly scholarly presentations from invited faculty from around the world. In addition, internal brown bag seminars and reading groups allow students and faculty to exchange ideas and receive feedback on research topics. Additional weekly seminars in applied economics and macroeconomics are available to PhD students, too.

Our students come from all of over the world. They have strong academic backgrounds and bring with them a variety of experiences prior to joining the program.

FBE Ph.D. students have contributed to the field by publishing in leading journals and winning numerous prestigious research awards, including best paper awards at the Western Finance Association Annual Meeting, Northern Finance Association Conference, China International Finance Conference, and the European Finance Association Annual Meeting.

The oldest and most prestigious conference devoted to finance research conducted by PhD students.

Conference Benefits

• Around 50% of presenters have successfully placed at top 30 business schools
  
• Best Paper Award
  
• Travel grant for out of town presenters
  
• Meet and network with fellow PhD students and faculty
  
• Develop contacts and research collaboration
  
• Accepted papers will get feedback from high quality discussants
  

For more information, please see the conference archives.

A research conference devoted to alumni of USC’s PhD program designed to foster greater collaboration and shared interests among USC’s past graduates and current students.

USC was the original host of the highly-selective FOM conference and currently hosts the conference on a rotating basis with Dartmouth University.

This conference is intended to bring together leading academics doing research related to emerging technologies at the intersection of accounting and financial economics. USC hosts this conference on a rotating basis.