Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration – Finance

Graduate Students in Program:
10
Students Receiving Assistantships:
10
Priority Deadlines:

  • Fall January 10

Campus:

  • Pullman

International Student English Proficiency Exams

International students may need to surpass the Graduate School’s minimum English language proficiency exam scores for this program. If the graduate program has unique score requirements, they will be detailed below. Otherwise, please refer to the Graduate School’s minimum score guidelines.

  • 7.5 IELTS Minimum score
  • 90 MELAB Minimum score
  • 62 Pearson Minimum score
  • 580 TOEFL Minimum score
  • 92 TOEFLI Minimum score
  • GMAT No minimum score, but successful candidates exceed 650. The GRE may be substituted for the GMAT.

Degree Description:

The doctorate in business administration with an emphasis in finance at Washington State University is designed to prepare graduates for careers in research and teaching. The primary goal of the finance doctoral program is to train academics for placements at AACSB-accredited universities throughout the United States and abroad.

The program encompasses a variety of formal and informal interactions and projects with faculty and others, as well as course work, comprehensive exams, teaching experience and dissertation research. It enables students to develop substantial competencies in the theory, practice, and research methodology essential to the advancement of finance knowledge, while accommodating individual backgrounds, experiences, and objectives.

Course work covers topics associated with the scholarly pursuit of finance as well as topics from supporting fields of inquiry such as economics, accounting, and psychology. Extensive coverage of research methods and statistics associated with finance research is a large component of the program. In addition to specific coursework, the finance doctoral program also provides an environment in which students can develop research competencies in close association with the finance faculty and other graduate students.

Admission Requirements:

A minimum admissions index score of 1250 is required to be considered for admission. The index is based on the formula GPA x 200 + GMAT (and a TOEFL of 580 for ESL students). There is not a minimum GMAT score requirement. However, successful candidates typically exceed 650.

We prefer the GMAT, but we do accept the GRE test as a substitute. In either case, the exam must have been taken within 5 years of the time of application to WSU. A GMAT conversion will be applied to the GRE score submitted by applicants who take the GRE in lieu of the GMAT. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) provides a conversion chart. The converted GRE score will then be applied to the Carson College of Business admissions index score in the same manner as a standard GMAT score.

GMAT score report code 09D-TL-81 Pearson Test of English score report code: 8Z2-GT-38 Desired pre-requisite courses: 3 semesters college level calculus, 1 semester mathematics for economists, 1 semester of linear algebra, 2 semesters of probability and statistics, 1 semester of intermediate microeconomics, 1 semester of intermediate corporate finance, 1 semester of investments, 1 semester of financial markets and institutions.

Student Opportunities:

Conference funding is generally available for students presenting a paper if the budget allows for it. 

Career Opportunities:

  • University Professor
  • Industry Analyst

Career Placements:

  • West Virginia University
  • University of Toledo
  • Oregon State University
  • University of Wyoming
  • Gonzaga University
  • Central Michigan University

Contact Information: