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Finance

About the Program

The Wisconsin PhD Program in finance prepares individuals for careers in research and teaching at the university level.

The program is highly quantitative, providing a strong foundation in financial and economic theory, as well as in mathematical statistical techniques. Through a program of elective courses and dissertation research, students specialize in particular areas of finance.

Core Areas of Research

Student research is supported by faculty in five core areas:

Asset pricing

Corporate finance

Market microstructure

Banking

Finance theory

Academic Requirements

All students must meet the general PhD requirements of both the UW–Madison Graduate School and the Wisconsin School of Business. Applicants should have the following background:

  • Completed and performed well in basic undergraduate economics or finance courses
  • Completed and performed well in mathematics, calculus, and linear algebra, including statistics and real analysis

Program Coursework

Theory of Finance

Investments

Corporate Finance

Economic Statistics and Econometrics I & II

Economic Theory–Microeconomics Sequence I & II

Economic Theory–Macroeconomics Sequence I or II

Real Analysis (may be waived if an equivalent was completed prior to admission)

Faculty Research Interests

Hengjie Ai

Hengjie Ai

Research interests:

  • Financial economics
  • Macroeconomics
  • Economic Theory
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Briana Chang

Briana Chang

Research interests:

  • Financial intermediation
  • Market microstructure
  • Information economics
  • Search and matching theory
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Dean Corbae

P. Dean Corbae

Research interests:

  • Consumer credit
  • Bankruptcy
  • Foreclosures
  • Banking industry dynamics
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Anthony DeFusco

Anthony DeFusco

Research interests:

  • Household finance
  • Financial regulation
  • Real estate finance
  • Applied Microeconomics
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Bjorn Eraker

Bjorn Eraker

Research interests:

  • Asset pricing
  • Derivatives
  • Econometrics of financial markets
  • Equilibrium modeling
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Mark Fedenia

Mark Fedenia

Research interests:

  • Investment management
  • Wealth management
  • Liquidity
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Oliver Levine

Oliver Levine

Research interests:

  • Corporate finance
  • Corporate investment
  • Executive compensation
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Intangible capital
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Erik Mayer

Erik Mayer

Research interests:

  • Financial Institutions
  • Household finance
  • Finance and inequality
  • Corporate finance
  • Labor economics
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Antonio Mello

Antonio Mello

Research interests:

  • Corporate financial policy
  • Corporate risk management
  • Corporate finance and industrial organization
  • Capital market imperfections and stability
  • International finance
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Dmitry Orlov

Dmitry Orlov

Research interests:

  • Banking
  • Markets for repurchase agreements
  • Bayesian persuasion
  • Dynamic contacts
  • Mutual funds
  • Stochastic games
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Sebastien Plante

Sebastien Plante

Research interests:

  • Microstructures
  • Credit markets
  • Liquidity
  • Corporate finance
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Erwan Quintin

Erwan Quintin

Research interests:

  • Growth and development economics
  • Financial economics
  • Macroeconomics
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Roberto Robatto

Roberto Robatto

Research interests:

  • Banking
  • Macroeconomics
  • Monetary and financial economics
  • Evolutionary foundations of economic behavior
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Sang Seo

Research interests:

  • Asset pricing
  • Macro-finance
  • Derivatives
  • Financial econometrics
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Ivan Shaliastovich

Ivan Shaliastovich

Research interests:

  • Asset pricing
  • Financial econometrics
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Randall Wright

Randall Wright

Research interests:

  • Monetary, macro, and labor economics
  • Asset pricing
  • Banking
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Connect With Current Students Specializing in Finance

We encourage you to contact our doctoral students in finance to hear their perspectives on the Wisconsin PhD Program.

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Connect With Students Specializing in Finance and Economics

Some PhD students choose the joint degree in finance and economics. Feel free to contact them about the program.

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See Our Placement Results

Graduates of our PhD specialization in finance have accepted tenure-track positions at top research universities.

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Contact Us

Dean Corbae

Dean Corbae

Professor