PhD program in Finance

The PhD program in Finance (240 ECTS) follows the standard US format: rigorous coursework in the first two years, and independent work on research projects that will make up the doctoral dissertation in the remaining years. Teaching experience is an integral part of the PhD program in Finance, and doctoral students are strongly encouraged to do some teaching from the second year. Successful completion of teaching entitles to a fifth year in the program.

Most courses are offered within the  Stockholm Doctoral Course Program in Economics, Econometrics and Financ e  (SDPE) , which is organized by SSE jointly with Stockholm University. In addition, the Swedish House of Finance offers specialized courses in machine learning, digital currencies or continuous-time finance. To ensure the success of our students on the job market, our program offers customized presentation workshops by an external presentation coach and faculty mentors for all students from day 1.

A dissertation from our program typically consists of several essays in one or several fields of financial economics, which are expected to be suitable for publication in international scientific journals – the main channel for communicating research results.

SSE's Department of Finance belongs to the top 5 finance departments in Europe, regularly publishing in internationally recognized finance and economics journals. You will be surrounded by faculty members who previously taught at Duke University, Harvard University, NYU as well as the University of Chicago. Our professional standing is evident through keynote speeches, the Nobel Prize Committee membership, and editor roles at leading finance journals.

A strong track record of placing our graduates in leading academic institutions around the world reflects the strengths of the program and the dedication of our faculty to support our doctoral students. During their time at SSE and other internationally renowned universities, our faculty members have advised  PhD  students with first placements at Amsterdam University, Bocconi, Carnegie-Mellon, Chicago, Columbia, Copenhagen Business School, Harvard, HEC Montreal, LBS, McGill,  Nova, Tilburg, University of Zurich as well as the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, BlackRock, or Goldman Sachs.