PhD in Business Administration (PhD-BA), Concentration in Finance

The PhD-BA program fosters excellence in teaching, learning and research using the American model of higher education, while recognizing the distinctive culture and organizational forms and practices of the Gulf region. The nature of the program will generate both professors and experts employed outside of academia who are able to further the development and publication of their knowledge while training a new generation of scholars steeped in innovative thinking.

Graduates of the PhD-BA program will be prepared to:

• critique methods of research and academic inquiry in the field of business administration
• reconcile the results of research in the business field of study with extant theory
• identify, investigate and synthesize complex issues within the field by applying a range of analytical tools and theoretical models
• communicate research outcomes effectively to academic and practitioner audiences both orally and in writing
• publish scholarship in peer-reviewed journals related to business administration and economics
• teach effectively and disseminate fundamental knowledge in the field of study and related areas in business administration
• uphold standards of ethical academic conduct

BUS 701 Philosophical Foundations of Business Research (3-0-3). Covers the philosophical foundations of social science research. Explores the different stages of the research process, including formulation of a research problem, writing and publishing the research results. Presents key differences in qualitative and quantitative research, and explains the relationship between theory and practice. Prerequisite: admission to the PhD-BA program.

BUS 702 Seminar in Business Administration (3-0-3). Covers the different sub-areas of business administration including accounting, finance, management and marketing from a researcher’s perspective. Introduces students to the different theories, literature reviews and research areas in their respective fields. Uses an interactive seminar-based forum for students to gain knowledge of the main research challenges in, and across, these disciplines. Prerequisite: admission to the PhD-BA program.

BUS 703 Advanced Applied Econometrics (3-0-3). Builds a range of quantitative research skills using tools required to do empirical research.  Covers a variety of methods commonly employed in empirical business research, including panel data, discriminant analysis, non-parametric methods and introduction to GMM estimation techniques. Prerequisite: admission to the PhD-BA program.

BUS 704 Applied Time Series Analysis (3-0-3). Examines the characteristics of time series data, moving average models and partial autocorrelation as foundations for analysis of time series data. Draws on the use of exploratory data analysis techniques to explore trends in time series data, forecast using time series data, implement ARMA and ARIMA time series models, identify and interpret various patterns for intervention effects. Incorporates ARCH and AR models in multivariate time series contexts. Requires a strong background in quantitative methods. Prerequisite: admission to the PhD-BA program.

BUS 790 Qualifying Examination. Includes written and oral parts to test breadth of knowledge, understanding of fundamentals, and ability to perform independent research work in business administration area relevant to the PhD-BA program. Can only be repeated once with approval of the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies. Graded as Pass/Fail. Prerequisites: completion of 18 credit hours of coursework, including 6 credit hours from the required concentration, good academic standing and approval of the Program Coordinator.

BUS 794 Special Topics in Business Administration. Presents a theoretical or practical topic proposed by the faculty beyond what is offered in existing courses. Courses are made available during registration. Can be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): course content specific.

BUS 799 Dissertation (a minimum of 27 credit hours). Includes the preparation, presentation and defense of the research proposal, as well as the write-up, presentation and defense of the dissertation. Prerequisites: passing the Qualifying Examination and approval of the SBA Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

FIN 711 Finance Theory (3-0-3). Develops a firm foundation in financial theory and covers fundamental and complex issues in both asset pricing and corporate finance. Develops skills in the appraisal of finance theory and the critical assessment of key issues in finance. Prerequisite: BUS 703.

FIN 712 Contemporary​ Issues in Financial Research (3-0-3). Examines a range of research areas in finance while focusing on empirical approaches to addressing research questions. Covers the event study approach, long-term returns calculations, cross sectional and panel approaches applied to areas such as capital structure, board of directors, IPOs and SEOS, agency problems, financial constraints and payout policies. Prerequisite: BUS 702.

FIN 713 Advanced Topics in Financial Markets and Institutions (3-0-3). Covers several recent developments in banking and financial markets research, including financial crises, bank regulation, bank liquidity creation and monetary policy, and bank governance and efficiency. Prerequisite: BUS 703.

FIN 714 Empirical Research Methods in Finance: Asset Pricing (3-0-3). Covers topics related to asset pricing including return predictability, testing traditional and modern asset pricing models, liquidity, short-selling, microstructure and portfolio evaluation. Prerequisite: BUS 703.

FIN 715 Advanced Corporate Finance Research (3-0-3). Builds an integrated framework for understanding the issues in corporate finance. Introduces theoretical and conceptual scholarship on a given topic with a focus on identifying empirically testable hypotheses. Presents extant empirical work on issues related to capital structure, pay out policies, agency theory, bankruptcy and financial distress, mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation, IPOs and corporate governance and control. Prerequisite: BUS 704.

FIN 721 Seminar in International Finance (3-0-3). Introduces topics related to international finance and international business. Focuses on multinational corporations risk management, corporate international diversification, foreign exchange markets, global portfolio flows, financial development issues and determinants, and foreign investments determinants. Prerequisites: FIN 711 and FIN 712.

FIN 722 Corporate Restructuring and Reorganization (3-0-3). Surveys leading academic research in the areas of corporate restructuring with a focus on the evaluation of the determinants and outcomes of corporate restructurings including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, financial distress and recapitalizations. Prerequisite: FIN 71.

FIN 723 Advanced Topics in Corporate Governance and Compensation (3-0-3). Covers advanced topics in corporate governance and executive compensation. Particular emphasis is on the ownership structure of corporations, the role of institutional investors, the board of directors, incentive structures and executive compensation determinants, structure and outcomes. Prerequisite: FIN 711.