PhD of Philosophy in Finance   

College

Program Type

By Research

Study Mode

Duration

4 years

Instruction Language

English

Program Coordinator

College Website

Program Overview

The PhD program in Finance is offered by the Department of Economics and Finance in the College of Economics and Political Science. It is designed to cater for Finance specialists in fulfilling their highest academic aspiration. The Department of Economics and Finance offers a varied, thought provoking and inspirational intellectual environment for candidates from Oman and around the world. The Department of Economics and Finance fosters unconstrained academic debate, encourages collaborative exchange of ideas and aims to elevate the economics research frontier. The Department has several world-class faculty members with different areas of expertise in Finance who apply financial theory and analytics to challenge real-world problems and make exceptional contributions through publications in ranked journals, workshops, seminars, domestic and international conference presentations, collaborative research engagements and direct policy advice and formulation to national and international institutions.

The PhD program will admit students holding a Master’s degree in Finance. The admission screening procedures will include evidence of English proficiency, an interview, a research proposal (4000 to 5000 words) and a short seminar on the students’ proposed research area to be presented by the student to determine the candidate's aptitude for research and motivation to pursue such a PhD degree and other applicable procedures as defined by University’s Postgraduate Academic Regulation 2018. The PhD program will be 100 % research based. The official study duration to earn a doctoral degree is up to 4 years’ full-time and 6 years’ part-time. Upon completion of the requirements of the PhD degree set forth in the University’s Postgraduate Academic Regulation 2018, the student will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy degree in Finance.
 

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program entails that the applicant must be in possession of the following credentials:

• A Bachelor degree from a recognized institution in Finance. 
• A Master degree in Finance from a recognized institution with:
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4-point scale or its equivalent, or
  • A cumulative GPA ranging between 2.75 and 2.99 on a 4-point scale or its equivalent, taking into account the applicant’s work experience (not less than 2 years following completion of an undergraduate degree) and any academic activities they are engaged in, or
  • Pass/No Pass system, subject to the evaluation of the concerned college.
• Two letters of recommendation from the candidate’s previous academic advisor or a faculty member capable of testifying the candidate’s competence in Finance and research potential.
• A research proposal (4000 to 5000 words) that demonstrates the candidate’s background knowledge in the topic, the research methodology and proposed research plan.
• A letter of motivation that specifies the candidate’s objectives and determination to work hard on a project
• A Resume that shows the candidate’s qualifications, research experience, work experience, research publications, skills, awards and honors received, and any other extracurricular activities.
• Applicant must submit a release letter or a study leave from employer, addressed to the dean of postgraduate studies at SQU. Un-employed applicant needs to submit a statement from The Ministry of Labour documenting the unemployment status of the applicant.
   

English Proficiency

Before starting the program, admitted candidates should submit one of the English proficiency certificate meeting the criteria specified below:

• Band 6.5 or higher in the academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or a score of 90 or higher in the International TOEFL-IBT, or
• Passing the English Course LANC6001 for applicants with a score of 6 in the IELTS or a score of 79 in the TOEFL-IBT, or
• Passing the English courses LANC6000 and LANC6001 for applicants with a score of 5.5 in the IELTS or a score of 69 in the TOEFL-IBT.

Selection Criteria 

There will be a personal interview for local applicants and a phone/video interview can be arranged for international applicants who are unable to attend the interview physically.