Exerting thought-leadership and introducing radical innovation in the financial industry demands professionals who combine field expertise, critical thinking, and outstanding research skills.

Since undergraduate degrees, professional experience and the MBA may develop this set of competencies only partially, those who aspire to higher intellectual levels should consider pursuing the foremost academic and professional qualification, the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD).

The newly introduced EDHEC PhD in Finance is designed for professionals whose aim is to gain and maintain an in-depth understanding of finance as well as the ability to initiate and carry through research projects that will yield original insights and lead to innovative approaches and offerings.

The programme is uniquely offered in two tracks: a “residential track” for high-potential graduate students who will hold part-time research positions at EDHEC Business School, and an “executive track” for high-level practitioners who will keep their full-time jobs. Executive track participants will typically undertake the EDHEC PhD in Finance as a critical development step towards senior positions in the financial industry.

A rigorous programme, the EDHEC PhD in Finance implies an intense personal commitment and is designed to be completed over three years. Its structure includes core courses, electives, research workshops, and the dissertation. The programme’s concentrated residential requirements and e-learning tools allow practitioners to follow the programme without interrupting their careers. Course flexibility and modularity enable customisation of curriculum to specific professional objectives and constraints while the dissertation provides a unique opportunity for one-on-one work with a leading expert on research issues of particular relevance to each participant’s organisation.

The 16 faculty members of the EDHEC PhD in Finance are world-class specialists in economics, asset management and financial modelling. They bring together EDHEC senior scholars and outstanding affiliate professors from the world’s best universities.

Faculty members have made significant contributions to the field of financial economics and boast an exceptional track record of publications in and editing for the most respected scientific journals in the field. Their experience in executive education, PhD candidate supervision, senior-level engagements with large corporations and governments add up to an equally outstanding record of achievement.

Programme participants will also enjoy the full support of the EDHEC Risk and Asset Management Research Centre and benefit from the centre’s research infrastructure, industry relationships, and from the dynamic and thought-provoking environment it creates.

A challenging curriculum, outstanding faculty, first-rate industry relationships, and research coaching customised to individual needs conspire to make the EDHEC PhD in Finance the foremost qualification for professional development and industry innovation.

While the programme requires exceptional dedication, its career impact and the satisfaction of subsequent work and research on the frontiers of knowledge and professional practices will be ample reward for those who make this commitment.

Sponsoring organisations will benefit from the learning experience of their executives, whose critical thinking and analytical and research skills, enhanced by doctoral studies, will be of considerable value. With the dissertation, they will benefit from scientific research on issues of particular relevance to business and will witness evidence of their executives’ newly acquired abilities to promote innovation in processes and products.

About René Garcia

Professor René Garcia received his doctorate in economics from Princeton University. Before coming to EDHEC, he was a professor at the Université de Montréal, where he taught econometrics and finance. He is also the holder of the Hydro-Québec chair in integrated risk management and financial mathematics as well as the recipient of a research fellowship from the Bank of Canada. In addition to researching and teaching, he was the scientific director of CIRANO, an interuniversity centre for research on the analysis of organizations. Until 2004 he was vice-president of the centre’s finance group.

He participated in the founding of the Journal of Financial Econometrics, published by Oxford University Press, and is its editor-in-chief. The Journal addresses substantive statistical issues raised by the tremendous growth of the financial industry over the last decades. The goal of the Journal is to reflect and advance the relationship between econometrics and finance, both at the methodological and at the empirical levels.

René Garcia’s research interests in finance revolve around the valuation of financial assets, portfolio management, and risk management. In econometrics, he is interested in nonlinear models, in particular regime-switching models. René has published his research in leading international journals.

Find out more about the PhD in Finance, executive track at our next information sessions: Paris: 13 May 2008 – London: 21 May 2008 – New York: 10 July 2008

To reserve your place, please email maud.gauchon@edhec-risk.com or call us on +33 493 183 267