Finance and Real Estate Finance
Our finance group conducts high-impact and high-quality research in corporate finance, asset pricing, macro-finance, real estate, labor and finance, household finance and neuroeconomics. Our mission is to create knowledge that advances our understanding of the economic decisions made by investors, consumers, firms and policymakers. We also offer a specialized program in real estate finance.
Our program is quantitative in nature and students typically have a background in economics, engineering, mathematics or statistics. We value past experience in research related to finance or economics and some students already have completed graduate work, but we don’t require either.
Students in the Finance PhD Program benefit enormously from working with our world-class faculty who value working with PhD students and have designed many courses to specifically meet your needs.
We are committed to providing you with the benefits of training and true mentorship in our collaborative environment. You will have a faculty mentor assigned to you, and you will learn the research process as you work closely finance professors on their current research. Close collaboration your classmates offers additional mentoring opportunities.
With the knowledge, skills and network you develop at UNC Kenan-Flagler, we expect you to graduate ready to succeed as a researcher at a top business school.
Typical Finance PhD Curriculum Path
Fellowships in Finance
All admitted students are considered for financial support from UNC Kenan-Flagler or University fellowships. Fellowships typically require you to conduct research and teach during the academic year.
The finance area also provides special fellowships in two research areas.
Private Equity
The UAI Foundation Fellowship in Private Equity Research is available to students with a demonstrated research interest and expertise in the field of private equity and venture capital. If you would like to be considered for this fellowship, note your interest as part of your research statement in your application.
Real Estate
Thanks to generous funding from The Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies, we support students specializing in real-estate finance. This specialized program is unique in the academic world. In addition to fulfilling the finance requirements, students complete rigorous training to prepare them to teach and research issues in commercial real estate.
Our aim is dual. Our graduates will be highly qualified academics capable of producing research published in the best journals in economics and finance. They also develop the skills to teach institutionally detailed courses in commercial real estate finance.
View our current Finance PhD students.
