Key information
- Duration: Full-time, 48 months
- Start dates & application deadlines: Starting August 2027. Apply before Dec 2026.
Overview
The Finance PhD from BI Norwegian Business School offers rigorous training for candidates with strong analytical skills and intellectual curiosity. It follows a standard structure in place at all comparable programmes around the world.
The first year is devoted to course work that covers all the major fields in Finance and core topics in Economics relevant for a Finance PhD. BI faculty mainly teaches these courses. The candidates can also take specialised courses and participate in doctoral workshops through the Nordic Finance Network.
The second year of the programme sees candidates transitioning to research work. The candidates will work towards the doctoral dissertation that is typically a collection of three research articles. Research work is done in close co-operation with the supervisor and other faculty members from the department. Projects joint with faculty members often involve collaborators from other research institutions.
Career possibilities
The PhD specialisation in Finance prepares candidates for careers in world leading academic institutions, research-oriented international and national organisations, and the industry. Job market candidates from the department have found employment at premier universities including London Business School, Tilburg University, University of Melbourne, NOVA University Lisbon, Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE) and National Chengchi University (NCCU).
Local placements in Norway include Boston Consulting Group, Financial Supervisory Authority, and Storebrand. We encourage candidates with solid quantitative and analytical skills, and a strong background in disciplines such as Finance, Economics, Statistics, and Mathematics to apply.
Programme Structure
Courses include:
- Advanced Microeconomics
- Advanced Statistics
- Asset Pricing Theory
- Corporate Finance Theory
- Research Ethics
- Time Series Econometrics
Admission requirements
Academic requirements
GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test: Required. The GRE General Test is a widely administered admissions test that measures the skills needed in today's graduate and business school programs worldwide. It contains three sections - Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. Three scores are reported: a Verbal Reasoning score on a 130 - 170 score scale in one-point increments, a Quantitative Reasoning score on a 130 - 170 score scale in one-point increments, and an Analytical Writing score on a 0 - 6 score scale in half-point increments.
GMAT: Required. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a test intended to assess certain analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English for use in admission to a graduate management program, such as an MBA. GMAT contains 4 sections - Analytical Writing Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative and Verbal. The score has a range from 200 - 800.
English requirements
TOEFL iBT: 90. TOEFL iBT is accepted by more than 13,000 universities and other institutions in over 160 countries. The test can be taken at a test center or at home. The test measures your English-language abilities in an academic setting. The score refers to the total score of 4 subjects (writing, listening, speaking, and reading), each subject has a range of 0 - 30.
IELTS: 6.5. The International English Language Test System (IELTS) tests your English-language proficiency on a scale of 1 – 9. The score refers to the combined average score of 4 subjects (writing, listening, speaking, and reading).
Other requirements
General requirements
- Hold a Master of Science (MSc) or comparable degree within the fields of economics and business administration or an area in which BI offers a PhD specialisation.
- Have minimum B (4) in Grade Point Average (GPA), five-point scale (A=five, B=four, C=three, D=two, E=one).
- Hold a Master's degree that includes thesis work (15 to 30 ECTS).
- Have an adequate level of academic and English language proficiency. This may require specific documentation by proficiency tests such as TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants will be informed if this is needed.
- In particular cases, GMAT or GRE tests may be required. Applicants will be informed if this is needed.
An MBA degree does not fulfill the requirements for admission.
Fees and funding
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD. International non-residents: Free. EU/EEA Nationals: Free.
All PhD candidates receive financial support when accepted into the programme.
Living costs
Oslo, Norway: 1,741 - 2,866 AUD / month. The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.