Leading Through Innovation

Master of Financial Engineering

The Berkeley-Haas PhD
The PhD Program at
The Haas School of Business

At the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley,

we believe it is new ideas put to work that will advance well-being in
the world. It is new ideas put to work that are the root source of
business advantage and success. And it is new ideas put to work, in
every corner and in every function of our organizations, that our
future leaders need to deliver. Because of our ideal location, our
forward-thinking faculty, and the types of outgoing and collaborative
students we attract, we have long had a unique culture conducive to
developing cutting-edge leaders and thinkers.
In the Berkeley-Haas PhD Program, you will learn to cultivate an
innovative set of skills that will make you a distinctive researcher and
educator. You will discover how to challenge conventional wisdom,
pushing the boundaries of current thought to open new avenues of
knowledge and understanding.
You set this expansion in motion by leveraging the reputation
and resources of one of the worlds best research universities
UC Berkeley. You will partner with some of the brightest minds in
business theory as you are educated in a rigorous program offering
depth, far-reaching opportunity, and a world-class reputation.
Later, as a Haas alumnus, you will benefit from the experience
and connections of a faculty composed of todays leaders in
business scholarship and education.
Graduates of the PhD Program become faculty members with top-
notch academic institutions, including Harvard University, New York
University, London School of Economics and Political Sciences, Yale,
and IESE Business School. Positioned to lead the expansion and
communication of knowledge, these graduates are well prepared to
train future business leaders, pursue their own research interests,
and make an impact on global business and education.
Making a Difference in the
World of Ideas
The Berkeley-Haas PhD
Fernando Comiran
PhD Student, Accounting
Previous degrees:
MS, Finance and Accounting
BA, Electrical Engineering
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
(UFRGS),Brazil
If you want to do business
research at the highest level,
you have to be in the U.S. If
you want to be exposed to the
best business researchers, you
have to be at Berkeley. I had
imagined that the professors,
these important men and
women, would have huge egos.
The opposite is true. They
are available and support our
efforts to do our best work.
This is such a diverse place.
Everyone is appreciated for
his or her accomplishments,
without prejudice. Research
can be very solitaryjust you
and your computer. Having a
group of compatible colleagues
to go out with and share ideas
is a very big part of what makes
the Berkeley-Haas experience
valuable.
A Solid Foundation
PhD Program
Upon applying to the program,
you are required to choose a field
of study. For more information on
available fields of study, visit
http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/Phd/.
Three Phases
Phase I: Formal Coursework
You are usually required to complete
two semester courses in each of
the following areas: (a) a common
core of knowledge; (b) a field of
specialization; (c) a basic discipline;
and (d) a research methodology
and strategy. Phase I ends with the
preliminary exam.
Phase II: Directed Study
You work in close consultation
with faculty members to prepare
for research in your selected field.
Intellectual support during the
directed study phase is provided by
the field research seminars and one
or more individual study courses
designed to prepare you to take the
oral qualifying examination. During
the directed study phase, each
student works closely with a faculty
member in a directed study course.
Upon passing the oral qualifying
examination, the student formally
advances to the special status of
doctoral candidacy.
Phase III: Dissertation
In conjunction with the faculty
advisor, you select a dissertation
topic and dissertation committee.
The committee is typically
composed of three faculty
members, one of whom must be
from a department outside the
Haas School. Within approximately
six months, students are expected
to present a paper on their chosen
topic to a research seminar.
Courtney Brown
PhD Student, Management of Organizations
Previous degree:
BA, Communication Studies &
International Studies
Northwestern University, Illinois
The smaller size of the Haas program
means that you get a lot more personal
attention from your professors. That is very
valuable. Im working with four professors
right now. Each has a different style. I like
trying on their different approaches.
At Haas, the skys the limit in terms of
exploring lines of research and questions that interest you. The curriculum
is very entrepreneurial, in that it is so interdisciplinary. You are encouraged
to make your own program.
The Berkeley-Haas PhD Program is strongly oriented toward
discipline and research. Emphasis is placed on preparing you to evaluate
the state of knowledge in a particular field of study and to advance it through
the application of theory from social science, mathematics, or statistics.
Upon applying to the program, you are required to choose a field of study that
will not only determine your coursework, but also focus your career path. Your
chosen field of study will provide you with 8-12 semester units in advanced
coursework. Additional work may include courses at the Haas School, but often
involve developing research skills in theory and methodology through other
departments at UC Berkeley.
In consultation with your advisor, you may choose from a wide range of
courses in such disciplines as economics, psychology, sociology, and political
science. The development of analytic skills in one of several disciplines gives
you the depth needed to place your training within a fuller and more unified
understanding of the world of business and research.
The Berkeley-Haas PhD
A Solid Foundation
Berkeley-Haas School faculty members are explorers and discoverers,
seeking new ideas and insights at the frontiers of knowledge. They are
internationally recognized leaders in the study of the economic, social, political, and
technological forces shaping global markets today.
Berkeley-Haas faculty play an active role in the national and international business
communities, serving as consultants, board members, and speakers at major
business conferences and seminars. They perform important interdisciplinary
research with colleagues at Berkeley and at other top universities around the world.
Rankings of academic reputation consistently place the Haas Schools faculty in the
top ten of business schools worldwide.
In their search for knowledge, Berkeley-Haas professors go far beyond merely
describing a management or business problem and its resolution. As members
of a premier research university, Haas scholars seek the deeper answers to why
things happen the way they do. They develop theoretical explanations in order to
understand and predict future occurrences.
Explorers in Search of New Ideas
Richard G. Sloan
L.H. Penney Professor of Accounting
PhD, University of Rochester
Winner of the 2010 Notable Contributions to Accounting Literature
Award, presented by the American Accounting Association
Publication Highlights:
The Relation Between Corporate Financing Activities, Analysts
Forecasts and Stock Returns, with Mark Bradshaw and Scott
Richardson. Journal of Accounting and Economics 42 (2006).
Accrual Reliability, Earnings Persistence and Stock Prices,
with Scott Richardson, Mark Soliman, and Irem Tuna. Journal of
Accounting and Economics 39 (2005).
Professor Richard G. Sloan, believes in immersing
doctoral students in the world of research as soon
as possible, calling it,one of the best bridges from coursework to dissertation.
Sloan helps students build that bridge in several ways. He encourages them to
research and write with their professors and frequently involves students in his
own research on the role of accounting information in security valuation and the
quality and management of corporate earnings. This, Sloan says, gives students
an advantage when it comes to writing their dissertations. They have learned
where the pitfalls are and can work more effectively.
He typically lists his student assistants as co-authors on papers, which helps
establish their credentials, and more importantly, gives them a sense of
responsibility for the whole, not just their part in the paper.
Haas Professor Wins
2009 Nobel Prize
Haas Professor Emeritus
Oliver E. Williamson was awarded
the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic
Sciences for his work in the area of
economic governance. The Edgar
F. Kaiser Professor Emeritus at
the Haas School of Business and
Professor Emeritus of Economics
and Law at the University of
California, Berkeley, is a pioneer
in the multi-disciplinary field of
transaction cost economics, and one
of the worlds most cited economists.
The second Berkeley-Haas Professor
to claim the prize in the past 15
years, Williamson continues to
advise PhD students who are doing
scholarly work in the area
of economic governance.
Ron Berman
PhD Student, Marketing
Previous degrees:
MBA, Tel Aviv University, Israel
MSc, Computer Science
Tel Aviv University, Israel
BSc, Physics/Mathematics/Computer Science
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
It was very important to me to
study in a large public university.
Berkeley has unrivalled diversity
among the students and the
faculty. Because we take classes
in other Berkeley graduate schools, not just Haas, we get to see
how business research is used in different disciplinesa study on
decision-making related to kidney transplants, for example.
Because the Marketing program here is small, it is very intimate.
We allprofessors and studentsget to know each other very
well. I feel comfortable going to professors houses for dinner or
having a beer after class.
At the Heart of
Innovative Scholarship
The Berkeley-Haas PhD Program draws on the incredible
breadth and depth of the University of California at
Berkeley, whose graduate programs are consistently ranked
among the best in the world, and whose undergraduate programs
are among the most selective. The proof is in the universitys
distinguished record of Nobel-level scholarship, constant
innovation, a concern for the betterment of our world, and
consistently high rankings of its schools and departments
the Haas School among them.
The strength of the faculty in all academic departments and
the breadth of course offerings throughout the university confer
lifelong advantages on students in the doctoral program. Integral
to the Berkeley-Haas PhD Program experience is the opportunity
for students to take courses and study with faculty members in
other departments on campus. Through coursework with the
departments of economics, statistics, and mathematics, students
enrich their knowledge of economic theory and build skills
in quantitative methodology. The ability to conduct integrated
investigation of basic and applied theory in the social sciences is
honed through study within such disciplines as political science
and psychology. Haas School PhD students also enjoy access
to employment opportunities through the network of research
institutes across the Berkeley campus.

UC Berkeley
Academic and
Faculty Distinctions
Ranks first nationally in the number
of graduate programs in the top 10
in their fields (National Research
Council)
Ranked the #1 public university in the
US for the tenth year in a row by U.S.
News & World Report
Ranked #1 in the nation in the
2009 Washington Monthly College
Rankings, based on three main
criteria: performance as an engine
of social mobility, research output,
and promotion of a service ethic
The leading institution in awarding
doctoral degrees to minorities
and women
21 Nobel Prize laureates (including
Haas professors Oliver Williamson
and John Harsanyi)
213 American Association for the
Advancement of Science Awards
222 American Academy of Arts and
Sciences Awards
74 Fulbright Scholars
362 Guggenheim Fellows
30 MacArthur Fellows
87 National Academy of
Engineering Awards
135 National Academy of
Sciences Awards
12 National Medal of Science Awards
110 Sloan Fellows
4 Wolf Prizes
4 Pulitzer Prizes
1 National Poet Laureate
PhD Program
Haas School of Business
2220 Piedmont Ave.
S544 Student Services Bldg.
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1900
Tel 1-510-642-1409
Fax 1-510-643-4255
phdadms@haas.berkeley.edu
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Printed on 100% recycled paper
Application Requirements
Each year some 400 students apply for admission to the Berkeley-
Haas PhD Program. A faculty committee reviews and ranks applications.
The size of the entering class, limited by university regulations, is approximately
16 students per year. Qualified students from any discipline may be admitted.
Previous graduate work or completion of an MBA is not required.
The doctoral program is a four-year, full-time program. Part-time and evening
studies are not offered. Applications are accepted only for the fall semester of
each academic year.
Applicants to the PhD Program are required to submit the following:
The Application for Admission and Fellowship (available online at
www.grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/grad_app.shtml)
Official transcripts showing all college-level work
GMAT or GRE score (taken within five years of the date of application)
TOEFL or iBT score (required of international students who have not
previously studied at a university where English is the official language)
Three letters of recommendation
For more admissions information, visit our website:
www.haas.berkeley.edu/Phd/apply.edu.
Financial Aid
In conjunction with the regular financial aid programs of the university, the
Haas School strives to provide financial assistance to deserving PhD students.
This usually takes the form of a financial aid package over four years of study
at Berkeley which includes stipends, grants, fellowships, and other awards plus
tuition and fees. All financial aid is based on the satisfactory academic progress
of the student. Students are automatically considered for departmental aid
when they submit their application for admission and are notified about their
award when they are accepted into the program.
Learn More
To arrange a visit to the Haas School, contact the PhD Program office at
510-642-1409 or via email at phdadms@haas.berkeley.edu.
www.haas.berkeley.edu/Phd