General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

Competition to join our Doctoral programme is very strong; you will need to demonstrate you have the intellectual capabilities, stamina, drive and commitment to complete a ground-breaking piece of work through independent study.

Academic requirements for our MRes/PhD Finance and Economics programme

• An honours degree from a UK university or equivalent from an overseas university; plus a Masters degree, in economics or Finance (with a significant quantitative finance component). Accounting or Financial Mathematics may be considered with a significant finance component. A first-class degree and a distinction at Masters level is recommended but serves as a guideline only.
• A GMAT or GRE score is required and should be provided as part of your application. However, we have no defined threshold and the score provided will be indicative to merely supplement and strengthen applications.
• You should have strong academic references and excellent potential for research.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirements. This course requires the following:

If English is not your first language, you must meet a minimum overall standard in a recognised test of English. You must show a good balance across all sections of the test and it must have been taken within two years of starting the course. We will require your certificates as evidence.

• IELTS - overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above
• PTE academic - 70 with 51+ in every section
• CPE – grade C (CEFR level C2) or above
• CAE - Grade C scoring 60+, no worse than 3 component results at borderline and 1 at weak

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page.

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Our research

Our vision is to develop cutting-edge research that leads debate and deepens our understanding on the practice of finance and economics. Research is undertaken in partnership with policy and practice, to ensure both relevance and practical application. Our desire to respond and contribute to varied societal issues, provides a vibrant and creative environment for research to flourish.

Our research strengths include:

• Asset Pricing
• Behavioural Finance
• Corporate Finance
• Corporate Governance
• Financial Econometrics
• Investments
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Risk Management

Find a supervisor

Please do not contact potential supervisors when completing your application to the MRes, as we do not recruit PhD students in this way.

During the second year of the MRes, you will be allocated a supervisor. A second supervisor will be allocated if you are admitted into the PhD, at the end of the MRes. The two supervisors will have appropriate research expertise and interests.

Tuition fees

Our MRes/PhD Finance and Economics programme is fully funded. All students accepted onto the programme will have their full fees paid and will receive an annual stipend of approximately £21,000 per annum throughout their course, subject to satisfactory progress.

Students do not need to apply separately for this funding. It will be included as part of the offer onto the programme.

Fee Status Guidance

The University carries out an initial fee status assessment based on information provided in the application and according to the guidance published by UKCISA. Students are classified as either Home or Overseas Fee status and this can determine the tuition fee and eligibility of certain scholarships and financial support.

If you receive an offer, your fee status will be stated with the tuition fee information, however we are awaiting guidance from the UK government regarding fee status for EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals and their family members living in the UK for academic year 2021/22 onwards. We are not able to confirm the fee status for these students until the relevant eligibility criteria have been confirmed. Once we have received further information from the UK government, we will provide you with an update on your fee status and let you know if any additional information is required. If you believe your fee status has been incorrectly classified you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire (follow the instructions in your offer) and provide the required documentation for this to be reassessed.

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) provides guidance to UK universities on fees status criteria, you can find the latest guidance on the impact of Brexit on fees and student support on the UKCISA website.

Additional course costs

Please contact your academic department for information about department specific costs, which should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below, such as:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

Our MRes/PhD Finance and Economics programme is fully funded. All students accepted onto the programme will have their full fees paid and will receive an annual stipend of approximately £18,000 per annum throughout their course, subject to satisfactory progress.

Students do not need to apply separately for this funding. It will be included as part of the offer onto the programme.

Living costs

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

Warwick Business School

If you’re interested in the bigger picture, comfortable challenging assumptions and want a degree that will open doors, then WBS is the place for you. We will give you the foundation for change and prepare you for your future career. Are you ready to make your mark in the world of business?

Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window

The vision of WBS is to be Europe’s leading University-based Business School, developing transformational ideas and people that shape how we do business. We recognise that rankings are one way to profile our progress towards fulfilling this vision, and are proud to participate in the major global business education rankings.

QS Business Masters Rankings 2022

• Masters in Business Analytics – 12th in the world, 3rd in the UK
• Masters in Marketing – 7th in the world, 2nd in the UK
• Masters in Management – 19th in the world, 4th in the UK
• Masters in Finance – 20th in the world, 6th in the UK

Financial Times Masters in Management Ranking 2021

• 15th in the world, 3rd in the UK

Financial Times Masters in Finance Ranking 2021

• 13th in the world, 4th in the UK

Our Postgraduate Taught courses

MSc courses

• Accounting and Finance (MSc)
• Business Analytics (MSc)
• Business and Finance (MSc)
• Business with Consulting (MSc)
• Business with Marketing (MSc)
• Business with Operations Management (MSc)
• Finance (MSc)
• Finance and Economics (MSc)
• Global Central Banking and Financial Regulation (MSc)
• International Business (MSc)
• Management (MSc)
• Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation (MSc)
• Marketing and Strategy (MSc)
• Mathematical Finance (MSc)

MBA

• Business Administration (Distance Learning) (MBA)
• Business Administration (Executive) (MBA)
• Business Administration (Full-time) (MBA)

Executive Diplomas

• Behavioural Science (PGDip)
• Digital Leadership (PGDip)
• Marketing Leadership (PGDip)
• Organisational Change (PGDip)
• Strategic Leadership (PGDip)
• Strategy and Innovation (PGDip)

Our Postgraduate Research courses

• Business and Management (MRes/PhD)
• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
• Finance and Economics (MRes/PhD)