Finance and Economics (MRes/PhD)
Find out more about our Finance and Economics MRes/PhD degree at Warwick
Make your mark on the financial world through impactful research with our Finance and Economics MRes/PhD at the University of Warwick. Study at the internationally renowned Warwick Business School, where you will have the opportunity to research key financial factors affecting businesses.
*Please note that, for Visa purposes, this is considered a Taught course which means that students requiring Student Visa sponsorship will not be able to bring dependants to the UK unless they are government sponsored.
Course overview
Please note applications for this course are now closed for 2025 entry.
Our fully-funded MRes/PhD Finance and Economics programme combines highly relevant and structured training with close mentorship from a team of supervisors to embed you in our culture of curiosity and help you in developing and deepening your chosen area of research. We value our doctoral researchers and aim to attract students from across the globe who are independent thinkers, restless to learn more and challenge themselves. We particularly welcome applicants whose ambition is a career in academia.
Jointly run with the Department of Economics, we aim to establish our MRes programme as one of the leading programmes in Europe, supporting you to pursue a future career in top academic positions, international organisations and central banks. This programme will provide you with a thorough understanding of state-of-the-art research techniques and in-depth appreciation of principal areas of interest for researchers in finance and economics.
Teaching and learning
You will study four compulsory modules in Year One, and five compulsory modules plus a dissertation in Year Two. You will then continue on to our PhD Finance programme, and complete your doctoral thesis. The overall course structure is 2+4 years (MRes/PhD).
Our excellent library and superb teaching and learning facilities provide the perfect place for you to commit to your studies, and enable you to expand and deepen your knowledge in your chosen area of research.
Reading lists
If you would like to view reading lists for current or previous cohorts of students, most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library on the Talis Aspire platform.
You can search for reading lists by module title, code or convenor. Please see the modules tab of this page or the module catalogue.
Please note that some reading lists may have restricted access or be unavailable at certain times of year due to not yet being published. If you cannot access the reading list for a particular module, please check again later or contact the module’s host department.
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 requirementsLink opens in a new window. 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.
- Band B
- 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 pageLink opens in a new window.
Academic References
We typically ask for two academic references for taught courses.
You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.
View our guide to academic references.Link opens in a new window
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
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.
Please do not contact potential supervisors when completing your application, as we do not recruit PhD students in this way.
Research proposals
Initial applications to the Business School PhD programmes do not require submission of a research proposal.
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 £23,000 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.
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of research trips in the UK and overseas. In addition, you should consider the more general costs below:
- Access to research material that is not available via university resources
- Printing and binding a personal copy of your dissertation
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and funding
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
Department specific funding and support
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 £23,000 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.
Warwick Business School
At WBS, we offer some of the top business programmes in the UK and globally. We welcome students, faculty, staff and corporate partners who embody our Change Maker values, and have a passionate drive to make a positive difference in the world of business and beyond.
Being a Change Maker isn't about where you're from, it's about where you want to go and how you're going to get there. This is reflected in the aims of our business school: we want to bring people together from across the globe, from different backgrounds, who are restless to change the world and want to use business as a power for good. Does this sound like you?
Find out more about us on our website.
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.
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Application deadlines
Applications for courses starting in September and October 2026 are now open.
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