PhD attrition rate in Finance or Mathematical finance

[astronominoff]

Hi, I was surprised to see a report on high attrition rate in Maths related PhD programs. I am interested in pursuing a PhD in Finance or Mathematical finance but I am worried about its difficulty level. In case I have to quit my PhD after 2-3 years, will the university grant me a Masters in Finance/Mathematical Finance?
Thanks in advance.

 

[alain]

talk to the university where you plan to apply if you want to find out.

 

[luke]

you should know exactly whether you can do it, if you have ever struggled with undergrad stuff then the answer is probably no.

 

[daleholborow]

depending on the exact definition of attrition, this might not be *as bad* as the high numbers would immediately suggest.

I have several friends doing their phds, and have heard a number of anecdotes about phd students not finishing because they've been head-hunted and moved into industry, even from very early in their phd...

that said, having just finished a 12 month research project in a math/finance topic, i can well imagine that maths and quant finance phd's would experience a high burn-out rate.

I have been many times in regards to a doing a phd, it is important to choose a topic you like, and if you are weighing up whether or not you want to do one, you might find this an interesting read:

Backreaction: Doctor of Philosophy