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PhD attrition rate in Finance or Mathematical finance

astronominoff

Joined
9/13/08
Messages
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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.
 
talk to the university where you plan to apply if you want to find out.
 
you should know exactly whether you can do it, if you have ever struggled with undergrad stuff then the answer is probably no.
 
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
 
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