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roadvirusss · 2009 October 28th, 07:38 AM

So I'm a math guy who's looking mostly at econ Ph.D programs, but I wanted to throw in a couple Business Ph.D programs as well. Throughout undergrad I've been a math major first and an econ major a distant second, and as such I know little about business grad schools. I'm very interested in research and teaching in academia, so I'm applying to a smattering of schools both in econ and math. I have VERY LITTLE knowledge of the world of business, but am confident in my mathematical abilities and am a very quick learner. If I had to choose between econ and business programs of similar prestige I'd choose econ, but I'd like to see if business would like my math background more.

What are a couple programs I should look for as a reasonable reach given my profile? I was thinking Stern and Kellogg, but this is without much research.

In what business subfield might a math major like me thrive?

Type of Undergrad: Top 5-10 Liberal Arts College.
Majors: BA Math, BA Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4 Overall, 3.96 Econ, 3.93 Math.
GRE: 800 Q, 610 V, 6 AW
Mathematical Courses: Linear Algebra (A-), Vector Calculus (A), Cryptography (A-), Combinatorics (A), Intro to Analysis (A), Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A), Probability Theory (A), Statistical Theory (A), Complex Analysis (In Progress), Abstract Algebra I (IP), Abstract Algebra II (Spring), Topology (Spring)
Econ Courses: Intro Macro (A-), Intro Micro (A), Empirical Methods (A), Econ Stats (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), International Econ (A), Energy Economics (A), Econometrics (IP), Game Theory (IP), Advanced Micro (Spring)
Letters of Recommendation: One econ prof (did research with, took three classes with), chair of math department (took several classes with, academic advisor), math professor who was director at summer REU (worked with for two months). Two of the three should be awesome, though none will likely have connections to admissions.
Research Experience: Summer grant for econ research, math REU in graph theory (I'm continuing both projects for senior theses right now)
Teaching Experience: Grading (real analysis, calc II, vector calc, probability theory)
Concerns: No graduate level courses offered at my school.
Work Experience: "Head Statistician" for the school's football and basketball teams, tutoring calculus, and those two research positions.

Thanks again, hope I can reciprocate in the future!

phdhope · 2009 October 28th, 08:30 AM

The only major concern, and it is a large one, is that you have had very little exposure to business. Marketing, OB, finance, accounting, operations, strategy, entreprenuership, and all the other business disciplines are very, very different. You need to find out which one you want to pursue. Likewise, it is good to have at least one, two, three classes in a subject before you pursue a phd in it from an admissions perspective. Both your ability to choose a program and the chance that the program will choose you will be heavily affected by the level of exposure you can get to business.

Beyond that, I liked your profile.

oldprogrammer · 2009 October 28th, 03:06 PM

I'll second phdhope's opinion. You have a really strong profile except you have no experience with the subject matter. So the AdCom will know you can handle the coursework, they know you can handle doing independent research, but they don't know if you'll maintain interest in their field enough to dream about it when you go to sleep at night and not quit and pursue something else.

As an alternative to taking classes, which would be a solid choice, you're going to have to learn enough about a business field, I think, to show in your statement of purpose that you have several relevant research questions you would like to explore. And you will need to study the existing literature enough to express those questions intelligently and how your non-business background is adequately suitable preparation.

Your strong math background (for a business student) might make you most suitable for the ultra-competitive, "math-jockish" world of Finance, which I think can be thought of as a subfield of Applied Economics. Taking a course in Mathematical Finance (preferably a math department version) would be helpful. From what I've read, asset pricing theory involves a lot of stochastic processes, PDE's, and linear algebra. Here's an online book that should give you a decent idea of what you would be getting into in the beginning.

Another mathematical field is Operations Management/Research, which is largely centered around optimization and stochastic processes from a manufacturing and supply chain perspective.

csphd2010 · 2009 October 29th, 08:31 PM

I agree with OldProgrammer. I think your background would be great for Finance (especially more quantitative aspects like asset pricing etc), and I don't think schools would hesitate to accept/at least talk with you regarding your interests.

My guess is the lack of business knowledge won't hurt that much for finance, whereas it might hurt if you were looking at OB / Management etc. If it were the other way around, no math background at all but professional experience in finance, ironicly you might be out of luck. If you can articulate why Finance, you will be good to go. Good luck with everything!

2009 October 28th, 07:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
roadvirusss I JUST got here. Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 5	What business programs can I apply for to diversify my apps? So I'm a math guy who's looking mostly at econ Ph.D programs, but I wanted to throw in a couple Business Ph.D programs as well. Throughout undergrad I've been a math major first and an econ major a distant second, and as such I know little about business grad schools. I'm very interested in research and teaching in academia, so I'm applying to a smattering of schools both in econ and math. I have VERY LITTLE knowledge of the world of business, but am confident in my mathematical abilities and am a very quick learner. If I had to choose between econ and business programs of similar prestige I'd choose econ, but I'd like to see if business would like my math background more. What are a couple programs I should look for as a reasonable reach given my profile? I was thinking Stern and Kellogg, but this is without much research. In what business subfield might a math major like me thrive? Type of Undergrad: Top 5-10 Liberal Arts College. Majors: BA Math, BA Economics Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4 Overall, 3.96 Econ, 3.93 Math. GRE: 800 Q, 610 V, 6 AW Mathematical Courses: Linear Algebra (A-), Vector Calculus (A), Cryptography (A-), Combinatorics (A), Intro to Analysis (A), Differential Equations (A), Real Analysis I (A-), Real Analysis II (A), Probability Theory (A), Statistical Theory (A), Complex Analysis (In Progress), Abstract Algebra I (IP), Abstract Algebra II (Spring), Topology (Spring) Econ Courses: Intro Macro (A-), Intro Micro (A), Empirical Methods (A), Econ Stats (A), Intermediate Micro (A), Intermediate Macro (A), International Econ (A), Energy Economics (A), Econometrics (IP), Game Theory (IP), Advanced Micro (Spring) Letters of Recommendation: One econ prof (did research with, took three classes with), chair of math department (took several classes with, academic advisor), math professor who was director at summer REU (worked with for two months). Two of the three should be awesome, though none will likely have connections to admissions. Research Experience: Summer grant for econ research, math REU in graph theory (I'm continuing both projects for senior theses right now) Teaching Experience: Grading (real analysis, calc II, vector calc, probability theory) Concerns: No graduate level courses offered at my school. Work Experience: "Head Statistician" for the school's football and basketball teams, tutoring calculus, and those two research positions. Thanks again, hope I can reciprocate in the future! Last edited by roadvirusss : 2009 October 28th at 06:18 PM.

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2009 October 28th, 08:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
phdhope Eager! Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 99	The only major concern, and it is a large one, is that you have had very little exposure to business. Marketing, OB, finance, accounting, operations, strategy, entreprenuership, and all the other business disciplines are very, very different. You need to find out which one you want to pursue. Likewise, it is good to have at least one, two, three classes in a subject before you pursue a phd in it from an admissions perspective. Both your ability to choose a program and the chance that the program will choose you will be heavily affected by the level of exposure you can get to business. Beyond that, I liked your profile.

2009 October 28th, 03:06 PM	#3 (permalink)
oldprogrammer Within my grasp! Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: USA Posts: 426	I'll second phdhope's opinion. You have a really strong profile except you have no experience with the subject matter. So the AdCom will know you can handle the coursework, they know you can handle doing independent research, but they don't know if you'll maintain interest in their field enough to dream about it when you go to sleep at night and not quit and pursue something else. As an alternative to taking classes, which would be a solid choice, you're going to have to learn enough about a business field, I think, to show in your statement of purpose that you have several relevant research questions you would like to explore. And you will need to study the existing literature enough to express those questions intelligently and how your non-business background is adequately suitable preparation. Your strong math background (for a business student) might make you most suitable for the ultra-competitive, "math-jockish" world of Finance, which I think can be thought of as a subfield of Applied Economics. Taking a course in Mathematical Finance (preferably a math department version) would be helpful. From what I've read, asset pricing theory involves a lot of stochastic processes, PDE's, and linear algebra. Here's an online book that should give you a decent idea of what you would be getting into in the beginning. Another mathematical field is Operations Management/Research, which is largely centered around optimization and stochastic processes from a manufacturing and supply chain perspective.

2009 October 29th, 08:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
csphd2010 I JUST got here. Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	I agree with OldProgrammer. I think your background would be great for Finance (especially more quantitative aspects like asset pricing etc), and I don't think schools would hesitate to accept/at least talk with you regarding your interests. My guess is the lack of business knowledge won't hurt that much for finance, whereas it might hurt if you were looking at OB / Management etc. If it were the other way around, no math background at all but professional experience in finance, ironicly you might be out of luck. If you can articulate why Finance, you will be good to go. Good luck with everything!

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