Finance (DBA)

The DBA Program is designed to develop professional, research and academic personnel in the field of finance with an interest in developing expertise related to financial practices and management. It deals with economic and financial events with ethical sense. It frames conduct in the knowledge of theories and professional practices in the field of finance by maintaining a proactive, objective and sensible attitude.

The Metropolitan Campus is authorized to offer this Program.

Competencies Profile of Graduates

The program is designed to permit the development of the following competencies:

Knowledge

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

1. current situations of finance.
2. the classic and modern theories in the area of finance.
3. the different methods from investigation in finance.

Skills

1. To evaluate current cases of finance.
2. To integrate the practices with the current theories in finance.
3. To apply the appropriate methods of research to the financial models.

Attitudes

1. To value different points of view related to research in the theoretical and practical field of finance.
2. To act in harmony with the ethical aspects in the accomplishment of research in the field of finance.

Admission Requirements

Students interested in requesting admission to this Program must:

1. Hold a Master in Business Administration or an equivalent degree, if it presents evidence of experience in this field.
2. Have approved courses at the graduate level, with a minimum grade of B, in the following areas: accounting (3 credits), finance (9 credits), statistics (3 credits) and economics (3 credits).
3. Have a minimum general average of 3.00.
4. Demonstrate, by means of a test in the area of finance, their mastery of a selected topic and their competence to express themselves correctly in writing in Spanish or English.

Graduation Requirements

Students must meet the following graduation requirements:

1. Approve the forty-eight (48) credits of the Program.
2. Complete the credits of DBA Program with a minimum grade point index of 3.0.
3. Have passed the comprehensive tests in agreement with the requirements established in the Program.
4. Successfully defend the doctoral dissertation.

Students must complete the requirements for the degree within a period of eight (8) years. In exceptional cases, the Graduation Committee may recommend to the pertinent authorities, an extension of no more than two (2) years to this period.

Requisites to take the Comprehensive Exam

1. The comprehensive exam must be taken for the first time, on or before the fifth year and must be approved within one year.
2. Maintain a general academic index of 3.0 or higher and have approved a minimum of 33 credits that include the following courses: FINA 7101, FINA 7102, FINA 8100, FINA 7200, BADM 7220, BADM 7020, FINA 8300, and 12 credits in prescribed distributive courses.
3. The student must request the written examination from the program coordinator within the announced dates for the examination request. If a student requests the test and is absent, they must present a written excuse that demonstrates a cause of force majeure (medical certificate, death of a close relative, accident, etc.). If they do not comply with this requisite, the absence will be counted as an attempt.
4. The student will not be able to enroll in the doctoral dissertation until he passes the comprehensive exam with a minimum score of 75%. If on two occasions the student does not satisfactorily pass the comprehensive exam, the DBAF Committee will determine if a third opportunity can be granted. If the student fails to pass the test on the third occasion, he/she will not be able to continue in the program.
5. The student must have met all the additional requisites included in his/her admission letter or in the Comprehensive Testing Manual. In case the student had provisional admission, he should have removed it before requesting the exam.
6. The student must pay the corresponding fee to take the comprehensive exam according to the norms of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico.

Requirements for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) with Specialization in Finance

Specialization Requirements	30 credits
Prescribed Distributive Requirements	12 credits
Elective Courses	6 credits
Total	48 credits

Specialization Requirements - 30 credits

BADM 7020	Research Methods	3
BADM 7220	Microeconomic Theory	3
FINA 7101	Corporate Finance I	3
FINA 7102	Corporate Finance II	3
FINA 7200	Statistics for Finance I	3
FINA 8100	Seminar in Investments	3
FINA 8300	Seminar in Research Project	3
FINA 8991	Doctoral Dissertation I	3
FINA 8992	Doctoral Dissertation II	3
FINA 8993	Continuation of Doctoral Dissertation	3

Prescribed Distributive Requirements - 12 credits

Students will select twelve (12) credits from the following courses:

BADM 7150	Public Policy and Corporate Decisions	3
BADM 7223	Macroeconomic Theory	3
BADM 797C	Special Topics Seminar in Accounting	3
FINA 8000	Seminar in Corporate Finance	3
FINA 8500	Seminar in Financial Strategies	3
FINA 8550	Epistemology Applied to Finances	3
FINA 897_	Seminar in Specific Topics in Finance	3
INBU 8170	International Finance	3

Elective Courses - 6 credits

Students will take six (6) credits, of the courses offered in the D.B.A or in the Ph.D. In special cases, authorization may be given to students to take up to three (3) credits at the doctoral level in another discipline with the previous approval of the dissertation supervisor.