Topics in Finance
CBS PhD School
Prerequisites
Participants are expected to:
- Be enrolled in a PhD programme in finance, economics, accounting, or a closely related field.
- Have completed MSc-level courses in asset pricing and corporate finance.
- Have basic training in econometrics (e.g. panel data methods, instrumental variables; familiarity with regression-based empirical work).
Upon acceptance, participants are asked to submit a 2 page note including:
- A short description of their PhD project (or project idea)
- The current stage of their project
- How they hope to relate their project to one or more topics in the course
The note should be submitted before the first class via email (details will be provided upon acceptance).
Aim
The aim of the course is to expose PhD students to a selection of current research topics in modern finance and to help them develop a research profile and job market paper. The students will learn to position and develop their own research projects within the literature. The course emphasizes both conceptual understanding and methodological rigor, and supports participants in formulating and refining their own research ideas.
Content
The course covers a selection of frontier topics in finance. The topics may vary by year.
Each session is built around a small number of recent research articles from leading journal in economics and finance.
Teaching methods
Teaching methods include:
- Short lectures introducing each topic and its main theoretical and empirical issues
- Student presentations of selected papers and short research proposals
- Group discussions and peer feedback on research proposals and research designs
Students are expected to actively participate in discussions and to read the assigned papers carefully in advance of each session.
Lecture plan - Location TBA
| Time and place (Rooms TBA) | Topic |
|
Class 1: Tuesday September 1 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20. |
Introduction to class, overview of topics, how to write a job market paper |
|
Class 2: Tuesday September 8 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Intangible capital |
|
Class 3: Tuesday September 22 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Causal inference and counterfactuals in asset pricing |
|
Class 4: Tuesday September 29 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Subjective beliefs and behavioral finance |
|
Class 5: Tuesday October 6 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Convenience yields |
|
Class 6-7: Tuesday October 20 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Secular trends in finance and International Finance |
|
Class 8-9: Tuesday October 27 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Geopolitics and Fintec and developments in the banking sector |
|
Class 10: Tuesday November 3 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Monetary policy transmission through banks and firms |
|
Class 11: Tuesday November 10 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Monetary policy and asset prices |
|
Class 12: Tuesday November 17 11.30 to 12:20 and 12:30 to 13:20 |
Cost of capital and real effects of asset markets |
Participation is expected to be in person - no online option.
Learning objectives
After completing the course, participants should be able to:
1. Explain and critically assess key theories and empirical results in selected areas of modern finance.
2. Evaluate recent research articles in terms of identification strategies, modeling choices, and robustness of results.
3. Identify open research questions and feasible extensions within specific finance literatures.
4. Relate the topics and methods covered in the course to their own PhD projects and research designs.
Course Literature
A detailed reading list will be provided on Canvas before course start. It will consist primarily of working papers and journal articles.
Typically, 2–3 core papers will be assigned per session, plus suggested optional readings for interested students.
Language
English
Maximum no of participants
20
Contact information
For the content: Niels Joachim Gormsen ( njg.fi@cbs.dk )
For the administration of the course: Bente S. Ramovic (bsr.research@cbs.dk )
Location and time
Please see Lecture Plan
ECTS
5
Exam
Type of exam: Individual written course paper (pass/fail).
Format: <3 written pages (excluding references and appendices).
Content: Review and suggested extension of one of the core papers in the course.
Deadline: Approximately 4 weeks after the last teaching session (exact date to be agreed when the timetable is finalised).
Assessment: Pass/fail.
Attendance, class presentation, and a passed exam are required to obtain the course diploma and ECTS credits.
Registration deadline and conditions
The registration deadline is 20 July 2026. If you wish to cancel your registration, it must be done by this date. By this deadline, we determine whether there are enough registrations to run the course or decide who should be offered a seat if we have received too many registrations.
If seats are still available, we will extend the registration deadline to fill the remaining spots. Once you receive our acceptance/welcome letter, your registration becomes binding, and no course fee refunds will be issued. The binding registration date is the deadline mentioned above.
Payment Methods
Ensure you choose the correct payment method when finalizing your registration:
For further information and registration please see the link to CBS' course site.