Introducing the PhD in Finance: Governance, Decision Making, and the Architecture of Capital
We are pleased to introduce the PhD in Finance, a research-intensive doctoral program designed for scholars and senior professionals who wish to examine how financial systems shape institutional authority, corporate conduct, regulatory design, and long-term strategic direction. The PhD in Finance is positioned within a broad governance framework. Its central concern is how financial structures organize responsibility, allocate risk, influence institutional decision making, and condition long-term outcomes across corporate and regulatory environments.
Finance as Governance
Capital allocation is never neutral. The structure of executive incentives, the oversight role of boards, the design of regulatory boundaries, and the deployment of institutional capital all embody governance choices. Financial systems influence who holds authority, how risk is distributed, and how long-term value is defined. The PhD in Finance at Monarch invites candidates to examine these structures in depth. Doctoral inquiry within the program focuses on the enduring institutional arrangements that shape financial behavior over time. Research is directed toward understanding how governance frameworks influence decision making within banking institutions, corporations, asset management firms, and regulatory bodies.
A Research Philosophy Rooted in Meaning
Consistent with Monarch’s research philosophy, the program privileges interpretive depth and qualitative inquiry. Candidates are encouraged to explore the lived experiences of financial actors, including executives, regulators, institutional investors, board members, and policy leaders. Quantitative tools may be incorporated where appropriate, but they serve a broader analytical purpose. They illuminate governance structures and decision processes rather than functioning as ends in themselves. The program is particularly suited to experienced professionals in banking, corporate finance, asset management, financial engineering, regulatory institutions, and financial oversight roles who seek to elevate their practice through principled doctoral research.
Institutional and Societal Accountability
Financial governance does not operate in isolation. Decisions taken within financial institutions reverberate across corporations, markets, and society. Institutional governance is inseparable from societal governance. Doctoral candidates are therefore expected to situate their research within this broader frame of accountability. The program encourages reflection on how financial authority influences public trust, economic direction, and the long-term legitimacy of capital systems.
The Scholar–Practitioner in Finance
The PhD in Finance is designed to cultivate scholar-practitioners. Graduates are prepared to contribute to academia, corporate governance, regulatory leadership, and institutional strategy environments where financial authority intersects with responsibility and stewardship. Finance, when examined through the lens of governance, becomes more than a mechanism of exchange. It becomes a defining institutional force shaping economic direction and strategic judgment.
The launch of the PhD in Finance represents an important extension of Monarch’s commitment to rigorous, reflective doctoral scholarship. We welcome candidates who are prepared to examine not only how financial systems function, but how they shape the architecture of decision making in the modern world.
Aligned with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF)
The PhD in Finance is structured in alignment with Level 8 of the European Qualifications Framework, reflecting the highest standard of doctoral scholarship within the European tradition.
| • | Original doctoral research contributing new knowledge in financial governance. |
| • | Advanced analytical and critical competencies suitable for leadership in academia, industry, and government. |
| • | Structured milestone progression ensuring rigor and sustained scholarly development. |
“What makes the PhD in Finance at Monarch distinctive is its clear positioning of finance within a governance and decision-making framework. We examine not only how capital is allocated, but how financial structures shape institutional authority, strategic judgment, and long-term accountability. This program is designed for senior professionals, regulators, board members, and scholars who wish to elevate their profession to the highest levels of influence within industry and government through rigorous, principled doctoral inquiry.”