PhD in Finance : Durham or Essex ? Help me please.

If you have to pursue PhD in Finance at either Durham or Essex, which one will you select? Could you please support your answer by some reasons?

Thank you.

Reply 1

bantaloni

Well,
I would definitely go with Durham. Even though the research assessment exercise (RAE) for both programs is a solid 5, Durham enjoys a stronger reputation. This can be backed up with the following ranking comparisons:

Times Online (Overall ranking)
Durham = 10
Essex = 29

Education Guardian (Overall ranking)
Durham = 24
Essex = 47

Education Guardian (Business Studies)
durham = 14
Essex = 40

Durham's MBA program fares pretty well also. It shows up on all major MBA rankings (Top 100 in the world) like the Financial Times, Economist, etc.. Even though its not directly related to your program, this will have a weight on your degree worth. Lastly, Durham is EQUIS accredited whereas Essex is not.

Ofcourse, however, you have to factor in other things when choosing a school. As one of my high school teachers has said, "apply to where you fit in, not where you get in". You have to take into account your social life, location,etc... But on a head on basis, Durham would definitely be on top for me.