Research Proposal (GRAE030)

This course guides students to prepare for their thesis writing process by surveying various topics in the field of Financial Economics. The three main foci are: literature review, research methodology, and hypotheses. First, by systematically highlighting the differences between the annotated bibliography and the literature review, we emphasise the link between the existing literature and the research questions at hand. Second, by skimming through the preliminary data, we check the data availability and the feasibility of the chosen research method. Third, by articulating the hypotheses, we evaluate the proposed research design. The course lasts throughout the semester and concludes with the thesis proposal defence.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify a gap in the financial economics literature and cultivate interests in topics relevant to students’ career paths.
• Critically evaluate various research methods, especially given the data availability.
• Formulate a series of hypotheses relevant to the given research questions and develop a habit to continuously assess the progress of own research.
• Strengthen communication skills both in the written form as well as in presentation in order to stimulate discussions in the field of financial economics.