Dr. Joel Vanden

Associate Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Joel Vanden. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Associate Professor of Finance at the Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University, Joel M. Vanden has a rich academic background with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Since joining Smeal College in 2008, he has previously taught at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, where he lectured on derivative and debt markets in second-year MBA electives. His academic achievements were recognized with the Paul Raether Tuck '73 Fellowship for outstanding scholarly contributions. Dr. Vanden has substantial experience in the private sector, having worked with several organizations such as Bank Boston Corporation and SunAmerica Life Insurance Company, which has enriched his research and teaching. His research interests primarily revolve around asset pricing, exploring factors like the role of non-redundant options in explaining equity returns and the impact of option coskewness on stock prices. Currently, he is investigating how imperfect competition influences mutual fund fees and how diversification affects optimal corporate capital structures.

Research Interests

Experience

Associate Professor

— Present

Smeal College of Business at The Pennsylvania State University • University Park, Pennsylvania

Teaching finance courses and conducting research in asset pricing.

Finance Professor

— Present

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College • Dartmouth, New Hampshire

Taught second-year MBA electives focusing on derivative markets and debt markets.

Courses

FIN 410 – Derivative Markets FIN 601 – PH.D. DISSERTATION FULL-TIME

Requirements for Pennsylvania State University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Writing
Required:24
Speaking
Required:23
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7
GRE General
Prerequisites
Master's degree in related field for PhD Baccalaureate degree from accredited institution
Application Checklist
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Writing Sample
  • Official Transcripts
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE scores are highly recommended but not strictly required for Applied Linguistics.