The academic accounting field is characterized by rapid change and increasing integration of accounting with other disciplines including economics, finance, management and statistics. The doctoral program offered by the School of Accounting is designed to train students to conduct interesting and timely empirical research, and to prepare them for successful academic careers.

The typical doctoral program generally requires four years of work to complete beyond the master's degree, during which the student must maintain continuous full-time enrollment. The doctoral curriculum consists of five accounting seminars, four statistics and/or econometric courses, several independent studies courses, and various electives selected to accommodate individual student's research interests. Coursework normally takes two years to complete, after which written comprehensive qualifying examinations are taken in the accounting area. If the student elects to pursue a minor in a given area, sufficient hours in that area must also be completed and a separate comprehensive exam be successfully written. Students successfully completing the comprehensive exam(s) will be admitted into candidacy, during which time the dissertation will be developed and completed. Development and completion of the dissertation generally requires two years of intense work after entering candidacy.

During students' time in residence, they will also participate actively in research colloquia and workshops, and will present the results of their empirical research to the faculty and fellow doctoral students. Students typically work closely with the faculty in the conduct of research, with students actively involved in the design of studies, collection and analysis of data, and summarization of the results.

We have faculty currently performing empirical research in all areas of accounting. Our faculty have published and are publishing their work in elite research journals, including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Financial Economics, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Review of Accounting Studies. As such, the School of Accounting is able to provide students with a challenging and rewarding environment in which they work closely with faculty, whatever their fields of interest.

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