accounting phd comprehensive exam

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Comprehensive Examination

The purpose of the comprehensive examination is to examine the student's command of the finance literature, both academic and professional, and the student's ability to integrate and evaluate contemporary finance theory, practice, and research. The examination process is comprised of written and oral parts, and is not considered successfully completed until both parts have been judged as passed. Retaking the written portion may be required if the student is unsuccessful on the oral portion.

Finance Program

• Sample Plan of Study
• Comprehensive Exam
• First-Year Summer Project
• Empirical Paper
• Annual Review
• Dissertation

Administration of the Exam

The Associate Dean for Academic and Research Programs will determine the eligibility of the candidate to sit for the comprehensive exam. The department must obtain a written statement of the student's eligibility before the candidate may sit for the exam. To be eligible, the student must:

• Have successfully completed all course work in the degree plan.
• Have successfully completed any additional departmental requirements.
• File "a request for comprehensive" form with the Office of Student Services before the first day of classes in the semester in which the exams are to be taken.

The written part of the comprehensive examination will be given during the third week of May (usually, Wednesday and Friday) of each year. The comprehensive examination will be divided into fields, each field covers a different classes. The specific fields to be included in the exam will be will be communicated to eligible students by the end of the prior Spring Semester. Currently, there are five fields included in the comprehensive exam. The first day, students will take the field exams covering Microeconomics (I & II), and Financial Management I. The second day, students will take the rest of the fields (currently, Options and Futures, Econometrics (I & II)). The Finance Ph.D. Coordinator will solicit examination questions from faculty members of the department, and will prepare and administer the examination. Each semester the Finance Ph.D. Coordinator may specify a departmental faculty member as administrator of the departmental examination process.

Oral Examination

The oral exam must be taken within nine months of the date of the comprehensive examination. The written part of the comprehensive examination must be passed prior to the oral examination. During the oral exam the student will present and defend the Empirical Paper.

The student in consultation with the chair of the student's advisory committee will be responsible for establishing a date for the oral exam. Written notice must be given to all faculty members of the department at least one week prior to the exam. The student's advisory committee and all full-time faculty members attending the oral are included in the assessment of the student's performance. Two-thirds majority of those voting must assess the student's performance as passing for the oral to be considered passed. The member of the student's advisory committee representing the student’s support area may participate in the assessment of the student's performance on the oral exam.

Notification of Results

A student must receive either a "pass" (usually, 70% of points in exam or better) or "fail" on the basis of the evaluations of the written exam. No conditional passes will be allowed. The decision regarding a student's performance on the written part of the comprehensive exam shall be provided to the student within three weeks of the completion of the exam. This decision will be communicated to the student in writing by the Finance Ph.D. Coordinator with copies to the Bauer College of Business Office of Student Services and the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee. In the case of a fail, the letter shall cite the specific deficiencies warranting such action.

Each field in the Finance written comprehensive exam will be graded separately. To pass, a student cannot fail any field exam. If a stduent fails the comprehensive exam, the student will be required to retake the failed field exams. Only one retake of the failed field exams will be permitted. This retake must occur, at least, two weeks before the start of the next Fall semester (usually, first week of August). A second failure of a field exam will result in dismissal from the doctoral program in Finance.

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Accounting ph.d., earn a ph.d. in business and a major concentration in accounting and learn the essentials in theory, research methods and contemporary accounting issues.

Accounting Research involves the systematic and scientific study of accounting systems, institutions, standards and regulations for the purpose of understanding and characterizing their decision-facilitating and decision-influencing roles within organizations, in product and capital markets, and across economies. For instance, financial reporting systems play many roles in publicly held organizations characterized by separation of ownership from control. They help investors in valuing their claims to firms in financial markets (valuation role), are essential for corporate control and managerial performance evaluation (auditing, governance and stewardship roles), and impact how firms allocate their resources and make financial decisions (real effects). In a similar vein, management accounting systems facilitate planning and control within organizations. Often, these many roles of accounting information interact, posing challenges for system designers, policy makers, and standard setters.

The main goal of the accounting doctoral program is to train students to do high-quality research, and become influential scholars in top academic institutions. The accounting group has world-class senior faculty and young, talented scholars with considerable expertise in the above topics and a vibrant research environment. In addition, the program leverages the resources and excellence of Rice University in related fields such as finance, economics and statistics. Students will be required to take courses in economics, statistics, econometrics, finance, and a rigorous set of cutting-edge research seminars covering the essentials in theory, research methods, and contemporary accounting issues.

Program features:

• World-class faculty
• Engaging research environment
• Highly competitive financial package
• Resources of a premier research university
• Personal attention and mentoring in the Rice tradition  

Interested in Rice Business?

Program information.

Rice Business offers an outstanding program for doctoral students interested in accounting.

Overview of Accounting Ph.D. Seminar Series

Introduction to Accounting Research The course offers a thorough and broad-ranging introduction to accounting theory and research. It covers origins and evolution of key relevant accounting institutions, thought, paradigms and methods.

Analytical Research The course provides a thorough and comprehensive introduction into the key economic theories underlying a significant part of contemporary cutting edge accounting research. The course is designed to be sufficiently deep to support both students intent on pursuing analytical research and at the same time broad enough that students with an empirical orientation will gain a solid foundation.

Empirical Research in Accounting The course provides a thorough and comprehensive synthesis of empirical accounting research, covering the key “classic” papers in the major research areas, methodological issues and emerging areas within empirical accounting research.

Advanced Contemporary Accounting Research The course provides a more advanced treatment of cutting edge, predominantly empirical accounting research. Accordingly, the course content is expected to change frequently to reflect the current state of accounting research.

For doctoral students who have chosen accounting as their area, the Ph.D. degree requirements are as follows.

• Students must complete a review course in Quantitative Methods in the summer before the beginning of the first semester.
• During the  first two years of the program, students must take a minimum of three doctoral-level courses per semester and preferably four courses in total per semester. The chosen courses must be approved by the area PhD  advisor.
• The student is expected to attend at least four doctoral seminars organized in the accounting area during the student’s first two years in the Ph.D. program and additional accounting doctoral seminars as required by the student’s advisor. The student may attend the same seminar more than once upon approval by the area PhD advisor or a faculty mentor/advisor.
• The student is expected to attend all research workshops (presentations of faculty members from other business schools that visit JGSB to present their research or internal presentations by JGSB faculty or Ph.D. students) organized in the accounting area during the student’s tenure in the Ph.D. program. The student must lead a discussion preceding the workshop with the other Ph.D. students each semester. Ph.D. students will designate a senior Ph.D. student to keep track of this requirement and provide a report to the area faculty advisor at the end of the spring semester.
• The firs-year summer research work should involve a replication of analysis of a published/working paper with an extension in the area of the student’s interest. The summer study/paper must be presented to accounting faculty at a research workshop no later than September 30th in the fall semester of the second academic year. The content and format of this presentation will be determined by the student’s faculty mentor/summer research advisor. A failure to meet this deadline may result in the student being put on probation.  
• The second-year summer research must result in a working paper (with at least preliminary results), which must be presented to accounting faculty at a research workshop no later than November 30th in the Fall semester of the third academic year. Although we encourage solo-authored study, this summer research could be joint work with the faculty mentor/faculty advisor, but the student is expected to take the lead. A failure to meet this deadline may result in the student being put on probation.  
• Students must pass a comprehensive exam administered by the accounting faculty at the end of the second year. Only students not on probation and with a satisfactory annual evaluation are eligible to take the comprehensive exam. The exam will be jointly administered and graded by accounting faculty, under the supervision of the accounting area advisor. The exam is focused on the coursework taken in accounting and topics covered in research workshops offered by the accounting area. A successful performance in the exam will demonstrate the student’s competency in accounting and provide the foundation from which he or she begins the research that will form the basis of the dissertation.
• Students are expected to constitute their dissertation committee by the beginning of their fourth year in the program.
• During the dissertation phase (post successfully completing the comprehensive exam), students are strongly encouraged to take one course every semester (from the first semester of the third year to the second semester of the fourth year) to advance their skills and knowledge in tools, techniques, and topics relevant to their area of interest/dissertation topic. Students are expected to select these courses in consultation with the area PhD advisor or faculty/dissertation advisor.
• Students are expected to successfully defend a dissertation “pre-proposal” by the end of the Fall semester of their fourth year to their dissertation committees. The pre-proposal is expected to lay out the main thesis topic, methodology, discussion of the relevant literature, and preliminary analysis.
• Students are expected to successfully defend their full dissertation proposal by the end of the fourth year.
• Students are expected to complete and defend dissertation within a maximum of 7 years from time of matriculation.

Summer before the beginning of first semester

Quantitative Methods Review

Year 1 (Fall)

ECON 501Microeconomic Theory I ECON 510 Econometrics I BUSI 530Introduction to Accounting Research Workshop in Statistical Computing and Research Elective

Year 1 (Spring)

ECON 508 Microeconomics II BUSI 532Analytical Research in Accounting BUSI 533 Contemporary Accounting Research Topics Workshop in Statistical Computing and Research Elective

Year 2 (Fall)

BUSI 531 Empirical Methods in Accounting BUSI 523Empirical Methods in Finance Elective Elective

Year 2 (Spring)

BUSI 532 Analytical Research in Accounting (suggested retake) BUSI 533 Contemporary Accounting Research Topics (suggested retake) Elective Elective

Doctoral students may continue taking graduate-level accounting courses beyond their second year as well. Examples of elective courses are:

General: ECON 435: Industrial Organization ECON 511: Econometrics II ECON 514 Industrial Organization and Control ECON 517 Empirical Industrial Organization

Analytical Track: BUSI 510 Analytical Models in Marketing ECON 502 Macroeconomics ECON 505 Financial Economics ECON 509 Topics in Microeconomics ECON 575 Topics in Financial Economics MATH 321 Introduction to Analysis I MATH 515 Integration Theory STAT 581 Mathematical Probability STAT 552 Applied Stochastic Processes

Empirical Track: BUSI 522 Corporate Finance BUSI 511 Select Topics in Marketing BUSI 524 Finance Special Topics BUSI 527 Finance Special Topics ECON 309 Applied Econometrics ECON 578 Topics in Econometrics I ECON 579 Topics in Econometrics II: Time Series Analysis STAT 519 Statistical Inference STAT 541 Multivariate Analysis

• Xiao Liu, Southern Methodist University
• Daniela De la Parra Hurtado, University of North Carolina
• Seung Yeol Lee, Southern Denmark
• Rustam Zufarov, University of Illinois
• Rafael Copat, University of Texas at Dallas
• Amoray Cragun, University of Chicago
• Gary Lind, University of Pittsburgh
• Maclean Gaulin, University of Utah
• Jonathan Bonham, University of Chicago

Accounting Area Advisor

Shiva Sivaramakrishnan

Keep exploring.

Melinda Peña

before you go

Help us keep in touch — it won’t take long, accounting: curriculum, curriculum - accounting phd.

You will develop a strong foundation in accounting and related disciplines through our Accounting curriculum, and complement that knowledge with elective courses designed to meet your individual needs and interests.  Our program includes opportunities to take some courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to maximize your course options.

Courses required for an Accounting PhD

Scott Dyreng

Course requirements.

The Accounting curriculum requires the following courses as part of your degree requirements:

• 2 PhD courses covering foundational papers in the archival accounting literature
• 2 PhD courses covering papers in agency theory and information economics as used in the accounting literature
• 2 PhD courses in current topics and methods in accounting
• 2 PhD level courses in micro-economics
• 2 PhD level courses in econometrics
• 2 PhD level courses in finance
• Electives to meet your specific needs or interests, which can include additional classes in economics, econometrics, mathematics, computer science, finance, public policy, or psychology
• 3 MBA courses
• Ungraded boot camp courses that are not part of your degree requirements

First and Second-Year Summer Research Paper

Each student is required to write a summer paper following both the first year and second year of coursework.

• First-year summer paper . The first-year summer paper requirement has two components. The first is that each student must provide a replication of the main results of an existing paper so as to illustrate a minimum level of proficiency with statistical programming. Whatever paper is replicated must be specifically referenced. If a student has replicated a paper during first-year coursework of another class, the student may turn in or reference that replication to satisfy the first requirement. The second component is to turn in a completed research paper, the topic of which is approved by either the PhD coordinator or supervising faculty member that the student selects. The paper need not be fully original research, but it can be. As an example of the former, a student may replicate an existing paper and extend it to a new time period. The extension must be well motivated, such as articulating why existing results may not generalize to a new time period. For a student executing this type of “replication and extension” research, both the first and second parts of the first-year summer paper criteria would be satisfied. As an example of the latter, the student can undertake a completely original idea, and prepare the paper individually, with another non-first-year doctoral student, or with a faculty member. (Collaboration with faculty or another non-first-year doctoral student is permitted if the student has played a major role in the generation and development of the core idea and takes the lead in writing the paper.) Students must turn in their first-year summer paper by the first day of the Fall 1 term of the Fuqua Academic Calendar and schedule a 1 hour workshop to present the research paper to the faculty. The workshop presentation must be completed no later than the end of the Fall 2 of the Fuqua Academic Calendar.
• Second-year summer paper . At the end of the second year during the summer, students should have made substantial progress on an original single-authored research study. Each student must select two additional faculty members (one from accounting, one not from accounting) beyond his/her primary advisor to serve as readers and committee members. The role of the four-person committee is to advise and provide feedback from conception to completion of the paper. The formal satisfaction of this requirement is to present the curriculum paper in the accounting workshop series (regular 1.5 hour presentation slot) no later than the end of Spring Term 2 of the Fuqua Academic Calendar in the third year, with the research paper provided to all faculty one week prior to the presentation. Students are encouraged to complete the paper and presentation before the end of Fall Term 2. The committee, with input from the rest of the accounting faculty, will evaluate both the presentation and the paper, and determine what actions are required (e.g., dismissal from the program, additional coursework, etc.).

Qualifying Exams

Students must exhibit satisfactory performance on a written comprehensive examination that tests the student’s understanding of the research discussed in the doctoral seminars and workshops (part 1) and the student’s ability to read and evaluate accounting research (part 2). The comprehensive examination is written by a committee of the accounting faculty, appointed by the accounting area coordinator. The examination committee will grade the exam and determine what actions, if any, are required. Depending on performance on the examination, students may be dismissed from the program or asked to retake the examination. Students are not permitted to take the comprehensive exam more than twice. The examination committee will determine any additional qualifications for a student to retake the exam and when the timing of that exam will occur. Components of part 1 of the comprehensive exam may be taken at different times depending on the timing and sequencing of courses offered. For example, the empirical component of part 1 of the comprehensive exam can take place at a different time than the analytic component of part 1 of the comprehensive exam, with timing varying based upon course offerings. Typically course schedules dictate students will take a portion of part 1 following the second year of coursework and an additional portion of part 1 following the first semester of the third year.

Teaching and Research Assistantship

A critical part of the accounting doctoral program is forming professional relationships with faculty members and learning about the research and teaching processes. All students are expected to help faculty with research and teaching as needed, with the general expectations of 10 hours per week for students in years two through five, and 4 hours per week during year one. Hours worked above these amounts generally qualify for hourly compensation at pre-specified rates established by Fuqua, with the specifics of the work arrangement determined with consultation of the faculty member needing assistance. Work on co-authored projects does not qualify as research assistance.

Preliminary Exam

This requirement is satisfied through the second-year summer requirements outlined above.

Dissertation Proposal

We suggest students form a dissertation committee in the Fall of their fourth year, with the proposal occurring in the Spring of the fourth year. Students have until the end of the summer of the fourth year to complete this requirement.

Dissertation Defense

We expect students to defend their dissertation by the end of their fifth year in the program.

Sample Program Schedule

Course selection will be determined based on your prior experience with mathematics and economics or with accounting.

* Ungraded boot camp course – not part of degree requirement ** Partial PhD course equivalent *** Course taken at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill # MBA course as part of three course requirement ## Satisfies graduate school preliminary examination requirement

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• Ph.D. in Accounting
• Ph.D. in Finance
• Ph.D. in Organization Studies

Ph.D. in Accounting

Develop expertise in accounting principles, quantitative methods, economics, and finance on your way to becoming a successful teacher and scholars.  You will collaborate with both peers and faculty mentors, and be encouraged to present your work at conferences, as well as submit articles for publication in top research journals. 

• Academic Program
• Sample Course Sequence
• Class Profile

Accounting Ph.D. students complete a program of study that begins with coursework in accounting, quantitative methods, economics, and finance. Through seminar courses, you will become fluent on the existing state of research literature, appropriate research methods, and proper management of the publication process.

Course requirements are typically satisfied in the first two years of the program. In addition to doctoral seminars, Ph.D. students will take courses in the departments of finance and economics, and are encouraged to explore inter-disciplinary pursuits.

Comprehensive Examination

A comprehensive examination will be administered at the conclusion of the second year in the program. Satisfactory performance on the exam marks your transition from course-work to full-time thesis research.

Doctoral students begin engaging in the research process as early in the program as possible. A first-year summer paper, which can be a replication or an extension of an existing study, provides early hands-on experience in research design, programming, data management, and statistical analysis.

Students must then complete a second-year paper based on an original research idea and present this research in early December of their third year to qualify as a Ph.D. candidate.

In the spring of their fourth year, students submit and present their dissertation proposal, which should make a substantial, significant, and original contribution to the field. Input from faculty during the proposal process outlines the work that students need to complete over the summer for their dissertation proposals to become their job market papers for the fall of their fifth year.

Research and Teaching Assistant Requirement

Doctoral students at the Carroll School are expected to serve as research assistants, teaching assistants, and/or instructors throughout their studies. Students work for a set number of hours per week, throughout the duration of their Ph.D. programs. In exchange, the Carroll School provides financial support for doctoral students in the form of a stipend and tuition remission.

                *If required

Second Year

The following information reflects data for the entering classes of 2019–2023. Updated September 25, 2023.

Year Size 2019 2 2020 1 2021 3 2022 2 2023 1 Overall Selectivity 4.4%

Academic & professional profile, demographics, current students.

Learn more about current Ph.D. in Accounting candidates.  

“ Our faculty is on a mission to build an outstanding Ph.D. program, one that successfully places its candidates at top-tier institutions. ”

Accounting Faculty

Accounting faculty take an active role in placing students in attractive academic positions. They will become your mentors and colleagues, and be invaluable resources for the duration of your career.

Ph.D. Admission FAQ

Application link & deadlines.

Application Deadline:  The deadline to apply for Fall 2024 is January 9, 2024.

Application Fee: All applicants are required to pay a nonrefundable application fee of $100 USD.

Interviews: If selected, applicants will be invited to interview in early spring.

Admission Decisions: Applications are generally reviewed after the final deadline has passed. There is no specific decision notification date for Ph.D. programs. Final decisions are typically available by mid-spring.

CV and Resume

Your current curriculum vitae should include your education, research, and professional information.

We also require  a separate Employment History, using the form provided within the online application.

Recommendations

Recommendations from two individuals who can provide an objective appraisal of your capacity for intensive graduate study and potential for professional success.

Transcripts

All applicants must possess a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. You must submit transcripts from every institution where you were enrolled in a degree-granting program. At the time of application, only a self-reported transcript is required but if you are admitted, we will require an official transcript sent directly from your degree-granting institution. Transcripts should include:

Course names

All grades received (including transfer credits and study abroad programs)

Cumulative GPA

Degree conferral information

Graduates of non-U.S. institutions must possess a college or university degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree. If admitted, international students are required to submit an official English translation of all academic credentials, along with a third-party degree verification from an agency such as  SpanTran or  World Education Services (WES) .

GMAT or GRE Scores

Applicants must submit GMAT or GRE scores from within the past five years. We accept both the GMAT Exam and GMAT Focus Edition. Our test codes are:

• GMAT school code: 44x-J5-96
• GRE school code: 3033

While Graduate Admissions does not have a preference between the GMAT or GRE, we encourage you to consult class profile data for average test scores in order to gauge where you stand.

English Proficiency

If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you are required to submit an English language proficiency exam score with your application. We accept TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores. We do not accept the Duolingo English Test.

Scores must be from within the past two years, and applicants must meet the following minimum scores:

TOEFL, iBT, and TOEFL iBT Home Edition: 100

You are eligible to waive the language test requirement if you meet either of the following criteria:

You have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree or a two-year master’s degree (or higher) at an institution where the medium language of instruction is English. You must have completed your degree in its entirety at the English-medium institution. The medium language of instruction must be indicated on your transcript or verified in an official letter from the institution.

You have worked in a full-time, post-degree position for at least two years in the United States or a country where English is an official language. NOTE: Working for a company that conducts its business in English in a country where English is not an official language will not qualify you for a language test waiver.

If you are eligible to waive the language test requirement, you do not need to submit a waiver request beforehand and can simply move forward with your application.

Required & Optional Essays

Applicants must submit a required essay discussing their research interests and career objectives. You may also submit an optional essay that addresses aspects of your candidacy that have not already been covered in other parts of the application.

If you have any further questions, please email us at bcmba@bc.edu , or schedule a phone call or Zoom appointment with a member of the Graduate Admission team.

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Accounting (PhD)

Program description.

The Stern School of Business of New York University offers one of the finest PhD programs in accounting in the world. The curriculum is designed to provide a thorough understanding of current accounting theory, practice and research, taught within the framework of modern economic and finance theories as applied to the behavior of today’s corporations and financial markets. Our PhD students take extensive coursework in economics, finance, econometrics and statistics in addition to accounting. Students are entitled to take courses at Stern as well as other schools within the University such as the Arts and Sciences Graduate School of Economics and NYU’s famous Courant Institute of Mathematics. Our objective is to prepare students for faculty positions as researchers and teachers in top academic institutions.

Stern’s accounting faculty has a wide range of research interests and continuously publishes works in all major academic accounting research journals such as the Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Accounting Review, the Review of Accounting Studies, and Contemporary Accounting Research. Furthermore, Stern’s accounting faculty has published in such major Finance journals as the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis.

The Department boasts a large and diverse body of PhD students, who assist faculty with research projects early on in their doctoral program and often become co-authors to papers published in prestigious accounting journals.

The quality of our PhD program (ranked 7th in the United States by U.S. News and World Report) manifests itself by, among other things, our success in placing our graduates.

All applicants to the NYU Stern School of Business PhD Program are required to submit a complete application for admission. A complete application includes the  online application ,  statement of purpose ,  optional essay ,  educational history and resume or CV ,  letters of recommendation ,  test scores ,  academic transcripts , and an  application fee .

See How to Apply for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

The program requires the completion of at least 36-54 credits, comprised of the following:

Curriculum Details

Although every doctoral student must satisfy general requirements, each student designs and completes an individual program of study.

Each new doctoral student begins a program of study, which requires approval from the Area Coordinator and the Doctoral Office. Any unusual features or revisions of an approved program of study requires permission from both the department Area Coordinator and the Doctoral Office. Unless specifically approved in advance by the Area Coordinator and the Doctoral Office, MBA courses will not be eligible for tuition remission.

The general PhD degree requirement for students entering the program with a Master’s degree or equivalent is to successfully complete a minimum of 36 credits. The requirement for students entering the program with only a Bachelor’s degree is to successfully complete a minimum of 54 credits. If the Doctoral Office and the department Area Coordinator approve, a program of study may include previous graduate work at NYU or other universities. In all cases, students must complete at least 33 credits of coursework at NYU.

An approved program of study becomes part of the student’s permanent academic file and represents a formal commitment by both the student and the school. Any approved program can be modified as appropriate.

A complete program of study must include:

• Prerequisites: Every student must satisfy the prerequisites in calculus, linear algebra, basic probability and statistics, and economics before starting doctoral study. This can be accomplished by taking courses in these subjects for a grade.
• Basic Research Skills Methodology Courses: Every student must complete four research methodology courses, including three courses in probability and statistics, and one course in microeconomics.
• Major Specialization & Elective Courses: Every student must complete the prescribed program of courses in their major specialization, as well as elective courses.

Additional Program Requirements

Program of study.

Successfully complete a program of study, including completion of prerequisite coursework, basic research skills methodology courses, and major field of study and elective courses.

Comprehensive Examination

Successfully pass the comprehensive examination(s) required in the student’s area of study.

Teaching Workshop

Attend the Teaching Workshop and receive certification to teach an undergraduate course.

Teaching Preparations

Successful completion of the teaching practica as described in the PhD Handbook.

Teach an Undergraduate Course

Teach one undergraduate course or the equivalent during the 4th year of study.

Dissertation Proposal

Initiate a major piece of original research and present it for faculty approval.

Dissertation Defense

Complete a satisfactory dissertation and defend it successfully at the defense presentation. The research is the extension and completion of the research presented at the dissertation proposal.

Sample Plan of Study

Learning outcomes.

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:

• Get exposure to a wider range of faculty approach to research.
• Get exposure to, and deepen their understanding of, Banking, Financial Instruments, and Debt Contracting.
• Acquire understanding and skills in the area of machine learning.
• Strengthen their economics and finance theoretical and econometric foundations.
• Acquire a broad working knowledge of their field of study.
• Be active contributors to the research environment.
• Conduct independent research.
• Be skilled presenters of academic research.
• Be skilled teachers.

NYU Policies

Stern policies.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

Additional academic policies can be found on the Stern Graduate Academic Policies page . 

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Accounting PhD Specialization

General information.

Accounting is an interdisciplinary area, combining study of financial information with areas such as economics, finance, decision theory, and cognitive psychology.

The Ph.D. curriculum in accounting encompasses two major streams of research. The first stream examines the role of accounting information in contracting and capital markets. This first stream is economics-and-finance based and relies heavily on empirical research methods using archival data. The second stream is judgment and decision making in accounting (also known as behavioral decision theory research). This second stream is primarily psychology-based and relies heavily on controlled experiments with human subjects. The accounting Ph.D. program is designed to prepare students to publish research in top-tier accounting journals including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Economics, and Journal of Accounting Research and to take positions at leading research-based universities.

The Department of Accounting offers both major and minor areas in accounting. The remainder of this page first describes the policies for a major in accounting. This is followed by a description of the policies for a minor in accounting.

Department web site Accounting Faculty

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree at an accredited university and should have reasonable training in mathematics and economics. An admission committee of faculty members reviews all completed applications. While the committee considers all relevant factors in its recommendations, important factors include past academic performance, GMAT scores (the GRE exam can be substituted for the GMAT but the GMAT is strongly preferred), personal statements, and letters of recommendation. Evidence of quantitative aptitude, creativity, commitment to completing a Ph.D., and collegiality are all important.

Recommended Preparation Prior to Entry

In the summer preceding arrival at UW, new doctoral students are strongly encouraged to review important concepts in basic tool areas (e.g., economics, statistics, calculus, and linear algebra). Knowledge of financial and managerial accounting is required. The Ph.D. curriculum is extremely rigorous, so students greatly benefit from getting a head start on key skills important to completing the initial coursework.

Accounting Area Faculty Coordinator

Assistant Prof. Darren Bernard, Accounting Area Faculty Coordinator, would be glad to answer your questions. You can contact him by email .

The Accounting Area Faculty Coordinator advises new students until they establish a supervisory committee by the end of the Spring quarter of their first year. The supervisory committee assists the student in choosing appropriate courses, approves the course of studies, and monitors the student’s progress.

Course Requirements for Accounting Major

All accounting majors must complete the following requirements. The number of credits for each course is indicated in parentheses after the course number.

*Offered periodically. **Offered every second year.

Accounting majors are expected to register for ACCTG 599 each year in which they are enrolled in coursework (minimum two years). All Accounting majors are expected to attend ACCTG 599 each year they are in residence.

Occasionally, optional special topics classes will be offered reflecting instructor and student interest (for example, empirical research in taxation).

Research Methods Minor Area Requirements

In addition to the major area, students are required to choose three additional areas as minors. Doctoral students in accounting must select Research Methods as one minor area. Coursework in Research Methods should include ECON 580 (or equivalent courses in probability and/or statistical inference), ECON 581, and FIN 585. ECON 580 and 581 are within the econometrics series the UW Department of Economics offers, and FIN 585 is a research methods course the UW Department of Finance and Business Economics offers. These requirements are viewed as minimal background for conducting doctoral level research.

Students should also include at least 3 units (e.g., one course) of additional coursework in Research Methods tailored to their specific interests and selected in consultation with the area advisor. The UW Business School also offers behavioral research method courses BARM 590 and 591. Additional econometric and behavioral research method courses are available in the economics and psychology departments, respectively.

Other Minor Area Requirements

Although Economics is highly recommended as a second minor area, students may petition to substitute another minor area in special circumstances. The courses to be included in the Economics minor should include the three-course sequence ECON 500, 501, 508 and at least 3 additional units (e.g., one course) of coursework selected in consultation with the Economics area advisor. The three-course sequence is the microeconomics series economics doctoral students are expected to complete in the economics department.

The third minor area will depend on the student’s interest. For example, students might choose one of the following minor areas: Finance, Information Systems, International Business, Operations Management, Psychology, or Quantitative Methods. It is also possible to design a special minor area, which more directly addresses a student’s interests. Since many students choose Finance as the third minor area, it is also briefly discussed below.

The Finance minor area is recommended for students interested in financial accounting research. Students can either complete the 4 course doctoral seminar sequence FIN 580, 590, 591, 592 or they can take three courses from this sequence and at least 3 additional units (e.g., one course) of coursework selected in consultation with the Finance area advisor. The four-course sequence includes coursework in financial economics, capital market theory, corporate finance, and advanced finance research.

Typical Course Schedule

Accounting Doctoral Student Planned Courses (as of July 2022) The summer before you begin, you will be expected to do preparatory math and programming work. You will then arrive to campus in early September to begin on-campus math, economics, and programming camps. We will have a “welcome” barbeque sometime in September. This is a way to get to know everyone and have some fun before the semester gets underway, and families/significant others are welcome.

Classes typically begin the last week of September and in the first year all students will have the same course schedule:

Second Year

Fourth Year

Course Requirements for Accounting Minor

Doctoral students minoring in accounting must meet the following requirements:

ACCTG 510 and ACCTG 511 or equivalents ACCTG 580, Introduction to Accounting Research

In addition, students minoring in accounting are required to successfully complete one of the following:

*Offered every second year.

Other Requirements

Written Area Examination After completing all coursework required for a major area in accounting, the student takes a written area examination offered each year during late July or early August. The accounting area examination tests students on coursework as well as on topics of current research. The exam consists of a closed book eight-hour exam.

General Examination It is expected that students will complete all coursework and area exam and begin working on a dissertation proposal by the end of their second year. However, students are encouraged during their third and fourth years to attend the accounting doctoral research seminar in their area of interest (ACCTG 596 for financial accounting empiricists, ACCTG 597 for behavioral or experimental researchers). When the supervisory committee believes that the dissertation proposal is well defined, a general exam is scheduled. During the general exam, the student presents the dissertation proposal and answers questions related to the proposal and/or to courses taken. Members of the supervisory committee, a representative of the Graduate School, and any other interested faculty and students, attend the general exam. The chair of the supervisory committee determines the precise format of the general exam.

Students who have passed their area examination but not their general exam are required to present an accounting research workshop on their research in progress each Spring quarter until they have passed their general exam (and thus have an approved thesis topic). Students are required to present their research paper in the research workshop before sending it out to schools to interview. This presentation should be in early October to allow time for revision before sending the paper out in early November.

Dissertation After passing the general exam, students complete the proposed research and write the dissertation guided by a reading committee. The reading committee may consist entirely of members of the supervisory committee or may include one or more members not previously on the supervisory committee. When formation of the reading committee introduces new members, a new chair of the reading committee would ordinarily become chair of the supervisory committee and new members of the reading committee would ordinarily be placed on the supervisory committee.

Final Examination The supervisory committee administers the final defense of the dissertation.

Rawls College of Business

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• Finance Concentration

Concentration in Finance - Major Field (Comprehensive) Exam

Upon completion of the coursework, the student must pass a comprehensive examination in his or her major area of study (Finance). This comprehensive exam will cover material from all of the Finance doctoral seminars, the research seminar series (FIN 6122), and may also include material from the supporting fields (e.g., statistics and economics). Students should also study other financial concepts not specifically taught in their seminar courses. The expected level of knowledge for these additional concepts is what would be expected of a master's-level Finance student.

Suggested Study Resources

To assist in studying for the comprehensive exam, and to also supplement Ph.D. course material, the Area of Finance recommends the following master's- and Ph.D.-level textbooks.

Corporate Brealey, Myers, and Allen, 2017, Principles of Corporate Finance . Copeland, Weston, and Shastri, 2005, Finance Theory and Corporate Policy .

Investments Bodie, Kane, and Marcus, 2014, Investments . Back, 2010, Asset Pricing and Portfolio Choice. Cochrane, 2005, Asset Pricing . Campbell, Lo, and MacKinlay, 1997, The Econometrics of Financial Markets .

Financial Markets and Institutions Van Horne, 2001, Financial Markets Rates and Flows . Mishkin and Eakins, 2015, Financial Markets and Institutions .

Market Microstructure Harris, 2003, Trading and Exchanges .

Structure of the Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive examination comes in two parts: a written exam and an oral exam. Failure of either the written or oral exam constitutes a failure of the Finance comprehensive exam. Students who fail the comprehensive exam may petition the Doctoral Committee for permission to take the exam a second - and final - time. Students who fail the comprehensive exam a second time will be dismissed from the Ph.D. program.

The comprehensive exam is offered once a year in May or June and would typically be taken after the completion of the second year of course work. The written portion of the exam is given over one day.The oral exam is usually scheduled about one week after the written exam.

Supporting Field Exam

Although not required, students may (at their option) take a supporting field exam (generally in statistics and/or economics). The supporting field exam is typically taken at the end of the second year.

Admission to Candidacy

Upon successful completion of the required coursework and major field exam, the student will be admitted to candidacy.

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• Business: Accounting, Ph.D.

The Business: Accounting, Ph.D. prepares individuals for careers in research, teaching, and service at the university level.

The program stresses high-quality research at the frontiers of knowledge. A majority of the student’s time in the program is dedicated to developing, refining, and applying their research skills.

The Business: Accounting Ph.D. has a strong track record of producing high-quality researchers and teachers. Our approach values collegiality; students work closely with faculty in an apprenticeship-type approach.

Student research is supported by faculty in four core areas and include archival and experimental research. The four core areas are auditing, financial accounting, managerial accounting and tax.

Our faculty members contribute to significant advancements in the field, as evidenced by our recently published journal articles .

Admission consideration requires a four-year undergraduate degree or the equivalent, in any discipline, from an accredited institution. Work experience is not required. Applicants should have an undergraduate minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. In addition to academic credentials, test scores, personal achievements, motivation, communication skills (written and oral) and recommendation letters are considered in the admission process at both the master's and doctoral levels.

Please note:  The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), taken within five years of the starting term, is required of all applicants to the School of Business Ph.D. and M.S. programs. Also, all domestic (including Puerto Rico) and international applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A recommended minimum TOEFL score of 106 (New iBT) and 27 Speaking, obtained within two years of the intended starting term, is needed for admission consideration. International applicants who have completed a four-year bachelor's degree in a country where the official language is English may request a waiver of the TOEFL requirement. A master's degree from an English-speaking institution does not qualify for a waiver of the TOEFL, unless you have completed a minimum of 4 years of education (undergrad and graduate) in a country where English is the native language. The school accepts IELTS and Pearson Test of English as substitutes for TOEFL.

To learn more about the application and admissions process, visit  Ph.D. Admission Requirements . 

HOW TO APPLY

Students interested in business degrees do not apply through the Graduate School application system and should instead refer to the  School of Business Admissions page.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

MODE OF INSTRUCTION

Mode of instruction definitions.

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

 required courses.

In addition to the required courses listed below, all Ph.D. students are required to participate in the Teaching Improvement Program and Graduate Assistant Equity Workshop.  

Students will need to complete  ACCT I S 971 Seminar in Accounting Research  four times to meet this requirement.

Students also develop specialization in a related field such as economics, psychology, or sociology.  Finally, students build a foundation in statistics that supports their research interests.  Methodology courses in economics, agricultural economics, or psychology will generally provide a strong foundation.  

This could include the following courses:  ACCT I S 990 Accounting Independent Research PhD Thesis ,  ACCT I S 999 Reading and Research-Accounting PhD , and other non-research coursework decided with their advisor.

Independent Research

Students are required to present to the faculty an original research project (possibly co-authored with a faculty member or with another student) by the end of the student's third year in the program.  Independent of the presentation requirement, students must have completed a draft of their dissertation proposal (approved by their advisor) prior to the comprehensive examination.  

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

MAJOR-SPECIFIC POLICIES

Prior coursework, graduate work from other institutions.

With program approval, students are allowed to count no more than 9 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Coursework earned ten years or more prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

UW–Madison Undergraduate

No credits from a UW–Madison undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.

UW–Madison University Special

With program approval students are allowed to count no more than 9 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison special student. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a doctoral degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

This program follows the  Graduate School's Probation policy .

ADVISOR / COMMITTEE

This program follows the Graduate School's  Advisor policy  and  Committees policy .

CREDITS PER TERM ALLOWED

Time limits.

Doctoral degree students who have been absent for ten or more consecutive years lose all credits that they have earned before their absence. Individual programs may count the coursework students completed prior to their absence for meeting program requirements; that coursework may not count toward Graduate School credit requirements.

A candidate for a doctoral degree who fails to take the final oral examination and deposit the dissertation within five years after passing the preliminary examination may be required to take another preliminary examination and to be admitted to candidacy a second time.

GRIEVANCES AND APPEALS

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Dean of Students Office (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Any student who feels that they have been mistreated by a faculty or staff member has the right to lodge a complaint. Complaints may concern course grades, classroom treatment, program admission, or other issues. To ensure a prompt and fair hearing of any complaint and to protect both the student's rights and the person at whom the complaint is addressed, the grievance procedures below are used in the School of Business.

The person whom the complaint is directed against must be an employee of the School of Business. Any student or potential student may use these procedures unless other campus rules or contracts cover the complaint:

• If the student feels comfortable/safe doing so, the student should first talk with the person against whom the grievance is directed. Most issues can be settled at this level. If the complaint is directed against a teaching assistant (TA) and the student is not satisfied after discussion of the grievance with the TA, the next step would be to talk to the TA's supervisor, who is usually the course professor. If the complaint is still not resolved satisfactorily, the student may continue to step 2.
• If the complaint does not involve an academic department, the procedure outlined in Step 4 below should be followed.
• On receipt of a written complaint, the chair will refer the matter to a departmental committee, which will obtain a written response from the person at whom the complaint is directed. This response shall be shared with the person filing the grievance. The chair will provide a written decision within 30 days to the student on the action taken by the committee.
• If either party is not satisfied with the decision, they have five working days from receipt of the decision to contact the dean's office (at the number below), indicating the intention to appeal. If the complaint does not involve an academic department in the school, the student must contact the dean's office within 60 calendar days of the alleged unfair treatment.
• In either case, there will be an attempt to resolve the issue informally by the appropriate associate dean. If this cannot be done, the complaint can be filed in writing with the Office of the Dean. This must be done within 10 working days of the time the appealing party was notified that informal resolution was unsuccessful.
• On receipt of such a written complaint, the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer will convene a subcommittee of relevant stakeholders pending the nature of the issue. This subcommittee may ask for additional information from the parties involved and may hold a hearing at which both parties will be asked to speak separately. The subcommittee will then make a written recommendation to the dean of the School of Business who will render a decision. Unless a longer time is negotiated, this written decision shall be made within 20 working days from when the grievance was filed with the Office of the Dean.

Questions about these procedures can be directed to the School of Business, Office of the Dean, 4339 Grainger, 975 University Avenue, 608-262-7867.

State law contains additional provisions regarding discrimination and harassment. Wisconsin Statutes 36.12 reads, in part: "No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any service, program, course or facility of the system or its institutions or center because of the student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status or parental status." In addition, UW–System prohibits discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. Students have the right to file discrimination and harassment complaints with the Office of Compliance , 361 Bascom Hall, 608-265-6018, [email protected] .

The Graduate School has procedures for students wishing to appeal a grievance decision at the school/college level. These policies are described in the Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures: https://grad.wisc.edu/documents/grievances-and-appeals/

Virtually all Ph.D. students in business are funded at a level that guarantees a minimum of five years of the following: Full tuition remission; scholarship funding; a monthly stipend; comprehensive family health insurance plan, travel funding for students presenting at academic conferences.

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Program Overview

Years 1 and 2 : Students take doctoral level accounting research seminars and doctoral level courses in economics, finance, statistics, and mathematics. See course information below.

Summer research : Students write research papers in the summers following their first and second years in the program. The first year summer paper provides an opportunity to learn research skills outside of the classroom experience. Students interact with a faculty member in directed research in a field in which the student has an interest. The second year summer paper builds a foundation for the dissertation.

Comprehensive exam : Students take the major field exam in accounting in the summer following the second year of the program. After successful completion of coursework, research papers during the summers following the first and second years, and the comprehensive exam, a student can apply to be admitted to candidacy. Candidates then propose and defend a dissertation.

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Bulletin 2023-2024, business administration/accounting phd.

FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Learn more about the Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration .

About the Program

The PhD in Business Administration program, with a concentration in Accounting, prepares individuals for advanced research and scholarship. The primary emphasis of the program is to prepare future faculty members for successful academic careers.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 7 years

Campus Location: Main

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: Full-time study is required.

Accreditation: The PhD in Business Administration program, with a concentration in Accounting, is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

Job Prospects: The program is primarily dedicated to producing well-trained researchers who will work in academic positions.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Non-matriculated students are not permitted to take doctoral courses.

Financing Opportunities: Typically, all PhD students receive financial assistantship in the form of full tuition remission and a stipend in return for offering services as a Research Assistant (RA) or Teaching Assistant (TA). The level of support is based on the concentration, the applicant’s qualifications, and other competitive considerations. Students may also receive remuneration for conference travel, publications and academic achievement.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Applications must be submitted AND complete (i.e., all required materials must be received and verified by Fox Staff) by Dec. 5 to be considered.    Applications received after this deadline are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and dependent on availability. 

APPLY ONLINE to this Fox graduate program .

Letters of Reference: Number Required: 2

From Whom:  Letters of recommendation should be obtained from evaluators, typically college/university faculty or an immediate work supervisor, who can provide insight into your abilities and talents, as well as comment on your aptitude for graduate study.

Master's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A master's degree is not required, but preferred.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: The equivalent of a four-year U.S. baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college is required. For three-year degrees, mark sheets must be evaluated by WES or another NACES organization.

Statement of Goals: In 500 to 1,000 words, describe your specific interest in Temple's program, research goals, career goals, and academic and research achievements.

Standardized Test Scores: GMAT/GRE: Required. GMAT scores are preferred. Test results cannot be more than five years old. Although the applicant’s test score is an important factor in the admissions process, other factors, such as the ability to conduct research as demonstrated by academic research publications and whether your indicated research interests match with those of our faculty, are also taken into consideration.

Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree in a country where the language of instruction is English, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

• TOEFL iBT: 90
• IELTS Academic: 7.0
• Duolingo: 110
• PTE Academic: 68

Resume: Current resume or CV required.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements: Number of Credits Required to Earn the Degree:  48

Required Courses: 1

Students require approval from their mentor and the Concentration Director for all course selections, including those dropped and/or added.

With approval from the Concentration Director, students may repeat the ACCT 9011 proseminar or other Accounting concentration seminars in lieu of electives.

With approval from the Concentration Director, students may take other electives to match their research interests.

Of the 6 required research credits, a minimum of 2 credits of BA 9999 must be taken. The other 4 credits may be taken in any combination of BA 9994 , BA 9998 , and BA 9999 . Given that 6 credits constitute the minimum requirement, additional credits may be needed to fulfill the degree program's culminating experiences. Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment from matriculation to graduation.

Culminating Events: A committed student can complete a PhD in Accounting in five years:

• Complete coursework in Accounting, Economics, Finance and Statistics in the first two and a half years.
• Take the competency exam in Economics and Statistics at the end of the first year.
• Present two research papers, typically in collaboration with one or more faculty, in the second and third years, later extending research presentations to national and international conferences.
• Take the Accounting PhD comprehensive exam at the end of the third year.
• Work on dissertation, revise and submit research papers to journals, and develop teaching skills during the fourth and fifth years.

Program Web Address:

https://www.temple.edu/academics/degree-programs/business-administration-phd-bu-ba-phd

Department Information:

Fox School of Business and Management

1801 Liacouras Walk

701 Alter Hall (006-22)

Philadelphia, PA 19122

[email protected]

215-204-5890

215-204-7678

Fax: 215-204-1632

Submission Address for Application Materials:

https://apply.temple.edu/FOX/Account/Login

Department Contacts:

Admissions:

Fox PhD Admissions

[email protected]

Concentration Director:

Dr. Jagan Krishnan

456 Alter Hall

[email protected]

215-204-8126

PhD Managing Director:

Vinod Venkatraman, PhD

Associate Professor, Marketing

[email protected]

215-204-1409

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Accounting PhD Plan of Study

Coursework and research by program year.

Typically, students finish the Doctoral Program in Accounting in five years, with four years being a possibility conditional on a student’s dissertation progress and pipeline of other research.

Prior Coursework and Boot Camps

See the doctoral handbook for classes expected to be completed before starting the doctoral program.

A few weeks prior to starting the fall semester, all students benefit from a “Math Boot Camp” along with “SAS ® Programming Boot Camp.”

Years One, Two and Three and the Comprehensive Exam

Coursework typically takes place over the first and second years of the program. Students are expected to consume as much knowledge as possible on various research areas, disciplines and methods. Students are expected to work on a summer paper that includes a replication and extension in the summer after the first year. 

A written comprehensive exam is normally taken at the end of the second year. Please refer to the PhD handbook for the year-by-year overview of the program.

Years Three and Four: Dissertation and Research

The third and fourth years of the program are largely spent on producing (i.) a high quality dissertation and (ii.) a pipeline of research close to or submitted to top research journals. The student is required to present a co-authored study by the end of the third year and present their dissertation proposal in the fourth year. The student will arrange for a tenured faculty member to serve as dissertation supervisor. The student and dissertation supervisor work together to form a dissertation or examining committee, which provides timely input to the student and ultimately is responsible for approving the dissertation. 

Year Five: Recruiting, Dissertation Completion and Final Oral Defense Examination

The fifth or final year of the program is largely spent on progressing the dissertation, research pipeline and the job market recruiting process targeted to earn a full-time tenure-track research appointment. Upon completion of the dissertation, the student must take a final oral defense examination that focuses on the dissertation.

Doctoral Handbook

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Participants gather for a group photo at the ODU Graduate Program in International Studies’ Annual Graduate Research Conference. College of Arts and Letters

Student Guide: The Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

Introduction.

The comprehensive examination is a critical part of the GPIS PhD program. You should not view it simply as a bureaucratic hurdle to pass over on your way to the dissertation. Instead, before embarking on narrowly focused dissertation work, the comprehensive examination establishes that you have the broad familiarity and expertise with the field that is the mark of a doctoral education. It is the checkpoint that confirms that you are ready to pass from being a student to a scholar. The process of preparing for the comprehensive exam should help you organize and reflect on the variety of things you have learned over the past few years. While to this point, each of your seminars has been a distinct learning experience, you now can think about how your interdisciplinary work in international studies fits together. Preparation for the comprehensive exam should help you become better able to integrate and utilize the knowledge you have gained in your graduate study. It is also critically important for embarking on the dissertation. The best dissertations are effectively connected to the central questions and literature of the field. Unless you have developed an integrated overview of the field you will not have the necessary foundation for dissertation work.

The Comprehensive Character of the PhD Examination

It is important to note that the comprehensive PhD examination is not simply a test of your cumulative knowledge of seminar materials. It is, rather, a test of your preparation to work as an independent scholar at the highest level. By now you should be functioning like a scholar, and not just like a student. You should be aware of the major journals in your field and should be paying attention to them. You should know what the most important books, articles, and debates are regardless of whether they were used in your classes. It may have been a few years since you took IR theory, but it is unlikely that the scholars who work in that area have stopped pushing the field forward to wait for you to get through the comprehensive exams.

The Written Comprehensive Examination Process

The written comprehensive exams are usually scheduled for a Friday and Monday the weekend before the start of the new semester. You will do your major field on one day and your minor field on the other. We will try to schedule your major field for Friday and your minor field for Monday, but the order will be determined by the scheduling needs of the full set of students taking the written comprehensives on a given day. You will have eight hours to complete each part of the exam. The exam is closed book and no notes or other aids of any kind are allowed. For each of your fields you will be given five questions from which you will choose two to answer.

The Written Exam Grading

The exam will be graded by the appointed Doctoral Candidacy Examination Committee. The committee will usually, but not always, include the Committee Chair, and directors of the relevant tracks. It will usually take about two weeks to get the written exams graded.

Passing the Written Comprehensive Exam

Different examiners may read the exams in different ways, and it is the student's responsibility to write answers that are generally accessible and appealing across the variety of GPIS faculty. Most readers will be looking for a clear and direct answer to the question, evidence of familiarity and facility with the important literature, and an ability to integrate theory and empirical cases.

To pass the comprehensive exam, students must not receive more than one failing evaluation from a committee member.

Failing the Written Comprehensive Exam

Our goal and expectations are that every student will pass the comprehensive examination. The exam is not designed to be a barrier. It is meant to be a straightforward assessment of the student's command of their declared fields and their preparation to move on to the challenges of writing the dissertation. Nonetheless, and precisely because the exam is conceptualized as an assessment of this preparedness to move on, it plays a very important role in your doctoral education. Students who do not demonstrate an effective grasp of the relevant literature and empirics or who do not effectively and explicitly answer the questions as asked will not pass.

Students who do not pass the written portion of the exam on the first attempt will have to retake the exam in a subsequent semester. Failure on the second attempt will prevent the student from going on to write a dissertation. At the discretion of the examination committee, the failing student may be awarded the MA degree if the performance and coursework so merit, and if they do not already have a GPIS MA.

The Oral Comprehensive Examination process

Doctoral candidates are expected to be able to communicate effectively and knowledgeably both in writing and orally. Thus, the comprehensive examinations have both a written and an oral component.

The oral portion of the comprehensive examination will take place about three weeks after the written. Three to five faculty members will administer the examination. The examiners will usually, but not necessarily, include the Director or Associate Director of GPIS and the track coordinators from the student's major and minor fields. The examination will last about one hour. Each examiner will have a chance to ask questions, but the format will often shift between relatively structured questioning and a more free-flowing discussion.

The discussion will center on the student's answers for the written exam (students may use their written exam). The scope of the exam is not, however, limited to that material. The examiners will be looking to fill in any perceived gaps in the written work, and to assess the student's facility more generally with the literature and empirical material.

Passing the Oral Comprehensive Exam

Passing the oral comprehensive exam is a matter of convincing the committee members that you have an appropriate mastery of the central material of the field and are prepared to go on to focused and independent work on a dissertation. To pass, you must not receive more than one negative vote from a member of the examining committee.

Failing the Oral Comprehensive Exam

Students who do not pass the oral exam will be asked to return in one month for a second oral exam. Students who do not pass on the second attempt will not be allowed to continue for the PhD.

Tips for Preparing for the PhD Comprehensive Exam

The most important preparation for the PhD comprehensive examination is the GPIS coursework you have completed. Reviewing the notes and materials from your seminars and trying to organize it around some integrative themes is essential preparation. The following pages offer some further suggestions for effective preparation for the comprehensive examination, and for ensuring a strong examination performance.

1. Take appropriate classes

In consultation with your adviser and other faculty, be sure to select a variety of classes that will give you the broad background you need for the comprehensive exam. It is particularly important that you choose classes that will help you gain both a breadth of field knowledge, and a depth of knowledge in a few critical areas. The seminar papers you write should particularly help you develop depth in a few critical areas.

2. Keep effective class notes and reading notes

You should be thinking about preparation for the comprehensive exams from the beginning of your program. Keeping your seminar and reading notes in an organized manner will allow for more effective comprehensive exam review. You will particularly want to be careful about the material in the core classes.

You may find it useful to develop reading notes at different levels of depth. There may be a set of books and articles for which you will have 2-3 page summaries. There may be a second, larger, group for which you have paragraph length descriptions. Finally you should have a third very large group for which you have a sentence for each reading that gives you the central thrust of the argument.

3. Work on exam preparation in groups

Working with others can help you share the labor of summarizing and reviewing material. You can work with others on identifying the critical literature and on developing answers to hypothetical test questions.

4. Pay particular attention to the broad literature of international relations theory that will help you in answering a wide variety of questions

Many of the questions across the different tracks will benefit from an effective understanding of the broad currents and debates of international relations theory. One of the things a graduate education should help you do is to apply general theory to a variety of specific situations. Displaying that ability on the comprehensive exam is a good idea.

5. Identify some historical periods and important episodes and issues around which you will develop a particular expertise

Alas, no one can know everything about everything. You will see in this collection of sample questions that it is relatively rare for a question to demand knowledge of a particular event or historical period. Nonetheless, you will also see that you are often called upon to identify a critical historical period or event. You will be expected to evince in-depth knowledge of some issues or areas. Effective in-depth knowledge of a few critical issue areas or historical episodes can help you generate appropriate material for a wide variety of questions.

6. Identify some important literature with which you will be particularly familiar

You need to have a good feel for a very broad range of literature. For a lot of books and articles, remembering the author and the central thrust of their argument and evidence will serve you adequately for the comprehensives. But, just as it is essential that you have a greater depth of knowledge about a few historical episodes are critical issues, you will want to have a set of books and articles that you know extremely well. You should have an identified set of readings that you are confident you can apply to a reasonable range of questions and that you know very well and can talk about with some depth and sophistication.

7. Practice for the exam

Using the material in this booklet, you should write some practice exams. At the beginning you may want to take several hours and write an answer with open book resources. By the end you should be practicing with closed notes and a two-hour clock to simulate exam conditions. Such practice will not only help you think about how you will engage in the actual task of taking the exam, but will give you collection of sample answers that may be easily adapted to the real test questions. Just be careful that you don't mistakenly provide the answer to a similar old question and miss the slightly changed terms or requirements that are likely to show up in the real test.

The process of preparing practice exams is another area where working in groups can be extremely helpful. Having a study group can give you a larger stock of practice answers and will allow you to get feedback and to discuss the appropriate sources and arguments for a given question.

Tips for Writing an Effective Comprehensive Exam

1. Make sure you answer the questions explicitly and clearly.

The most common comprehensive exam mistake is to not explicitly and clearly answer the question. Read the question very carefully and make sure that you offer an explicit answer to the question. Do not rely on the readers to draw out implicit answers.

2. Make appropriate reference to the literature and relevant scholarly debates.

You will not, of course, be expected to provide detailed citations. But, you should demonstrate familiarity and facility with a range of the literature. You should be able to appropriately reference the scholars whose arguments are relevant to a particular issue. You may occasionally include the name of a book or article and the date of its publication.

3. Make appropriate use of theory and of empirical and historical knowledge.

If appropriately done, it is particularly effective to use theory to inform answers on history questions and history to inform answers on theory questions.

4. Write full answers that are structured with an introduction and conclusion.

As in all writing, structure and organization are important to effective communication. Just because it is a time-limited exam is no excuse for jumbled, incoherent writing. Take the time to think through and outline your argument and its structure before you write. As in all writing, signposting, headings, and clear explicit language can help communicate your ideas. Provide a clear introduction and conclusion that can help you summarize your central point and will reassure the readers that you have, in fact, explicitly answered the question.

5. Make an argument

As a scholar prepared to embark on independent thesis work, it is important that you demonstrate an ability to effectively articulate your own views. The comprehensive exam is not just about knowing the literature. It is also about demonstrating that you can think about international issues critically and come to your own conclusions. Avoid wishy-washy answers that simply describe some of the ideas extant in the field and then conclude that they are all correct. Take a stand and defend it with appropriate theoretical, analytical, and empirical material.

6. Make choices

You will notice that most of the questions are a lot bigger than can be fully answered in the two-hours you will have on average during the written exam. You have to make choices on how you will answer so that you can display your breadth and depth of knowledge while satisfying the committee that you have effectively addressed the question. It usually helps if you can be explicit about how you are managing the question ("While there are, of course, idiosyncratic elements in the complex relationship of each President to his national security team, I will focus in this short essay on the difficult relationship between Jimmy Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Cyrus Vance because it effectively illuminates the problems every foreign policy team must face"). It is rarely a good strategy to try to present a broad and superficial survey of too many things ("In this essay I will discuss the relationship of each Post-WWII American president with his respective Secretaries of State and Defense").

7. Don't make big mistakes

This, of course, is common sense, but I can't overemphasize how difficult it is to certify someone as ready to move onto writing a dissertation who fundamentally misunderstands some essential literature, or who demonstrates a wanton disregard for historical accuracy.

Tips for the Oral Examination

1. Attitude matters

Attitude is important in the oral examination, just as it will be for the remainder of your career as a scholar. As a doctoral candidate, you should be able to present your views with confidence, but without becoming defensive. The examiners are likely to push against your views and expect to see you defend them effectively, but not irrationally.

The best way to figure out the right attitude is to attend the presentations of others at research workshops, dissertation defenses, and conferences. Start paying attention to the style as well as the substance. Take note of how other scholars deal with difficult questions and criticisms. What works and what doesn't work? What makes them sound defensive? What makes them sound arrogant? What makes them sound indecisive?

2. Being nervous is inevitable

It is likely that you will be nervous. How you perform when nervous is not irrelevant to your career as a scholar. You need to demonstrate that despite being nervous you can engage in appropriate scholarly discussion.

3. We probably know more than you, but knowing everything isn't required

It is likely that all together, the three to five professors conducting the examination know some things that you don't. With some pushing, they will probably be able to find out what some of those things are. We don't expect you to know everything. We do expect you to communicate effective knowledge of a broad range of subjects, and explicit and deep knowledge of a few selected areas.

4. Practice

The best way to practice for the oral exam is to speak up and engage in discussion in your seminars, in research workshops, and at conferences. If you aren't prepared to express and defend your views in the seminar setting, it is unlikely that you will be prepared to do so in the oral exam.

5. Work with other students

Again, preparing for the comprehensive examinations with other students will help you both with the substance and with the process. Scholarly discussions of exam questions with other students will give you the chance to practice articulating and defending your views with appropriate references to the literature and empirical facts.

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS

This examination will be conducted in a BAL Computer lab. In an emergency, you must inform the proctor immediately.

• You may take short breaks (5-10 minutes) as needed
• You are not permitted to leave the building under any circumstance
• Food and beverages should be consumed during the exam
• Save your work often on the flash drive provided
• If any problems occur, notify the proctor immediately
• The examination is closed book and no notes or other aids including cell phone are allowed
• You will be given a blue book, pen, and pencil for writing notes
• Once the exam begins the computer browsers will be locked down
• You must sign and return the honor pledge provided

The ODU Honor Pledge will be strictly enforced, and you will be asked to sign off on this pledge on the date of the exam:

I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member of the academic community it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violations of the Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.

~Honor Pledge

On the day of the exam arrive 5-10 minutes early to log into the computer and be ready to start promptly at 8:30 a.m. when the exam questions are distributed.

You will receive the exam questions, a flash drive, a blue book for notes and the honor pledge to sign and return to the proctor. Use the flash drive to save your work and give to the proctor at the end of the exam.

The examination consists of two parts.

Part 1 - questions will be on your MAJOR concentration

Part 2 - questions will be on your MINOR concentration

On both days you must answer TWO out of five questions. The questions are written broadly, but your essays must remain explicitly responsive to what is asked; simply referencing texts is not sufficient. Time is ample and running out of time is not an option. Ending early is also not advised. The examination will conclude at 4:30 p.m. and all answers must be saved on the flash drive and turned in.

Guidelines to Answering Questions

(These are the instructions that come with the exam)

• There will be five questions. You must answer two.
• The exam lasts a total of eight hours. Allocate your time accordingly and make sure that each question has a concluding section.
• answer the questions as they are raised and not as you wish they had been raised b. illustrate your answer with appropriate empirical examples c. cite relevant sources d. make proper references to important interpretative debates, when appropriate
• how effectively you address each of the questions b. how well you know and manage your facts c. how soundly you handle and cite the literature d. how well you have developed and organized your argument e. the quality of your writing
• errors of fact b. misattribution of arguments in text and/or citation c. spurious citation of literature d. presentation of answer in bullet point format e. failure to develop coherent argument

Past Field Questions

American foreign policy.

• According to Henry Kissinger, "It is an illusion to believe that leaders gain in profundity while they gain experience.... The connections that leaders have formed before reaching high office are the intellectual capital they will consume" during their time in office. Explain and discuss this assessment, which Kissinger made after he had served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, with explicit references to two high level foreign policy practitioners during the two decades that followed the US intervention in World War II (1941-1961).
• "Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead," recently observed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "must be based on a marriage of principle and pragmatism, not rigid ideology, on facts and evidence, not conviction or prejudice." Explain and discuss in the context of two high level foreign policy practitioners during the immediate postwar decade (1945-1965).
• Identify TWO crises, events, or issues that best characterize the latter part of the Cold War and its immediate aftermath (from January 1981 to January 2001). Do NOT describe any of these crises, events or issues at length but single out the features and patterns that best explain why these are so closely identified, in your judgment, with this initial post-Cold War period.
• Describe and discuss the evolution of U.S. policies toward any country (except the USSR/Russia) or region of your choice during a 6-year period of your choice, extended from January 1981 to January 2001. To introduce your answer, explain your choice of the period you wish to discuss. To conclude, explain the relevance of that region or country to current U.S. interests and policies.
• Whatever might be said about the events of September 11, 2001 and the wars that followed, their consequences have been epochal - meaning, system changing. After a quick review of these events, examine the conditions of what has been called a new "post-American world." What do you think of this emerging world: first, from the narrow perspective of U.S. interests, capabilities and purpose; but also, next, from the broader perspective of power and order during the coming decade? 2. "The United States," it has been noted, "never experienced what other nations experienced in achieving a position of world power. It moved within a very brief period from a position of isolation to one of global leadership, it has never been a mere nation among other nations." Explain and discuss the influence of the nation's distinctive past on the US role in the world in the twentieth century.

TRANSNATIONALISM AND INTERDEPENDENCE

• Great speculation exists on the extent to which the United States is in decline. Drawing on the central concepts and knowledge of the track, and on your broader study in the program, to what extent do you believe America is in decline? What factors could hasten or reverse this decline at the global level, insofar as you see it in play?
• To what extent, if any, is the world safer in the post-Cold War era? In what measure have transnational threats (terrorism, migration, energy interdependence, etc) replaced the threats inherent in the Cold War?
• Drawing on your coursework in this program, and especially on your courses in this track, to what extent do you think that the effects of anarchy can be tempered or lessened in world politics?
• Realists tend to assume that world politics is cyclical; and that the basic elements of world politics do not change much over time (such as power, balance of power politics, the centrality of states, and conflict). To what extent do you agree with this key realist assumption?
• To what extent, if at all, does interdependence decrease inter-state conflict in world politics?

INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY

• From World War II to the present, states have constructed regimes to manage some-but not all-aspects of the international economy. A once-strong regime to manage trade has weakened since the 1990s. Likewise, with the abandonment of dollar-gold convertibility in 1973, a robust regime to manage monetary relations collapsed. Conversely, states originally left finance unregulated but in 1988 created and progressively have strengthened rules to manage international banking. And in production, the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment collapsed in 1998 without ever securing necessary multilateral support. What explains these variations in institutions, both across issue areas and over the course of the last 65 years?
• The integration of gendered analyses of globalization has led to a substantive body of literature within the field of international studies. Imagine that an international studies department hires you to design and teach a graduate seminar on gender and globalization. What theoretical and empirical movements within the field would your seminar emphasize? How would you elucidate the central connections between gender and globalization? In your essay response, please explain how your choice of authors, themes and content provides an innovative approach to teaching graduate students about the complex interconnections between gender and global restructuring.
• After the May 2010 parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom, one observer wrote: The outcome in Britain underscores a problem roiling so many democracies. The economic change brought about by globalization and technological advances is not creating the happy, unified world of progress its promoters keep promising. Instead, it is splitting regions within nations that are fully part of the global market from those left behind. Does globalization foster or undermine democracy? Your answer should address at least one of the following dimensions of democracy: political behavior, democratic institutions, responsiveness, equality, and legitimacy. Please illustrate your argument using one democratic state of your choice.
• Numerous scholars argue that historical experiences condition a nation-state's contemporary political economy. That is, a state's past policies for economic development may profoundly affect its contemporary prospects for industrialization, the reduction of poverty, and the development of political institutions. To what degree are development and democratization path-dependent processes? Can states in the contemporary political economy escape the tyranny of their history? If so, how? If not, why not?
• Developing states face different economic, political and social challenges than do the wealthiest and most powerful states. Can international political economy offer us a coherent set of theoretical tools to explain such diverse problems in the global economy? Or must it rely upon ad-hoc, degenerative hypothesizing to accommodate such empirical challenges? To illustrate your theoretical argument, please compare at least one developing and one developed state.

CONFLICT AND COOPERATION

• For a region of your choice identify two instances of cooperation between states that advanced/improved the regional security environment. Explain your selections in detail. Choose your examples from the last decade.
• The spread of nuclear weapons is often cited as a major challenge to the international community. How might this threat best be countered? Your answer should critically review state policies and institutional responses.
• In an increasingly global security environment it is far from obvious how security should be organized. Reflecting on what you have learned, how would you conceptualize a 21st century security order? Why would you conceptualize it this way?
• To what extent does the transatlantic security community exist? Is it strong and if so, why? Is it weak and if so, why? What factors/developments are likely to determine its future?
• For a region of your choice, discuss two events or developments over the past decade that have significantly affected regional expectations about conflict and cooperation. In your answer, make sure to demonstrate familiarity with the scholarly literature and debates at the policy levels.
• Virtually absent from national policy agendas since the end of the Cold War, arms control is back. From a scholarly perspective and against the background of Cold War arms control, how do you evaluate the return of arms control, the emerging arms control agenda, and arms control's contribution to international peace and stability?
• How useful are policies of deterrence in a global security environment?
• From your understanding of the scholarly literature, single out two contributors whose work(s) you think have been critical in advancing the field of Security Studies. Carefully explain your choices.
• Critical theorists have issued a number of challenges to traditional understandings of peace and security. Identify three such challenges and discuss. Ultimately, do these challenges represent anomalies, in the Kuhnian sense, or are they the products of normal science?

COMPARATIVE AND REGIONAL STUDIES

• Both Rational-Choice and Political-Culture theories are prominent approaches in the field of comparative sociopolitical studies. What are the similarities and differences between these two approaches in terms of their intellectual geneses, theoretical assumptions, and major arguments (or hypotheses)? Discuss the major strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
• New Institutionalism is believed to have succeeded the so-called "Old" Institutionalism in comparative sociopolitical studies. Explain the intellectual genesis, theoretical assumptions and major arguments (or hypotheses) of the New Institutionalism. In what respects is the New Institutionalism similar to and different from the Old Institutionalism? Do you think that the New Institutionalism has helped advance comparative sociopolitical studies? Why or why not?
• Some analysts of comparative studies have advocated Statism, emphasizing the profound role of the state in shaping socioeconomic and sociopolitical developments in various countries. Explain theoretical assumptions and major arguments (or hypotheses) of Statism. Do you agree with Statism's arguments for the importance of the state (vs. society)? Why or why not?
• Social movement and revolution
• Democratization
• Social capital
• To study socioeconomic development in different regions or countries, scholars have developed two distinct approaches: Modernization Theory and Dependency Theory. Briefly explain these two approaches in terms of their fundamental assumptions and theoretical arguments. Which theory do you prefer when studying socioeconomic development in developing countries? Use evidence from any region(s) or country (countries) with which you are familiar to support your reference.

INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL STUDIES

• Explain the social construction of culture(s) and its significance to current political economic realities.
• Cite a case study of a post-colonial critique of nationalism. Explain the role of the imperial power and how that is legitimized or not.
• How is the concept of "nation" constructed in Modernity? How is this construction relevant to issues in international studies? Cite case studies where appropriate.
• Explain how cultural studies theories are important to the study and practice of international relations.
• Explain the importance of the media in the construction or reflection of the identity of immigrant, multicultural or diaspora communities.
• Graduate Program in International Studies (GPIS)
• 7045 Batten Arts & Letters
• Norfolk, VA 23529

Program Director

Regina Karp

• NORFOLK, VA 23529
• [email protected]

NATO Accreditation

NATO, a military alliance of 31 North American and European countries, accredited the ODU GPIS degree program as a "Selected Program" for alliance members' education and training. Currently, no other civilian academic institutions have been awarded the "Selected Program" designation by NATO.

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• Curriculum/Program Requirements

Duke's Fuqua School of Business

Overview of Program Requirements

Our Accounting PhD program requires you to complete:

• Course requirements as outlined in the Accounting curriculum page
• A first-year summer research paper and a second-year research paper
• Qualifying exams in empirical and analytical accounting research
• Teaching and research assistantship
• Preliminary exam
• Dissertation thesis proposal
• Final dissertation defense exam

The same Team Fuqua culture that permeates all of Duke’s professional business programs is prominent in the Accounting PhD program.  Innovation through collaboration is our defining characteristic.  Our accounting faculty possesses unmatched topical and methodological span, which we leverage through co-authorships with one another and co-teaching of our PhD seminars.  In addition to involving PhD students in our collaborative research process, students also have access to cutting edge classes in Fuqua’s Finance area, Duke’s Economics department, and the course catalog of our neighboring university, UNC Chapel Hill. 

15 Courses required for an Accounting PhD

You will develop a strong foundation in accounting and related disciplines through our Accounting curriculum, and complement that knowledge with elective courses designed to meet your individual needs and interests.  Our program includes opportunities to take some courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to maximize your course options.

Course Requirements

The Accounting curriculum requires the following courses as part of your degree requirements:

• 2 PhD courses covering foundational papers in the archival accounting literature
• 2 PhD courses covering papers in agency theory and information economics as used in the accounting literature
• 2 PhD courses in current topics and methods in accounting
• 2 PhD level courses in micro-economics
• 2 PhD level courses in econometrics
• 2 PhD level courses in finance
• Electives to meet your specific needs or interests, which can include additional classes in economics, econometrics, mathematics, computer science, finance, public policy, or psychology
• 3 MBA courses
• Ungraded boot camp courses that are not part of your degree requirements

First and Second-Year Summer Research Paper

Each student is required to write a summer paper following both the first year and second year of coursework.

• First-year summer paper .  The first-year summer paper requirement has two components. The first is that each student must provide a replication of the main results of an existing paper so as to illustrate a minimum level of proficiency with statistical programming. Whatever paper is replicated must be specifically referenced. If a student has replicated a paper during first-year coursework of another class, the student may turn in or reference that replication to satisfy the first requirement. The second component is to turn in a completed research paper, the topic of which is approved by either the PhD coordinator or supervising faculty member that the student selects. The paper need not be fully original research, but it can be. As an example of the former, a student may replicate an existing paper and extend it to a new time period. The extension must be well motivated, such as articulating why existing results may not generalize to a new time period. For a student executing this type of “replication and extension” research, both the first and second parts of the first-year summer paper criteria would be satisfied. As an example of the latter, the student can undertake a completely original idea, and prepare the paper individually, with another non-first-year doctoral student, or with a faculty member. (Collaboration with faculty or another non-first-year doctoral student is permitted if the student has played a major role in the generation and development of the core idea and takes the lead in writing the paper.) Students must turn in their first-year summer paper by the first day of the Fall 1 term of the Fuqua Academic Calendar and schedule a 1 hour workshop to present the research paper to the faculty. The workshop presentation must be completed no later than the end of the Fall 2 of the Fuqua Academic Calendar.
• Second-year summer paper .  At the end of the second year during the summer, students should have made substantial progress on an original single-authored research study. Each student must select two additional faculty members (one from accounting, one not from accounting) beyond his/her primary advisor to serve as readers and committee members. The role of the four-person committee is to advise and provide feedback from conception to completion of the paper. The formal satisfaction of this requirement is to present the curriculum paper in the accounting workshop series (regular 1.5 hour presentation slot) no later than the end of Spring Term 2 of the Fuqua Academic Calendar in the third year, with the research paper provided to all faculty one week prior to the presentation. Students are encouraged to complete the paper and presentation before the end of Fall Term 2. The committee, with input from the rest of the accounting faculty, will evaluate both the presentation and the paper, and determine what actions are required (e.g., dismissal from the program, additional coursework, etc.).

Qualifying Exams

Students must exhibit satisfactory performance on a written comprehensive examination that tests the student’s understanding of the research discussed in the doctoral seminars and workshops (part 1) and the student’s ability to read and evaluate accounting research (part 2). The comprehensive examination is written by a committee of the accounting faculty, appointed by the accounting area coordinator. The examination committee will grade the exam and determine what actions, if any, are required. Depending on performance on the examination, students may be dismissed from the program or asked to retake the examination. Students are not permitted to take the comprehensive exam more than twice. The examination committee will determine any additional qualifications for a student to retake the exam and when the timing of that exam will occur. Components of part 1 of the comprehensive exam may be taken at different times depending on the timing and sequencing of courses offered. For example, the empirical component of part 1 of the comprehensive exam can take place at a different time than the analytic component of part 1 of the comprehensive exam, with timing varying based upon course offerings. Typically course schedules dictate students will take a portion of part 1 following the second year of coursework and an additional portion of part 1 following the first semester of the third year.

Teaching and Research Assistantship

A critical part of the accounting doctoral program is forming professional relationships with faculty members and learning about the research and teaching processes. All students are expected to help faculty with research and teaching as needed, with the general expectations of 10 hours per week for students in years two through five, and 4 hours per week during year one. Hours worked above these amounts generally qualify for hourly compensation at pre-specified rates established by Fuqua, with the specifics of the work arrangement determined with consultation of the faculty member needing assistance. Work on co-authored projects does not qualify as research assistance.

Preliminary Exam

This requirement is satisfied through the second-year summer requirements outlined above.

Dissertation Proposal

We suggest students form a dissertation committee in the Fall of their fourth year, with the proposal occurring in the Spring of the fourth year. Students have until the end of the summer of the fourth year to complete this requirement.

Dissertation Defense

We expect students to defend their dissertation by the end of their fifth year in the program.

Sample Program Schedule

Course selection will be determined based on your prior experience with mathematics and economics or with accounting.

* Ungraded boot camp course – not part of degree requirement ** Partial PhD course equivalent *** Course taken at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill # MBA course as part of three course requirement ## Satisfies graduate school preliminary examination requirement

PhD Program

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PhD Program Structure, Rules and Policies

The PhD in accounting program consists of course work, a comprehensive examination, an internship and a thesis. At the completion of the program, the student is expected to be capable of conducting research in a selected functional area within the School of Accounting and Finance.

Official program rules  can be found in the  Graduate Calendar .

FOUR YEAR OVERVIEW

Phd internship.

• Each PhD student must complete a minimum of 6 terms of research internship with one or more faculty member in the School of Accounting and Finance.

COURSEWORK REQUIREMENTS

Students must take at least five Accounting PhD seminar courses, which must include:

• ACC 781 Introduction to Accounting Research
• ACC 782 Experimental & Field Research in Accounting 
• ACC 783 Archival & Analytic Research in Accounting 

The student will choose at least two additional elective PhD seminar courses.  Normally, to ensure a breadth of exposure, the five seminar courses to fulfill this requirement will be taught by five different faculty members, and the two elective courses will be in different subject areas.  This does not preclude students from taking additional elective courses with any faculty member on any subject.  

Acc781 will be offered in each Fall term to first-year students, with second-year students encouraged to attend.  Acc782 and Acc783 will be offered in alternating years in Winter term, to both first- and second-year students.  Elective PhD seminars will also be offered on a rotating basis, such that normally a given course is offered at most once in two years.  Elective courses may be offered in any term, but normally first- and second-year students will be expected to take at least one Accounting PhD elective in each Winter term.  Upper-year students will be encouraged to continue taking courses after the comp exam.  

Students will select appropriate course work for their chosen core discipline, functional area and method. Course selections shall be approved each term, in advance, by the graduate officer.

Accounting PhD courses  are listed within the 700 series (e.g., 701, 702, etc.). 

Details of graduate-level courses offered by other departments are available through individual department sites and can be accessed through the Graduate course search which allows users to search courses in a specific subject/faculty or using keyword search.

If a required course is not offered at UW and permission is received by the graduate officer to take the course at another Ontario university, an Ontario Visiting Graduate Student (OVGS)  application  must be submitted.

Coursework Requirements From the Graduate Calendar 

• Students will select appropriate coursework for their chosen subject area and methods specialty. Course selections shall be approved each term, in advance, by the Graduate Officer. The specific requirements are as follows:
• ACC 781 Introduction to Accounting Research: will be offered to all PhD students in their first year and will introduce them to important research questions and methods in accounting. This course will stress issues of research design.
• ACC 782 Experimental & Field Research in Accounting, and ACC 783 Archival & Analytic Research in Accounting will be offered in alternating Winter terms to first- and second-year students. These courses will introduce research methods used in accounting research.
• At least 2 other accounting PhD seminar courses (0.50 unit weight), chosen from two different subject areas.
• Core discipline: graduate-level courses from at least 2 of the following: economics, finance, psychology, sociology or other core disciplines to provide the appropriate foundation for the chosen subject area and methods specialty.
• Statistics and Quantitative Methods: graduate-level courses chosen from the following: statistics, econometrics, psychometrics, research design or similar areas.
• In addition to formal coursework, students are expected to attend the School's research workshops since an early orientation to research is critical for success in the program.
• The PhD Policy Committee of the School of Accounting and Finance must approve each student's course work. It may modify or extend course requirements where it deems the student's background and research interests warrants it. At the discretion of the Committee, additional courses beyond the minimum PhD requirements may be required of individual students. The Committee may also substitute 2 senior undergraduate courses if appropriate graduate-level courses are unavailable.
• When entering the program, each student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will assist the Committee in approving appropriate course work and ensure an early orientation to research. The faculty advisor and Graduate Officer will jointly approve the student's choice of specialization, which must be identified by the end of the first spring term of study. At this time, the PhD Policy Committee will review the student's program and appoint a new faculty advisor, if necessary. Formal reviews of the student's progress will be conducted by the PhD Policy Committee. Students whose progress does not meet the program's standards will be required to withdraw.

Incomplete Courses

The policy for PhD students taking School of Accounting and Finance courses is that all course work should be finished by the end of the term. This avoids the problem of students carrying forward work from one term to the next and thereby getting behind in their studies. Students are encouraged to also follow this rule when taking courses outside the School of Accounting and Finance. Even though instructors may be willing to offer a grade of "incomplete" and allow some course work to be submitted after the end of the term, it is not in the students' interest to accept this offer. Please consult the PhD director before choosing to receive a grade of incomplete

PhD SUMMER RESEARCH PAPER

All students are required to complete a PhD Research Paper in the first spring term. 

The following policy was approved by the PhD Policy Committee, April 2003

The degree requirements for the PhD degree of the School of Accounting and Finance, as printed in the University Graduate Calendar, require a research paper to be completed as part of the course work stage of the program. The following guidelines are to clarify the procedures for this requirement.

Summer Paper Guidelines

• Normally, the research will be conducted during the summer following the student's admission to the program.
• It is the student's responsibility to obtain a faculty supervisor for the research paper. The Graduate Officer of the School will advise and assist in this process as necessary.
• The format for the research paper should be as specified in the Regulations for PhD Proposals and PhD Research Papers.
• The research paper shall be presented to faculty and PhD students at a seminar, which will normally be held on the Friday preceding the start of regular classes. The student will be allowed an uninterrupted block of time and then the audience will ask questions. The length of time permitted for the student's presentation will depend on the number of students presenting, although 15 or 20 minutes may be a suitable amount.
• Following the seminar presentation, the faculty supervisor for the paper shall inform the student within a few days of the modifications and extensions required to respond to issues raised in the seminar. In order to avoid conflicting with the student's work in fall term courses, these changes should be completed within two weeks. Accordingly, many of the changes may be incorporated in a section on suggestions for future work rather than actually being implemented. When these changes are carried out to the satisfaction of the faculty supervisor for the paper, the faculty supervisor shall assign a grade for the paper. The basis of the grading shall be 60% for the written paper, 30% for the presentation, and 10% of the revisions.
• The summer research paper must be completed with a passing grade before the student may write the comprehensive examinations.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

Students are required to meet the University-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements outlined in the “ Minimum requirements for the PhD degree ” section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC), with certain noted exceptions that are specific to the Faculty of Arts Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements.

In addition to the University-level and Faculty-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements, students in the PhD in Accounting program are also required to meet the following requirements:

• Specialist - to measure whether the student has the necessary foundation, methodological knowledge and skills to conduct research in the chosen methods specialty.
• Breadth - to measure understanding of the various research questions and methods used in accounting research. A specialist level of knowledge will not be expected in research issues outside the student's selected core discipline, functional area and methods specialty.

The comp exam committee will consist of the Graduate Officer (non-voting chair), and the instructors of ACC 781, 782 and 783.  The committee will solicit questions and feedback from other instructors, and from the relevant specialty areas for the specific students in the exam cohort.  In designing and selecting questions, the exam committee will endeavor not to disadvantage students who chose different electives than their peers.

Details of Format 

The comprehensive examination is in 3 parts, consisting of 4 hours each in parts 1 and 2 and 3 hours in part 3, for a total of 11 hours. The first two parts are common to all students. The third part is, in general, common to students within a research method.

Parts 1 and 2 contain a series of questions designed to examine the student more broadly. The knowledge expected for these exams is drawn from the courses required of the students (in particular, Accounting (ACC) 781 Introduction to Accounting Research, 782 Experimental & Field Research in Accounting, 783 Archival & Analytic Research in Accounting, and two other accounting PhD seminar courses, and from other sources specifically identified by the examination committee at least four months prior to the examination date. Since it is expected that material covered in ACC 781 would be covered in more depth in the 4 seminar courses, ACC 781 may not need to be separately examined with specific questions. However, this is a matter to be decided each year as part of the preparation of the examination.

Part 3 examines the application of the student’s core discipline (economics, behavioural science, etc.) and methods specialty (empirical, analytical, experimental, etc.) to accounting research. The particular area of accounting research may be the student’s functional area but, in the interest of maintaining consistent standards across students, this will be decided each year based on the interests of the students. For example, if there are students interested in empirical financial and empirical tax, only one examination may be offered. The research topic  may  be in the intersection of financial accounting and tax research. Similarly, if there are students studying behavioural/experimental, but some are interested in assurance and others in managerial accounting, only one examination may be offered.

Details of Expected Knowledge 

Students should have a general knowledge of accounting research, broadly defined, as discussed in the 5 required accounting PhD courses and in the weekly research seminars. Students should be able to discuss the contributions of important papers, and cite specific examples of research ideas contained in papers studied. Students should have deep knowledge of research in the chosen area of specialization, including theoretical and methodological contributions that may extend beyond the syllabi of these courses. A deeper understanding is expected within the specialization than outside it, and greater familiarity is expected with papers studied in courses than those read outside courses. If a question requires detailed understanding of papers not studied in a course, they will be provided to students at least two weeks before the start of the examination.

Students are responsible for all of the papers presented in the School of Accounting and Finance research workshop series (including recruiting seminars) during the 20-month period from the beginning of September in the 2nd preceding calendar year to end of April in the year of the comprehensive exam.

Writing the Examination 

In answering exam questions, students should make an attempt to do more than simply repeat the findings of previous studies. Synthesis and expression of supported opinion are encouraged.

Students are provided with the use of a university-provided “clean” computer without Internet access to write the exam.  However, if a student desires to hand-write answers exam booklets will be provided.

Exam Marking 

The outcome of the examination will be announced to the student by email from the graduate officer within 3 weeks of the end of the comprehensive exam.

The candidate will be given a pass/fail grade on each of the three parts of the comprehensive examination. A candidate who passes all three parts of the comprehensive examination will proceed to the dissertation stage of the program.

The comprehensive exam will be considered satisfied when the candidate has passed all components of the exam. The comprehensive exam will be considered failed if the candidate receives an exam unsuccessful outcome on any component. No component may be repeated more than once.   

On a candidate’s first attempt at the comprehensive exam, the outcome shall be one of:

• Passed: the candidate successfully completed all requirements of the exam;
• Be communicated to the student in writing;
• Contain the date by which the conditions must be satisfied;
• Identify the member(s) of the examining committee responsible for determining that the conditions have been met. Normally, this determination will be made by at least one member of the committee other than the student’s supervisor or cosupervisors. Failure to satisfy the conditions within the designated time limit shall result in an outcome of Re-examination.
• Re-examination: the candidate will be required to repeat the exam. In this case, the student shall be provided written communication that identifies the deficiencies in the exam that led to this outcome and the deadline by which the re-examination must take place. 

When a candidate is re-examined, the outcomes are limited to:

• Exam Unsuccessful: the candidate will be deemed to have failed to satisfy the program’s comprehensive exam requirement. In this case, the student shall receive written communication identifying the deficiencies in the exam that led to this outcome.    

A student who is deemed to have failed to satisfy the comprehensive exam requirement (Exam Unsuccessful) may not continue in the current PhD program. 

THESIS PROGRESS REPORT

Thesis progress report guidelines.

The following guideline was approved at the School of Accounting and Finance meeting February 2020.

PhD students should present a thesis PROGRESS REPORT to the SAF faculty in the December following their successful completion of the comprehensive exam.  The goal of this presentation within a few months after comps is to help PhD students to reach the thesis proposal milestone in a more timely way.  This guideline is in addition to our current expectation that all post-comps students should present their thesis progress to the faculty at least once per year.  

• Students are expected to work closely with their supervisor(s) in developing their topic and in preparing their report and presentation. 
• The suggested length for the thesis PROGRESS REPORT is 5-10 double-spaced pages.  A suggested format is the What/Why/How structure. 
• The presentation format will be 15 minutes of uninterrupted presentation, followed by up to 15 minutes of Q&A.
• The report should be submitted to the PhD Coordinator two weeks before the presentation date in December.

THESIS PROPOSAL 

A dissertation is a research project that is a thorough, original exploration of a question. Typically, it is more involved than a single research paper that is published in a journal.

• More extensive literature review
• Often has more hypotheses or sub-questions
• Considerably longer document

PhD Proposal Policy 

The following policy was approved by PhD Policy Committee May 2005

The PhD student will present a PhD thesis proposal seminar within one year of passing the comprehensive examination. If the proposal seminar is not held within one year, the student must seek approval for an extension from the PhD Policy Committee. No more than one extension will be granted except under extraordinary circumstances.

• Within one month after a student passes the comprehensive exam, the PhD Program Director will assist the student in identifying a thesis advisor to work with the student on the PhD thesis. The PhD student will present a PhD thesis proposal seminar within one year of passing the comprehensive examination. If the proposal seminar is not held within one year, the student must seek approval for an extension from the PhD Policy Committee. No more than one extension will be granted except under extraordinary circumstances.
• All faculty and doctoral students will be invited to attend the seminar and provide constructive feedback on the proposed research. The purposes of this milestone are to provide the student with an opportunity for significant help from people outside the Advisory Committee, and to provide the student with more wide-ranging feedback than could be provided with a series of one-on-one chats with individual faculty. Generally, early proposal seminars are preferred to later ones, to allow input before the thesis research is too far advanced for major elements easily to be changed.
• At least eight working days prior to the seminar date, the student will make available to faculty and PhD students a paper outlining the proposed research; otherwise the seminar will be postponed. This paper will be no more than 30 pages exclusive of appendices and references, and will be prefaced by a single-spaced abstract of approximately 250 words. The paper will be typed, with the main body of the text double-spaced in a 12-point font, with footnotes no smaller than 10 point. The purpose of keeping the proposal short is to make sure that the proposal lays bare the essentials of the research being proposed and does not cloud the presentation with side issues and lengthy accounts of work already accomplished. Similar page limits apply to journal submissions, so a concise writing style is a valuable skill to develop.
• The proposal seminar will normally be chaired by the Graduate Officer. However, if the Graduate Officer is away or is the candidate’s supervisor, another member of the PhD Policy Committee will serve as chair. All research faculty members should attend this seminar. Discussion should be open and frank. Faculty members are encouraged to identify problems and potential remedies at this stage of the research rather than at the time of the final PhD thesis examination. As with the final PhD thesis defence, the student will be allowed up to 30 minutes of uninterrupted time to present the proposal. A general discussion of the proposal will follow. Faculty members advising the student are reminded that it is the student’s responsibility to respond to issues raised during the PhD proposal seminar.
• To encourage full and frank discussion of the proposed thesis research, faculty should stay for an  in camera meeting following the proposal seminar, led by the chair of the proposal seminar. The purpose of this meeting is to produce an evaluation of the proposal and a set of suggestions to promote successful and timely completion of the thesis. At this meeting, the composition of the Advisory Committee will also be reviewed. Normally the Advisory Committee will be the faculty members with whom the student has worked in preparing the proposal, although there may be changes or additions to the Committee if the proposal seminar has identified significant issues or research directions requiring different expertise. After discussion at the  in camera  meeting, the chair of the proposal seminar will decide by himself or herself whether or not there is a clear consensus regarding the decision (to accept or reject the proposal). If there is consensus, that decision will be declared to be the decision of the meeting. If there is no clear consensus, there will be a vote by secret ballot in which abstention is one choice. The PhD Policy Committee will then take a final decision using the results of the vote as one input. Assuming the proposal is accepted, the PhD Policy Committee will formally choose the Advisory Committee to guide the student’s future thesis work. The Advisory Committee will commit to writing the evaluation and suggestions emerging from the  in camera  meeting of interested faculty together with any thoughts of their own, within one week of the proposal seminar. Faculty members are invited to promptly check that this document reflects comments made at the proposal seminar and the  in camera  meeting. The PhD Policy Committee will resolve any issues raised. After this process has been completed, one copy will be given to the student and another copy will be placed in the student’s file in the School of Accounting and Finance office.

PHD COMMITTEES, DEFENSES AND THESIS SUBMISSION

Students are required to defend their thesis research in an oral examination conducted according to University requirements.

University-wide rules for PhD committees and PhD defenses .

See sections  Advisory Committee ,  PhD Thesis Examinations , and  Examining Board .  Please speak to the graduate PhD coordinator when thinking about your defense date and thesis submission.

Defence Timeline 

We recommend that Arts students refer to the  PhD Thesis Defence Backwards Planning Tool Faculty of Arts . 

General PhD Thesis Information 

Faculty of Arts Doctoral Dissertation Procedures  

PhD Thesis Information  

Thesis Formatting  

Main Content

Comprehensive Examinations

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Comprehensive Exams are an important step in achieving a doctorate degree. Our exams are designed to test a student's competency in several academic areas that are critical to their discipline and support their research. You will write the microeconomics comprehensive exam at the end of the first year of study. You will write and present an original research paper at the end of the second year of study.

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Doctoral Comprehensive Exam Sample Essays

Part One of the HALE Doctoral Comprehensive Exam is a written exam designed as an opportunity for students to demonstrate the integration of knowledge of topics, issues, and resources in postsecondary education reflecting successful completion of the HALE Core Curriculum.  For more information on the HALE Comprehensive Exam, please visit the  HALE Program Handbook , under the Program Requirements and Policies section. 

Two essay samples of Part One follow:  

Part One examples:

• PhD Comprehensive Exam, Part One, Sample One
• PhD Comprehensive Exam, Part One, Sample Two
• PhD Comprehensive Exam, Part One, Sample Three
• PhD Comprehensive Exam, Part One, Sample Four

Congrats to PhD student Warrenkevin Henderson on completing his comprehensive exams

• April 17, 2024

PhD student Warrenkevin Henderson has successfully completed his comprehensive exams. Congratulations Warrenkevin!

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