Accounting Information & Management
The Accounting Information & Management doctoral program trains you in empirical/archival and analytical/theoretical research methods focusing on the role of accounting in the market for financial information. We prepare you to conduct research on the use of accounting information: 1) in the firm’s internal decision-making and performance evaluation functions; 2) in the contractual relationships between the firm and both internal and external parties; 3) in the functioning of capital markets and 4) by other stakeholders and potential stakeholders in the firm.
As an Accounting Information & Management student, you receive rigorous training in the basic disciplines of economics and econometrics in addition to the more specialized areas of accounting and finance. The cross training you receive in empirical and analytic research is one of the strengths of our program. Another major strength of our department is the collaboration between our faculty and Ph.D. students on research projects, a collaboration that often begins within the first year.
Accounting is the language of business and its role is key in communicating financial information to all parties engaged in any type of commerce. Accounting research focuses on the decisions of what, how, and to whom to communicate information and the consequences of these communications.
Active research areas
The role of information intermediaries in capital markets; the nature of and changes in the firm’s information environment; the changing role of the audit function; voluntary and mandatory disclosures; accounting based valuation; and accounting regulation.
Please note: Applicants to economics-based Ph.D. programs, such as Accounting, may opt-in to have their application considered by Weinberg's Economics Ph.D. program. More information about this option is available on The Graduate School website.
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Our faculty include well-known and widely-recognized scholars who have trained and placed doctoral students at leading research universities around the world. In addition to publishing in these top journals, our faculty also serve on the editorial boards of the Journal of Accounting and Economics; the Accounting Review; the Journal of Accounting Research; Contemporary Accounting Research; Review of Financial Studies; Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance; Journal of Accounting and Public Policy; and the Journal of Management Accounting. All of our tenure track faculty work with Ph.D. students, both teaching Ph.D. courses and conducting joint research. These research collaborations result in both joint working papers and publications prior to the student’s graduation.
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We seek students with an interest in becoming active scholars at research institutions. Many of our students have backgrounds in accounting, finance, or economics at either the undergraduate or graduate level and some have research experience. A master’s degree is not required, but about half of our matriculating students have a graduate degree. Because accounting research requires strong quantitative skills, we look for students with solid training in mathematics, statistics, or a related quantitative field. Recommended prior coursework includes calculus, real analysis, linear algebra, optimization, probability, and statistics. We do not require prior academic work in accounting or prior research experience.
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Coursework
In years one and two, you take three or four courses each quarter (fall, winter, spring). During the first-year, you build a solid foundation in basic disciplines and research methods with a focus on microeconomics and econometrics. The second-year curriculum focuses on topics related to analytical and empirical research in accounting and on expanding research breadth with courses in related fields such as finance and managerial economics. You must maintain a minimum 3.0 (B) grade point average for the first two years of coursework.
Preliminary and qualifying exams
At the end of year one, you must demonstrate competency in either microeconomics or econometrics by passing a preliminary (“prelim”) exam administered by the Economics Department and based on your first year coursework in those subjects. During the summer following your second year of study, you must pass a comprehensive qualifying exam designed to measure competence in both analytical and empirical approaches to accounting research, based primarily on the Accounting Ph.D. courses.
Candidacy
You are required to write a research paper during the summer of your second year, under the direction of a faculty advisor of their choice. Many of these “summer” papers evolve into publishable research papers and even dissertation topics. The paper must be presented to the Accounting faculty by the end of fall quarter of their third year. At that time your performance is reviewed by the Accounting faculty. Upon successfully passing their prelim and qualifying exams and successfully completing the second-year paper, you are admitted to candidacy.
Research, proposal and dissertation
The main activity in the third and subsequent years is research. Most students graduate with not only a publishable dissertation but also with one or more working papers and/or publications, generally co-authored with faculty and often other Ph.D. students. You must present a thesis proposal to the Accounting faculty by the end of winter quarter of your fourth year. In your final year, you must complete a dissertation demonstrating original and significant research and pass a final oral examination on the dissertation.
Teaching requirement
To promote engagement with faculty and integration with the intellectual life of the department, students serve as research assistants and teaching assistants during years two, three, and four. Research assistantships (RA) are an excellent lead-in to research; teaching assistantships (TA) prepare you for teaching after obtaining your Ph.D.