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PhD in Business Administration (Accounting)

Research in the J. M. Tull School of Accounting focuses on issues of importance to the accounting and business community, such as the impact of accounting information on capital markets and on the behavior of decision-makers within firms.

Prerequisites

  1. Math courses
    Calculus I and II, linear algebra, and an introductory statistics course.
  2. Accounting courses
    A reasonable institutional background in accounting, equivalent to an undergraduate or masters degree in accounting.

Concentrations

Financial Accounting, Taxation, or Empirical Audit

Typical Course Sequence

Pre-Fall Semester

Students must take these courses prior to starting their program coursework in the Fall.

  • SAS Bootcamp
  • ACCT 9120 Capital Markets Research IContinues through the fall semester.
  • ECON 8000 Math for EconomistsA three week intensive course that begins at the end of July.

All new students must attend the Graduate School Orientation on Thursday, August 8, 2013, from 9-11:30 am in the Classic Center. ECON 8000 class will not be held that day.

  Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Semester
Year 1
  • ECON 8080 Intro to Econometrics
  • ACCT 9140 Capital Markets Research IIStudents are required to register for all accounting seminars offered during the spring semesters of their first and second years.
  • ACCT 9100 or 9110 Behavioral Accounting Research / Positive Accounting ResearchStudents are required to register for all accounting seminars offered during the spring semesters of their first and second years.
  • Elective
Year 2
  • ACCT 9000 Directed Study
  • Written Comprehensive Examinations
Year 3
  • ACCT 9120 Capital Markets Research IStudents are required to register for Acct 9120 in the fall semester of their third year.
  • ACCT 9300 Doctoral Dissertation
  • Accounting SeminarStudents are required to register for 9110 and 9140 when offered in the spring semesters of their third and fourth years.
  • Accounting Seminar or Elective
  • ACCT 9300 Doctoral Dissertation
  

Seminars

  • ACCT 9120 Capital markets research I (offered every fall semester)
  • ACCT 9110 Positive theory research (offered even years, spring semester)
  • ACCT 9140 Capital markets research II (offered even years, spring semester)
  • ACCT 9100 Behavioral research (offered odd years, spring semester)

 

Electives

  • ECON 8020 Microeconomics II
  • ECON 8030 Microeconomics III
  • FINA 9110 Investments and Capital Markets
  • FINA 9120 Corporate Finance
  • STAT 6220 Statistical Analysis
  • STAT 6230 Applied Regression Analysis
  • STAT 6280 Time Series Analysis
  • STAT 6290 Nonparametric Methods

Behavioral Audit

Typical Course Sequence

  Fall Semester Spring Semester Summer Semester
Year 1
  • STAT 6210 Introduction to Statistics or ECON 8070 Statistics
  • ECON 8010 Microeconomic Theory
  • ERSH 8310 Statistical Methods in Education
  • ACCT 9120 Capital Markets Research I
  • GRSC 7770 Graduate Teaching Seminar
  • STAT 6620 Introduction to Statistics II
    or
    ERSH 8320 Applied Correlation/Regression and ECON 8080 Introduction to Econometrics
  • PSYC 6100 Cognitive Psychology
  • ACCT 9140 Capital Markets II
  • ACCT 9100 Behavioral Research in Accounting Seminar or ACCT 9110 Positive Accounting Research Seminar
Year 2
  • PSYC 8240 Judgment/Decision Making
  • ERSH 8610 Educational Measurement Theory
  • PSYC 8210 Cognitive Theories and Models or PSYC 6200 Advanced Social Psychology
  • MGMT 9610 Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling or ERSH 7750 Structural Equation Modeling
  • MARK 9650 Applied Multivariate Analysis
  • STAT 9290 Nonparametric Statistics
  • PSYC 8210 Cognitive Theories and Models or PSYC 6200 Advanced Social Psychology
  • ACCT 9100 Behavioral Research in Accounting Seminar or ACCT 9110 Positive Accounting Research Seminar
  • ACCT 9000 Doctoral Research
  • Written Comprehensive Examinations
Year 3
  • ACCT 9120 Capital Markets Research IStudents are required to register for Acct 9120 in the fall semester of their third year.
  • ACCT 9000 Doctoral Research
  • ACCT 9100 Behavioral Research in Accounting SeminarStudents are required to register for 9100 when offered in the spring semesters of their third, fourth, and fifth years.
  • ACCT 9300 Doctoral Research
  

Electives

  • PSYC 6100 Cognitive Psychology
  • PSYC 6200 Advanced Social Psychology
  • PSYC 8240 Judgment/Decision Making
  • PSYC 9290 Cognitive Theories and Models
  • STAT 6210 Introduction to Statistics
  • STAT 6220 Introduction to Statistics II
  • STAT 6360 SAS Programming
  • STAT 6290 Nonparametric Statistics
  • ECON 8080 Introduction to Econometrics
  • FINA 5990 Research Methods
  • MGMT 9610 Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling
  • MARK 9650 Applied Multivariate Analysis
  • PSYC 6440 Experimental Design in Psychology
  • ERSH 8310 Statistical Methods in Education
  • ERSH 8320 Applied Correlation/Regression Methods
  • ERSH 8610 Educational Measurement Theory
  • ERSH 8750 Structural Equation Modeling
  • MARK 9560 Advanced Seminar in Psychological Models of Consumer Behavior

Placements

Accounting PhD placements have been very strong with recent graduates hired by Michigan State University, the University of Tennesee, Texas A&M University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, and the University of Illinois.

Points of Pride

Faculty

For the past six years, the Tull School ranks No. 8 among public institutions in research productivity based on publications in the top 11 accounting journals.