Doctoral

Frequently Asked Questions

Admissions

What kind of accounting research do you do at Bauer?

Please browse our department's research page and pages of our faculty and Ph.D. students.

How many doctoral students are admitted each year?

We admit 2 students each year with an option to admit a third student.

How many applications are usually received each year?

We usually receive more than 50 applications.

Is an accounting degree required for the Ph.D. program?

No, we only require that an applicant has a bachelor’s degree. We receive applications from and admit students with different educational backgrounds.

We look for applicants who understand the critical role accounting plays for businesses, candidates who have the passion and ability to conduct high-quality accounting-related research within a short period of time, and candidates who can effectively communicate their research both in writing and orally.

Among the likely indicators of the above qualities are prior business experience, past education success especially in business, economics, and quantitative fields, high test scores, and high-quality application documents presented to us. Overall, we do prefer candidates who possess such indicators.

What is the average GPA range of the doctoral students?

The average GPA is above 3.5.

What is the average GMAT Score of the doctoral students?

The average GMAT score of admitted students is 710.

What are the requirements for the Statement of Purpose?

Statement of Purpose of the candidates tell our faculty why the candidates would like to pursue a Ph.D. in accounting at Bauer. What characteristics make them an ideal candidate and enable their future success in academia?

Are there any good resources to help me in my decision?

Please see the related portal at the American Accounting Association.

Joining the Program

Is there an orientation for doctoral students?

Yes, there is a one-day Bauer college orientation for entering doctoral students, which provides useful information about registration and how to set up accounts, among various other topics. There is also a week-long preparatory class in statistics and econometrics. Both orientation and preparatory class are held in the first half of August.

Do doctoral students receive financial support?

All students receive tuition fellowship and instructional/research assistantship for five years, provided that they are in good standing with the program’s performance requirements.