Accounting PhD students can choose to work under one of two research paradigms: analytical or empirical. Each area requires the student to take a series of courses/seminars within and outside the department to fulfill coursework requirements and move to the preliminary exams. The coursework of each student is tailored to meet his/her needs or background.
Coursework is chosen in consultation with the student’s adviser and/or PhD Coordinator. The program requires students to have a minimum of 40 degree program credits to move to the prelim exams. In general, students are required to take:
Acct 8800: Empirical Research Topics
Current research topics that are cutting edge and are in instructor’s area of expertise. Topics vary.
Acct 8801: Empirical Research: Valuation
Topics covered include accounting earnings and stock prices, earnings based security valuation, estimation of earnings-based risk measures, market anomalies and related topics from corporate finance.
Acct 8802: Empirical Research: Capital Markets
Topics include properties of earnings and earnings components, earnings management, time-series and analyst forecasts of earnings, voluntary disclosure of accounting information and related regulatory impacts.
Acct 8803: Empirical Research: Accounting Choice
Covers positive accounting theory, standards/properties in an international context, corporate governance and accounting properties, executive compensation.
Acct 8811: Information Economics I: Mechanism Design, Global Games, Higher-Order Beliefs
Covers mechanism design with asymmetric information, information and signaling phenomena, global games and coordination, and asset pricing with asymmetric information and higher order beliefs.
Acct 8812: Information Economics II: Disclosure Theory and Real Effects
Covers the analytical literature on disclosure including voluntary disclosure incentives, strategic disclosure and its effect on stock price responses and real effects of accounting measurement and disclosure.
Acct 8831: Theory of Contracts I: Moral Hazards & AdverseSelection
Foundational models of moral hazard, models with adverse selection, from theoretical economics literature. How models have been applied to fundamental issues in accounting research.
Acct 8832: Theory of Contracts II: Renegotiation & Incomplete Contracting
How theoretical economics literature has introduced contraction frictions such as incompleteness/ renegotiation. How these frictions have been applied to issues in accounting research.
This consists of a first-year paper requirement. This paper must be completed during the summer following the first year. A presentation of the completed research paper is required at the beginning of the fall semester of the student's second year in the program.
A major research paper is to be completed by the end of summer after the second year in the program. The paper will be evaluated by two faculty readers and must be presented at a workshop attended by Accounting faculty and students during fall semester of the student's third year in the program.
The written prelim in accounting is typically taken during June after the end of the student's second year in the program. The questions may include problem solving, design of experiments, research design for empirical tests, and methodology-related issues.
In accounting, the oral exam may be based on the student's planned dissertation topic or an extended/revised version of the second year paper. The prelim should be completed by the end of the third year.
Must be completed at the latest two semesters before the student’s planned graduation date.