PhD in Accountancy - Curriculum
Balance your coursework and research with the right resources
At Gies, the Accountancy PhD program involves a full-time integrated program of coursework and research. A faculty mentor together with the Director of the PhD program will meet with incoming students to determine customized course plans, including the option of early registration in the summer to secure any necessary math, economics, or accounting background courses.
Courses that set you up for success in research and the classroom
Coursework during the PhD program sorts into three primary categories:
- Accounting Courses provide an in-depth understanding of the accounting environment to better identify interesting research initiatives.
- Source Discipline Courses from fields such as economics, finance, psychology, and statistics provide insight into underlying theories and research tools.
- Elective Courses provide flexibility to support specialized research interests.
Making your research development our priority
Program requirements ensure that students start performing research-related activities early in the program. Most of our admitted students complete the entire program in five years.
- Co-authored projects developed among doctoral students and faculty members form the central pillars of program research. Our current group of Illinois doctoral students and faculty members have about 20 co-authored research papers, many of which are targeted to and published in the top accounting journals in our field.
- Many presentation platforms regularly facilitate and enhance our collaborative environment, allowing students can to present their working papers and ideas to receive helpful comments from faculty and fellow students.
- The dissertation serves as the culmination of the program. It provides students the opportunity to develop an original research paper that contributes to the accounting literature.
