Overview of Program Requirements
Our Accounting PhD program requires you to complete:
- Area-specific requirements
- Course requirements as outlined below
- A first-year summer research paper and a second-year research paper
- Qualifying exams in empirical and analytical accounting research
- Teaching apprenticeship and research assistant work
- Research Seminars by Outside Faculty
- Preliminary examination
- Dissertation thesis proposal examination
- Final dissertation defense examination
The same Team Fuqua culture that permeates all of Duke’s professional business programs is prominent in the Accounting PhD program. Innovation through collaboration is our defining characteristic. Our accounting faculty possesses unmatched topical and methodological span, which we leverage through co-authorships with one another and co-teaching of our PhD seminars. In addition to involving PhD students in our collaborative research process, students also have access to cutting edge classes in Fuqua’s Finance area, Duke’s Economics department, and the course catalog of our neighboring university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Curriculum
15 Courses required for an Accounting PhD
You will develop a strong foundation in accounting and related disciplines through our Accounting curriculum, and complement that foundational knowledge with elective courses designed to meet your individual needs and interests. Our program includes opportunities to take some courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to maximize your course options.
Course Requirements
The Accounting curriculum requires the following courses as part of your degree:
- Minimum of 15 PhD level courses or course equivalents
- 2 PhD courses covering foundational papers in the archival accounting literature
- 2 PhD courses covering papers in agency theory and information economics as used in the accounting literature
- 2 PhD courses in current topics and methods in accounting
- 2 PhD level courses in micro-economics
- 2 PhD level courses in econometrics
- 2 PhD level courses in finance
- Electives to meet your specific needs or interests, which can include additional classes in economics, econometrics, mathematics, computer science, finance, public policy, or psychology. Whether and to what extent a given elective class qualifies toward the minimum 15 PhD level course requirement is determined by your faculty advisor in conjunction with the accounting PhD coordinator.
- 3 MBA courses (unless waived by the accounting PhD coordinator)
- Ungraded boot camp courses (not part of the University degree requirements)
First- and Second-Year Summer Research Paper
Each student is required to write two summer papers, one following the first year of coursework and the second following the second year of coursework.
- First-year summer paper. The first-year summer paper requirement has two components. First, the paper must include a replication of the main results of an existing paper to illustrate a minimum level of proficiency with data collection and statistical programming. The replicated paper must be specifically referenced. A student who has replicated a paper during the first year coursework of another class may turn in or reference that replication to satisfy the first requirement. The second requirement is to submit for faculty review a completed research paper, the topic of which is approved by either the PhD coordinator or a supervising faculty member that the student selects. The paper need not be fully original research, but it can be. An example of a less-than-fully original paper would include both a replication of an existing paper and a well-motivated extension. For example, adding additional years of data to an existing study for no specific reason would not qualify as a well-motivated extension. Your faculty advisor will assist you in determining whether an extension is sufficiently well-motivated. Executing this type of “replication and extension” research would satisfy both the first and second parts of the first-year summer requirement.
As an example of fully original research to satisfy the first-year summer paper requirement, a student can identify an original research question and prepare the paper individually, with another non-first-year doctoral student or with a faculty member. Collaboration with a faculty member or another non-first-year doctoral student is permitted if and only if the student plays a major role in generating and developing the core idea and takes the lead in writing the paper.
Students must turn in their first-year summer papers by the first day of the fall classes based on The Graduate School academic calendar and schedule a 1-hour workshop to present the research paper to the faculty. The workshop presentation must be completed no later than the end of the fall semester of The Graduate School academic calendar. The accounting faculty will evaluate both the paper and related presentation to assess whether the student has demonstrated sufficient proficiency to meet the first-year summer paper requirement. - Second-year summer paper. By the end of the summer following second year in the program, students should have made substantial progress on an original single-authored research study. Each student must select three additional faculty members beyond his/her primary advisor to serve as readers and committee members for this paper. The role of the four-person committee is to advise the student and provide feedback from conception to completion of the second-year paper. The formal satisfaction of this second-year paper requirement is to present the paper in the accounting workshop series (regular 1.25-hour presentation slot) no later than the end of Spring semester of The Graduate School academic calendar. The paper to be presented must be provided to all faculty no later than one week prior to the presentation. Students are encouraged to complete the paper and related presentation before the end of Fall semester of The Graduate School calendar. The committee, with input from the rest of the accounting faculty, will evaluate both the presentation and the paper, and determine the outcome as Pass, Fail with an option for re-examination or Fail.
Qualifying Exams
Students must exhibit satisfactory performance on a written comprehensive examination that tests the student’s understanding of the research discussed in the accounting doctoral seminars, in research seminars given by outside speakers, and in the contemporary accounting literature (part 1) and the student’s ability to read and evaluate accounting research (part 2). Part 1 of the qualifying exam consists of an analytical component and an empirical component.
The qualifying examination is written by a committee of the accounting faculty, appointed by the accounting area coordinator. The examination committee will grade the exam and determine what actions, if any, are required. Students are not permitted to take the comprehensive exam more than twice. The examination committee will determine any additional qualifications for a student to retake the exam and when the timing of that exam will occur.
Components of part 1 of the qualifying exam may be taken at different times depending on the timing and sequencing of accounting PhD courses offered. Typically, students take a portion of part 1 following the second year of coursework and an additional portion of part 1 following the first semester of the third year. Specific details regarding exam logistics will be provided to the student prior to the exam.
Teaching Apprenticeships and Research Assistant Work
A critical part of the accounting doctoral program is forming professional relationships with faculty members and learning about the research and teaching processes. Teaching apprenticeship assignments are made by the PhD coordinator in consultation with area faculty. A student who has completed his/her teaching apprenticeship hours may be eligible for additional compensation at the school’s pre-set hourly rate. Students are encouraged to seek research opportunities with faculty with whom they wish to form closer professional relationships.
Research Seminars by Outside Faculty
Outside speakers are regularly invited to campus to give research workshops. Additionally, from time-to-time conferences are hosted by the accounting area. All students are expected to have read the workshop/conference papers and are expected to attend each workshop/conference.
Preliminary Examination
This requirement is satisfied through the second-year summer requirements outlined above combined with satisfactory performance on the qualifying exams.
Dissertation Thesis Proposal Examination
We suggest students form a dissertation committee in the Fall of their fourth year, with the proposal occurring in the Spring of the fourth year. Students have until the end of the summer of the fourth year to complete this requirement of The Graduate School.
Final Dissertation Defense Examination
We expect students to defend their dissertation by the end of their fifth year in the program.
Sample Program Schedule
Course selection will be determined based on your prior experience with mathematics and economics or with accounting.
Year 0
| Summer |
|
Coursework:
|
Year 1
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
Coursework:
|
Coursework:
|
Coursework: (Optional) First-Year Summer Paper |
Year 2
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
|
Coursework:
First-year summer paper presentation |
Coursework:
Research Exploration |
Coursework: (Optional) Second-Year Summer Paper Portion of Qualifying Exam |
Year 3
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
|
Coursework:
Portion of Comprehensive Exam |
Coursework:
Preliminary Exam |
Research |
Year 4
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
| Research Form Dissertation Committee |
Research
|
Research Dissertation Proposal |
Year 5
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
|
Research Create and Present Job Market Paper |
Research Final Exam |
* Ungraded boot camp course
** Partial PhD course equivalent
*** Course taken at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
# MBA course as part of three course requirement