Ph.D. in Accounting
Boston College introduced the Ph.D. program in Accounting in the Fall of 2017. The program will prepare you to become successful teachers and scholars at leading management schools. While earning your doctoral degree, you will develop expertise in fundamental accounting principles, as well as quantitative methods, economics, and finance.
Students will join a thriving research community at Boston College, where the accounting faculty is among the elite in the profession. You will collaborate with both peers and faculty mentors, and be encouraged to present your work at conferences, as well as submit articles for publication in top research journals. You will emerge from the program fully capable of contributing meaningfully to existing research, and pushing its frontiers.
Accounting faculty will take an active role in placing students in attractive academic positions. They will become your mentors, colleagues and friends, and be invaluable resources for the duration of your career.
Fall 2022 Application Deadline
The deadline to apply for the Ph.D. in Accounting program is January 4, 2022.
Department Contact
Amy Hutton
Ph.D. Program Director
Academic Program
COURSEWORK
Accounting Ph.D. students complete a program of study that begins with coursework in accounting, quantitative methods, economics, and finance. Through seminar courses, you will become fluent on the existing state of research literature, appropriate research methods, and proper management of the publication process.
Course requirements are typically satisfied in the first two years of the program. In addition to doctoral seminars, Ph.D. students will take courses in the departments of finance and economics, and are encouraged to explore inter-disciplinary pursuits.
COMPEHENSIVE EXAMINATION
A comprehensive examination will be administered at the conclusion of the second year in the program. Satisfactory performance on the exam marks your transition from course-work to full-time thesis research.
RESEARCH
Doctoral students begin engaging in the research process as early in the program as possible. A first-year summer paper, which can be a replication or an extension of an existing study, provides early hands-on experience in research design, programming, data management, and statistical analysis.
Students must then complete a second-year paper based on an original research idea and present this research in early December of their third year to qualify as a Ph.D. candidate.
In the spring of their fourth year, students submit and present their dissertation proposal, which should make a substantial, significant, and original contribution to the field. Input from faculty during the proposal process outlines the work that students need to complete over the summer for their dissertation proposals to become their job market papers for the fall of their fifth year.
ASSISTANTSHIPS
Doctoral students at the Carroll School are expected to serve as research or teaching assistants throughout their studies. Typically, you will serve as a research assistant for the first two years of the program, and act as a teaching assistant/research assistant in following years. In exchange, you will receive full tuition remission and a generous stipend. Learn more about financial support for doctoral students.
FIRST YEAR
| PRE-FALL |
| Mathematics for Economists |
| FALL |
| Microeconomic Theory I |
| Investments |
| Statistics |
| PhD Seminar in Asset Pricing Theory |
| Financial Accounting Practice I* |
| SPRING |
| Microeconomic Theory II |
| Econometrics |
| PhD Seminar in Accounting Research Part I |
| PhD Seminar in Corporate Finance Theory |
| Financial Accounting Practice II* |
| SUMMER |
| Programming Skills |
*If required
SECOND YEAR
| FALL |
| PhD Seminar in Empirical Asset Pricing |
| PhD Seminar on Empirical Topics in Accounting |
| PhD Seminar in Accounting Research Part II |
| SPRING |
| Applied Econometrics |
| PhD Seminar in Accounting Research Part III |
| PhD Seminar in Empirical Corporate Finance |
| SUMMER |
| Comprehensive Exam |
The following information reflects data for the entering classes of 2017–2021.
CLASS SIZE
| 2017 Class Size | 3 |
| 2018 Class Size | 2 |
| 2019 Class Size | 2 |
| 2020 Class Size | 1 |
| 2021 Class Size | 3 |
| Overall Selectivity | 4.3% |
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
| Average GMAT Score |
740 |
| GMAT 80th Percentile Range |
700-710 |
| Average GRE Score | 330 |
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.65 |
| Average Full-Time Work Experience |
2.25 years |
| Students Holding Master's Degree |
66% |
Diversity
| Average Age | 29 |
| Women | 36% |
| International Students |
46% |
International Enrollments
| Bangladesh |
China |
“Our faculty is on a mission to build an outstanding Ph.D. program, one that successfully places its candidates at top-tier institutions.”