Program Requirements : Other than Course work
Research Readiness Requirement
Accounting doctoral candidates will conduct an independent research project (under the supervision of an Accounting faculty member) during their second summer in residence. This project should result in a paper that is presented in a School of Accounting workshop during the following fall. Such papers are often submitted for presentation at a major conference and, ideally, submitted for publication to an appropriate journal.
General Examination
As the student nears completion of the prescribed coursework, the student should prepare for the General Examination. The General Examination is intended to test the student's mastery of a number of related fields, as well as capacity for synthesis, sound generalization, and reasoning ability. It will consist in part of written examinations covering the major field and area of concentration (minor).
Dissertation
Upon successful completion of the General Examination, the student is admitted to candidacy. At this time, the student begins formulating the original research idea that will become his/her dissertation. The student should seek feedback and guidance from faculty members with expertise in his/her area.
The dissertation process consists of three milestones. First, the student presents a paper to the School of Accounting faculty outlining his/her dissertation idea that explains the research questions, prior research, data acquisition approaches, and the statistical methods. The student and his/her advisor will cooperate with the Director of the SOA and the SOA Ph.D. Coordinator to select the Dissertation Committee members, hopefully prior to the workshop. Second, the student will conduct a formal proposal for his/her Dissertation Committee. Third, the Dissertation Committee will conduct the final oral examination (dissertation defense). The dissertation defense is subject to rules from the Graduate College.