The University of Oklahoma’s Steed School of Accounting offers a high-quality Ph.D. program in accounting aimed at developing scholars capable of making significant contributions toward understanding how accounting affects business decisions and business enterprises. Students are trained to conduct original research in various areas of accounting (financial, managerial, tax, or audit) by either analyzing available economic data or running behavioral experiments. The program offers several seminars covering current accounting research. Students also receive training in statistics, economics, behavioral science, and/or finance depending on their chosen research specialization and their previous academic background. Upon graduation, students take positions at research universities throughout the country.

Our faculty consists of nationally-recognized scholars who regularly publish their work in top-tier journals and who have served editorial roles in leading journals of the American Accounting Association, including The Accounting Review, Accounting Horizons, Journal of the American Taxation Association, and Journal of International Accounting Research. During the program, students are highly encouraged to work with faculty on co-authored research projects. Please visit the School of Accounting’s website to view additional faculty information.

Program Requirements

The requirements for the Accounting Ph.D. Program involve doctoral coursework, a research readiness requirement, the General Examination, and the successful completion of a dissertation. Most students should be able to complete these requirements in four to five years if they come in with a graduate business degree.

Accounting Ph.D. Program Coursework

The OU Graduate College requires 90 hours past the Bachelor's degree for the Ph.D. Of this, a maximum of 30 hours can be enrollment in dissertation hours, time dedicated solely to the doctoral dissertation. The doctoral coursework involves 45 hours of required courses. A student may receive credit for equivalent core courses taken at other institutions at the discretion of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. 

Required Background in Functional Areas, Math, and Accounting

• Math: calculus and linear algebra.
• Functional areas: financial management, marketing, and management.
• Accounting: accounting degree from AACSB school or take Intermediate I, Intermediate II, and Auditing.

Required (18 hours)

• Economics 5123 Advanced Price and Welfare Theory (3 hours) or equivalent
• Graduate Statistics/Quantitative Methods (9 hours)
• Graduate Research Methods (6 hours).

Accounting Major (12 hours)

Doctoral accounting courses, currently including three seminars plus a directed readings course based on the student's area of study.

Concentration (9 hours)

Courses usually in finance, behavioral decision making, or economics. This is sometimes called the Minor Field.

Electives (at least 6 hours)

Graduate courses approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee

Research Readiness Requirement

Accounting doctoral candidates will begin an independent research project (under the supervision of an Accounting faculty member) during their second summer in residence. This project should be completed by the end of the student's third summer in residence, and the resulting paper is to be presented in a School of Accounting workshop. 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 workshop and proposal are SOA requirements, so no Graduate College rules apply; in contrast, the dissertation defense is subject to many rules from the Graduate College.

Admissions

1. Transcript of all undergraduate and graduate coursework.
2. Scores on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) (To insure that these scores are current, the exam should have been taken in the last two years)
3. Three letters of recommendation
4. Scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of Spoken English (TSE) for applicants from non-English speaking nations
5. Statement of your reasons for pursuing a Doctorate in Accounting and why you chose to apply to the University of Oklahoma

Strong applicants are invited to campus for a personal interview which is an important element of the selection process. The application deadline is February 1. Applications after this date will be considered on a space available basis.

More information about Price OU PhD programs

GMAT, GPA, and TOEFL Expectations

The Steed School of Accounting does not have specific admission requirements (e.g. minimum GMAT scores). Rather, a Graduate Standards Committee comprised of members of the graduate accounting faculty recommends admission on the basis of the total application. Applicants are preferred to have a GMAT score of at least 650, a GPA of at least 3.50, and TOEFL score (if applicable) of 105/250/620 depending on the exam format. In recent years, entering students have had an average GMAT score of 700 and GPA of 3.8. The admissions committee will consider special circumstances.

Financial Assistance
Virtually all of our PhD students receive Teaching or Research Assistantships. Because our program places primary emphasis on the development of research skills, students more commonly receive research assistantships. Teaching requirements are minimal. Also available are Graduate Foundation Fellowships in Business.

In addition to the academic year support described above, the Price College has a competitive summer research grant program.  In recent years, all accounting PhD students who have not obtained one of these summer research grants have received a summer research or teaching assistantship.

In addition to assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships, several other programs are available to support scholarly and research activities of accounting PhD students.  All incoming PhD students receive a $4,000 professional expense allowance to be used over four years for research activities such as computers, data, and travel. Additional travel support is provided for students presenting papers at national and international conferences. Accounting PhD students frequently travel to present papers at academic conferences.

Additional Information

For additional information on the technical requirements of the program or to request an information packet, contact Gina Amundson in the Graduate Programs Office. For other information contact Dr. Wayne Thomas