Selecting a Ph.D Program

Approximately 90 universities in the U.S. offer a Ph.D. program in accounting. Important differences exist among programs, so you should consider options and tradeoffs, including differences in program size, emphasis, and reputation.

Program size: Some programs may have few or no students enrolled, while others may have dozens of students enrolled at any given time. We review applicants for possible fall enrollment every year and seek a steady state program size of approximately 10 students. We believe the size of our program is optimal, permitting students to work closely with faculty and to interact with each other. For information about our current Ph.D. students, please visit www.cba.ua.edu/accounting/phdstudents.html.

Program emphasis: We emphasize state-of-the-art training in empirical/archival and behavioral/experimental methodologies. We support accounting research in a variety of domains, including auditing and corporate governance, financial accounting, managerial accounting, and tax. Strong faculty supervision occurs at all stages of the program, and faculty accessibility is a priority. In addition, we integrate support for development of teaching skills (e.g., mentor program, workshops), so students receive a balanced educational experience prior to searching for academic employment.

Program reputation: Program reputation varies a great deal and can be assessed by considering the quality of a program's graduates. Our program's alumni include contemporary leaders in the accounting education field. We have graduated over 120 doctoral students since 1953, with placements at major academic institutions like Emory, Georgia, Louisiana State, Miami, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wake Forest.

Program resources: Reputation flows in part from the quality of the resources available to students. Our faculty comprises an outstanding group of active researchers, including several with national and international reputations (a complete faculty listing is available at http://www.cba.ua.edu/personnel/accounting). Our physical facilities and research resources are among the very best in the country. An excellent business library houses one of the nation's best collections of accounting publications, and students and faculty have access to cutting-edge computer facilities and research databases. These resources are located within the three-building Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration complex that includes Alston Hall (faculty offices, dean's office, and classrooms), Bidgood Hall (classrooms), and the Bruno Business Library and Bashinsky Computer Center.

Alston Hall	Bidgood Hall	Bruno Business Library & Bashinsky Computer Center