Our doctoral program in accounting offers broadly based, interdisciplinary training.
Emphasis is placed on developing a conceptual framework and set of skills for addressing questions broadly related to information systems and frictions. While issues of disclosure, financial reporting, managerial accounting, corporate governance, and taxation are usually the ultimate concern, emphasis is given to applying basic knowledge of economics, decision theory, and statistical inference to approaching these issues.
Faculty interests
Faculty research uses empirical and analytical methods to investigate a broad spectrum of topics. Examples include:
- Research on the relation between accounting information and capital market behavior examines the characteristics of accounting amounts, the effect of accounting disclosures on the capital market, the roles of information intermediaries, and the effects of management discretion.
- Research on the production, communication, usage, and effects of disclosures outside of capital markets, including many settings where information frictions undermine transactional efficiency or stakeholder welfare (e.g., ESG reporting, intra-firm communications, and consumer financial product markets).
- The economic effects of business tax policies on firm decision-making, including financial reporting, investment and employment choices, and firm location decisions
- The economic effects of auditing and regulation of accounting information
- Problems of information asymmetries among management, investors, and transacting partners. This research investigates the structure of incentive systems and monitoring systems under conditions of information asymmetry. Research on moral hazard, adverse selection, risk sharing, and signaling is incorporated into this work.
Preparation and Qualifications
Successful GSB students have come from a variety of experiences and backgrounds. Work experience in accounting or a related field is valuable but not required.
During the PhD program, all students will be expected to develop a solid understanding of applied microeconomic theory and econometrics. This requires working knowledge of mathematics such as probability and statistics, linear algebra, calculus and optimization. We recommend that students who do not have recent coursework in these areas work on building their skill sets before the start of the program. If admitted, faculty can advise prospective students on addressing potential gaps.
Programming languages such as Python, R, Stata, and Matlab are frequently used in coursework and research. While the PhD program will help students develop programming skills, gaining some familiarity beforehand can be beneficial.