About PhD Program,
Earn A Ph.D. In Business and a Major Concentration in Accounting And Learn The Essentials In Theory, Research Methods And Contemporary Accounting Issues
Accounting Research involves the systematic and scientific study of accounting systems, institutions, standards and regulations for the purpose of understanding and characterizing their decision-facilitating and decision-influencing roles within organizations, in product and capital markets, and across economies. For instance, financial reporting systems play many roles in publicly held organizations characterized by separation of ownership from control. They help investors in valuing their claims to firms in financial markets (valuation role), are essential for corporate control and managerial performance evaluation (auditing, governance and stewardship roles), and impact how firms allocate their resources and make financial decisions (real effects). In a similar vein, management accounting systems facilitate planning and control within organizations. Often, these many roles of accounting information interact, posing challenges for system designers, policy makers, and standard setters.
The main goal of the accounting doctoral program is to train students to do high-quality research, and become influential scholars in top academic institutions. The accounting group has world-class senior faculty and young, talented scholars with considerable expertise in the above topics and a vibrant research environment. In addition, the program leverages the resources and excellence of Rice University in related fields such as finance, economics and statistics. Students will be required to take courses in economics, statistics, econometrics, finance, and a rigorous set of cutting-edge research seminars covering the essentials in theory, research methods, and contemporary accounting issues.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
- Students must complete a review course in Quantitative Methods in the summer before the beginning of the first semester.
- During the first two years of the program, students must take a minimum of three doctoral-level courses per semester and preferably four courses in total per semester. The chosen courses must be approved by the area PhD advisor.
- The student is expected to attend at least four doctoral seminars organized in the accounting area during the student’s first two years in the Ph.D. program and additional accounting doctoral seminars as required by the student’s advisor. The student may attend the same seminar more than once upon approval by the area PhD advisor or a faculty mentor/advisor.
- The student is expected to attend all research workshops (presentations of faculty members from other business schools that visit JGSB to present their research or internal presentations by JGSB faculty or Ph.D. students) organized in the accounting area during the student’s tenure in the Ph.D. program. The student must lead a discussion preceding the workshop with the other Ph.D. students each semester. Ph.D. students will designate a senior Ph.D. student to keep track of this requirement and provide a report to the area faculty advisor at the end of the spring semester.
- During the summers following each of the first two years, students will complete a summer research study/paper. The scope of this work is to be determined jointly by the student and the student’s faculty mentor/ faculty advisor.
- The firs-year summer research work should involve a replication of analysis of a published/working paper with an extension in the area of the student’s interest. The summer study/paper must be presented to accounting faculty at a research workshop no later than September 30th in the fall semester of the second academic year. The content and format of this presentation will be determined by the student’s faculty mentor/summer research advisor. A failure to meet this deadline may result in the student being put on probation.
- The second-year summer research must result in a working paper (with at least preliminary results), which must be presented to accounting faculty at a research workshop no later than November 30th in the Fall semester of the third academic year. Although we encourage solo-authored study, this summer research could be joint work with the faculty mentor/faculty advisor, but the student is expected to take the lead. A failure to meet this deadline may result in the student being put on probation.
- Students must pass a comprehensive exam administered by the accounting faculty at the end of the second year. Only students not on probation and with a satisfactory annual evaluation are eligible to take the comprehensive exam. The exam will be jointly administered and graded by accounting faculty, under the supervision of the accounting area advisor. The exam is focused on the coursework taken in accounting and topics covered in research workshops offered by the accounting area. A successful performance in the exam will demonstrate the student’s competency in accounting and provide the foundation from which he or she begins the research that will form the basis of the dissertation.
- Students are expected to constitute their dissertation committee by the beginning of their fourth year in the program.
- During the dissertation phase (post successfully completing the comprehensive exam), students are strongly encouraged to take one course every semester (from the first semester of the third year to the second semester of the fourth year) to advance their skills and knowledge in tools, techniques, and topics relevant to their area of interest/dissertation topic. Students are expected to select these courses in consultation with the area PhD advisor or faculty/dissertation advisor.
- Students are expected to successfully defend a dissertation “pre-proposal” by the end of the Fall semester of their fourth year to their dissertation committees. The pre-proposal is expected to lay out the main thesis topic, methodology, discussion of the relevant literature, and preliminary analysis.
- Students are expected to successfully defend their full dissertation proposal by the end of the fourth year.
- Students are expected to complete and defend dissertation within a maximum of 7 years from time of matriculation.
PhD Funding Coverage,
Full financial assistance will be provided to each admitted student in the Ph.D. program in the form of a tuition waiver and a generous stipend which is earned in part through a research/teaching assistantship. Continued funding is provided for your first five years in the program contingent on satisfactory academic progress
Full tuition support is available for each year of full-time study in the doctoral program.
Students receive a stipend of $43,000 per year. The stipend is earned in part by working as a research/teaching assistant for an assigned faculty member. Students must maintain their full-time student status and continue making satisfactory progress toward their degree to receive the stipend.
Application Requirement,
- Completed online Ph.D. application including a Statement of Purpose and CV/Résumé.
- Three confidential recommendations (academic strongly preferred). Recommendations should be submitted using the online application recommendation feature. After entering your recommender’s contact information into your application, the application system will immediately send an electronic “Recommendation” form to that individual.
- For reviewing purposes, electronic copies of transcript(s) can be uploaded through the online application system to meet the application requirements. (If you are offered admission to Rice, official paper or electronic transcript(s) will be required and should be sent directly to the Rice Jones Graduate School of Business by the issuing institution. Official transcript(s) are required from all undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended.)
- Your official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score report, or GRE test score report submitted direclty to us (test taker copy not acceptable). This requirement will not be waived.
- To send your official GMAT score report, log on to http://www.mba.com/mba/, click “The GMAT” then “GMAT Scores and Score Reports”. The “Rice University Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business – PhD Program” code is 3WS-WD-54.
- To send your official GRE score report, log on to http://www.ets.org, under “Tests” click “GRE”. Under “Test Takers” click “Order Additional Score Reports”. The “Rice U Mgmt PhD Program” code is 6618.
Application Deadline,
Dec 15, 2024
Application Fee,
A non-refundable application fee of $40 payable via credit card or check. Please make checks payable to Rice University. Applications will not be processed without the required application fee.
