Accounting serves a critical role in communicating information about individuals and organizations. Leeds’ PhD students strive to inform as well as influence this communication process through academic research, teaching and professional service. The Accounting PhD program provides students the opportunity to work in collaborative relationships with faculty and gain the skills necessary to conduct research that contributes to knowledge in corporate disclosure, information intermediaries (e.g., financial analysts, media, etc.), market microstructure, corporate governance, executive compensation, corporate social responsibility, and standard setting. The accounting group specializes in empirical financial research, which relies heavily on econometric methods.

Leeds’ accounting research reputation is among the strongest: Leeds ranks No. 18 for financial-archival research publications and No. 15 for managerial-archival research publications in the U.S. over the last six years (source: BYU Accounting Research Rankings). Leeds’ PhD program graduates also have the skills to produce and publish their own research: Leeds’ accounting PhD program ranks No. 28 for financial-archival publications and No. 7 for managerial-archival publications six years post-graduation.

Become a leading expert

Accounting PhD students are trained to be successful academic researchers and teachers. They develop their own research ideas and implement appropriate research methods. The accounting doctoral courses tap into faculty research and expertise on a wide range of topics that are of particular interest to accounting academics, practitioners and standard-setters.

Accounting students build their teaching portfolio by first acting as a teaching apprentice (TA) for three sections of a semester-long class and subsequently teaching their own two sections of a semester-long class.

Additional information about our Accounting faculty can be found here.

General details about the curriculum, requirements, and structure of the program can be found here. Please be aware this document is not an exhaustive list of the requirements for the Program.

How to Apply

PhD in Accounting Program Flyer


PhD Graduates' Publications