Accounting Concentration
PhD in the School of Accountancy
The accounting concentration of the Coles College Doctor of Philosophy in Business
Administration is designed to develop scholars for academic careers. The research-active
faculty exposes doctoral candidates to four major research areas – Auditing, Corporate
governance, Financial accounting, and Tax - and to a variety of research methods spanning
archival, behavioral, and qualitative research methods. Our research diversity allows
doctoral candidates to explore a wide range of contemporary research areas and methods
and provides a comprehensive and rich learning experience. Doctoral candidates will
conduct research in the School of Accountancy which enjoys a reputation as one of
the top-rated schools internationally. The School of Accountancy PhD is separately
accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB – International).
We are one of only eight colleges and universities in the world that is recognized
at the IIA’s Center of Excellence Level.
School of Accountancy Faculty
The research faculty in the School of Accountancy are well published with their research
appearing in journals such as The Accounting Review; Journal of Accounting Research; Contemporary Accounting Research;
Review of Accounting Studies; Accounting, Organizations and Society; Auditing: A Journal
of Practice & Theory; Behavioral Research in Accounting; Journal of Accounting and
Public Policy; Journal of the American Taxation Association; Journal of Business Finance
and Accounting; Accounting Horizons; and Journal of Business Ethics. Our faculty and external scholars include prominent researchers, as well as past and
present editors and editorial board members of leading journals in the discipline.
Our active PhD faculty members include Marcus Caylor, Dennis Chambers, Dana Hermanson,
Velina Popova, Jennifer Schafer, Divesh Sharma (program coordinator), and Vineeta
Sharma. Current and past prominent external scholars engaged with doctoral research
include Mark Beasley, Jeffrey Cohen, Todd DeZoort, Marshall Gieger, Scott Vandervelde,
and Vic Naiker.
Doctoral Publications & Placements
Our doctoral graduates have published widely in peer-reviewed journals such as Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Journal of the American Taxation Association, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Accounting Horizons, Issues in Accounting Education, Journal of Business Ethics, Current Issues in Auditing, Journal of Forensic Accounting Research, and Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting.
Doctoral placements include Florida International University, Georgia Southwestern State University, Lehigh University, Middle Tennessee State University, Sam Houston State University, Tennessee Tech University, Texas A&M University – Commerce, University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, University of Scranton, University of South Alabama, University of South Carolina – Aiken, and Valdosta State University. Several doctoral graduates have won research awards.
Doctoral candidates have access to one of the most comprehensive set of archival research databases including Audit Analytics, Boardex, Compustat, Capital-IQ, CRSP, and IBES. In addition, Kennesaw State’s location in metro Atlanta allows for interaction with the business community. Click here for application details.
