Concentration in Accounting

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.