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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student-teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.

Do you want to acquire a doctorate degree in accounting but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best doctorate in accounting programs.

What institution did we omit from this list? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.

1. University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX

The McCombs School of Business is rated among the top 20 business schools in the nation. According to a Bloomberg rating, UT Austin graduates an exceedingly high number of people who go on to become S&P 500 CEOs. The renowned accounting doctoral degree program at UT Austin blends three learning phases throughout the four- to five-year degree program: coursework, research, and dissertation.

2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

The University of Illinois is a public research institution, which has over 150 programs of study and is highly regarded academically at both nationally and internationally. Research is king at the University of Illinois’ Accountancy PhD degree program. Starting year-one, learners jump right into research projects. Doctorate learners must finish two semesters of teaching, as well as 96 credit-hours of classes.

The accounting degree program boasts a strong completion rate. In the last 10 years, over 80 percent of the doctorate learners have finished the degree program. Most have taken five years or less to finish.

3. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business houses its PhD in accounting; the program is rated #1 across the board by Business Insider and Forbes. The accounting PhD degree program aims to prepare learners for financial and economic research. Some pre-dissertation coursework includes empirical research in accounting, accounting theory research, empirical design in accounting research, and econometrics.

Learners are given several fantastic opportunities to work with faculty. Workshop colloquiums are weekly as are one-hour discussions between professors and doctoral learners. First-year learners are also paired with a faculty member for a semester-long assistantship.

4. Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Stanford University is a private research institution that is regularly rated as one of the top five schools in the nation. Learners have unique access to Silicon Valley, the Pacific Ocean, and some of the most celebrated faculty in the world. Stanford’s PhD in accounting covers an array of opportunities, from financial reporting to taxation to managerial accounting. The degree program has two quarters of built-in teaching opportunities. Doctoral learners tend to focus their research in some of the following areas: economic analysis and policy, political economics, and finance.

This PhD degree program is not for the faint of heart. In total, learners must complete the following: first-year research paper, second-year research paper, field exam, institution oral exam, candidacy, and doctoral dissertation.

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Learning begins right away in the UNC accounting PhD degree program. With an emphasis on decision theory, this degree program has learner writing research papers from term one to their dissertation. They also take a lot of coursework in the first two years, including: accounting research methods, macroeconomic theory, and business fundamentals.

All incoming PhD candidates obtain financial support for five full years, which includes the summer terms. If learners want additional funding, they are urged to apply for fellowships and teaching placements.

6. University of Mississippi, University, MS

Requiring a total of 70 degree hours, the PhD degree program at the University of Mississippi is divided into four sections. The University of Mississippi houses the largest accountancy library in the world. Classes include knowledge of research tools, statistical methods for business and economics, and methods of mathematical analysis.

7. New York University, New York, NY

The doctoral degree program in accounting at NYU ensures that all PhD candidates are learning research skills from modern financial theory. Learners don’t have to have an MBA as a prerequisite, but they need strong research and quantitative skills. Some of the first-year classes include regression and multivariate analysis, microeconomic theory, and empirical research in financial accounting.