Review your accounting courses and work experience. Make sure you have taken enough accounting classes to gain admittance into an accounting doctoral program. The doctoral program assumes a minimum of an undergraduate degree in accounting level of accounting experience before beginning doctoral coursework.
Prepare for the Graduate Management Admissions Test with review courses and books. The graduate school you apply to may weigh this score heavily in their admissions process. Use the mba.com website to find a test center to schedule your exam. Then take the GMAT.
Apply to the graduate school of your choice. Many schools will allow you to apply online, but if no online application exists, call the school to request an application.
Request official transcripts from any universities you have attended. The university will send them directly to the address designated to receive your documents by the university to which you are applying.
Make a request with the Educational Testing Service to send your official GMAT scores to the university to which you are applying. If your GMAT is more than five years old, the ETS will not send the score. Some schools will allow you to petition them to accept the old score if you can prove the validity of the score to the school's satisfaction.
Get three letters of recommendations. These letters should be from former college professors and employers. Try to get two letters of recommendation from two former college professors. In addition to praising you as a postgraduate student candidate, these letters should also focus on your potential to use the accounting doctorate for teaching or research. The number of letters required may vary from school to school.
Write a personal statement of goals and objectives. There are many books and online guides available to help you write a personal statement when applying to an academic institution.
Gather any documents required to apply to graduate school. You will need your undergraduate and graduate transcripts, and GMAT scores. In addition, schools will look at your professional experience, including professional certifications (i.e., CPA) and recommendation letters. Many schools will require you to write a personal statement of goals and objectives. Requirements vary from school to school.
Begin your doctorate program with the two-year coursework phase. After a doctoral program has accepted you, you will do two years of coursework. Coursework includes classes, seminars, research papers and research projects. After you pass your final exam and put together a faculty committee to oversee your dissertation, you will begin your dissertation phase and become a doctoral candidate. A doctoral candidate is a postgraduate student who has completed her coursework and has to complete her dissertation to get a doctorate in accounting.
Develop your doctoral dissertation. A dissertation is a written document presenting a new point of view. An oral defense of the written dissertation is the final qualification for your accounting doctorate.