The Best Accounting PhD Programs

University of Illinois

• The No. 4 rated accounting program in the nation is located at the University of Illinois (UI). UI was formerly the No. 3 ranked program in 2009, but slipped to the No. 4 position for 2010. Nonetheless, the Illinois accounting program has consistently been highly rated for its accounting program for years. The Ph.D. program emphasizes various areas of accounting research including microeconomics, statistics, research methods in accounting and contemporary research in accounting.

  University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign
  College of Business
  515 E. Gregory Dr.
  Champaign, IL 61820
  217-244-7602
  mba.illinois.edu

University of Chicago

• The third highest rated accounting program for 2010 is the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. The Booth School is one of the top-rated business schools in the world and is renowned for its research and programs in various aspects of business. The Ph.D. in accounting is such a program. Students at the Booth School receive generous financial aid packages and laptop computers as part of their admission. Research in the Ph.D. program emphasizes areas such as taxation, auditing and research in capital markets.

  The University of Chicago
  Booth School of Business
  5807 S. Woodlawn Ave.
  Chicago, IL 60637
  773-702-7743
  chicagobooth.edu

University of Pennsylvania

• The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business is the second highest rated program for the study of accounting at the doctoral level. The Wharton School also ranked No. 2 in the nation in 2009. Specializations within the Ph.D. program include finance, research theory in accounting, economics, empirical research, statistics and econometrics. One of the strengths of the University of Pennsylvania program is opportunities students have to pursue joint-degrees and multi-disciplinary research. Students can pursue studies in law through the law school or studies in other areas outside of the business school.

  University of Pennsylvania
  Wharton School
  420 Jon M. Huntsman Hall
  3730 Walnut St.
  Philadelphia, PA 19104
  215-898-6183
  wharton.upenn.edu

University of Texas

• The perennial favorite among accounting programs on the "U.S. News & World Report" rankings list is the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas (UT). Ranked No. 1 in both 2009 and 2010, the University of Texas accounting program offers a Ph.D. in addition to various master's degrees in the accounting field. Students in the Ph.D. program at UT benefit from the numerous accounting research centers sponsored by the Texas program. One of the hallmarks of the UT program is its emphasis on applied research. Students study areas such as behavioral research in accounting and analytic research in accounting.

  University of Texas
  McCombs School of Business
  1 University Station,
  B6004
  Austin, TX 78712
  512-471-7698
  mccombs.utexas.edu