accounting phd math

PhD in Accounting

Program Overview

If you’re considering a PhD in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting, you will appreciate these core elements that helped our PhD program to be ranked No. 11 in the world in terms of the research productivity of our graduates over the last six years.

Research-active faculty

Our program includes a large set of active researchers, from energetic junior scholars to accomplished senior professors. The research productivity of our faculty over the last six years ranks No. 11 in the world. This ranking is the result of our faculty publishing in leading journals such as Accounting, Organizations and Society , The Accounting Review , Contemporary Accounting Research , the Journal of Accounting and Economics , the Journal of Accounting Research and the Review of Accounting Studies . In addition, our faculty are seen as leaders in their field, as they routinely serve as editors or on the editorial board at leading journals such as The Accounting Review , Contemporary Accounting Research and the Review of Accounting Studies .

Diverse and invigorating mix of talent

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and are highly motivated. Recently, our doctoral candidates have received both the Deloitte Foundation Fellowship and the American Accounting Association/Grant Thornton Doctoral Dissertation Award for Innovation in Accounting Education.

Collaborative and supportive atmosphere

Students collaborate with faculty members on all phases of the research process—from idea generation and study design to data analysis and writing—while seasoned students offer guidance and mutual support.

Preferred deadline: January 4

Applications after January 4 will also be considered until spots are filled

• James Don Edwards Chair in Corporate Accounting Policy and Professor , J.M. Tull School of Accounting

See the Accounting PhD Student Handbook for a complete overview of our program and curriculum.

Students arrive four weeks prior to the start of fall semester to take:

• SAS/STATA/Python Coding Bootcamp
• ECON 8000  Math for Economists

Additional coursework depends on the area of concentration.

Students take three accounting seminars during their first two years:

• ACCT 9100  Behavioral Accounting Research
• ACCT 9120  Capital Markets Research I
• ACCT 9140  Capital Markets Research II

The quality of our program is proven by the placement of our students. Since 2010, graduating PhD students have taken tenure-track positions at some of the most respected universities in the world.

• Ryan Johnson , Indiana University – Bloomington (graduated October 2023)
• Truman Rowley , University of Nevada – Las Vegas (graduated August 2023)
• Karson Fronk , Texas Christian University (graduated May 2023)
• Owen Davidson , Baylor University (graduated May 2022)
• Patrick Ryu , University of Manchester (graduated July 2021)
• James Warren , University of Connecticut (graduated May 2021)
• Enrique Gomez , Temple University (graduated May 2020)
• Jasmine Wang , University of Virginia (graduated May 2020)
• Emily Shafron , Texas A&M University (graduated July 2019)
• Jenna D’Adduzio , University of British Columbia (graduated May 2019)
• Christy Sims , University of Mississippi (graduated May 2019)
• Mike Ricci , University of Florida (graduated May 2017)
• Anne Ehinger , Indiana University at Indianapolis (graduated May 2017)
• Ashley Austin , University of Richmond (graduated May 2016)
• Lisa Hinson , University of Florida (graduated May 2016)
• Steven Utke , University of Connecticut (graduated May 2015)
• Emily Griffith , University of Wisconsin (graduated May 2014)
• Wayne Nesbitt , Michigan State University (graduated May 2014)
• David Koo , University of Illinois (graduated May 2013)
• Ann Backof , University of Virginia (graduated May 2012)
• Julia Yu , Nanyang Technical University (graduated May 2011)
• Mary Im , University of Alabama at Birmingham (graduated May 2011)
• Jeremy Griffin , Notre Dame University (graduated May 2010)

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• J.M. School of Accounting

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Accounting Requirements

I. preparation.

It is desirable for students to have a solid understanding of applied microeconomic theory, econometrics and mathematics (linear algebra, real analysis, optimization, probability theory) prior to the start of the program. Adequate computer programming skills (e.g. R, Matlab, SAS, STATA, Python) are necessary in coursework. A traditional accounting background such as CPA is not required.

II. Course Requirements

All required courses must be taken for a grade (not pass/fail or credit/no credit). Exceptions are made if the required course is offered pass/fail or credit/no credit only. Each course must be passed with a grade of P or B- or better. Substitutions of required courses require approval by the faculty liaison. Waiving a course requirement based on similar doctoral level course completed elsewhere requires the approval of the course instructor, faculty liaison, and the PhD Program Office.

The faculty encourages students to take at least three courses (in addition to ACC 698/699) related to the academic program each quarter during the academic year in the first two years of the program and some additional selected courses during their third year of study. Students must complete all required courses in order to advance to candidacy. Students should discuss and confirm course schedules with their faculty liaisons each quarter.

III. Practicum

All students are required to register for ACC 698 “Practicum in Teaching” or ACC 699 “Practicum in Research” for one unit in every quarter of the academic year and during the summer quarter. Students register for ACC 698 and ACC 699 on Axess and receive a letter grade for ACC 698 and ACC 699.

We estimate that students in their first and second year will spend 10 hours per week per quarter during the academic year and 20 hours per week in the summer quarter on the practicum. Students in years three through five will spend approximately 14 hours per week per quarter during the academic year and 10 hours per week in the summer quarter on the practicum.

In years three through five, students have the option to work up to 6 hours/week during the academic year and up to 10 hours/week during the summer as an RA or CA. Students sign up for RA or CA work on the CARA system. In addition, at any point during the program, students have the option to work as a grader up to the appropriate limits per school and university policy. Students sign up as a grader on CARA.

International students may be restricted in the number of hours they can work as RA, CA or grader due to their visa status.

Research Practicum

The purpose of the accounting group’s research practicum is to give our doctoral students hands-on exposure to accounting research. In the student’s first academic year of study, each student will be assigned to work with a different faculty member each quarter. During these first-year series of practica, students will gain exposure to the given faculty members areas of research through a variety of activities, such as reading and discussing research papers, collecting data for a research project, working on an aspect of the faculty member’s research or performing a literature review.

In the second year of the program, research practica will involve serving as a research assistant for the sponsoring faculty member. In the third through fifth year of the program, the research practica ideally evolve from a research assistant to collaborative relationship with the sponsoring faculty member. The pace of this evolution is determined by the progress of the student in the program and the research agenda of the sponsoring faculty member. These practica are meant to provide the student with valuable research experience through the initiation, development and completion of both existing and new research projects, writing referee reports under the supervision of the faculty member, and similar career-building activities.

The scope and nature of the research practicum will be determined by the sponsoring faculty member each quarter. In addition to the activities determined by the sponsoring faculty member, students are required to regularly attend the accounting seminars and internal workshops.

Teaching Practicum

The purpose of the accounting group’s teaching practicum is to give our doctoral students hands-on exposure to aspects in teaching. A teaching practicum can involve a variety of activities such as conducting review sessions, or development of teaching material including case writing The scope and nature of the teaching practicum will be determined by the sponsoring faculty member each quarter.

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of two quarters of ACC 698 prior to the end of the fourth year in the program.

IV. Summer Research Papers and Presentations

Satisfactory completion of the following research papers and presentations are required for admission to candidacy.

First-Year Summer Paper

Each student is required to write an original research paper during the summer after the first year of coursework. This research paper is due before the start of the fall quarter of their second year, and is required to be presented to the faculty during an accounting workshop at the beginning of the fall quarter at a time announced by the liaison. The student receives a pass/fail grade for the 1st year summer paper.

Second-Year Summer Paper

Each student is required to write a second original research paper after completing two years of coursework and the area field exam. This second research paper is due at the end of the fall quarter of their third year, and is required to be presented to the faculty during that fall quarter at a time announced by the liaison. The second year summer paper is expected to be more substantive than the first year summer paper. Ideally, it can be developed into a doctoral thesis. The student receives a pass/fail grade for the 2nd year summer paper.

V. Field Exam

The purpose of the field exam in accounting is to examine (1) the student’s command of the past and current academic literature in accounting; (2) the student’s ability to understand, critique and apply the methods used to conduct research in accounting; and (3) the student’s ability to evaluate research in accounting and independently develop suitable research designs to address research questions in accounting.

The field exam tests whether the student has the solid understanding of accounting research necessary to conduct meaningful research in accounting. Studying for the field exam may also help the student identify gaps in the literature as well as research areas and questions of interest to her/him. The questions on the field exam focus on topics covered and skills developed in the students’ coursework during the first two years in the program.

The field exam in accounting is usually a written exam conducted over two days during the summer after the second year. The format and date will be announced by the liaison.

VI. Teaching Requirement

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of two quarters of ACC 698 - Teaching Practicum prior to the end of the fourth year in the program.

VII. Candidacy

Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a judgment by the faculty of the student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are required to advance to candidacy by September 1 before the start of their fourth year in the program.

VIII. University Oral Exam

The oral examination is a defense of the dissertation work in progress. The student orally presents and defends the thesis work in progress at a stage when it is one-half to two-thirds complete. The oral examination committee tests the student on the theory and methodology underlying the research, the areas of application and portions of the major field to which the research is relevant, and the significance of the dissertation research. Students are required to successfully complete the oral exams by September 1 before the start of their fifth year in the program.

IX. Doctoral Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is expected to be an original contribution to scholarship or scientific knowledge, to exemplify the highest standards of the discipline, and to be of lasting value to the intellectual community. Accounting does not have any general guidelines beyond the University requirements, and instead defer to the student’s Dissertation Reading Committee.

Typical Timeline

Years one & two.

• Field Requirements
• Directed Reading & Research
• Advancement to Candidacy
• Formulation of Research Topic
• Annual Evaluation
• Continued Research

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Accounting, PhD

The Accounting PhD program trains students to do rigorous research in accounting, a specialized area of financial economics. The program is highly analytical and quantitative. We look for strong undergraduate preparation in microeconomics and mathematics, while some prior accounting or finance training at the undergraduate or graduate level is an advantage. Institutional understanding of how accounting information is used by capital market participants and/or within firms is useful and best obtained through relevant work experience, but is not required of applicants.

Close working relationships with faculty members provide an excellent learning experience while at Wharton and can continue throughout the student’s career. Our program provides students with opportunities to interact with faculty and get started on relevant research early in the program. Required research elements include the first-year research assistantship and the first and second year summer research papers.

For more information: https://doctoral.wharton.upenn.edu/programs-of-study/accounting/

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

Required Courses

The course of study for the Ph.D. in Accounting requires the completion of 16 graduate course units. 1

Students must pass all required courses with a grade of B- or better.

Students may, with prior approval of the Accounting PhD coordinator, satisfy this requirement by taking ECON 7300/706. In extraordinary cases, with approval of the Accounting PhD coordinator, a student may satisfy the Econometrics/Statistics requirement with other course sequences.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2024 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

Sample Plan of Study

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Accounting ph.d., earn a ph.d. in business and a major concentration in accounting and learn the essentials in theory, research methods and contemporary accounting issues.

Accounting Research involves the systematic and scientific study of accounting systems, institutions, standards and regulations for the purpose of understanding and characterizing their decision-facilitating and decision-influencing roles within organizations, in product and capital markets, and across economies. For instance, financial reporting systems play many roles in publicly held organizations characterized by separation of ownership from control. They help investors in valuing their claims to firms in financial markets (valuation role), are essential for corporate control and managerial performance evaluation (auditing, governance and stewardship roles), and impact how firms allocate their resources and make financial decisions (real effects). In a similar vein, management accounting systems facilitate planning and control within organizations. Often, these many roles of accounting information interact, posing challenges for system designers, policy makers, and standard setters.

The main goal of the accounting doctoral program is to train students to do high-quality research, and become influential scholars in top academic institutions. The accounting group has world-class senior faculty and young, talented scholars with considerable expertise in the above topics and a vibrant research environment. In addition, the program leverages the resources and excellence of Rice University in related fields such as finance, economics and statistics. Students will be required to take courses in economics, statistics, econometrics, finance, and a rigorous set of cutting-edge research seminars covering the essentials in theory, research methods, and contemporary accounting issues.

Program features:

• World-class faculty
• Engaging research environment
• Highly competitive financial package
• Resources of a premier research university
• Personal attention and mentoring in the Rice tradition  

Interested in Rice Business?

Program information.

Rice Business offers an outstanding program for doctoral students interested in accounting.

Overview of Accounting Ph.D. Seminar Series

Introduction to Accounting Research The course offers a thorough and broad-ranging introduction to accounting theory and research. It covers origins and evolution of key relevant accounting institutions, thought, paradigms and methods.

Analytical Research The course provides a thorough and comprehensive introduction into the key economic theories underlying a significant part of contemporary cutting edge accounting research. The course is designed to be sufficiently deep to support both students intent on pursuing analytical research and at the same time broad enough that students with an empirical orientation will gain a solid foundation.

Empirical Research in Accounting The course provides a thorough and comprehensive synthesis of empirical accounting research, covering the key “classic” papers in the major research areas, methodological issues and emerging areas within empirical accounting research.

Advanced Contemporary Accounting Research The course provides a more advanced treatment of cutting edge, predominantly empirical accounting research. Accordingly, the course content is expected to change frequently to reflect the current state of accounting research.

For doctoral students who have chosen accounting as their area, the Ph.D. degree requirements are as follows.

• Students must complete a review course in Quantitative Methods in the summer before the beginning of the first semester.
• During the  first two years of the program, students must take a minimum of three doctoral-level courses per semester and preferably four courses in total per semester. The chosen courses must be approved by the area PhD  advisor.
• The student is expected to attend at least four doctoral seminars organized in the accounting area during the student’s first two years in the Ph.D. program and additional accounting doctoral seminars as required by the student’s advisor. The student may attend the same seminar more than once upon approval by the area PhD advisor or a faculty mentor/advisor.
• The student is expected to attend all research workshops (presentations of faculty members from other business schools that visit JGSB to present their research or internal presentations by JGSB faculty or Ph.D. students) organized in the accounting area during the student’s tenure in the Ph.D. program. The student must lead a discussion preceding the workshop with the other Ph.D. students each semester. Ph.D. students will designate a senior Ph.D. student to keep track of this requirement and provide a report to the area faculty advisor at the end of the spring semester.
• The firs-year summer research work should involve a replication of analysis of a published/working paper with an extension in the area of the student’s interest. The summer study/paper must be presented to accounting faculty at a research workshop no later than September 30th in the fall semester of the second academic year. The content and format of this presentation will be determined by the student’s faculty mentor/summer research advisor. A failure to meet this deadline may result in the student being put on probation.  
• The second-year summer research must result in a working paper (with at least preliminary results), which must be presented to accounting faculty at a research workshop no later than November 30th in the Fall semester of the third academic year. Although we encourage solo-authored study, this summer research could be joint work with the faculty mentor/faculty advisor, but the student is expected to take the lead. A failure to meet this deadline may result in the student being put on probation.  
• Students must pass a comprehensive exam administered by the accounting faculty at the end of the second year. Only students not on probation and with a satisfactory annual evaluation are eligible to take the comprehensive exam. The exam will be jointly administered and graded by accounting faculty, under the supervision of the accounting area advisor. The exam is focused on the coursework taken in accounting and topics covered in research workshops offered by the accounting area. A successful performance in the exam will demonstrate the student’s competency in accounting and provide the foundation from which he or she begins the research that will form the basis of the dissertation.
• Students are expected to constitute their dissertation committee by the beginning of their fourth year in the program.
• During the dissertation phase (post successfully completing the comprehensive exam), students are strongly encouraged to take one course every semester (from the first semester of the third year to the second semester of the fourth year) to advance their skills and knowledge in tools, techniques, and topics relevant to their area of interest/dissertation topic. Students are expected to select these courses in consultation with the area PhD advisor or faculty/dissertation advisor.
• Students are expected to successfully defend a dissertation “pre-proposal” by the end of the Fall semester of their fourth year to their dissertation committees. The pre-proposal is expected to lay out the main thesis topic, methodology, discussion of the relevant literature, and preliminary analysis.
• Students are expected to successfully defend their full dissertation proposal by the end of the fourth year.
• Students are expected to complete and defend dissertation within a maximum of 7 years from time of matriculation.

Summer before the beginning of first semester

Quantitative Methods Review

Year 1 (Fall)

ECON 501Microeconomic Theory I ECON 510 Econometrics I BUSI 530Introduction to Accounting Research Workshop in Statistical Computing and Research Elective

Year 1 (Spring)

ECON 508 Microeconomics II BUSI 532Analytical Research in Accounting BUSI 533 Contemporary Accounting Research Topics Workshop in Statistical Computing and Research Elective

Year 2 (Fall)

BUSI 531 Empirical Methods in Accounting BUSI 523Empirical Methods in Finance Elective Elective

Year 2 (Spring)

BUSI 532 Analytical Research in Accounting (suggested retake) BUSI 533 Contemporary Accounting Research Topics (suggested retake) Elective Elective

Doctoral students may continue taking graduate-level accounting courses beyond their second year as well. Examples of elective courses are:

General: ECON 435: Industrial Organization ECON 511: Econometrics II ECON 514 Industrial Organization and Control ECON 517 Empirical Industrial Organization

Analytical Track: BUSI 510 Analytical Models in Marketing ECON 502 Macroeconomics ECON 505 Financial Economics ECON 509 Topics in Microeconomics ECON 575 Topics in Financial Economics MATH 321 Introduction to Analysis I MATH 515 Integration Theory STAT 581 Mathematical Probability STAT 552 Applied Stochastic Processes

Empirical Track: BUSI 522 Corporate Finance BUSI 511 Select Topics in Marketing BUSI 524 Finance Special Topics BUSI 527 Finance Special Topics ECON 309 Applied Econometrics ECON 578 Topics in Econometrics I ECON 579 Topics in Econometrics II: Time Series Analysis STAT 519 Statistical Inference STAT 541 Multivariate Analysis

• Xiao Liu, Southern Methodist University
• Daniela De la Parra Hurtado, University of North Carolina
• Seung Yeol Lee, Southern Denmark
• Rustam Zufarov, University of Illinois
• Rafael Copat, University of Texas at Dallas
• Amoray Cragun, University of Chicago
• Gary Lind, University of Pittsburgh
• Maclean Gaulin, University of Utah
• Jonathan Bonham, University of Chicago

Accounting Area Advisor

Shiva Sivaramakrishnan

Keep exploring.

Melinda Peña

About / Departments

Department of Accounting | Ph.D. Overview

Ph.d. overview.

• Stern’s accounting faculty has a wide range of research interests and continuously publishes works in all major academic accounting research journals such as the Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Accounting Review, the Review of Accounting Studies, and Contemporary Accounting Research. Furthermore, Stern’s accounting faculty has published in such major Finance journals as the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis.
• The Department boasts a large and diverse body of Ph.D. students, who assist faculty with research projects early on in their doctoral program and often become co-authors to papers published in prestigious accounting journals.
• The admissions process is a rigorous one and important criteria are: an interest in doing research and teaching in accounting, strong quantitative skills, and an ability to communicate effectively. There are no formal education requirements  other than possession of a bachelor's degree - an MBA is not required.
• The quality of our Ph.D. program (ranked 7th in the United States by U.S. News and World Report) manifests itself by, among other things, our success in placing our graduates.

Click here to learn more about the PhD admissions process.

Accounting, Ph.D. Program Coordinators

NYU Stern Henry Kaufman Management Center 44 West 4th Street Suite No. 10-77 Phone:  212-998-0025 Email: [email protected]

Xiaojing Meng

NYU Stern Henry Kaufman Management Center 44 West 4th Street Suite No. 10-84 Phone:  212-992-6812 Email:   [email protected]

Explore Stern PhD

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ACCOUNTING PhD

The nation’s top accounting program.

Texas McCombs boasts the most prestigious accounting doctoral program in the country and has graduated more than 300 PhD students since its inception in 1934. Are you ready for the best?

Your Future In Accounting

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ACADEMIC LIFE AT McCOMBS

Mentorship and practice, application deadline.

The application deadline for the Accounting Doctoral Program is December 15.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

If you are a practicing accountant, these topical areas will be familiar to you. However, we welcome students with backgrounds in Mathematics, Economics, Engineering, Finance, Psychology, or other disciplines to apply. We can remedy any lack of accounting knowledge through additional coursework. Most students enter our accounting doctoral program with some knowledge in these areas:

Financial Accounting

Financial accounting researchers are interested in the use of accounting information by investors, creditors, analysts, and other decision-makers. We are also interested in the preparation of accounting information by managers who may respond to economic incentives and use discretion to manage earnings. Finally, we are also interested in the regulation of accounting information by standard setters and other regulators who are evaluating the relevance and reliability of current and potential accounting information.

Auditing researchers are interested in questions of independence, governance, compliance, auditing processes, and biases. This research helps global standard-setters and regulators adopt standards and policies that protect the integrity of our accounting information. 

Managerial accounting research topics include optimal employee compensation and governance, using information for efficiency management, motivating creativity, etc.

Taxation research covers economic incentives, transfer pricing, compliance with tax enforcement, multistate taxation, and numerous topics about accounting for income taxation, where tax rules overlap with financial reporting standards.

RANKINGS & RESEARCH

Academic leadership, research methodologies.

When you earn a doctorate, most of your time is spent developing deep expertise in research methods. Accounting researchers use three main approaches. In all cases, your doctoral studies will involve a firm grounding in statistics and typically a choice of either economics or psychology as an additional foundation.

Archival research involves the statistical analysis of historical data to examine relevant research questions based on economic theory for its predictions. Thus, archival research requires a strong background in statistics and economics, which we provide through rigorous coursework in the business school and the economics department.

Experimental

Experimental or survey methods are commonly used to obtain data to conduct what is broadly known as behavioral research. Behavioral research relies on psychology for its theories. Because this research is interested in what people do and why they do it, it is often necessary to conduct controlled experiments or survey participants. Using experiment or survey methods, researchers in accounting and finance have provided compelling alternative explanations where economic theories fall short.

Analytical research uses quantitative mathematical models to explain and predict behavior. This research is grounded in game theory from economics. Students wanting to conduct analytical research should have even stronger mathematical backgrounds than other applicants. We will design a program of study that builds on those initial strengths with additional coursework in mathematics and economics.

GET READY TO APPLY

Preparation and qualifications, career placement, the world needs you, career destinations.

The primary goal of the Texas McCombs PhD program is to prepare students for exceptional academic careers. Over the last five years, McCombs Accounting PhD alumni have excelled at top institutions globally.

Recent Graduate Placements

Jesse Chan   |  2022  |  Boston University

Cassie Mongold   |  2022  |  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Ryan Hess   |  2021  |  Stanford University (postdoc); Oklahoma State University

Ryan Ballestero   |  2021  |  Kent State University

Dan Rimkus   |  2021  |  University of Florida (October 2021 graduation)

Shannon Garavaglia  |  2020  |  University of Pittsburgh

Jakob Infuehr  |  2019  |  University of Southern Denmark

Antonis Kartapanis  |  2019  |  Texas A&M University

Kristen Valentine   |  2019  |  University of Georgia

Colin Koutney   |  2018  |  George Mason University

Zheng Leitter  |  2018  |  Nanyang Technological University

Brian Monsen   |  2018  |  The Ohio State University

Xinyu Zhang   |  2018  |  Cornell University

Jeanmarie Lord   |  2017  |  University of Montana

Ben Van Landuyt  |  2017  |  University of Arizona

Shannon Chen   |  2017  |  University of Arizona

Prasart Jongjaroenkamol   |  2017  |  Singapore Management University

Ying Huang  |  2017  |  University of Texas - Dallas

Current Students and *Job Market Candidates

Mary adenle, yiying chen, dorothy dickmann, mandy ellison*, kenzie feinberg, michael gonari, nathan herrmann, sean kemsley, minjae kim*, kaitlyn kroeger, jingpei shi, albert wang, are you ready to change the world.

The Texas McCombs Doctoral Program is seeking individuals who are interested in transforming the global marketplace. Are you one of these future thought leaders?

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Accounting & Management

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Accounting & Management

Curriculum & coursework.

Our programs are full-time degree programs which officially begin in August. Students are expected to complete their program in five years. Typically, the first two years are spent on coursework, at the end of which students take a field exam, and then another three years on dissertation research and writing.

Students in the Accounting and Management program must complete a minimum of 13 semester-long doctoral courses in the areas of business management theory, economic theory, quantitative research methods, academic field seminars, and two MBA elective curriculum courses. In addition to HBS courses, students may take courses at other Harvard Schools and MIT.

Research & Dissertation

Students in accounting and management begin research in their first year typically by working with a faculty member. By their third and fourth years, most students are launched on a solid research and publication stream. In Accounting and Management, the dissertation may take the form of three publishable papers or one longer dissertation.

Recent questions students have explored include: the ways in which managers use retail-level marketing actions to influence the timing of consumer purchases in relation to their firms’ fiscal calendars and financial performance as well as those of their competitors; the role of accounting information in strategic human resource decisions; the evolution, consequences and institutional determinants of unregulated financial reporting practices; the effects of adopting rolling forecasts on forecast quality.

Elliot Tobin

“ I’m constantly inspired to look into new research angles by the brilliant people I run into on campus every day. ”

Current HBS Faculty

• Brian K. Baik
• Dennis Campbell
• Wilbur X. Chen
• Srikant M. Datar
• Aiyesha Dey
• Susanna Gallani
• Gunther Glenk
• Brian J. Hall
• Jonas Heese
• Robert S. Kaplan
• V.G. Narayanan
• Trung Nguyen
• Joseph Pacelli
• Lynn S. Paine
• Krishna G. Palepu
• Ananth Raman
• Edward J. Riedl
• Clayton S. Rose
• Ethan C. Rouen
• Tatiana Sandino
• David S. Scharfstein
• George Serafeim
• Anywhere Sikochi
• Robert Simons
• Eugene F. Soltes
• Suraj Srinivasan
• Adi Sunderam
• Charles C.Y. Wang
• Emily Williams

Current Accounting & Management Students

• Ji Ho Kim
• Yiwei Li
• Trang Nguyen
• Konstantin Pavlenkov
• Ria Sen
• Terrence Shi
• Albert Shin
• Elliot Tobin
• Wenxin Wang
• Siyu Zhang

Current HBS Faculty & Students by Interest

Recent placement, yaxuan chen, 2024, hashim zaman, 2022, wei cai, 2020, matthew shaffer, 2019, botir kobilov, 2024, patrick ferguson, 2021, jihwon park, 2020, wilbur chen, 2022, alexandra scherf, 2021, jody grewal, 2019.

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PhD Admission Requirements

The goal of the Accounting PhD program is to train students to do rigorous research in accounting, a specialized area of financial economics. An institutional understanding of how accounting information is used by capital market participants and/or within firms is useful and best obtained through relevant work experience, but is not required. The program is highly analytical and quantitative. Thus, a strong undergraduate preparation in microeconomics and mathematics is an advantage, as is some prior training at the undergraduate or graduate level in accounting, finance, or economics.

Except for the GMAT or GRE general test which is required of all applicants, there are no formal admission requirements. The TOEFL test must be taken by applicants whose native language is not English.

Additional PhD Information

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The mark of highest achievement in accounting scholarship.

The LSU Department of Accounting PhD Program is designed to produce scholars who will conduct top-tier, original research that contributes significantly to accounting discipline knowledge. By the completion of the program, students are expected to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the theoretical, conceptual, and research foundations of accounting. While teaching is an integral part of an academic position in accounting and is required by students in the program, the primary focus of the Accounting PhD Program is the acquisition of research skills. The combined experiences achieved through the PhD Program are designed to prepare the student to be a researcher, teacher, and colleague at the university level. 

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Department of Accounting Accounting Faculty & Staff PhD Student Directory & Placements

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Program details .

Our focus is to develop accounting scholars who are proficient and motivated to succeed in accounting academics. The program is designed to be completed in four years; students are given an opportunity to teach before graduation. In addition to graduate assistantships, we also offer support for students to attend doctoral consortiums and present papers at national and regional conferences providing opportunities for scholarly development, networking, and recruitment.

Faculty see the role of mentor as essential and are vested in spending time with these students to mentor and help develop their research and teaching practices. Doctoral students are encouraged to collaborate with faculty on research projects during and after the program. Interactions among PhD students bolster the department’s collegial, mentoring environment.

The Department of Accounting PhD Program is designed to be a year-round program of study for full-time students. Individuals can expect to spend two years working on coursework and two years or more completing a dissertation. Students must also pass a qualifying exam upon completing the required coursework. Coursework consists of advanced classes in economics, finance, and accounting. Overall, the program usually requires four years to finish. Doctoral education is a collaborative process. Students should expect to work with fellow doctoral students in accounting and other disciplines as well as with faculty. 

Our research-active faculty expose students to modern accounting research, emphasizing auditing, corporate governance, and tax. LSU has an ample number of accounting-related databases as sources for research and analysis, as well as statistical tools and considerable training in areas such as econometrics. The Department of Accounting has an active research workshop series with presentations by some of the best-known researchers in accounting academics.

Second Year

Fourth Year

Total: 109 Hours 

We also offer a spring admission option which allows you to take some of the coursework in the spring semester (ACCT 7021, ACCT 7900, and EXST 7003), and conduct an assigned research project in the summer semester (ACCT 8900 - 6 credit hours). Total credit hours are 115.

Requirements

Due to the time, effort, and resources required by both faculty and students to pursue a PhD, attention is given to assessing an applicant's potential for successfully completing the program. Most successful PhD applicants at LSU have satisfied the following requirements:

• Admission to the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School
• An acceptable GMAT score
• A minimum GPA of 3.4 in the most recently completed 60 hours of work
• Three letters of recommendation: Strong recommendations from individuals who have had the opportunity to observe the applicant's interest, ability, and commitment to a career of scholarship
• Statement of Purpose and writing sample

We strongly encourage applicants to have at least an undergraduate or a graduate degree in accounting.

In addition, because entering a doctoral program typically requires relocation, potential students are often brought to campus for a further interview to ensure compatibility with the faculty, university, and community.

Application Deadlines

The deadline for submitting an application for consideration into the PhD Program for Fall admission is December 31, however we will still consider applications submitted after this date until April 15 for international students and June 30 for domestic students. For Spring admissions, the deadline for international students is October 1 and for domestic students is November 15.

You must apply through the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School . Please have all application materials sent to the following address:

Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School Louisiana State University 114 West David Boyd Hall Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803

Graduate assistantships are typically awarded for four years and include a tuition waiver. Assistantship duties may include teaching, teaching assistance, or research assistance for a faculty member. Working with faculty members on research projects is strongly encouraged. Assistantship assignments require 20 hours of work per week. The annual assistantship is $36,000 per year, with performance adjustments.

Beyond the PhD

Our alumni enjoy successful careers in academia. Institutions that employ our graduates:

• California State University
• Florida International University
• Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Illinois State University
• Lehigh University
• Rutgers University
• Southern University
• University of Colorado
• University of Memphis
• University of New Orleans
• University of North Texas

Faculty Feature

Ken Reichelt Professor & Director of Graduate Studies - PhD Program

Around the globe, many regulatory agencies have implemented mandatory audit firm rotation. Research by Professor Ken Reichelt brings into question such a mandate. This is just one area that Reichelt explores in his financial accounting and empirical auditing research. Reichelt has earned many awards, including the Ernst and Young Alumni Distinguished Professor, KPMG Research Recognition Award, and the Vincent C. Brenner Endowed Faculty Research Award. In addition to teaching and research responsibilities, Reichelt oversees the department’s PhD program operations.

MEET MORE ACCOUNTING FACULTY

PhD Program Contact

Kenneth J. Reichelt 2821 Business Education Complex North 225-578-6233  [email protected]  

PINKIE GORDON LANE GRADUATE SCHOOL

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Effective solutions for complex business problems.

The Simon Business School PhD Program in Accounting provides students with the opportunity to make substantive contributions to the literature by taking advantage of the Simon School's strong economics and quantitative training.

At Simon, accounting is not viewed as a separate academic discipline, but as an integral part of applied economics. By studying accounting and accounting phenomena from the perspective of an applied financial economist, an accounting researcher can provide evidence that potentially affects such diverse areas as the theory of the firm, corporate finance, the economics of regulation, and capital market efficiency.

• Meet Accounting Faculty

Prepare with Math Camp.

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Program Outline: Accounting

The first year.

The first year gives students solid training in microeconomics and econometrics and introduces them to basic issues in accounting and finance, including accounting and finance seminars which introduce students to current research topics. Students are required to take courses offered by Simon Business School as well as the University of Rochester's Economics Department. First year students are required to take the preliminary exam, which is given at the end of the spring term, and complete a first year research paper, due by September 15 of the student's second year. The paper will be presented in AEC510 or in an Accounting Workshop in the fall of the student's second year.

The Second Year

In the second year, students are expected to take PhD level courses in accounting and finance. In addition, participation in accounting, finance, and applied economics seminars is required. This training provides the foundation from which to develop research topics/ideas in general, and specifically a thesis topic. Students are required to submit a paper by September 15 of their third year. This paper will be presented in AEC510 or in an Accounting Workshop the fall of the student's third year and serves as the student's accounting qualifying exam.

The Third Year and Beyond

In the third year students move from coursework to active research with the objective of identifying a viable thesis topic. Continued participation in all accounting and applied economics seminars is required.

Required Courses.

The Course Catalog contains degree requirements and course descriptions. Please refer the Simon Registrar's website for the current Course Catalog

Simon Registrar

Course Catalog

PhD Accounting Courses

1 credit (First-year PhD students are graded on a P/F basis. Second-year and later students receive a letter grade.)

A forum for the presentation, discussion, and critique of current accounting research papers where accounting faculty, PhD students, and outside speakers present working papers on current research topics. Students are expected to actively participate in the discussion and critique of the papers presented. In weeks when accounting workshops/ seminars are scheduled, accounting PhD students will meet as a group with a member of the accounting faculty before the seminar to discuss the paper. Since such meetings are designed to facilitate students’ active participation in the seminars, students are required to circulate a brief set of comments to the other class participants in advance of the meeting. Grading will be based on the quality of students’ contributions to the pre-seminar meetings as well as their contributions and participation in the actual workshops.

This course focuses recent developments in capital markets research by exploring topics such as how technology intertwines with the production, dissemination, and consumption of accounting information, the incentives and impact of financial intermediaries, and financial reporting regulation and externalities. In addition to the informational role of accounting information, the course also explores its stewardship role by covering recent papers related to executive compensation and incentive structure. Finally, the course expands beyond the U.S. setting by covering topics related to international accounting. Given the turnover of course topics over time, students are required to enroll in ACC 513 each time the course is offered.

Content varies from year-to year based on faculty and student’s interests.

Topics selected reflect areas of active interest to accounting researchers/ accounting profession.

Topics covered in recent offerings of the course include:

“Information Acquisition”; “Soft Information in Financial Markets”; “Private Interactions: Broker Conferences, Roadshows, In-House Meetings”; “The Financial Reporting Environment”; “The Role of Accounting in the Municipal Bond Market”; “Textual Analysis/ Information and Financial Markets”; “Rivals, Information Transfer, Spillovers and Investment Decisions”; “Rivals, Information Transfer, Spillovers and Financial Policies and Corporate Governance and Other Decisions; “Rivals, Information Transfer, Spillovers and Proprietary Costs”; “Aggregate Market Relations”; “Patents and Patent Disclosure”; “Return Predictability” and “Anomalies”.

Given the turnover of course topics over time, students are required to enroll in ACC 511 each time the course is offered.

Prerequisite: ACC 510

This course (along with ACC 513) is the next step in the sequence of accounting seminars taken by the Ph.D. students. ACC 512 builds on the “classics” covered in prior seminars by applying the insights to topical areas of research interest.  It focuses on international aspects of accounting research, such as the interaction between country-level institutional features and financial reporting outcomes, cross-border information flows, harmonization of financial reporting standards and its implications for actual outcomes (both reporting and economic). This course alternates with ACC 513. Given the turnover of course topics over time, students are required to enroll in ACC 513 each time the course is offered.

Prerequisites: ACC 510 and ACC 511

In contrast to the international focus of ACC 512, ACC 513 focuses on the U.S. setting, and in particular on new/emerging theories in financial economics. The course seeks to stimulate discussions on the implication of these theories for accounting research. Recent versions of the course focused on the feedback-effect of stock prices, where managers not only impound information into the stock price, but also learn new information from their firms’ stock prices; and on asset-pricing anomalies, and the role of financial accounting information in mitigating or exacerbating the prevalence of these market-pricing “irregularities”.

Given the turnover of course topics over time, students are required to enroll in ACC 513 each time the course is offered.

Prerequisites: ACC 510 and ACC 511  

The workshop provides a forum for the presentation of ongoing and completed research projects by PhD students in the economics core. Third- and fourth-year PhD students are expected to participate actively.

Prerequisite: permission of the instructor

What to Expect

Learn what real University of Waterloo Accounting PhD students and alumni have to say about the program.

Meet Minna Hong, 2018 winner of Excellence in Teaching Award.

Delving into her PhD studies has meant learning how to both teach and conduct in-depth research, and these are areas where Minna has thrived. Read more

Thinking about a PhD in Accounting but not sure what it's all about or if it is the right choice for you?

• See the American Accounting Association (AAA) webpage " Thinking of a PhD? "
• See the article below by Waterloo PhD alumni Shane Dikolli.

By Shane Dikolli, PhD, School of Accounting and Finance, University of Waterloo.

I was once asked by an economist with a bachelor's degree, so, you are working on a PhD that specializes in management accounting - what does that mean? Are you able to add really big numbers together or something? In addition, many accounting PhDs and students I've met, including some highly respected accounting scholars, suggest they knew very little about what to expect when first entering a PhD program in accounting. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, it provides some insight into what one might expect as a student in the Waterloo PhD program in accounting. I don't necessarily think that these insights would be observable at all PhD programs in accounting, but from my experience in talking with people at dozens of programs across North America it wouldn't surprise me to find at least some of the insights being common to many different programs. Second, it provides a number of practical suggestions on how I went about eliminating obstacles I encountered during the dissertation phase of my program. These suggestions in particular potentially could apply to different PhD programs, different types of thesis-writing courses, and to PhDs in different disciplines.

Insights from inside the Accounting PhD program at Waterloo

I received plenty of warning before coming into the program that I should improve my math skills (specifically, calculus and linear algebra). Was that because as PhDs in accounting we really did have to add together very large numbers and needed extra math skill to be able to do it? No. Was that because Waterloo had such a strong Math faculty and every graduate had to have strong math skills? No. The answer is that a large component of accounting research relies on mathematical models that try to capture economic intuition and institutional knowledge about how accounting impacts the world.

This doesn't mean that all PhD theses must be based on mathematical modeling. The methodology chosen depends on the student's preferences and competencies. Instead of mathematical modeling, they can choose to develop predictions about what we might see in the real world, then either collect real world archival (or field) data, or, design and conduct a laboratory experiment, and finally test the validity of the predictions using (mostly) statistical techniques. Irrespective of the methodology chosen for the dissertation phase, the faculty emphasize that students should have some understanding all methodological types. Knowing math helps, especially in my case where I in fact completed a dissertation based on mathematical modeling.

The PhD in Accounting program at Waterloo and, from what I understand, accounting programs at many universities across North America, comprise two primary components: coursework and dissertation. At Waterloo, accounting PhD students typically study about 12 or 13 courses over two years. I was given suggestions for courses to do in the first and part of my second terms. As my interests unfolded, I chose the remaining courses that I thought would help me in the dissertation stage of the program. I completed four courses in the School of Accountancy, two in the Faculty of Mathematics, three in the Department of Management Sciences, and four in the Department of Economics. I think it would be ideal to try and develop a thesis dissertation topic during the completion of coursework. However, I found I was so busy keeping up with courses which were mostly outside my previous training (bachelors and postgraduate work in Accounting) that I barely spent the time thinking about a dissertation at this stage.

An important part of coursework over and above the requirements of each individual course are two components, assessable as pass or fail, and one non-assessable component. The first assessable component is that each student completes a Summer Research Project (SRP), conducted over the summer between the first and second year of his or her program. The results are presented to faculty usually in the fall following the summer the project is conducted. I could see that there could efficiencies, but more importantly a potentially stronger dissertation topic if the SRP overlapped the ultimate dissertation, however, this is not easy to do. My SRP overlapped my dissertation in the sense that they both used mathematical modelling, but the topics were vastly different. There is also the argument that having another working paper different to the thesis paper can help make a PhD graduate more marketable later on. However, my own sense is that given a choice between one paper that has extremely high credentials versus two papers that both have relatively lower credentials, the recruiters will be more interested in the one highly credentialed paper every time.

The second assessable component is comprehensive exams, held at the end of the summer between the second and third years. In total there's about 18 hours of exams held over four days and these can theoretically test anything that has been taught over the previous two years. The exams are usually open book, but who has time to look at notes when the examination hours seem to go so quickly? About six weeks into the first term of the program it is very easy to panic and wonder how it could be possible to ever sit comprehensive exams, but I know firsthand that the amount of knowledge that a student has just prior to writing comprehensive exams is awesome. It somehow comes together - a combination of hard work, commitment, experience, speaking the right lingo for two years, support from peers and faculty, and being curious about why things happen the way that they do.

The third non-assessable component is weekly research seminars. The School is fortunate in that it has a well-established reputation in the US, where many of the most highly published accounting researchers in the world are located. As a consequence, the School is able to attract a number of excellent speakers who always also spend time with the PhD students discussing all sorts of issues that may or may not be related to the paper that the speaker presents.

Once the comprehensive exams are done, the SRP is finalized, and all the courses have been completed, the coursework component is all over and there is a great sense of relief. Walking around campus knowing that there's no class to go to, no assignments to hand in, or no exams to study for, is all very liberating. But the relief is really only short-lived. A new set of stress-inducing choices needs to be made and different obstacles need to be overcome.

To get through the dissertation stage of the PhD program, the student must make three critical choices in addition to the choice of methodology (i.e. mathematical modeling, archival, field study or laboratory experiment). First, what theoretical discipline will drive the predictions that the thesis will make? Economics underpins much of accounting research. Research that focuses on the individual often use psychology or behavioural sciences as the underpinning theoretical discipline. Second, what functional area in the School of Accountancy is of interest? The school offers management accounting, financial accounting, tax and auditing (in no particular order) as functional areas of interest in which to base a topic. Third and most importantly, the topic itself must be pinned down. I think that topic selection is without question the most difficult and challenging part of a PhD dissertation. The topic must be interesting, original, rigorous, non-trivial, do-able and supervisable. It sounds daunting but the faculty are very skilled in knowing about topics that will fly. In addition, the training that a student receives during the first two years of coursework, I think, creates a different level of thinking that also helps formulate potentially viable research questions.

Dissertation obstacles

So what are the major obstacles during the dissertation stage? Many of them related in my case to topic selection and maintaining momentum in writing. If I had to start the dissertation over again, knowing what I know now, here's what I would tell myself:

I really know what you're currently going through. Topic selection is, without question in my mind, the most difficult and challenging part of a thesis. Once you have a reasonable idea of what the topic is, I think things do get easier. However, there's plenty more frustration ahead, particularly if you plan to do modeling. From my experience, I found it more efficient to identify the problem and ingredients of what I want to look at, determine intuitively what I think the answer will be, and then build the model. Early on I had this delusional idea that I would program all the ingredients into MAPLE software and the answers to "all the world's problems" would fall out. Wrong. I think it is much more productive to have a strong idea of what you think the answer to your problem should be and make sure that the model achieves it. Mathematical models that produce the thrill of discovery are extremely difficult to come by, or else my thinking is just not sophisticated enough to be able to program such models.

Here's seven things that I have done to help me keep moving forward:

Keep a binder of everything that you work on.

Some suggested headings in the binder, which are borrowed from How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation by David Sternberg (1981), New York, St Martin's Press:

• Topic selection (an ongoing journal of topic ideas)
• Devil's advocate (difficult questions and responses that someone might ask about your ideas)
• Troubleshooter (quick-fix solutions to problems found during, for example, model-building)
• How am I doing? (a weekly or daily journal of achievements)
• Timetable (lists key deadlines for getting things done)
• Serendipity/inspiration (a list of new ideas generated while writing the thesis - perhaps to follow-up post-thesis)
• Key literature (I don't keep these in the binder - I just keep a separate folder of the articles).

Keep a journal.

Just write it.

This is a variation of Nike's "Just Do It".

One of the turning points for me before my proposal was when my supervisor said to me that he couldn't properly assess my thinking/ideas unless I presented it to him in the form of a paper. I had been bouncing around out of control without a strong direction and finally his instruction got me focused. I didn't care that the wording might not have been exactly as I would have ideally wanted it, I just got it down on paper. It is then that you can exploit an outstanding supervisor's great strengths - he or she will usually provide quick, reliable, detailed feedback, which gets drafts of the chapter going. I was surprised how quickly things moved after I got that first draft of the proposal written.

Three-paragraph chapter ideas.

Bill Kinney, a highly respected scholar at the University of Texas at Austin, suggested at the 1996 American Accounting Association Doctoral Consortium that if you can't summarize your paper in three paragraphs then the paper likely doesn't communicate your work well. The three paragraphs are based on the following questions: what is the research problem?; why is the problem important?; and what will you do to address the problem?

This can form the basis of the introduction to a chapter. The second section in the chapter is the model description. The third section is the model analysis with extensions and you conclude in the fourth section. Works every time.

Get help on specific problems.

I've noticed that whenever I'm really stuck, articulating the problem in writing and/or discussing it with a thesis committee member or fellow PhD student has generally helped tremendously. Sometimes the committee member or peer might not even be able to offer direct help but just discussing the problem out loud or simply having to articulate the problem invariably leads much more quickly to possible alternatives than "spinning wheels". Emphasis also on specific - the more specific your identification of the problem, the quicker you will find generate alternative solutions to the problem.

Commit to no distractions.

I could quite happily surf the Internet all day, I reckon. But it does nothing for my thesis. I am very conscious of staying focused on what I'm doing and always asking myself (when I've allocated time to work on my thesis) that if what I'm doing will move my thesis forward.

"Class assignment context" work habits.

When writing up the model, I try to work "as if" I am writing up an assignment. I impose an assignment deadline and meet it, just as I would if I were doing coursework.

Many of the above suggestions (e.g. journal of ideas, how am I doing entries, troubleshooter entries, devil's advocate entries) are operationalized as individual entries in my thesis log, which I've created using the journal feature in Microsoft Outlook. I print a hardcopy of each entry for my thesis binder. I realize that many of the suggestions might be more appropriate for once you have a topic, but I still think you can use the 3-paragraph method to pitch initial ideas to your supervisor and start writing up a "How am I doing?" journal each day. I now do a weekly journal (in the early going it was a daily journal), an edited copy of which I send to a friend of mine each Monday. My friend doesn't know all that much about my research, but he still sends me a rude note asking for the weekly journal report if he hasn't received it by Tuesday. It gives me an incentive to write that report.

This article contains a very small selection of experiences and lessons learned I learned along the way. They in no way necessarily represent the experiences of all students in the program and I have no doubt omitted experiences that other students would find particularly noteworthy. However, if this article provides just one piece of new information to a prospective student about what they might expect to find in an accounting PhD program, then it has served its purpose. I would be pleased to discuss anything I've raised with anyone interested in the PhD in Accounting at Waterloo.

Note: Shane Dikolli is now at University of Virginia.

Hilbert College Global Online Blog

Accounting math: what skills do you need to be an accountant, written by: hilbert college   •  jan 9, 2024.

Accounting Math: What Skills Do You Need to Be an Accountant? ¶

Accountants draw on their math skills to create public financial statements, including individual tax returns and complex SEC filings for Fortune 500 companies. They also use math to audit financial documents, investigate fraud and recommend business strategies. 

But how much accounting math do you need to become an accountant? 

Math ranks among the most essential skills for accountants and financial analysts . But that doesn’t mean accountants have to take upper-division math classes in college. A bachelor’s in accounting builds the math skills that accountants, auditors and financial analysts use in their jobs.

What Math Skills Do Accountants Need? ¶

Accountants use math skills every day. But what are the key accounting math skills that accountants must develop? While math majors might explore number theory and logic, accountants typically draw on applied math principles. Here are the key math skills that accountants need. 

Arithmetic ¶

Basic arithmetic—addition, subtraction, multiplication and division—is at the core of the accounting math skills that accountants need. Companies rely on accountants to square their balance sheets, ensuring that the organization stays in the black. Accountants calculate an organization’s assets, liabilities and equity using arithmetic. 

Accounting majors bring years of experience with arithmetic, and accounting classes show them how to apply their arithmetic skills in the accounting field. 

Percentages ¶

Accountants calculate the amount of interest owed on a loan and how companies should allocate their assets. As a result, accountants need to know how to work with fractions, decimals and percentages, including how to convert percentages. The ability to manage percentages allows accountants to assess risk, calculate future losses or gains, and precisely interpret financial data.

Statistics ¶

Auditors and forensic accountants rely on statistical analysis to identify irregularities in financial documents and select representative statistical samples for reliability assessments. Many other accountants also use their statistics skills on a daily basis, whether to identify trends, forecast earnings or assess risk. Statistical skills help accountants work efficiently and accurately.

Double-entry accounting requires an understanding of algebra to balance debits and credits. Accountants also use algebra to calculate liabilities and depreciation. Understanding algebraic equations helps accountants manage financial data and recommend strategies.

Probability ¶

Specialists in risk management draw on probability theory to determine the likelihood of various outcomes. Auditors also use probability to determine the accuracy of financial projections. Finally, managerial accountants often base their recommendations on the probability of future events.

Financial Mathematics ¶

The mathematical subfield of financial mathematics uses math to solve financial problems. For example, assessing business performance, modeling growth potential and calculating profitability all require financial mathematics. 

Blending arithmetic, data analysis, probability and other mathematical approaches, financial mathematics represents an essential skill for accountants. Coursework in financial formulas, modeling and data analytics develops strong financial mathematics skills.

Other Essential Accounting Skills ¶

Accounting math is only one of many important skills for accountants. In addition, the ability to analyze financial data, solve accounting problems, communicate with clients and identify errors are critical accounting skills.

Analytical thinking: Accountants evaluate complex financial statements to find errors, recommend accounting strategies and file accurate accounting statements. Strong analytical skills help accountants complete essential tasks while maintaining high standards of accuracy and ethics.

Detail-oriented: An attention to detail benefits accountants and auditors, who must catch irregularities in financial documents and ensure that reports meet regulations for financial reporting. Accountants need to uphold industry standards while managing large amounts of financial information.

Communication: CPAs communicate with clients, while auditors regularly interact with business professionals. The ability to collaborate, explain accounting concepts to nonspecialists and manage teams helps accountants advance their careers.

Organization: Accountants often manage a large workload, which requires strong organizational skills. And because many accountants operate on strict deadlines, the ability to manage time is a critical skill for accountants.

Problem-solving: Management accountants, budget analysts and auditors must apply their accounting skills to solve complex problems. Identifying financial trends, analyzing budgets and developing innovative solutions require strong problem-solving abilities.

Accounting students develop these essential skills while completing a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Early-career accountants hone skills in specializations such as public accounting, auditing or financial accounting by gaining work experience or pursuing a master’s degree in accounting.

Benefits of Earning an Accounting Degree ¶

An accounting degree provides focused career training. Earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting prepares graduates for entry-level roles as an accountant or auditor. These in-demand roles report a median annual salary of $78,000 in May 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

While earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting, students take courses in financial accounting, internal auditing, tax accounting and other core accounting specialties. 

Accountants benefit from strong demand. Factors such as economic growth, globalization and the complexity of tax law drive a need for accountants and auditors. As a result, the BLS projects over 125,000 accounting job openings annually from 2022 to 2032. 

Some accounting careers require additional coursework after completing an accounting degree. For example, CPAs with a bachelor’s degree in accounting must complete a total of 150 college credits to qualify for certification.

Earn Your Accounting Degree at Hilbert College Global ¶

Learn how to prepare financial statements, audit documents and apply accounting math to solve complex problems in the online Bachelor of Science in Accounting program at Hilbert College Global. 

As an accounting major, you’ll study math and data analytics while exploring accounting ethics, financial regulations and tax law. The 120-credit online program prepares graduates for careers as accountants, auditors and financial analysts. Discover how Hilbert College Global can help you get started on an accounting career path. 

Recommended Readings

How to Work in Public Finance

What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s in Accounting?

Forbes, “The Accounting Skills You Need for a Successful Career”

Indeed, “Financial Mathematics: Definition and Real-World Applications”

Investopedia, “What Is the Accounting Equation, and How Do You Calculate It?”

Journal of Accountancy, “Top Soft Skills for Accounting Professionals”

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Accountants and Auditors

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• What Can You Do With an Accounting Degree?

by Andrew Buckley

May 31, 2024

University Services Accounting

Careers in accounting involve more than numbers and spreadsheets. If you work in this field, you already know that what you can do with an accounting degree includes making an impactful difference in the lives of others . In the jobs you can get with an accounting degree, you might be responsible for anything from helping a small business maintain a healthy bottom line to assisting a nonprofit in allocating funds to maximize its impact. And if you’re just getting started in accounting or considering the field as part of a career switch, you’ll soon learn that it has much more to offer than many people realize.

As part of the wider finance industry, accounting has a reputation for offering job security and above-average salaries. For each year between 2022 and 2032, the business and finance field is projected to usher in about 911,400 job openings 1 , and 126,500 of those will go to accountants and auditors. 2 The median salary for accountants ($79,880/year) also outpaces the national average, and accounting professionals tend to widen this gap with additional years of experience – the top 10% of accountants earn $137,280 or more per year. 2

Becoming a public accountant is a solid career choice that works well for many people. However, it’s important to remember that there are plenty of other jobs you can get with an accounting degree – especially if you pursue a master’s . For example, many employers value the level of expertise that comes with a master’s degree when making difficult decisions regarding promotions to management roles.

If you’re interested in advancing to management occupations ( median salary: $116,880 3 ), a master’s in accounting might be a worthwhile investment. At Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, you can earn an online Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) whether or not you have an accounting background. You’ll build expertise in finance and business principles and have the option to stack multiple graduate certificates to gain specialized knowledge for the career you want.

For a better understanding of what you can do with an accounting degree, explore the careers below.

Careers in Accounting

Financial manager.

One of the top-earning jobs you can get with an accounting degree is as a financial manager. Professionals who work as financial managers may also be called controllers, finance officers, or treasurers. Their job is to maintain the overall financial health of a business or organization by closely monitoring financial reports and making strategic investment decisions. Financial managers pay attention to market trends and have a solid grasp of effective leadership and management practices. Required skills for this position include:

• Critical thinking
• Data analysis
• Decision-making
• Effective communication
• Employee management
• Market analysis
• Strategic planning

Salary and Career Outlook

Financial managers earn a median salary of $156,100 per year , according to the latest data provided by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). This occupation is also projected to grow faster than average between 2022 and 2032 at a rate of 16% – about 69,600 job openings per year . 4 Professionals working in this occupation are known to be employed in a range of environments, with those in professional, scientific, and technical services earning the highest salaries.

Required Education

Financial managers need at least a bachelor’s degree, but in many cases, a master’s degree is preferred. Professionals in this role tend to have several years of experience in finance, and many have previously worked as accountants or financial analysts. While not always required, many financial managers also have one or more of the following certifications:

• Certified Public Accountant
• Certified Government Financial Manager
• Chartered Financial Analyst Certification

Find out how the online MSA program at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota can help you prepare for the Certified Public Accountant Exam.

Accounting Director

Accounting directors lead a team of accountants in accurately monitoring the financial transactions related to an organization’s functioning . Responsibilities for those in this occupation include supervising employees, ensuring adherence to financial regulations, auditing financial data, and more. To do their job well, a professional in this role must possess expertise in:

• Accounting software
• Cash flow management
• Financial reporting
• Oral communication
• People management
• Process improvement
• Project management
• Written communication

Accounting director is another high-paying career in accounting, with Payscale reporting a median income of $113,478 per year. Further, the top 10% of experienced professionals in this occupation earn $168,000 or more annually. As of 2024, salaries for accounting directors tend to be most significantly boosted by skills in mergers and acquisitions, auditing, process improvement, and project management. 5

Earning a master’s in accounting is generally recommended for professionals who hope to become an accounting director. This level of education will prepare you with the technical and leadership skills you need to succeed in this role. Passing the CPA exam and maintaining your license is also required for this occupation.

Are You Ready to Move Forward in Your Accounting Career?

Develop advanced expertise in both finance and business with an online MSA from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Personal Financial Advisor

The occupation of personal financial advisor can be one of the most rewarding careers in accounting. Financial advisors use their expertise to assist individuals in planning for significant life events , such as marriage, children, home buying, and retirement. By breaking down complex financial and investment information, these professionals empower clients to make decisions to increase wealth and impact families for generations. It’s essential for personal advisors to possess the following skills:

• Investment evaluation
• Goal setting
• Portfolio assessment
• Retirement planning
• Risk management

The BLS reports a median salary of $99,580 per year for personal financial advisors, and the top 10% of experienced professionals in this occupation earn $239,200 or more. Due to the growing population of people 65 and older, this occupation is also expanding at a faster-than-average pace to meet an increased need for retirement and investment planning. Demand for personal financial advisors is expected to grow 13% between 2022 and 2032 , resulting in about 25,600 openings per year. 6

Common degrees for personal financial advisors include business, accounting, and mathematics. A master’s in accounting can help you both get started and advance in this career by delivering the financial expertise and business acumen that lead to success. You may also need one or more of the following licenses and registrations based on the specific position you pursue:

• State regulator registration (varies by state)
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration
• North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) license
• Certified Financial Planner designation

Budget Analyst

Organizations rely on budget analysts to plan and monitor their finances . To keep a business financially healthy, people in this occupation collaborate with other team members and departments to create the budget, plan for future expenses, review proposals, analyze plans, and manage spending. Budget analysts must be well-versed in the following areas:

• Budget development
• Budget monitoring
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Financial planning
• Regulatory compliance
• Spending analysis

The budget analyst occupation is a typical career in accounting, with these professionals working across a range of industries. Budget analysts earn a median annual salary of $84,940, with the top 10% of earners making $131,630 or more per year. 7 Professionals in this occupation work in a variety of environments, but the five highest paying employers of budget analysts include 7 :

• Professional, scientific, and technical services
• Federal government
• Local government
• State government
• Education services

A degree in accounting, economics, or statistics is typically required for a career in budget analysis, and many employers prefer candidates with a master’s degree. Earning a master’s in accounting can help you move to a career as a budget analyst or move up the ladder if you already work in this or a similar occupation.

Explore the Human Side of Accounting

At Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, earning an accounting master’s degree means more than becoming an expert in the latest economic trends. As a student in the online Master of Science in Accounting program, you’ll gain the soft skills and business acumen needed to become a trusted and ethical leader. This program is also ideal for career switchers, as it prepares graduates with the financial expertise they need to enter the top master’s in accounting jobs.

No matter where you are on your journey, you can take the next step toward your ideal accounting career today. Learn more about the online master’s in accounting from Saint Mary’s.

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Business and Financial Occupations.” April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm .
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Accountants and Auditors.” April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and-auditors.htm .
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Management Occupations.” April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/home.htm .
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Financial Managers.” April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/financial-managers.htm .
• Payscale. “Average Accounting Director Salary.” Retrieved May 23, 2024 from https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Accounting_Director/Salary .
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Personal Financial Advisors.” April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/personal-financial-advisors.htm .
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Budget Analysts.” April 17, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024 from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/budget-analysts.htm .

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When the PhD path leads to career struggles

A doctoral degree is a major commitment. Think carefully.

I appreciated reading Kara Miller’s The Big Idea column “PhD: Pretty heavily disappointed” (Business, May 22), about people with doctoral degrees struggling to build careers in academia. It made me think back to a conversation I had when I was about to graduate from high school.

I happened to run into a former track coach of mine, and as we were reminiscing he asked me what I planned as a major in college. “History,” I responded. He said, “Why don’t you take some computer classes also? It never hurts to be able to do something useful.”

I did not reflect on his motivation at the time, but my track coach was a young guy, and he was probably giving me advice straight from his own life, as a parent trying to raise his own young children. I did take computer classes in college and ultimately received a PhD in chemical engineering. I always remember that conversation as being a kind of turning point.

Earning a doctoral degree is a life commitment of great proportion. It can take, as Miller notes, between four and seven years. If we think of working life as roughly between the ages of 22 and 65, then a PhD requires more than 10 percent of a person’s working life. People need to think carefully about that investment.

Advertisement

Two powerful arguments in favor of the path of science, technology, engineering, and math are that there tend to be more STEM jobs for PhDs, and many universities’ STEM departments are generous in covering their PhD students’ tuition and cost of studies, including a stipend toward food, rent, and other expenses.

Stuart Gallant

Not much has changed in 30 years

As I prepared to graduate in 1995 with a doctor of education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, my mother memorably said to me, “Of my four children, you are the one with the most education and the smallest salary.” Apparently not much has changed in 30 years.

I must congratulate these students, however, on following their passion rather than following the money. I can’t help but think that their lives, though stressful, may contain greater happiness.

Peggy Clark

Lawyers & electricians & philosophers, oh my!

Kara Miller’s column on the career challenges for people with doctoral degrees generated more than 260 comments on Boston.Globe.com. The following is an edited sample of readers’ reactions:

Lots of law school grads are underemployed as well. (PL)

So true, PL. The market in Massachusetts is flooded with talented lawyers seeking work. (Roforma)

Supply and demand, the market at work. (guk)

Investing in education and research in all fields is the hallmark of a society with staying power. Disinvesting from these endeavors signals decline and decay. (Massachusetts citizen)

Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and other skilled technical professions have no problems getting $100k jobs with great benefits. (ramsen)

Not enough turnover from tenured professors, leaving little space for new faculty. Although the tenured, well-established professors are needed, it’s the junior faculty who are hungry and with new ideas that help build new programs. The whole graduate program model is a bad model. I worked two jobs, had my tuition and some type of minimal student health insurance and could barely cover the rent with my stipend, and the second job paid for everything else. Though I was working on many faculty projects, it was the faculty who said this would be good for me. Never did they say it was also good for them. (TravelerofNJ2)

I just retired from a tenured faculty position in science. I’m in my early 70s. I have colleagues who are still doing what they do well into their 70s, a couple approaching 80. There is no active incentive from the university to move the older faculty on, to make way for a new generation. (Lola-lola)

The next step is for adjuncts to go on strike across the nation and hold colleges and universities accountable. The current system is completely absurd. (Wordsmith2358)

Universities should be required to release disclosure data about the fate of their PhD graduates. (davidman820)

I knew an attorney who managed a Cheesecake Factory. She had worked in food services through school. As an attorney, she really did not make that much money and was not doing the field of law of her choice. How many real estate closings can you do without dying of boredom? She went into management in the food industry and makes the same salary. (Antietem)

It was always a question and puzzling to me why people study philosophy. (Blazer27)

Globe Opinion

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DePaul University Newsline > Sections > Campus and Community > Math and physics major strives to be of service to others

Math and physics major strives to be of service to others

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• Badzioch wins SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Badzioch wins SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Bernard Badzioch has won the 2024 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Badzioch was recognized for consistently demonstrating superior teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level. As an innovative educator, students remark that Dr. Badzioch has the “rare skill, particularly amongst mathematicians,” to understand even their most incomprehensible questions and answer in a way that makes them feel good for having asked it. Read UBNow.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Bernard Badzioch  is an innovative educator whose class materials alone are lauded and sought after by both students and faculty alike.

Since joining the Department of Mathematics in 2004, Badzioch has taught 17 courses, from freshman-level to advanced graduate courses, and earned consistently high evaluation scores. He has also been an adviser for six PhD students and one master’s student.

His course materials, which include lecture notes, websites, self-made YouTube videos and online homework exercises, are “prized among students for their lucidity.” Even Badzioch’s colleagues routinely use them due to their “clarity, completeness, rigor … and elegance.”

In addition to sharing classroom resources, Badzioch is credited with creating an environment where students feel comfortable voicing questions and discussing concepts. Students say he has the “rare skill, particularly amongst mathematicians,” to understand even their most incomprehensible questions and answer in a way that makes them feel good for having asked it. 

Badzioch served as the department’s director of undergraduate studies for five years and currently serves as its associate chair.

Faculty Profile

Bernard badzioch.

Research Interests

Homotopy Theory

Contact Information

108 Mathematics Building UB North Campus

Buffalo NY, 14260-2900

Phone: (716) 645-8798

[email protected]

Related Links

PhD, University of Notre Dame

Selected Publications

• K1 of twisted rings of polynomials. Download pdf . K-Theory 16:29-34, 1999.
• Recognition principle for generalized Eilenberg-Mac Lane Spaces . Progress in Mathematics 196:21–26, Birkhauser 2001.
• Algebraic theories in homotopy theory . Annals of Mathematics 155(3):895-913, 2002.
• From Γ-spaces to algebraic theories . Transactions of the AMS 357(5):1779-1799, 2005.
• (w. M. Feshbach)  A note on localizations of perfect groups . Proceedings of the AMS 133(5):693-697, 2005.
• (w. K. Chung and A. Voronov)  The canonical delooping machine. Download pdf . Journal of Pure and Applied Algebra 208(2):531-540, 2007.
• (w. W. Dorabiala)  Additivity for the parametrized topological Euler characteristic and Reidemeister torsion . K-Theory 38(1):1–22, 2007.
• (with W. Dorabiala and B. Williams)  Smooth parametrized torsion, a manifold approach.  Advances in Mathematics 221(2):660-680, 2009.
• (with W. Dorabiala)  A note on localizations of mapping spaces . Israel Journal of Mathematics 177, 2010.
• (with W. Dorabiala, J. Klein, and B. Williams)  Equivalence of higher torsion invariants . Advances in Mathematics 226(3):2192-2232, 2011.

How Science, Math, and Tech Can Propel Swimmers to New Heights

One hundred years ago, in the 1924 Paris Olympics, American Johnny Weissmuller won the men’s 100m freestyle with a time of 59 seconds. Nearly 100 years later in the most recent Olympics, the delayed 2020 Games in Tokyo, Caeleb Dressel took home the same event with a time that was 12 seconds faster than Weissmuller’s.  

Swimming times across the board have become much faster over the past century, a result of several factors, including innovations in training, recovery strategy, nutrition, and some equipment advances.  

One component in the improvement in swimming performances over the years is the role of biomechanics — that is, how swimmers optimize their stroke, whether it's the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, or freestyle.  

Swimmers for decades have experimented with different techniques to gain an edge over their competitors. But in more recent years, the application of mathematics and science principles as well as the use of wearable sensor technology in training regimens has allowed some athletes to elevate their performances to new heights, including members of the University of Virginia’s swim team.  

In a new research paper , a UVA professor who introduced these concepts and methods to the team and some of the swimmers who have embraced this novel approach to training lay out how the use of data is helping to transform how competitive swimmers become elite.

‘Swimming in Data’

Ken Ono thought his time working with swim teams was over. Ono — a UVA mathematics professor, professor of data science by courtesy, and STEM advisor to the University provost — had spent years working with competitive swimmers, first during his time at Emory University in Atlanta and then with other college teams, including Olympians, over the years.

However, he didn’t plan to continue that aspect of his work when he arrived at UVA in 2019. But after a meeting with Todd DeSorbo, who took over the UVA swim program in 2017, Ono soon found himself once again working closely with athletes, beginning his work as a consultant for the team during the 2020-21 season . The UVA women’s swim team would win their first of four consecutive national championships that year.  

“One of the things that I like quite a bit about this work is that swimming is crazy hard,” Ono said. “We were never meant to be swimmers, and it is both an athletic challenge as well as a scientific challenge — it has it all.”

Last fall, following a suggestion from DeSorbo, Ono offered a class that outlined the science-focused approach to improving swimming performances that had proven so successful at UVA, but he wanted to make sure there were no misconceptions about the seriousness of the material.

“We don’t want people thinking that it’s a cupcake course that’s offered for the swimmers,” Ono said.

So, Ono teamed up with UVA students Kate Douglass, August Lamb, and Will Tenpas, as well as MIT graduate student Jerry Lu who had worked with Ono and the UVA swim team while an undergraduate at the University, to produce a paper that covered the key elements of the class and Ono’s work with swimmers.  

Tenpas and Lamb both recently completed the residential master’s program at the School of Data Science as well as their careers as competitive collegiate swimmers. Douglass, who finished her UVA swim career in 2023 as one of the most decorated swimmers in NCAA history, is a graduate student in statistics at the University and is set to compete in the Paris Olympics after winning a bronze medal in the 2020 games.

The group drafted the paper, which they titled “Swimming in Data,” over the course of two months, and it was quickly accepted by The Mathematical Intelligencer. There, Ono said, it has become one of the most-read papers on a STEM subject since tracking began. In July, a version of the paper will also be published in Scientific American.  

“It seems to have taken off,” Ono said.

The impact of digital twins

After outlining the evolution of swimming over the past 100 years, the paper explains how an understanding of math and physics, combined with the use of technology to acquire individual-level data, can help maximize performances.  

Essential to understanding the scientific principles involved with the swimming stroke, the paper says, are Newton’s laws of motion. The laws — which cover inertia, the idea that acceleration depends on an object’s mass and the amount of force applied, and the principle that an action exerted by an object on another elicits an equal and opposite reaction — help simplify how one should think about the many biomechanical factors involved with swimming, according to Tenpas.

“There are all sorts of flexibility limitations. You have water moving at you, you have wakes, you have currents — it’s easy to kind of get paralyzed by the number of factors,” said Tenpas, who after four years at Duke, where he studied mechanical engineering, enrolled in UVA’s data science program and joined the swim team with a fifth year of eligibility.

“I think having Newton’s laws is nice as it gives you this baseline we can all agree on,” he added.  

It’s a way to understand pool mechanics given the counterintuitive motion swimmers must use to propel themselves forward, according to Ono.  

“The reason that we go to great extent to recall Newton’s laws of motion is so that we can break down the factors that matter when you test a swimmer,” he said.  

To conduct these tests, Ono and his team use sensors that can be placed on swimmers’ wrists, ankles, or backs to gather acceleration data, measured as inertial measurement units. That information is then used to generate what are called digital twins, which precisely replicate a swimmer’s movements.  

These twins reveal strengths and weaknesses, allowing Ono and the coaching staff to make recommendations on technique and strategy — such as how to reduce drag force, a swimmer’s true opponent — that will result in immediate improvement. In fact, through the analysis of data and the use of Newton’s laws, it is possible to make an accurate prediction about how much time a swimmer can save by making a given adjustment.

Lamb, who swam for UVA for five years while a computer science undergrad then as a data science master’s student, likened digital twins to a feature in the popular Nintendo game Mario Kart where you can race against a ghost version of yourself.  

“Being able to have this resource where you can test at one month and then spend a month or two making that adjustment and then test again and see what the difference is — it’s an incredibly valuable resource,” he said.  

To understand the potential of digital twins, one need only look at the example of Douglass, one of the co-authors, which is cited in the paper.

A flaw was identified in her head position in the 200m breaststroke. Using her digital twin, Ono and the coaching staff were able to quantify how much time she could save per streamline glide by making a modification, given her obvious talent and aerobic capacity. She did, and the results were remarkable. In November 2020, when her technique was tested, the 200m breaststroke wasn’t even on her event list. Three years later, she held the American record.

‘Everyone’s doing it now’

Swimming will be front and center in the national consciousness this summer. First, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will be held in Indianapolis in June, leading up to the Paris Olympics in July and August, where DeSorbo, UVA’s coach who embraced Ono’s data-driven strategic advice, will lead the women’s team.  

Many aspiring swimmers will undoubtedly be watching over the coming weeks, wondering how they might realize their full athletic potential at whatever level that might be.  

For those who have access to technology and data about their technique, Tenpas encouraged young swimmers to take advantage.  

He noted the significant amount of time a swimmer must put in to reach the highest levels of the sport, estimating that he had been swimming six times per week since he was 12 years old.  

“If you’re going to put all of this work in, at least do it smart,” Tenpas said.  

At the same time, Lamb urged young swimmers who may not yet have access to this technology to not lose faith in their potential to improve.  

“While this is an incredibly useful tool to make improvements to your technique and to your stroke, it’s not the end all, be all,” he said.

“There are so many different ways to make improvements, and we’re hopeful that this will become more accessible as time goes on,” Lamb said of the data methods used at UVA.

As for where this is all going, with the rapidly expanding use and availability of data and wearable technology, Ono thinks his scientific approach to crafting swimming strategies will soon be the norm.  

“I think five years from now, our story won’t be a story. It’ll be, ‘Oh, everyone’s doing it now,’” he said. 

MSDS Student Profiles: August Lamb and Will Tenpas on Balancing Swimming and Graduate School

Ken Ono Talks About Using Data to Improve Swimmer Performance on CBS19 for “Inside The Numbers”

Data Science Master’s Students Tackle Diverse, Real-World Challenges in Capstone Projects

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