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I can't speak to the structure of an econ PhD, but in most (not all) empirical accounting PhD programs (will be a little different if the program focuses on behavioral methods) you'll take ~4 econ classes (2 stats/econometrics courses and 2 microeconomics courses) and ~4 accounting research seminars. Beyond that, it's common to take finance seminars depending on how research interests overlap. While not common, it wouldn't be odd at most places for you to take additional econ classes if they interest you. One thing to keep in mind though, regardless of accounting or econ, your classes will be research based and not institutional or practice based. For that kind of knowledge you can sit in on masters level courses or even law courses if they are available. Outcomes, for both placements and research, will be dramatically different. For accounting, if you go to a top-75 program and do decent you're almost guaranteed (>95%) to land a tenure-track job somewhere. The 'quality' ('prestige, teaching loads, research support, etc.) of the placement can vary noticeably so it's important to look at very recent (last ~3 years) placement records. For econ, it's a whole different world with a lot of people who want a tenure-track job not getting one (and having to teach more for lower compensation). However, it's possible that you could still research tax outside of academia with an econ PhD (think tanks, etc.) where doing so with an accounting PhD is unheard of (because of the historically good academic job market). Also, if you land an accounting academic job you'll be teaching accounting (probably tax) instead of econ. Take that into consideration as that will be a large part of your job! Research wise, I can't speak a ton to the econ world except to say that, as you mentioned, the type of tax research being done is different. Accounting tax research has been more business-based largely due to data availability and the taste of the field, but I think that's starting to change a little. Econ tax research tends to be more macro (and sometimes theoretical) in scale. Those are broad generalizations for sure, and will probably change over time. Personally, I would recommend an accounting PhD unless, as StrategicMGMT said, the quality of the programs you get into are drastically different. That being said, (a) I'm biased since I got an accounting PhD and (b) it's really important that you pursue a path that you'll enjoy as it will be a long road.

I don't think that a masters would actually help you that much. Most schools will be alright with you not having a masters, especially since you have industry experience. You're profile is pretty good and if you want to focus on both teaching and research (or more on teaching) then you probably want to shoot for that mid-tier of state schools (Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia State, etc.). A lot of those mid-tier programs will have you teaching a bit more (not necessarily a bad thing if you like it) and will also pay you more than some of the upper level programs (might help with being the primary breadwinner). Best of luck!

Whether or not the application gets read might depend on the application system that the school has set up. Some won't send the application packet to the department until everything is completed, which might be a problem for you. Others have everything sent directly to the department as they come it, so you are probably alright to submit a little late.

I would include the engineering research experience on the CV, but keep it brief. As for the military training, it probably depends on the situation and how intensive it was. If it was just some weekend training, I would skip it. But if you were in something like the National Guard, then I would definitely include it.

I would agree with Simma. There are some nice things about your profile, but you still have some large holes and the lack of a math background is likely to work against you, both in the admissions process at top schools and in your econ classes. That being said, you can easily catch up by taking some online classes and slightly lower tier schools will be willing to work with you on the math prerequisites as well. Thus, I'd encourage you to apply to some more mid-tier schools (e.g., Texas A&M, UT-Austin, Arizona, Illinois, etc.) just in case.

Hi Han, In regards to quant, it's definitely not good enough to get into top schools, but likely good enough to get into some of the schools you listed. The 48Q on the GMAT will definitely help, and if you're able to articulate what you intend to do to improve your quant skills in your cover letter/SOP you should be alright (but not great). A lot of accounting PhDs at lower- and mid-tier programs haven't taken any real quant classes (or they were 5-10 years ago). 2. Depends on what the letter from the accounting prof says. If he talks about your analytical thinking/research interests I'd probably go with your boss who would probably talk about your work ethic and whatnot. If the accounting prof talks about your general intelligence and knowledge, then I'd go with the Korean prof. As awkward as it may seem, it's worth asking your letter writers what they might be talking about. 3. It seems like you're a good fit for a middle or lower-middle research school. Don't sell yourself too short, but also don't get set your expectations high (but do apply for reach schools). 4. If you want to end up doing research make sure that the school's grads are in research-type schools (i.e. I don't know about now, but back in "my" day (~5 years ago) Drexel and Baruch were placing almost exclusively in teaching schools). BC is a good school, but it's a new program so you probably stand a better than normal chance there as they work to establish their PhD program. Might be worth looking into Connecticut, Rochester, Florida, Pittsburgh, Missouri, and/or Texas A&M. Hope that helps.

I'm a second year student at a upper mid-tier state school taking two seminars and an econ class. I made a commitment to myself early on that I would not let school/work/research be my entire life and so far have upheld that. So far.... 7:15AM Get up, grab coffee, skip breakfast. 8:00AM Arrive at my office. With the exception of teaching faculty, I'm generally one of the first on the floor to arrive. 8:00AM - 8:15AM Lost time, never sure what happens during these 15 minutes. 8:15AM - 11:00AM Read papers (close to 275 pages/week this semester), write summary reports, make notes on what to study for comps. 11:00AM - 12:30PM Class. Either econ or a research seminar. 12:30PM - 1:00PM Eat lunch, email, etc. 1:00PM - 4:30PM Code, write, meet with profs, toss around research ideas, etc. 4:30PM - 6:30PM Go home, errands, call the family, prep dinner, goof off. This is my mental downtime, never in my life have I gotten anything "productive" done during these two hours. 6:30PM - 8:00PM Finish up reading and writing summaries. 8:00PM - 10:30PM Skype/call the significant other (4 more months of this long distance crap...) 10:30PM - Midnight Cram time if I forgot anything that's due tomorrow, otherwise watch netflix or read something nonacademic. Rinse and repeat. On a side note, I normally put in close to 6 hours on the weekends. I keep a really tight schedule of my time and do everything possible to keep work under 55 hours a week. Any additional time and I figure I'm not being as productive with my time as I could be.

Full disclosure up front: What I am about to say is an exception to the norm. That being said, I shall continue. I apologize for the late reply, but hopefully what I have to say might help. I'm an accounting PhD first year at a good (excellent in my research area) university and I have virtually no quant background. I came straight out of my undergrad and only took business stats in college; I did go through Calc III in high school which was relatively recent though. I had a 49 quant on the GMAT to help back up my claim that I would and could learn the necessary math when needed and was accepted to a few different schools. I just finished math camp with the econ department (which again is good, not necessarily great) and placed in the 70% percentile in my class. The point of this being: if you believe you can pick up mathematical topics quickly don't let your lack of math background stop you from applying. Mention in your SoP that you are willing and able to do the necessary work to grasp the fundamental math topics when needed and see what happens. I'm glad to see you decided to take a few undergrad math courses, and I would argue that those may be enough to get you into a good school. Apply to schools this year!

I know it's reviving a long lost thread and all but I just now noticed it.... I too was in your position a year ago (looking to graduate with my undergrad from a very small no name university, etc.) and I successfully applied and got accepted. In a nutshell I just graduated with a double major in accounting and business admin with a 4.0 GPA, a 730 GMAT, and a solo undergrad accounting research project that will (hopefully) form the basis of my first journal article. I had 3 stellar LoRs (although mostly from academic unknowns). I applied to ~15 programs across all ranks because I didn't know where I would get any traction. I ended up interviewing with and getting accepted to Drexel, Baruch, and CU-Boulder. So there is hope! Take a look at my thread here for more info: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-business/144277-accounting-profile-evaluation-young-direction.html And feel free to PM me if you want any additional advice or information.

For the sake of future forum trolls (much like I was) I thought I would post an update. I interviewed with and was accepted at Baruch, CU-Boulder, and Drexel (I applied to all of the ones listed in my first post plus Baruch, Drexel, and Syracuse). I was able to combat my age and other profile deficits by showing that I knew what I was getting into and had good reasons for pursuing a PhD at this time.

Department: Baruch Date of Notification: February 11 Type of Notification: Interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Brief Skype interview on the 13th Department: Baruch Date of Notification: February 14 Type of Notification: Fly out Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: In person interview in March Department: Baruch Date of Notification: March 7 Type of Notification: Acceptance Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Flew out 3 people, had 3 slots Department: Drexel Date of Notification: February 26 Type of Notification: Interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Phone interview on the 27th Department: Drexel Date of Notification: March 5 Type of Notification: Acceptance Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Interview 10, had 3 slots. Department: Carnegie Mellon Date of Notification: March 8 Type of Notification: Rejected without interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Standard rejection email

Department: Baruch Date of Notification: February 11 Type of Notification: Interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Brief Skype interview on the 13th Department: Baruch Date of Notification: February 14 Type of Notification: Fly out Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: In person interview in March Department: Baruch Date of Notification: March 7 Type of Notification: Acceptance Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Flew out 3 people, had 3 slots Department: Drexel Date of Notification: February 26 Type of Notification: Interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Phone interview on the 27th Department: Drexel Date of Notification: March 5 Type of Notification: Acceptance Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Interview 10, had 3 slots.

Department: Rochester Date of Notification: February 28 Type of Notification: Rejected Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Email to check website

I've been in contact with Boulder recently and they will be making final decisions in the next week and a half. Don't know about the other two though.

Something that was recently recommended to me by a 2nd year accounting PhD student (and I intend to do this summer) is check out MIT courses for recaps on math. MIT has multiple semester long courses on their website that would be very helpful. (Linear Algebra: Video Lectures | Linear Algebra | Mathematics | MIT OpenCourseWare)

Department: Harvard Date of Notification: February 20 Type of Notification: Rejected without interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Email saying to check online system. Came as no surprise.

Anyone familiar with Leeds (especially in accounting) and wants to share their opinion? Seems like a great program with good opportunities for graduates but journal publishings (and I guess rankings) seem to be lagging behind....

Wow, I'm jealous. I'm still waiting on something from 7 schools in accounting...

I have kind of the opposite situation than what most are talking about because of a unique situation. I specifically did not apply to a particular school because I wanted to have the option of potentially working there. 90% of my immediate and extended family live in the small college town where it is located and the school never hires their own grads. With aging parents and other potential family issues 15-20 years down the road I didn't want to close that door prematurely. I knew the dean of the school personally (close family friends) and talked with him about where I was looking at going and got confirmation that a degree from any of them (with reasonable research productivity) would be highly competitive for teaching there. A reverse situation from what most talk about, but it still played into consideration. That being said, if I don't get accepted anywhere and know in the back of my mind that I could have been accepted to this one particular school...

Department: Baruch College - City University New York Date of Notification: February 6 Type of Notification: Skype Interview Posted on GradCafe?: Yes Comments: Email for Skype interview next week.

Was sitting in class this morning when a Seattle area code called me. First thought: I guess University of Washington liked me more than I thought! Got out of class to find that no message was left so I searched for the number online and found out that it was the wrong part of Seattle.... Wrong number.... I'm going nuts here!

Accounting. It might help if I better realized that not everything is about us accountants! :)

Got an email from UT-Austin today, reject (no surprise there). If you didn't get one today that should be at least a little encouraging!

Bouncing off what fatguy brought up, would it be appropriate in the interview to ask about recent placements (as in past 2 years) for schools that don't have that info on their websites? I have a good feel as to the range of placements, but am curious as to the specific schools.

I'm imagining a MLB style draft with 100+ PhD coordinators sitting around their speaker phones saying "Wharton takes Joseph Brown, graduate from Kellogg School of Management, 29 years old, 3.91 GPA." The stress that day would have on applicants.... Sounds a lot better than this mess to me!