jebediahjones

Don't forget the "Other" categories of topic and method...and the "Other Other" category.

If you're aiming for top tier universities, the lack of statistics and research background will hurt more than a lack of masters degree. A little more work experience is nice to have as well. Having said that, Accounting programs typically expect applicants to have limited experience in these areas as it is seen as an applied discipline. When I was researching universities, it seemed that the requirement for a masters degree was split; half required it, while others did not. Also, for universities where it is required, they may have the option to complete a masters during coursework. Most important, though, is aligning your research interests with the university where you apply. I can expand on this, but I believe you can find the necessary information in other posts.

Check out the BYU rankings to see where faculty with similar research interests are located. Particularly, you'll want to line up your methodology to the focus of the university (archival or behavioral, typically). If that doesn't help, look at the work of individual researchers (can also be found on the BYU site). You mention your goal is to land at a mid-level research university; do you mean for a PhD program or as a faculty member? I'll assume you mean faculty as your application list is high level research universities. In that case, most mid-level universities (depending on how you define "mid-level") will have at least a 2/2 teaching load. You may be able to negotiate a 3/0. Just something to keep in mind.

It seems to be more common for universities to move to a bi-annual admittance (likely to reduce costs), typically on odd-years, but occasionally I hear about even-year entries. I'm hearing more as of late about Ph.D. programs scaling back due to how expensive they are to run.

For Accounting, the BYU rankings have been a tremendous help alleviating the focus on Top 3 publication records. Having said that, they are still quite limiting as they focus mainly on US journals under mainstream topics and methodologies. I will contest part of point 3., however. A T50 school that is research active to a point where they have a doctoral program is going to have more than 1-2 active research faculty and depending on the quality of the program, will place in balanced universities (although high quality graduates can land in high research universities).

This list should be helpful: James Hasselback- Accounting Doctoral Programs It's a bit outdated and not comprehensive (e.g. it doesn't include Boston College who just started their program in 2017 and I believe several have ended or suspended their programs, off-hand I know Memphis, Southern Illinois, and Mississippi State have suspended their accounting doctoral programs) I do not want to be discouraging, but I feel your profile may be a little weak for the top ranked schools (Texas - Austin, Arizona, etc.). GMAT scores of 700 and above are generally seen as necessary to enter these programs. Also, your undergrad GPA is a bit low and you don't give much detail as to your work experience. You've provided limited background information, but maybe someone else with more experience can chime in with some helpful insights. If you consider mid-level universities, it would greatly increase your chances of acceptance. Most of their websites will post minimum scores (typically 600-650) and yours becomes much more competitive at this level. I do not believe the universities you have listed at this level currently have an accounting doctoral program. However, I encourage you to use the Hasselbeck list with the BYU rankings to determine a university that will be a good fit. You particularly want to line up with a similar research method for the current faculty, even better if you line up in topic. Finally, don't rule out the "Other" category on the BYU rankings if you don't feel like you fit in the archival, behavioral, or analytical categories. If you need some help with this, I believe the same BYU site has a wiki on an accounting Ph.D. To help us help you, perhaps you could provide more information regarding your research background and work experience. Also helpful would be your research interests, particularly method and topic.