Accounting Doctoral Education—2007 A Report of the Joint AAA/APLG/FSA Doctoral Education Committee

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Over the past few years the profession has witnessed a visible decline in the number of students graduating from U.S. accounting doctoral programs. A review of the accounting Ph.D. program listing in the Hasselback Directory reveals that output over the last eight years (941 graduates) significantly trails output in the eight prior years (1488) and the eight years preceding that (1664). The ramifications of this trend are numerous. One ramification is that current output levels are inadequate to provide replacements for retiring faculty over the next decade. It is estimated that about 1,500 doctoralqualified accounting faculty will retire in the next eight years; thus, at recent levels of output the shortage currently experienced will be greatly exacerbated (i.e., an additional shortfall of 500! doctoral-qualified faculty can be predicted). Another ramification of this trend is that there will be fewer research-active faculty to work with new doctoral students. Current enrollments in U.S. Ph.D. programs suggest future output may be in a further decline, and the shortage of faculty may be even greater. Various efforts (including those of the AICPA Foundation, AACSB, and the Big 4) are underway to address the current and future shortage of doctoral-qualified accounting faculty. One of these efforts was initiated by a joint American Accounting Association, Accounting Programs Leadership Group, and Federation of Schools of Accountancy (AAA/FSA/ APLG) committee (hereafter, the Committee). This Committee’s objective was to gather and disseminate information of interest to those considering entry to the accounting academic profession and those providing advice to potential students. Doctoral students from across the U.S. were queried with respect to what information they would have found informative in their career deliberations and school selection. From this information a survey was developed and sent to each of the Ph.D. program schools listed in Hassleback’s Accounting Faculty Directory 2006–2007. The survey was distributed during the summer