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Accounting and Information Systems

About the Program

The Wisconsin PhD Program in accounting and information systems prepares individuals for careers in research, teaching, and service at the university level.

The program stresses high-quality research at the frontiers of knowledge. A majority of the student’s time in the program is dedicated to developing, refining, and applying their research skills.

The accounting and information systems specialization has a strong track record of producing high-quality researchers and teachers. Our approach values collegiality; students work closely with faculty in an apprenticeship-type approach.

Core Areas of Research

Student research is supported by faculty in four core areas and include archival and experimental research:

Auditing

Financial accounting

Managerial accounting

Tax

Academic Requirements

The admissions process is highly competitive. Ideal candidates possess a strong academic background including prior study of accounting at the undergraduate or graduate level. Work experience is also valued.

All students must meet the general PhD requirements of both the UW–Madison Graduate School and the Wisconsin School of Business. Prospective students should have:

  • A strong mathematical background. Students with an undergraduate or graduate degree in accounting or the equivalent are given preference. While many students have completed master’s degrees or an MBA program, these are not required.
  • In limited cases, a degree in the related fields of psychology, economics, or sociology, coupled with demonstrated interest in accounting, is sufficient.

Ideally, students complete the following courses prior to entering the program. (In some cases, these courses can be completed early in the program.)

  • Two semesters of undergraduate calculus
  • An upper division course in linear algebra
  • An upper division course in microeconomic theory, taught using a mathematical approach

Program Coursework

Students are required to complete three seminars in accounting research:

Introduction to Accounting Research

Behavioral Accounting Research

Archival Accounting Research

Faculty Research Interests

Willie Choi

Jongwoon “Willie” Choi

Research interests:

  • Experimental Economics
  • Managerial accounting and control
  • Reward systems
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Ivy Feng

Ruyun “Ivy” Feng

Research interests:

  • Financial reporting
  • Informativeness of accounting information
  • Information environment and firm behavior
  • Information technology and alternative data
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Ewelina Forker

Ewelina Forker

Research interests:

  • Managerial accounting & control
  • Joint human-machine decision making
  • Forecasting and planning
  • Organizational learning
  • Reward systems in healthcare
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Fabio Gaertner

Fabio Gaertner

Research interests:

  • Executive compensation
  • Corporate tax reporting
  • Taxation and capital structure
  • Corporate tax policy
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Emily Griffith

Emily Griffith

Research interests:

  • Auditor judgment and decision-making
  • Use of specialists in auditing
  • Auditing complex estimates
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MJ Kim

Minjeong (MJ) Kim

Research interests:

  • Managerial accounting and control
  • Executive Compensation
  • Corporate governance
  • Sustainability
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Stacie Laplante

Stacie Laplante

Research interests:

  • Intersection of financial and tax reporting
  • Influence of tax and financial reporting on capital markets
  • Importance of tax and accounting information on business decisions
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Thomas Linsmeier

Thomas Linsmeier

Research interests:

  • Role of accounting information in securities markets
  • Valuation-relevance of earnings component information
  • Economic effects of changes in accounting regulation
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Dan Lynch

Dan Lynch

Research interests:

  • Tax policy changes
  • Financial reporting of income taxes
  • Corporate tax avoidance
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Brian Mayhew

Brian Mayhew

Research interests:

  • Auditing
  • Audit quality
  • The role of reputation in markets
  • Experimental economics
  • Impact of agency costs on firm valuations and performance
  • Related party transactions
  • Audit markets
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Andrea Tillet

Andrea Tillet

Research interests:

  • Effects of accounting standards and regulatory changes on financial reporting and disclosure
  • Informativeness of disclosures to users of financial statements
  • Revenue recognition
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Daniel Wangerin

Dan Wangerin

Research interests:

  • Accounting Standards
  • Financial accounting standards board pronouncement
  • Financial reporting
  • Taxation and capital structure
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Terry Warfield

Terry Warfield

Research interests:

  • Financial reporting, including behavior of financial markets relative to accounting disclosures, accounting choice, disclosure, and regulatory policy
  • Financial institution financial reporting
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John Wild

John Wild

Research interests:

  • Financial accounting and reporting
  • Earnings quality
  • Informativeness of accounting measures
  • Financial markets
  • Audit reports
  • Corporate governance
  • Managerial ownership
  • International financial markets
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Karla Zhems

Karla Zehms

Research interests:

  • Decision-making in financial accounting, auditing, and managerial accounting
  • Corporate governance
  • CFO compensation
  • Auditor client acceptance
  • Fraud
  • Client-auditor negotiation
  • Audit budget-setting process
  • Accounting curriculum effectiveness
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Connect With Current Students

We encourage you to contact our doctoral students in accounting and information systems to hear their perspectives on the Wisconsin PhD Program.

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See Our Placement Results

Graduates of our PhD specialization in accounting and information systems have accepted tenure-track positions at top research universities.

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Contact Us

Dan Lynch

Dan Lynch

Associate Professor
Accounting and Information Systems