Summary by James R. Martin, Ph.D., CMA
Professor Emeritus, University of South Florida
Advice for Ph.D. Students and New Faculty |
Educations Issues Main Page
This report includes an analysis of three types of schools:
1. Ph.D. Schools are those with Ph.D. programs, Master's programs, and undergraduate programs in accounting.
2. Master's schools are those with only Master's and undergraduate accounting programs.
3. Undergraduate schools are those with only undergraduate accounting programs.
Table 1 shows the estimated demand for various types of faculty (new Ph.D., Assistant, Associate, Full Professor, etc.) for the three types of schools for 2005-2007. Tables 2 and 3 show the estimated demand by teaching area for the three types of schools and planned hires for 2005-2007. Table 4 provides estimates of the number of new Ph.D.s that will be graduating during this period. Table 5 combines these estimates to indicate the expected shortages in the various teaching areas as indicated below.
| Estimates of the Excess or Shortage of New Ph.D.s in Accounting 2005-2008* | ||||
| Teaching Area | Demand | Supply | Excess or Shortage |
Percent of Demand Met |
| Audit | 114 | 26 | -88 | 22.8 |
| Managerial | 118 | 93 | -25 | 78.8 |
| Financial | 309 | 283 | -26 | 91.6 |
| Tax | 114 | 31 | -83 | 27.2 |
| Systems | 66 | 37 | -29 | 56.1 |
| Multiple | 184 | 0 | -184 | 0.0 |
| Other | 37 | 1 | -36 | 2.7 |
| Total | 942 | 471 | -471 | 50.0 |
| * Adapted from Table 5, p. 12. | ||||
The most critical shortages are in the audit and tax specialties as indicated in the table above. A wide disparity in the salaries paid across the three types of schools has caused the main shortages to be at the Master's and undergraduate schools.
For more specifics on accounting faculty shortages see Leslie, D. W. 2008. Accounting Faculty in U.S. Colleges and Universities: Status and Trends, 1993-2004. A Report of the American Accounting Association. American Accounting Association. This report shows data for 1993-2004 and indicates how the Master's and undergraduate schools (referred to as 4-Year Non-Doctoral) are dealing with the faculty shortage. (Note).
The Ph.D. student survey included in the report indicated that 48.3 percent of Ph.D. students found their programs to be either somewhat stressful or too stressful.
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Related articles and summaries:
AACSB International. 2003. Sustaining Scholarship in Business Schools. AACSB.
AACSB International. 2012-2013, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018 Salary Survey Reports: Executive Summary. AACSB. (Note).
Albrecht, W. S. and R. J. Sack. 2000. Accounting Education: Charting the Course through a Perilous Future. Accounting education Series (16): American Accounting Association.
Behn, B. K., G. A. Carnes, G. W. Krull Jr., K. D. Stocks and P. M. J. Reckers. 2008. Accounting Doctoral Education - 2007 A Report of the Joint AAA/APLG/FSA Doctoral Education Committee. Issues in Accounting Education (August): 357-367.
Bergner, J. 2009. Pursuing a Ph.D. in accounting: Walking in with your eyes open: Here's how the doctoral track looks through the eyes of one student. Journal of Accountancy web-exclusive article. (Mentioned in the March issue as an AICPA resource on page 40). (JOA Link).
Beyer, B., D. Herrmann, G. K. Meek and E. T. Rapley. 2010. What it means to be an accounting professor: A concise career guide for doctoral students in accounting. Issues in Accounting Education (May): 227-244. (Summary).
Bishop, C. C., D. M. Boyle, R. R. Clune and D. R. Hermanson. 2012. A different model for doctoral education in accounting and auditing: Student and faculty reflections. Current Issues in Auditing 6(1): A1-A16. (Note).
Bonner, P. 2010. New pathways to accounting excellence. Journal of Accountancy (October): 56-60. (Interview with Pathways Commission Chair Bruce Behn related to charting a national higher education strategy for the next generation of accountants).
Bonner, P. 2012. Bolstering the future of accounting education. Journal of Accountancy (October): 38-39.
Boyle, D., D. Hermanson and M. Mensah. 2011. Addressing the accounting and auditing faculty shortage: Practitioners' perceptions of academia. Current Issues in Auditing 5(1): A70-A85.
Boyle, D. M., B. W. Carpenter, D. R. Hermanson and M. O. Mensah. 2013. The accounting doctorate shortage: Opportunities for practitioners. Strategic Finance (May): 30-36. (Note).
Campbell, T. L., J. R. Hasselback, R. H. Hermanson and D. H. Turner. 1990. Retirement demand and the market for accounting doctorates. Issues in Accounting Education (Fall): 209-221.
Gary, R. F., C. A. Denison and M. L. Bouillon. 2011. Can obtaining an accounting Ph.D. provide a positive financial return? Issues in Accounting Education (February): 23-38. (Summary).
Grasso, L. 2008. The accounting Ph.D. shortage: Crisis or opportunity? Cost Management (March/April): 15-25. (Note).
Hunt, S. C., T. V. Eaton and A. Reinstein. 2009. Accounting faculty job search in a seller's market. Issues in Accounting Education (May): 157-185.
Leslie, D. W. 2008. Accounting Faculty in U.S. Colleges and Universities: Status and Trends, 1993-2004. A Report of the American Accounting Association. American Accounting Association. (Note).
Martin, J. R. Not dated. AACSB International Salary Survey Reports: Executive Summary. AACSB. Management And Accounting Web. (AACSB Salary Reports).
Martin, J. R. Not dated. The accounting doctoral shortage and opportunities to teach accounting. Management And Accounting Web. (Accounting Doctoral Shortage).
McNair, C. J. and B. Richards. 2008. Unintended consequences: Death of the teacher-scholar. Cost Management (January/February): 21-28. (Summary).
Meyer, M. J. and P. L. Titard. 2000. Those who can ... teach. Want to exchange your Palm Pilot for a blackboard, get a PhD and go back to college as a teacher? The time to do it is now. Journal of Accountancy. (July): 49-58. (Note).
Meyers, R. 2006. Teaching for the love of it. Journal of Accountancy (June): 30-38.
Plumlee, R. D., S. J. Kachelmeier, S. A. Madeo, J. H. Pratt and G. Krull. 2006. Assessing the shortage of accounting faculty. Issues in Accounting Education (May): 113-125.
Reigle, D. 2008. Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits. AICPA.
Ruff, M., J. C. Thibodeau and J. C. Bedard. 2009. A profession's response to a looming shortage: Closing the gap in the supply of accounting faculty. Journal of Accountancy (March): 36-41. (JOA Link).
The Pathways Commission. 2012. The Pathways Commission on Higher Education: Charting a National Strategy for the Next Generation of Accountants. American Accounting Association and American Institute of CPAs. (Note).
Trapnell, J. E., N. Mero, J. R. Williams and G. W. Krull, Jr. 2009. The accounting doctoral shortage: Time for a new model. Issues in Accounting Education (November): 427-432. (Note).