<p>creamthamoney your insane, </p>
<p>Dont let me tell you that you cant do something, but its important to be realisitc. </p>
<p>there are no phd programs at podunk state type univeristies. only major research institutions.</p>
<p>sometimes you just have to take what life gives you and make the most of it.</p>
<p>^lol what is your beef? Where in any of my posts was I being unrealistic?</p>
<p>For the time you will spend on the PhD, instead, you can earn a CPA, CMA and MBA - IT IS MUCH BETTER</p>
<p>Interesting stuff here. I’m glad someone bumped it, as my fiance is considering getting a PhD. He’s been working in public for 5 years, and has both his CPA and CFE. I think he’s worried most about the math/quantitative aspects and whether his skills in those areas are strong enough to pursue a PhD.</p>
<p>sigkapaccountant,</p>
<p>I read somewhere that at the PhD level, in terms of research, there are two routes. One is more prevalent and has to do with going through archival data and trying to come up discoveries(so it’s more of a math, econ, and finance type thing) and others are more behavioral and psychological based. If your fiance is more interested in the latter, better make sure the university he goes to has people working in that area.</p>
<p>He’s much more interested in the archival research side. I should also mention that he has a degree in economics in addition to accounting, so he’s been through the econometrics stuff before. It’s just been a while since he’s been doing high level calculus and all, which is part of why he’s worried. </p>
<p>The other worrying comes from admissions blurbs, which often mention a strong math/quant background. No idea whether the econ degree will be good enough, especially given the schools he’s looking at so far. Luckily, I think his degrees + certifications + past research experience + work experience help. It’s the GMAT score–he was quite a bit below 700 when he took it 6 or 7 years ago, and the quant stuff he’s worrying about.</p>
<p>It’s not fun to be stressed about admissions again, years after graduate school.</p>
<p>If a person is CPA certified, he/she doesn’t need to take the GMAT test in order to pursue a masters degree. However, I do not know anything about the PhD in that case. I do not think that the PhD in accounting is more valuable than an MBA and other certifications, unless if you want to be a researcher, or a scientist in that field.</p>
<p>I know this is an old forum but I wanted to add my two cents. I am currently teaching courses at the University level with just an MSAT/CPA. It is almost impossible to find a long term, full-time teaching position without a PhD, unless you want to work at the community college level and the pay is not very good. If you want to make a career of teaching and researching then a PhD is a must. However, it is important to note that you must also be a researcher if you want to go this route. Colleges and Universities are looking for faculty to publish on a regular basis, even if you are teaching at a state college. This is contributing to the shortage of accounting faculty because many people want to go into the field to teach but not necessarily to research.</p>
<p>Hey yo,
To be realistic, if you can’t even get a 720+ GMAT score, it’s hard to believe that the intense academic competition and super high requirements at Stanford or MIT would suit you. You would be living a life in hell. And honestly, finding the program and professors that suit you best is far more importantly than being obsessed with school reputation. Smart people would never be afraid that they are not smart enough to get into top schools. On the contrary, they are more concerned with finding the best place where they can enjoy doing research and improve themselves. Hope this helps!
Good luck! Take it easy!</p>
<p>@creamgethamoney </p>
<p>Hey yo,
To be realistic, if you can’t even get a 720+ GMAT score, it’s hard to believe that the intense academic competition and super high requirements at Stanford or MIT would suit you. You would be living a life in hell. And honestly, finding the program and professors that suit you best is far more importantly than being obsessed with school reputation. Smart people would never be afraid that they are not smart enough to get into top schools. On the contrary, they are more concerned with finding the best place where they can enjoy doing research and improve themselves. Hope this helps!
Good luck! Take it easy!</p>