MRes/PhD Accounting (Accounting, Organisations and Institutions)

The Department of Accounting at LSE is one of the leading groups in the world for teaching and research on the economic, institutional and organisational aspects of accounting and financial management. Our PhD programme provides rigorous academic training aimed at preparing students to undertake research of the highest international standards.

You'll benefit from a truly international and interdisciplinary environment. You'll have access to a wide range of taught courses and research seminars across different departments and research centres within the School. You'll work closely with faculty in the department throughout the programme, and you'll interact with leading scholars from other universities thanks to our active external workshop series. All students admitted to the programme are fully funded, and financial assistance is also available for you to present your work at conferences.

You'll be expected to complete the programme within five years. In the first two years, you'll take a set of core and elective courses in accounting and related fields and complete a research paper. After the second year, you'll focus on your PhD thesis.

Our programme is structured in two tracks: the Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) track, which is devoted to the study of interrelationships between accounting, organisations and institutions, and the Economics of Accounting (EoA) track, which primarily examines accounting and financial reporting issues from an economics perspective. Below you'll find more information about the AOI track. Find out more about the EoA track.

Research in the AOI track is mainly qualitative in approach, focusing on the accounting process within and across organisations. Our intention is that your chosen topic will involve the investigation of how accounting practices are shaped by their institutional contexts, have behavioural consequences and can be vehicles for operationalising different values. Efforts to design internal and external accounting practices are both a function of specific economic and political interests, but are also shaped by social and political aspirations. Research in this track can potentially embrace a wide variety of accounting areas, such as studies in management accounting and organisational control processes, analyses of the impact of new accounting systems in the private and public sector, event-based work on transformations of auditing and risk regulation regimes, and historical studies of accounting, as well as broader contributions to social theory.

Faculty supervising students in the AOI track have close links with LSE’s Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (CARR).

As well as the courses below, you will attend:

• Department of Accounting Research Forums (ARFs)
• Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) research seminars and workshops.
• courses in methodology

Depending on the previous methods training you've undertaken, you'll be allowed to replace one or all of the required methods courses listed below with more advanced methods courses.

As well as the courses below, you'll attend:

• Department of Accounting Research Forums (ARFs)
• Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) research seminars and workshops.

After meeting the progression requirements, you progress to PhD registration and begin to work on your thesis. You'll continue to attend the following seminars and workshops in addition to the courses listed below:

• Department of Accounting Research Forums (ARFs)
• Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) research seminars and workshops.

You'll work on your thesis and continue to attend the following seminars and workshops:

• Department of Accounting Research Forums (ARFs)
• Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) research seminars and workshops.

You'll work on your thesis and continue to attend the following seminars and workshops:

• Department of Accounting Research Forums (ARFs)
• Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) research seminars and workshops.

Welcome to the Department of Accounting – one of the world’s leading centres for accounting and financial management research. The department was rated the top place in the UK to study accounting (Good University Guide 2024).

Our work is focused on understanding the role played by accounting in organisations, the markets and society at large. We have strong links with national and international professional bodies and regulatory institutions, and our research has contributed to shaping international accounting practices. Alongside teaching and research, the department also hosts the interdisciplinary Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation.

Every year, we admit more than 400 students to our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Our students don’t just learn about accounting principles – they learn how accounting is used in institutional and organisational processes of calculation, reporting and evaluation. This involves exploring the interdependencies between accounting and accountability, sustainability, governance, risk, performance management, policymaking and change.

We’re proud of our open and collaborative culture, welcoming students, academics, external speakers and practitioners from around the world – all contributing to our rich and diverse community.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Department of Accounting

We welcome applications for research programmes that complement the academic interests of our staff at LSE. For this reason, we recommend that you take a look at our staff research interests before applying.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including existing and pending qualifications)
• statement of academic purpose
• references
• CV
• outline research proposal
• sample of written work.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Please note that LSE allows part-time PhD study only under limited circumstances. If you wish to study part-time, you should mention this (and the reasons for it) in your statement of academic purpose, and discuss it at interview if you're shortlisted.

The application deadline for this programme is 22 May 2025.

However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline.

See the fees and funding section below for more details.

The fee is likely to rise over the full duration of the programme. The School charges home research students in line with fee levels recommended by the Research Councils.

Learn more about fee status classification.

The fee is likely to rise over the full duration of the programme in line with the assumed percentage increase in pay costs (ie, four per cent each year).

Learn more about fee status classification.

Progression and assessment

Throughout your PhD, progression is monitored via bi-annual progress reviews by the departmental Research Student Assessment Review Committee. The Committee meets each year in January to assess your mid-year progress and in June to assess your end-of-year progress and make decisions on continued registration/de-registration.

During your second year of your PhD, you'll undergo a "mid-term review". As part of the mid-term review, you have to submit a solid draft of one complete core chapter, a less developed draft of one further core chapter, as well as a detailed outline for the rest of the PhD thesis with a timeline for completion. You'll be provided with an opportunity to defend your submitted written materials orally. The materials will be reviewed by a Departmental Review Committee which will consist of the supervisory team and one internal reviewer drawn from the department, who hasn't been involved in your supervision. You need to pass the "mid-term review" to progress to the third year of your PhD studies.

Your final award will be determined by the completion of an original research thesis and a viva oral examination.

More about progression requirements

Students who successfully complete the programme often embark on a career in academic institutions, or international organisations such as Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs and the British Council. See a list of past placements.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Teaching

The department aims to give all doctoral students the opportunity to teach during the programme. Developing teaching skills and experience is an important component of your career development and prepares you for future academic roles. To make this experience as valuable as possible we draw on the support of LSE's Eden Centre.

Throughout the programme, you're expected to participate in departmental research seminars, forums, workshops and internal brownbags enabling you to grow familiar with the process of presenting and discussing academic papers with experienced faculty, and provide opportunities for networking. Funding is also available for you to attend and present papers at academic conferences.

The department aims to give all doctoral students the opportunity to teach during the programme. Developing teaching skills and experience is an important component of your career development and prepares you for future academic roles. To make this experience as valuable as possible we draw on the support of LSE's Eden Centre.

LSE Careers has a team dedicated to PhD students offering a wide range of resources and advice. You'll receive regular updates on career events and workshops offered by LSE Careers and the LSE’s PhD Academy.

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.