Economics of accounting

MRes/PhD in Accounting

I am continuously challenged and supported to expand my thinking and sharpen my analytical skills, inside seminars, supervisor sessions and over coffee breaks. In doctoral seminar discussions I am humbled by the number of faculty that contributes to these sessions, and I am grateful for their time. In general, the availability of staff and faculty to help has far exceeded my expectations.

Finia Kuhlmann (former student)


Completing a PhD in Accounting at LSE was incredibly challenging but extremely worthwhile. The world-renowned faculty provided tremendous support and encouragement and the Department of Accounting provides considerable resources to ensure the success of PhD students.

Rodney Brown (former student)

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 will benefit from a truly international and interdisciplinary environment. You will have access to a wide range of taught courses and research seminars across different departments and research centres within the School. You will work closely with faculty in the Department throughout the programme, and you will interact with leading scholars from other universities thanks to our active external workshop series. All students admitted to the programme are normally fully funded, and financial assistance is also available for you to present your work at conferences. You will further benefit from the privileged location of the School. London is a vibrant, multicultural city, and the LSE campus, situated in central London, is only a stone’s throw away from the financial district, but also Westminster, the political heart of the UK.

Programme structure

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

  • The Accounting, Organisations and Institutions (AOI) Track
  • The Economics of Accounting (EoA) Track
  • Visiting Research Student (VRS) in Accounting
    We welcome research students from other universities to spend from one term up to one academic year at LSE as a Visiting Research Student (VRS). Find out more here.
  • Thinking of doing a PhD? 
    We hold information sessions twice per year where you can learn more about the programme structure and aplication process. The next session will be in November 2024. You can view the recording from a previous session here and slides here. 
  • For any queries about the programme, please email r.j.baker@lse.ac.uk.