PhD Accountancy in India: Topics, Salary, Colleges, University 2023

PhD Accountancy is a 3- year long doctorate program in Accountancy (Commerce), it deals with the aspects of Accountancy such as Cost and Financial Accountancy.

PhD Courses	PhD Accountancy Colleges

The aggregate percentage of the candidates should be at least 55% in M.Com or M.Phil in the respective subjects from a recognised University to be eligible for this course.

Admission to PhD Accountancy courses is based on either Entrance exams or on the merit of the candidates.

See more: PhD Entrance Exams

The Qualifying Exams are National and State level and some of the Institutes also conduct Interview to choose the best candidates based on the abstract of their thesis proposal.

PhD in Accountancy is a full- time course, IGNOU offers a distance learning course for PhD in Commerce

The average fee ranges from INR 15,000 to INR 50,000 whereas the average annual starting salary can be around INR 7-14 LPA in India based on the candidates’ capacity and their previous experiences.

PhD Accountancy: Course Highlights

Listed below are some of the major highlights of the course.

Course Level	Doctorate Degree
Duration	3 years
Examination Type	Semester System
Eligibility	Post Graduation with relevant subjects (M.Com or M.Phil) with aggregate minimum 55% marks along with Qualifying the National and State level Exams such as NET/ SET/ PET, etc.
Admission Process	Either Merit-based or Entrance test.
Course Fee	INR 15,000-1,50,000
Average Starting Salary	INR 7-14 LPA
Top Recruiting Companies	Insurance sector, Indian Economic Services, Import and Export Companies, Custom departments, Indian Statistical Services, Financial Institutions, Educational Institutions, Economic Consulting Firms.
Job Positions	Investment Banker, Financial and Corporate Analyst, Manager, Associate Professor, Researcher, Research and Development Manager.

Admission Process

PhD Accountancy: Admission Process

The colleges offer PhD Accountancy admissions either on the basis of the performance of candidates in the relevant Qualifying Entrance Test or it is Merit based. Merit lists are released by the Colleges and Universities.

After the Entrance Test, some colleges also do counselling where Group Discussion and Personal Interview takes place to gauge the Thesis proposal and abstract of the candidates.
The most popular entrance test conducted for admission to PhD Accountancy is NET.

Quick Links

M.Phil/Ph.D in Commerce in Delhi-NCR	M.Phil/Ph.D in Commerce in Maharashtra

PhD Accountancy: Eligibility Criteria

The basic eligibility criteria for PhD Accountancy are as follows:

An aggregate of 55% or above in Post graduation- M.Com or M. Phil with relevant subjects.
Candidates in their last year of post- graduation can also apply on a provisional basis and can give Qualifying Exams like NET/ SET in their last year.
There is no upper age limit to join PhD in Accountancy Course.
Candidates with a professional Work experience in the relevant field (Finance, Accountancy, Trade) may get an edge over other candidates.

PhD Accountancy: Entrance Exams

The colleges select candidates based on their performance in the PhD Accountancy Entrance Exams. Most of these are State and National level and others are university level examinations. The most popular is based on GE-PIWAT i.e., Group Discussion, Interview and Written Ability Test/ Thesis Proposal or abstract.

Entrance Exam	Exam Date
NET	To be announced
DET	To be announced
PET	To be announced
CUCET	To be announced

PhD Accountancy: How to Prepare for Entrance Exams?

The candidates should go through the entrance exam syllabus thoroughly before preparing a schedule to complete the full syllabus within time with spare time for revision. Brush up your Graduation and Post graduation subjects as well as the research knowledge and its implications, so that the questions do not seem new in the examination.

Practice previous year PhD Entrance Exam papers such as NET/ SET/ PET/ DET/ CUCET to become familiar with the exam pattern.
Analyse the portions for which questions are frequently asked and practice those topics first.
After identifying the weaker points in the paper, put more emphasis on those and dedicate more time based on the number of questions asked.
Make notes for quick revisions in the future.
For General Awareness and English keep reading newspapers.

PhD Accountancy: How to Get Admission in a Good College?

To get a good college, the preparation of the candidate should be done diligently.

Some of the colleges select candidates on the basis of their percentage in Graduation and Post- graduation, and some based on the merit list of their own entrance exams, hence, those should also be prepared in advance.
The candidates should choose the College for PhD Accountancy and apply for those before the deadline if they have their own Admission Process, which most Universities do.
Prepare a research proposal and make its abstract well in advance along with extensive research of the topic, because you will be evaluated for this in the Interview.
Prepare everything in advance, be it Group Discussion or Personal Interview. If practiced, the candidates can do well in these stages.

Know More:

M.Phil/Ph.D in Commerce in Chennai	M.Phil/Ph.D in Commerce in Uttar Pradesh	M.Phil/Ph.D in Commerce in Telangana

PhD Accountancy: What is it About?

PhD Accountancy stands for Doctor of Philosophy in Accountancy. It helps the candidates in getting a detailed view of all aspects of the field be it theoretical or practical.

It provides an in-depth knowledge about Accountancy, Finance, trades and other aspects of Accountancy. It integrates the disciplines of accountancy and other commerce subjects to do the research.
Some of the most common PhD Accountancy subjects are Financial and Cost Accountancy, Finance, Global Trade, etc.
The students must have an in- depth knowledge about the subject as without the knowledge, research may be difficult to do.

Why Study PhD Accountancy?

There are a number of reasons to study PhD Accountancy. There is a need for good research about Accountancy, Finance and Commerce in India. The students choose to study this course because of the following advantages:

It opens a plethora of job opportunities including Educational Institutes, Financial Institutions, Share Market and Commerce sectors.
It gives the student an extra edge over other Commerce graduates by updating their skills and in- depth knowledge leading to better career opportunities.
Students become proficient in Accountancy and other commerce subjects and find the interlinks between them and applying them in the real world.
A candidate with a PhD thesis, if good, will be in huge demand as the world is going online, especially after the pandemic and good research are needed more than ever. They can also publish their research as a book or in a world renowned magazine and may get grants for further study of the same.

PhD Accountancy: Course Comparison

The courses are a 2-years long course and are generally pursued for Research or Academic jobs. The following table shows the key difference between PhD Accountancy, PhD Finance and PhD Economics in terms of Impact, course material, and orientation:

Parameter	PhD Accountancy	PhD Finance	PhD Economics
Full-Form	Doctor of Philosophy in Accountancy	Doctor of Philosophy in Finance	Doctor of Philosophy in Accountancy
Domain	Accountancy	Finance	Economics
Overview	PhD Accountancy gives in- depth knowledge about the accountancy related subjects such as cost and Financial Accounting, Global Trade,etc.	PhD Finance helps the students to enhance their Knowledge about Finance, Economics, debt, equity management, etc.	PhD in Economics basically covers the subjects of Macro and Microeconomics. It helps to understand a wide range of theoretical aspects of Economics and business and to analyze economic policies and problems.
Duration	3 Years	3 Years	3 Years
Eligibility	Post- graduation with Commerce/Accountancy (M.Com.)	Post-graduation with Commerce/ Finance (M.Com)	Post- graduation with Commerce/Economics (M.Com./ M.A.)
Average Annual Fee	INR 15,000-1,50,000	INR 5,000-3,00,000	INR 20,000-1,60,000
Average Salary Offered	INR 6-8 LPA	INR 7-10 LPA	INR 3-8 LPA

Top Colleges

PhD Accountancy: Top Colleges

These are some of the top Colleges in India that offer PhD in Accountancy.

Name of Institution	Average Course Fee	Average Package
KPB Hinduja College of Commerce, Mumbai	INR 66,000	INR 4.6 LPA
GITAM Institute of Management (GIM), Visakhapatnam	INR 30,000	INR 5.52 LPA
GITAM Institute of Management, Bangalore	INR 30,000	INR 5.2 LPA
Gramonnati Mandal's Arts, Commerce & Science College - [Acsc] Narayangaon	-	INR 3 LPA
Seacom Skills University (SSU), Birbhum	INR 1,50,000	INR 3.5 LPA
Shivaji University, Kolhapur	INR 16,692	INR 5 LPA
Techno India University, Kolkata	-	INR 5 LPA
IILM University, Gurgaon	INR 1,30,000	INR 6 LPA
Shyam University, Dausa	INR 80,000	INR 3.70 LPA
Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University (HNGU), Gujarat	-	-
BPHE Society’s Ahmednagar College, Gujarat	-	INR 3.4 LPA
Times Business School (TBS), Ahmedabad	-	INR 3.5 LPA
Bengaluru School of Management Studies (BSMS), Bengaluru	-	INR 4.5 LPA
Vinayaka Missions University (VMU), Tamil Nadu	INR 1,50,000	INR 4 LPA
Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune	INR 75,800	INR 6.5 LPA

PhD Accountancy: College Comparison

Parameter	KPB Hinduja College of Commerce, Mumbai	GITAM Institute of Management (GIM), Visakhapatnam	Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune
Overview	Hinduja College is one of the most popular commerce colleges of Maharashtra.	GIM provides one of the best infrastructure and placements in feasible fees.	SPPU offers one of the best placements and has a good reputation for the quality of education provided.
Average Fees	INR 66,000	INR 30,000	INR 75,800
Average Package offered	INR 4.6 LPA	INR 5.52 LPA	INR 6.5 LPA
Placement Companies	Reliance, HDFC, Reliance, Religare, E&Y, TCS, Motilal Oswal, Times Media, ICICI	Bandhan Bank, ICICI, ICICI Prudential, Big Bazaar, HDFC, Walmart	Deloitte, IBM, GE Capital, Bank of Baroda, Bajaj Allianz, Exide Life Insurance

Syllabus

PhD Accountancy: Syllabus

The Course syllabus of PhD Accountancy is made in such a way as to give a platform to the students to improve and maximize their understanding of the subject through research and dissertation. It lays emphasis to prepare the students in different aspects of Accountancy through improving the skills of analysis, organisation and interpretation of data related to the subject and its application in the Business world.

The general syllabus for most of the colleges are given below:

Subjects of Study
Fundamentals of Accountancy	Advanced Auditing
Accountancy in Global Trade and Finance	Research Methodology
Advanced Financial Accountancy	Dissertation/ Thesis
Advanced Cost Accountancy	Project
Direct and Indirect Taxes	Seminar

Job Profiles

PhD Accountancy: Job Profiles

Some of the popular professional avenues open to such doctorates of the course are tabulated below along with the corresponding salaries and basic job responsibilities associated with each.

Job Profile	Job Description	Average Salary
Associate Professor	Associate Professor is an Academic Post. It includes teaching in Colleges and other Educational Institutions.	INR 7.2-12 LPA
Risk Analyst	Risk Analysts analyzes the firm’s investment portfolio, offers decisions and advice on ways to reduce risk of investment and finding the best investment.	INR 5-7 LPA
Business Analyst	Business Analyst designs and modifies the system to improve Company sales and evaluate the required documents.	INR 8.5-11 LPA
Corporate Analyst	Corporate Analysts analyse and evaluate finances and investments of the organisation and devise new methods to increase the sale.	INR 8.5-11 LPA
Investment Banker	Role includes assisting clients with decisions on mergers and acquisitions, giving investment ideas and providing financial advice on investments.	INR 9-11 LPA
Research Associate	Candidates interested in further research can apply for grants to National or International Institutes.	Depends on the project
Operations Manager	Operations Manager forecast sales, oversee operations and methods to meet the expectations of the clients.	INR 7-9 LPA
Money Manager	The Money Manager gives Financial Advisory and manages securities and portfolios of investors.	INR 12-16 LPA

Future Scope

PhD Accountancy: Future Scope

The roles offered for jobs after PhD in Accountancy are diverse and candidates can find career stability in the Finance Industry in 4-5 Years.

As it gives an in-depth knowledge about the subject along with its integration with other aspects of Commerce subjects and business world, they may also become consultant, go for academic career like teacher, Associate Professor and in the Research field.
Candidates can also apply for Research programmes at State, National and International level.

FAQs

PhD Accountancy: FAQs

Ques. How many years does it normally take to complete a PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. The PhD in Accountancy course is of 3 Years, but it may take upto 5 years, but the maximum limit to complete the thesis is 6 years.

Ques. Is PhD Accountancy higher than a professional doctorate?

Ans. A PhD is an academic degree, which basically focuses on original research, analysis of data and thesis writing while a professional doctorate applies this research on practical problems, formulating the solutions and finding best ways for application.

Ques. Can I get a job abroad after a PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. Yes, if the candidate has good knowledge and skills, they may reach out for jobs in the foreign companies like Japan, America, Australia. Some Companies after recruiting candidates in India, also send them for training to other countries for 2-3 years. Sometimes, to continue the research, candidates may apply to foreign universities.

Ques. Is PhD Accountancy a tough course?

Ans. As the students are already familiar with the basics of the subjects such as Financial and Cost Accounting, trade, etc, the students should not have much trouble with the subject. And most of the students go for PhD if they are interested in Research and want to go for an academic career and hence will definitely have to work hard.

Ques. I have done an MBA. Can I still opt for a PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. The least eligibility for PhD in Commerce is 55% aggregate marks in M.Com., M.Phil or in some cases, even MBA candidates apply. If you are doing a PhD in Commerce, you can choose accountancy as a subject to do research in.

Ques. Which is better- PhD in Accountancy or PhD in Finance?

Ans. PhD in both the subjects are done to fulfill their academic expectations. But, generally, a PhD in Finance has better prospects as it has more demand in the market and more people consider it more interesting and rewarding.

Ques. Why should I do a PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. Generally, PhD in Accountancy is done by candidates interested in conducting research related to accountancy in academic institutions and research organisations. Also, those interested in teaching pursue PhD.

Ques. Is a PhD in Accountancy necessary to become Accountancy Professor?

Ans. Generally, PhD in Accountancy is done by candidates to become an Accountancy Professor. But to teach at school level, one only needs a Master degree.

Ques. Does Delhi University offer a PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. No, the Delhi University (DU) does not necessarily offer PhD in Accountancy Course, rather PhD in Commerce is offered at DU.

Ques. Are there any distance learning programs for PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. No, no particular courses are offered for distance learning for PhD in Accountancy. Though IGNOU offers a course of PhD in Commerce majoring in Accounting and Finance.

Ques. How much can I expect as Starting salary after a PhD in Accountancy?

Ans. It basically depends upon your skill and past experience. If you are a fresher you may get 5-7 LPA in the early years. But after gaining skills, the salary will increase or the candidates may change organisation with a better job profile and salary.