Promotion and mobility in the academic accounting career

This paper examines and documents aspects of an academic accounting career that were previously known only anecdotally. This work is of interest to current academics and to students considering a potential academic accounting career because it addresses questions such as: how long does it take to be promoted from assistant to associate? On average, assistant professors are promoted after 6.49 years, and just under half of faculty are promoted without moving to a different school. Male faculty are promoted slightly faster but move slightly more often. We further explore the career tradeoffs related to institutional prestige (prestigious schools vs. less prestigious schools for both obtaining a PhD and first placement as faculty), and we examine differences in careers between prestigious schools vs. less prestigious schools. We also examine promotions from associate to full. Finally, we examine additional variables, including the proportion for female vs. male faculty over time, faculty switching from tenure- track to non-tenure-track positions and vice-versa, and faculty career length (overall, about 22 years). These findings provide empirical benchmarks for PhD students and junior faculty navigating career expectations, as well as for department and school leaders seeking to better understand promotion timelines. The findings also contribute to discussions and future research on equity, mobility, and career sustainability in accounting academia.