Matt Cedergren
Matt Cedergren’s interest in doing a doctorate was sparked several years ago when working with an audit client that had been backdating employee stock options. He was reading the Wall Street Journal when he came across an article about a business school professor whose study exposed the very practice of backdating that he was encountering in real life. He became inspired to pursue a career as a business school academic.
His experience in the Accounting PhD program thus far has exceeded his expectations. Due to the rigorous first year curriculum which immerses students in empirical literature, Matt says that the “differences in my abilities as a scholar-in-training are like night and day. In every relevant dimension, I have grown and matured considerably so that I can comfortably interact with scholars in my field when discussing research.”
In addition to the courses, being able to work closely with faculty-- from day one-- has been incredibly valuable. Almost immediately after he began the PhD program, he teamed up with Professors Mary Billings and Stephen Ryan to start a brand new project that combined their research interests. Professor Ryan also helped arrange for him to attend a number of academic conferences at other universities, as well as the Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association. At these events, Matt was able to learn more about current research topics and also network with other faculty and PhD students in the field. Matt remarked, “That is just one example of how the faculty are committed to our success.”
Another benefit of attending Stern, according to Matt, is that there are always events going on around school that will be of interest to business school scholars -- whether it’s a workshop, a seminar, or a conference. “All of these things help to make Stern a place where I’m continuously intellectually stimulated.”
Matt is originally from Madison, Wisconsin, and holds a bachelors and masters degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his CPA and CFA certifications and spent several years working in San Jose, California before coming to Stern.
His experience in the Accounting PhD program thus far has exceeded his expectations. Due to the rigorous first year curriculum which immerses students in empirical literature, Matt says that the “differences in my abilities as a scholar-in-training are like night and day. In every relevant dimension, I have grown and matured considerably so that I can comfortably interact with scholars in my field when discussing research.”
In addition to the courses, being able to work closely with faculty-- from day one-- has been incredibly valuable. Almost immediately after he began the PhD program, he teamed up with Professors Mary Billings and Stephen Ryan to start a brand new project that combined their research interests. Professor Ryan also helped arrange for him to attend a number of academic conferences at other universities, as well as the Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association. At these events, Matt was able to learn more about current research topics and also network with other faculty and PhD students in the field. Matt remarked, “That is just one example of how the faculty are committed to our success.”
Another benefit of attending Stern, according to Matt, is that there are always events going on around school that will be of interest to business school scholars -- whether it’s a workshop, a seminar, or a conference. “All of these things help to make Stern a place where I’m continuously intellectually stimulated.”
Matt is originally from Madison, Wisconsin, and holds a bachelors and masters degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his CPA and CFA certifications and spent several years working in San Jose, California before coming to Stern.