Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
‘I have published more than 60 nonfiction books and five novels and novelettes’
Robert William McGee is an international alumnus whose career spans academia, global accounting reform and world-class martial arts. Since completing his PhD in Applied Global Ethics in 2011, he has built an extensive research portfolio and continues to teach and publish internationally.
Tell us about your current role and career journey.
I am currently a professor of accounting at Fayetteville State University. Prior to my current position I was a professor at several other universities. Prior to that I worked as an accountant, tax attorney, banker and consultant in the United States and several other countries. I assisted the Finance Ministries of Armenia and Bosnia convert to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). I also drafted the accounting law for Armenia and Bosnia and reviewed the accounting law for Mozambique. As part of several USAID Accounting Reform Programs I was in charge of upgrading the accounting programs at all the major universities in Armenia and Bosnia to Western standards. I have worked or lectured in more than 30 countries.
Please tell us about your publications.
I enjoy writing both fiction and nonfiction. I have published more than 60 nonfiction books and five novels and novelettes. I have also published more than 1000 scholarly papers, mostly in various business fields, with some in social sciences and humanities. In recent years I have started publishing about the health benefits of tai chi and qigong in medical journals.
Most of my scholarly work in recent years has focused on answering the questions of when tax evasion and bribery can be morally justified. My empirical studies have found that a large segment of the population in more than 90 countries would justify them in certain cases.
My favourite work of fiction is Justifiable Homicide. It is a political thriller that incorporates concepts of political philosophy and addresses the question of when killing political leaders becomes justifiable homicide rather than murder.
What has been your biggest success so far?
Various studies over the years have ranked me number 1 in the world for my research on accounting ethics, business ethics and the ethics of tax evasion. ScholarGPS has ranked me #1 in the world for accounting, tax, governance, corporate governance, transition economy, tax evasion and accounting reform, and has ranked me in the top 10 in the world for my research in business and management, developing countries, public finance, ethics, insider trading and financial statements. One recent study ranked me among the top 10 in the world among economists in terms of research impact.
Please tell us about your latest academic achievement.
ScholarGPS maintains a database with information on more than 30 million scholars worldwide. In its 2025 ranking I was ranked #1 in the world in 7 categories and in the Top-10 in 6 additional categories. I was also ranked #90 in the world overall (all fields), out of 29,161,103 scholars, which places me in the top 0.0003%.
You have pursued many degrees. What motivated you?
The primary reason was because I became interested in many disciplines shortly after starting university. After taking courses in theology, political science, philosophy and history, I decided to take as many courses in these subject areas as I could.
After graduation I fell into a series of accounting jobs. In order to advance, I decided to pursue graduate studies in accounting, taxation and law, and certifications. At some point I decided to become an accounting professor. That would give me the time I needed to continue my pursuit of knowledge.
The second reason, far less important than the primary reason, was because the Guinness world record at the time was nine academic degrees. I thought that target was within reach.
What are some of your best memories of studying at Leeds Beckett?
As an international student I viewed my Leeds Beckett experience differently than a local student. The British educational system was different from what I was accustomed to, so I learned that there was more than one way to educate students. I also enjoyed the experience of being in England and learning about its history, including the Industrial Revolution, in which Leeds played a major role.
What advice would you give to students or alumni considering an academic career?
Get a PhD. You will be discriminated against if you don’t have one. Shop around when choosing a university. Find a university and a thesis supervisor who will allow you to do research on a topic you want rather than a topic they want.
If you don’t enjoy research and writing, don’t apply to teach at universities that emphasise research over teaching. While working on a PhD, seek opportunities to publish. Seek out senior scholars to co-author with, present conference papers, get feedback, revise them and turn them into articles.
You have also achieved success in martial arts. Are you still practising?
Although most of my world championships have been in taekwondo, I have also won multiple world championships in kung-fu, tai chi and karate. In the most recent Taekwondo World Championship (2025) I won 5 gold and 2 silver medals. As of this writing, my career gold medal count is 1118. Although I continue to train in taekwondo and tai chi, I have cut back in recent years. I find that martial arts is a good way to keep healthy and vigorous, and I plan to continue training as long as I can.
