Outline of the Program
The PhD Program in Information Systems is designed to be completed within four years, provided a student enters the program with sufficient prior study of business, economics, and statistics. The first two years are usually devoted to the course work phase of the program, culminating with a comprehensive examination. The remainder of the time is used to develop and complete the dissertation. Students are expected to be in-residence full time and not engage in material outside employment during the program. Individuals are discouraged from accepting full-time faculty positions prior to the completion of their degree, since this often adds a significant time period to the completion of the degree.
The coursework requires a minimum of 39 semester credit hours of course work and 24 credits of dissertation research. This consists of 12 hours in information systems, 12 credit hours in the research methods sequence, a minimum of 9 credit hours in a minor area of study and 6 credit hours to fulfill the economics requirements. These credit hours may vary based on the requirement of the selected minor and the extent of previous work in economics. Students should seek to broaden their methodological training, as much as possible, in consultation with their major professors.
- MAJOR FIELD OF CONCENTRATION (Information Systems)
12 credit hoursITM 911 Seminar in Information Systems 3 credits ITM 912 Seminar in Information Systems Economics 3 credits ITM 913 Seminar in Design Science 3 credits ITM 914 Seminar in Behavioral Aspects of Information Systems 3 credits A comprehensive exam will be taken after completion of the major field of study.
- RESEARCH METHODS AND ANALYSIS COURSES
12 credit hoursMSC 905 Theory Development and Research Design 3 credits ITM 917 Research Methods in Information Systems 3 credits MGT 906 Seminar in Organizational Research Methods 3 credits MSC 907 Causal Modeling in Marketing 3 credits Substitutions such as courses in Social Networks, Econometrics, System Simulation or other tools may be logical for individual students with guidance committee approval.
- ECONOMICS or BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE SEQUENCE
6 Credit HoursTwo courses at the 800- or 900-level in economics; or 6 credits Two courses at the 800- or 900-level in psychology
or another behavioral science discipline,
with guidance committee approval.6 credits In addition to these requirements, students may select and study additional courses.
- COLLEGE BREADTH REQUIREMENT
All candidates for the PhD degree from the College of Business must satisfy the college-level breadth requirement. This requirement can be satisfied by the completion of any AACSB-accredited degree at the Bachelor or Masters level, or by graduate level coursework. Please see the College degree requirements for details.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION - MAJOR
Each student is expected to pass a comprehensive examination in the major area of concentration including research methods within college guidelines.
The purpose of the exam is to:
Insure that a student can integrate diverse streams of theory and thought in the field.
Can respond to questions with sound logic (organized thought) and theoretical reasoning a) to reaching an answer or b) to defining a process to reach an answer. You are expected to express a certain point of view, in writing, in a thoughtful and convincing fashion, as would be expected from scholars in the field.
Can use the literature to support their arguments/logic/processes. Here a student should be very familiar with the leading articles in an area questioned. More is fine but not necessary.
Understand and be able to use the methods of research scholarship necessary for the generation of new knowledge.
The exam should be taken subsequent to completion of field course work and after the candidate has had ample opportunity to integrate the field with appropriate taxonomies or frameworks. The exam is a major and different stage of intellectual development than just taking courses. It is the demonstration of the intellectual maturing process of a scholar rather than the memorization of content. The exam may be taken only with the permission of the Doctoral Program advisors.
- MINOR FIELD OF CONCENTRATION
9 credit hoursEach student is required to have one minor area of study with a minimum of 9 credit hours. A minor should provide substantial familiarity with the literature of the minor field and the ability to apply those theories, concepts, and methodologies as appropriate to the student’s area of research. The requirements for a minor are that courses must be graduate level and approval is obtained from the student’s doctoral committee. Students whose minor field is economics or behavioral science can use these courses to satisfy the six credit Economics or Behavioral Science requirement, as described above.
The chosen area of study for a minor is subject to review and approval by the student’s advisory Committee. The areas listed below represent common choices accepted at this time, although this is not an exhaustive list:
Within the College of Business Within the University (Partial List) Accounting Telecommunications Finance Computer Science International Business Computer Engineering Logistics Economics Marketing Psychometrics Operations Management Sociology Organizational Behavior Statistics A comprehensive exam may be required after completion of the chosen minor field. Examination procedures will be in conformance with the policies of the examining department.
- SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES
In addition to these courses and program requirements, students are expected to participate in workshops, research presentations, and conferences which are occasionally conducted in order to foster the development of scholarly attitudes and atmosphere with the department. This is considered a formal part of the doctoral program. Students are expected to develop a research stream starting in their first year. Courses, assistantships, peers, and faculty provide abundant opportunities for initiating a research agenda. Students will be evaluated at the end of the every academic year for research performance and intellectual development.
- STATUS
The PhD Committee will review the status of each candidate in May of each year. The Committee will then apprise the student whether or not they are making satisfactory progress toward their degree. Students judged to be making unsatisfactory progress in the program will be placed on probationary status or terminated at the discretion of the Committee. Criteria for judgment are:
- a grade point average of below 3.3;
- one or more grades below 3.0 in required courses;
- no more than one pending deferred or incomplete grade;
- a deferred (DF) or an incomplete (I) grade not removed within one term;
- standards for scholarly and professional activities are not met.
- DISSERTATION
- Definition
The final step in the PhD program is the research and writing of a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation should constitute a contribution to theory and advancement of knowledge in the discipline, be firmly anchored in past contributions, and bring the discipline a step forward. Given the present requirements of the journals in the discipline, it is expected that a dissertation make a significant contribution.
- Committee
During the dissertation phase of the program, the candidate shall assemble a Dissertation Committee of four or more faculty members and at least three committee members, including the Committee Chair, must be from the ITM (Information Technology Management) group. The members should represent strengths in the areas that will benefit the candidate throughout the process, and should serve as advisors and consultants to the student. The Dissertation Committee Chair must be a tenured Associate or Full Professor.
- Proposal Presentation
Independent research for dissertation is carried out in two stages. First, a proposal is prepared which should include a literature review, theory development or a conceptual framework, and if a natural science approach is being followed, the hypotheses to be tested and the proposed testing procedures should be included. The proposal must be presented to an open meeting of faculty and students by the end of the third year in the program. During the proposal presentation, the candidate shall introduce the dissertation, present relevant theory, explain its anticipated contribution to knowledge, define the hypothesis and the test procedures, as well as answer questions from the dissertation committee and others. A student must obtain formal acceptance of the dissertation proposal from the Dissertation Committee. After a student’s presentation of their proposal, comments, questions, and objections will be obtained from the attending faculty. Based upon the presentation and the subsequent faculty comments, each member of the Dissertation Committee will vote. Acceptance of the proposal requires a majority, including the chairperson; a tie results in a rejection.
- Final Defense
Upon completion of the dissertation, a public dissertation defense is held. Provided that the research has followed the methods agreed upon in the proposal defense, and results and implications meet high professional standards, a recommendation is made to the Graduate School by the student’s Dissertation Committee for conferral of a PhD degree. Acceptance or rejection of the dissertation is determined in the same manner as that for the proposal.
- Definition
- TIMING
The coursework in the PhD program takes approximately two years of full-time study, followed by a two-year dissertation phase. Additional time may be needed for a variety of reasons. It is required that a student complete the entire program in residence and devote full time to the program. A time limit of eight years for completion of the program is stipulated by The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management.