2022-2023 Bulletin: Program Requirements 
    
    May 03, 2024  
2022-2023 Bulletin: Program Requirements [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Information Systems and Technology, PhD


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The doctoral program prepares students to participate in the academic information systems and technology research community. Doctoral graduates are prepared to conduct rigorous and relevant research and to apply learning and skills to teaching, consulting, and other activities.

Degree Requirements

Coursework.  A total of 76 units are required for the degree including 4 units of TNDY course(s).

Transfer Credit.  Credit may be given for coursework taken at other institutions and other courses may be transferred per the University’s policy on transfer credit.

Qualifying Exam.  Students beginning the doctoral program in Summer 2014 and later are required to take the Qualifying Exam within 18 to 24 months after starting the program.  To be eligible to take the exam, students must have completed the specific courses covered by the exam and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5, with no grade of less than B+ in those courses.  Students who do not pass the exam on the first attempt are permitted only one additional attempt, to be taken within one year of failing the first attempt.

Doctoral Research Seminars

  • IST 501A - Introduction to IS&T Research
  • IST 503 - Qualitative Research
  • IST 504 - Quantitative Research
  • IST 505 - Design Research

Qualifying Portfolio.  The program requires students to develop a qualifying portfolio.

Dissertation.  Requirements and processes for the dissertation are established by University policy.  Refer to the Doctoral Degree Regulations section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

Time to Degree. The University’s Time to Degree policy applies, including a reduction of time due to transferring units (see the current Policies and General Information Bulletin) for applicable policies. Students who are unable to complete their PhD in ten years will be dismissed from the program. 

Grade point average.  Students must comply with the Satisfactory Academic Progress policies of the University.  The doctoral program in Information Systems & Technology requires students to maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

University Policies. Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admission. Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

Competency Courses


The competency courses do not count towards the 76 units required for the doctoral degree. Students are either admitted with equivalent courses or may enroll in the courses at CGU, understanding that the units do not count toward degree requirements.

Programming

MGT 306 or another graduate-level Statistics/Qualitative Methods course is required

Basic Statistics if choosing the data science and analytics concentration

Core Courses - 20 units


  • IST 302 - Database
  • IST 303 - Software Development
  • IST 304 - Communications & Networking
  • IST 305 - Management of IT in Complex Times
  • IST 321 - Leading Digital Business Transformation

Concentration - 16 units


Four concentration courses, equivalent to the elective courses permitted for the master’s degree, are required. 

Five concentration areas are offered:

Data Science and Analytics

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Cybersecurity and Networking

Health Informatics

IT Strategy and Innovation

Additional information is available on the department website.  

Research Courses - 20 units


Doctoral Research Seminars

IST 507- Directed Readings

 

One (1) Transdisciplinary Course and Four (4) Non-IST Courses - 20 units


Transdisciplinary Course

Four non-IST courses in fields such as management, philosophy, psychology, religion, etc.

 

Cybersecurity and Networking


This concentration requires 12 units of relevant coursework and is available to students enrolled in the the MS in Information Systems on-campus.

Courses:

IST 350 - Cryptography & Computer Security

IST 351 - Cyber Security Risk Management

IST 352 - Advanced Networking

Health Informatics


This concentration requires 12 units of relevant coursework and is available to students enrolled in the the MS in Information Systems on-campus.

Courses:

IST 380 - Introduction to Health Informatics

IST 381 - Persuasive Technologies

IST 382 - Health Geoinformatics

Data Science and Analytics


This concentration requires 12 units of coursework and is available to students enrolled in the the MS in Information Systems and Technology online and on-campus.

Courses:

IST 340 - Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining

IST 344 - Data Analytics and Information Visualization

IST 346 - Data warehouse design and implementation for business intelligence

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analytics and Solutions Development


Information Technology Innovation and Design


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