This 76-unit degree program in the Management of Information System and Technology is designed to prepare graduates to make advanced contributions either in university or applied organizational settings. The design of the Ph.D. program in Management of Information Systems and Technology is based on the assumption that to carry out advanced research and professional work in this field, the graduate must have broad, basic knowledge in the major areas of information systems and technology and management; knowledge in a cognate discipline such as economics, mathematics, psychology, or computer science; and the capability of conducting and reporting on research that is original, independent, and makes a meaningful contribution to the field. Admission to the Ph.D. normally requires satisfactory completion of the M.S., M.B.A., or a master’s degree in a cognate discipline.

Course Requirements

Students pursuing the Ph.D. degree must take the following course components (see the School’s website, www.ist.cgu.edu, for details on how individual courses fit into the following components):

• Information Systems Core Courses 20 units
• Information Systems Advanced Electives 12 units
• Cognate Minor Fields 24 units
• Doctoral Research Seminars 20 units

The cognate minor field requirement consists of 24 units of coursework outside of the Information Systems and Technology curriculum in a field of specialization applicable to the dissertation, such as computer science, economics, operations research, psychology, or management. The purpose of this requirement is to provide students with a solid foundation upon which to inform their systems-based research. Up to 24 units may be transferred from previous graduate work (subject to CGU standards).

Three competency courses that do not count toward the 76 units. The following three courses can be taken at CGU but not for credit toward the Ph.D. However, they may be waived if taken in either a graduate or undergraduate program, or if the student shows competency through a locally administered waiver exam.

INFOSCI 303  Introduction to IS (Equivalent to:Organizations as Information Processing Systems)
INFOSCI 313  Information Technology
MGT 306  Qualitative Methods—Univariate Statistics

Transdisciplinary Course Requirement. All students who enter the doctoral program after the fall 2004 semester are required to complete the transdisciplinary course requirement within the first two years of their program. For details on the requirement, see the “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” section in this Bulletin.

Grade Standards. Ph.D. students must maintain a minimum 3.5 G.P.A. to remain in good standing. Students who fall below this level may be withdrawn from the program.

Screening Examination. The screening examination is designed to validate doctoral students’ knowledge of the basic material in the field and the ability to integrate that material. See the school’s website for current examination policies and procedures.

Qualifying Portfolio. Students are required to compile a portfolio of faculty-approved items including a conference paper, a journal refereed article, a “preparing future faculty course” or equivalent experience, article reviews, and a grant-writing experience. See the school office for current policies.

Dissertation Requirements. A student is advanced to candidacy after passing the screening examination and defending a dissertation proposal. The student must submit an acceptable dissertation proposal for approval by the dissertation committee. This committee, recommended by the dean of the school in consultation with the student, consists of no less than three members, one of whom serves as dissertation chair. Each candidate must prepare an acceptable dissertation under the guidance of the dissertation committee, to be defended in a final oral examination. For further information regarding the qualifying portfolio, advancement to candidacy, and the final oral defense, see the “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” section under “Degree Regulations” in this Bulletin.

Research Activities. The Claremont Information and Technology Institute (CITI), the Intelligent Systems Laboratory (ISL), the Kay Center for E-Health Research, the Network Convergence Laboratory (NCL), and the Social Learning Software Laboratory (SL2 ) house research activities within the school. Examples of projects undertaken include strategic planning for community telecommunications systems, technology assessment of new transportation systems, business planning for private and nonprofit Internet services, implementation of electronic medical records, development of middleware and video over IP applications, development of data and text mining systems, an intelligent online discussion board, and social learning software.