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Best Doctorates in Information Systems Management: Top PhD Programs, Career Paths, and Salaries

A PhD in Information Systems Management provides the educational groundwork you need to understand complex IT problems as well as the advanced research methods to solve them. If you’re looking to supplement your work experience with further education, getting an information systems management PhD is a great option.

This article will bring you up to speed on the best PhDs in Information Systems Management. In it, you’ll find all of the admission and graduation requirements for each program. We have also included some of the best information systems management jobs that graduates can pursue and what you can expect for a PhD in Information Systems Management salary across jobs in the field.

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What is a phd in information systems management.

A PhD in Information Systems Management is a research-intensive graduate program that trains doctoral students to design, analyze, implement, and maintain information systems using a variety of methods. It builds the necessary technical skills graduate students need to transition to careers in academia and research.

How to Get Into an Information Systems Management PhD Program: Admission Requirements

The minimum educational requirement for admission into an information systems management PhD program is a bachelor’s degree earned at an accredited university. Other important admission requirements include meeting the minimum GPA requirement and submitting official transcripts, a resume, letters of recommendation, and a completed graduate application.

Although many schools have waived the standardized test scores requirement, some still require you to submit your Graduate Record Examination (GRE)/Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores and, for international students, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. The application materials for PhD programs vary from school to school, so consult your school’s website if you have questions about how to get accepted into its graduate school .

PhD in Information Systems Management Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
• Official transcripts/academic records
• GMAT/GRE scores
• TOEFL scores (international students)
• Letters of recommendation
• Completed graduate application

Information Systems Management PhD Acceptance Rates: How Hard Is It to Get Into a PhD Program in Information Systems Management?

It is very hard to get into a PhD program in information systems management because the number of positions available for students is often limited and competition for them is stiff. For example, data from the G Brint Ryan College of Business at the University of North Texas shows just over a 10 percent acceptance rate for its PhD programs in 2021. Therefore, your application generally has to be stronger than 90 percent of all applicants to ensure admission.

How to Get Into the Best Universities

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Best PhDs in Information Systems Management: In Brief

Best universities for information systems management phds: where to get a phd in information systems management.

The best universities for information systems management PhDs are Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of North Texas. For further information on where to get a PhD in Information Systems Management, explore the list below. It provides a brief overview of the best ISM programs and key details like their tuition rate, admission requirements, and acceptance rate.

Ever since its establishment in 1885, Arizona State University has cultivated a culture of entrepreneurship and accessibility. This probably contributes to its being named the most innovative university in the US for the seventh year in a row by US News & World Report.

Much of ASU’s success is due to its graduate school, which offers more than 450 programs of study, each directed by distinguished faculty members. Equally impressive is its research expenditure of $677.3 million, ranking it sixth in research expenditures among national universities without a medical school. 

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Computer and Information Systems

ASU’s PhD in Business Administration is an 84-credit program that prepares you for an educational career at top academic institutions. It offers specializations in areas like business analytics, big data, and security, and you can tailor the program to meet your research goals. To earn your PhD, you must pass the comprehensive exam and defend your dissertation within 10 years. 

• Program Length: 4-10 years
• Acceptance Rate: N/A
• Tuition: $12,014/year (resident); $24,498/year (non-resident); $26,460/year (international) 
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Graduate assistantship, summer research grant, summer teaching, scholarships, loans
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Graduate admission application and fee
• Personal statement
• Official transcripts
• GMAT or GRE scores
• 3 letters of recommendation 

In 1900, Andrew Carnegie founded Carnegie Mellon University as a technical institute. It has since grown to offer several doctoral degrees in fields ranging from engineering to business. A national research powerhouse, CMU boasts over 100 research centers and institutes with open, restricted, and classified research across a broad range of fields.

PhD in Information Systems and Management

This program trains doctoral students to become skilled researchers who can solve pressing IT challenges. Some of its key research areas include the economics of digitization, healthcare IT, and information security and privacy. It includes doctoral-level classes in statistics, econometrics, and machine learning, as well as a dissertation on your chosen research topic. Tuition costs can be covered by scholarships for students in good standing. 

PhD in Information Systems and Management Overview

• Program Length: 4-6 years
• Tuition: $27,000/year (full-tuition scholarships are provided to PhD students in good standing for years 1-6)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Full-tuition scholarship, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, external scholarship support

PhD in Information Systems and Management Admission Requirements

• Online application
• GRE or GMAT scores
• 2 recommendation forms
• Professional resume
• Proposed research essay

Founded in 1881, Dakota State University has grown into a thriving technology university. It offers PhD programs in computer science, cyber defense, cyber operations, and information systems. In addition to these cyber security-based programs, it also has several research laboratories, including the Madison Cyber Lab, which is the first of its kind in the Upper Great Plains region. 

PhD in Information Systems

You must complete a total of 72 credit hours to earn the PhD in Information Systems from Dakota State University. Sixty of those credits must cater to graduate coursework, including master's-level courses, your research specialization, and research methods. You can fulfill the final 12 credit hours with your research dissertation.

PhD in Information Systems Overview

• Program Length: 7 years (maximum)
• Tuition and Fees: $6,730.20/year (resident); $11,930.40/year (non-resident)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Graduate assistantships, federal aid (FAFSA)

PhD in Information Systems Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Minimum GPA of 3.0
• Knowledge of business fundamentals and information systems 

Founded in 1836, Emory University is one of the nation's leading research universities. In 2021, its research awards totaled $894.7 million, making Emory one of the top research universities in the nation regarding research activity. Additionally, it is well known for its graduate programs in its seven graduate and professional schools.  

PhD in Information Systems and Operations Management

Emory University’s PhD in Information Systems has two tracks, one in information systems and the other in operations management. Students of the program will write and present research papers, complete coursework, and work with faculty members to develop new research. At the close of the program, students present and defend their dissertation to earn their degrees.

PhD in Information Systems and Operations Management Overview

• Program Length: 5 years
• Tuition: $57,120/year 
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Scholarships, stipends, research support

PhD in Information Systems and Operations Management Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree from an accredited institution
• GRE/GMAT scores
• TOEFL scores (non-native English speakers)
• Statement of purpose
• Application fee: $75

Founded in 1851, Florida State University is among the most respected research universities in the nation. It has been named a tier-one research university by the Carnegie Foundation, and in 2021 its total research expenditure came to $328.6 million. Its offerings include PhDs in Art, Business, Engineering, and Computer Science.

PhD in Business Administration With a Major in Management Information Systems

Florida State University’s PhD in Business Administration program is extremely selective, only admitting two to three candidates every year. Its study program offers core courses in mathematics and statistics as well as support courses in subjects like econometrics and accounting. In addition, the program includes research milestones such as publishing research papers and working on projects with faculty.  

PhD in Business Administration With a Major in Management Information Systems Overview

• Program Length: 4 years
• Tuition and Fees: $479.32 /credit (resident); $1,110.72/credit (non-resident)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Scholarships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships

PhD in Business Administration With a Major in Management Information Systems Admission Requirements

• 3 letters of recommendation
• Curriculum vitae (CV)/resume
• Transcripts

Iowa State University is a public university that was founded in 1858 to create and disseminate knowledge. It offers several graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in everything from agriculture to aerospace engineering. Over the past five years, it has received more than $1.2 billion in research funding, which it uses to create new knowledge. 

PhD in Information Systems and Business Analytics

This 74-credit program prepares you for an academic career by providing the skills you need for scholarly research. In addition to its seminars in statistics and relevant core courses, it also teaches research methodology. There are several specializations to explore, including Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, and Marketing.

PhD in Information Systems and Business Analytics Overview

• Program Length: 4-5 years
• Tuition: $6,491/semester (resident); $14,490/semester (non-resident)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Tuition waiver, half-time assistantship, annual stipend

PhD in Information Systems and Business Analytics Admission Requirements

Since its establishment by Russell Conwell in 1884, Temple University has evolved from a night school to an elite, Carnegie Foundation-designated R1 research university. With a yearly research expenditure of over $290 million, Temple University tackles real-world problems to improve human life. The research culture runs through the 60-plus doctoral programs it offers across its 12 schools and colleges. 

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Management Information Systems

Temple University designed this program to prepare students for academic and research careers. It consists of 54 credit hours of seminars, core courses, and research courses. For this degree, you'll prepare research papers, take qualifying exams, and develop and present your dissertation. 

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Management Information Systems Overview

• Tuition and Fees: $920/credit (resident); $1,262/credit (non-resident)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Research assistantship, teaching assistantship, travel stipends

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Management Information Systems Admission Requirements

• Letters of reference
• Statement of goals
• Resume 

Texas Tech University , founded in 1923, has grown its offerings to include 100 graduate degrees and 50 doctoral degrees across its 13 colleges and schools. In 2015, the Carnegie Foundation named Texas Tech an R1 “very high research activity” university. The school offers PhD programs in exciting research areas. 

This PhD program creates high-level researchers with expertise in management information systems. The program requires a minimum of 54 credit hours, which includes core MIS courses,  theory and research methods courses, and electives. Like most PhD in Management Information Systems programs, research papers and the writing and defending of a dissertation are also required.

• Tuition and Fees: $14,007/year (resident); $21,534/year (non-resident)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Assistantships, scholarships, research grants
• GMAT scores
• Essay 

The University of Maryland-Baltimore County is one of the nation’s leading universities, as recognized by both US News & World Report and Times Higher Education. Additionally, it has received the highest ranking in research activity from the Carnegie Foundation. Established in 1966, the university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including 24 PhD programs.

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This PhD program at UMBC has five major requirements: seminars, courses, a comprehensive exam, a proposal defense, and a dissertation. Students must attend a minimum of four seminars, complete advanced coursework covering a wide range of relevant topics, and pass the comprehensive exam to become admitted as doctoral candidates. Admission to candidacy means that the real work begins, which involves completing and defending your dissertation.

• Program Length: 9 years (maximum)
• Tuition and Fees: $850/credit (resident); $1,352/credit (non-resident)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Teaching assistantship, research assistantship
• Deep understanding of the design, development, analysis, and/or use of computer-based information systems
• Official transcripts 

Being one of the nation's largest academic institutions, the University of North Texas provides undergraduate and graduate education programs to the Denton and greater Texas area. Established in 1890, this Carnegie Foundation-designated tier-one research university offers programs in the arts, technology, and the sciences. 

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Business Computer Information Systems

You must complete 33 hours of coursework and 12 hours of research to fulfill UNT's PhD in Business Administration credit hour requirements. The coursework develops your skills in logic and research methodology, preparing you for a research career. Once you pass the qualifying exams, you can begin your doctoral research under the supervision of expert faculty.

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Business Computer Information Systems Overview

• Program Length: 8 years (maximum)
• Acceptance Rate: 10.5%
• Tuition and Fees: $7,076.07/12-credit semester (resident); $11,972.07/12-credit semester (out of state)
• PhD Funding Opportunities: Tuition waivers, fellowships, scholarships, assistantships

PhD in Business Administration With a Concentration in Business Computer Information Systems Admission Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree
• Graduate application and $75 fee
• Resume/CV 

Can You Get a PhD in Information Systems Management Online?

Yes, you can get a PhD in Information Systems Management online. Another online degree option is the online PhD in Information Technology . An online degree program is either fully online or hybrid, so be sure to choose one that matches your preferences. Online classes are more convenient for those with work or family responsibilities In the section below, we’ve detailed some of the best online graduate programs available.

Best Online PhD Programs in Information Systems Management

How long does it take to get a phd in information systems management.

It typically takes four to six years of full-time study to get a PhD in Information Systems Management. The coursework alone takes about one to two years to complete, while the dissertation can last upward of three years.

Some programs allow students to enroll as part-time students, but most require full-time study. Full-time students often complete their PhD program in four to five years, while part-timers take closer to six years, with most programs having a time limit of seven to 10 years.

Is a PhD in Information Systems Management Hard?

Yes, a PhD in Information Systems Management is hard. As it is an extremely specialized degree with very rigorous coursework, you will need a strong background in information technology to succeed. Students who don’t have a strong understanding of the fundamentals will experience a very sharp learning curve that might make it difficult to complete the program.

Additionally, you need a strong aptitude in research methods to earn your PhD in Information Systems Management. You will be required to complete original research that satisfies the experts on your dissertation committee. However, earning this degree is possible with adequate determination and preparation.

How Much Does It Cost to Get a PhD in Information Systems Management?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, getting a PhD in Information Systems Management costs an average of $19,792 per year in tuition and fees. Private institutions are more expensive, reaching $26,597 per year, while public schools average $12,410 per year.

Note that tuition varies by state, type of program, and university, so the cost of your program may be substantially higher or lower than the national average. Consult the school directly for comprehensive information on the exact tuition and fees applicable to your program.

How to Pay for a PhD in Information Systems Management: PhD Funding Options

The PhD funding options that students can use to pay for a PhD in Information Systems Management include loans and research grants. Additionally, you can find scholarships for graduate students or apply for fellowships and teaching or research assistantships.

Best Online Master’s Degrees

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What Is the Difference Between an Information Systems Management Master’s Degree and PhD?

The differences between an information systems management master’s degree and PhD are the program length, program focus, and career opportunities each provides. A master’s degree runs an average of two years, while a PhD takes four to six years to complete, or longer. Additionally, while PhDs are more research-intensive, master’s degrees focus mainly on coursework.

A master’s degree equips students with specialized knowledge and skills that they can use to tackle complex problems regarding information networks. On the other hand, a PhD allows graduates to pursue further research as well as university teaching positions.

Master’s vs PhD in Information Systems Management Job Outlook

Information systems management master’s degree jobs deal with the design and maintenance of information systems. A good example is a computer systems analyst, a job that is projected to grow by seven percent over the next decade , according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

On the other hand, those with a PhD in Information Systems Management often work in the academic and research worlds. A good example is a post-secondary computer science teacher, whose job outlook is more favorable, according to BLS, with 12 percent projected growth between 2020 and 2030 .

Difference in Salary for Information Systems Management Master’s vs PhD

The average master’s degree holder in information systems management earns a salary of $86,000, according to PayScale. Meanwhile, PayScale reports that holders of a PhD in Information Systems Management earn an average salary of $141,000.

This means that, on average, holders of a PhD in Information Systems Management can expect to earn more than $50,000 more per year than their counterparts with a master’s degree. This huge pay gap is explainable by the fact that, while a master’s degree develops students’ skills in IT, a PhD does the same but also instills in students advanced research and creative-thinking skills for solving complex problems.

Related Information Systems Management Degrees

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Why You Should Get a PhD in Information Systems Management

You should get a PhD in Information Systems Management because it provides you with the specialized skills to solve emerging information systems problems. It will also expose you to numerous research opportunities and help you meet your career goals. The section below highlights the top reasons why you should pursue a PhD in Information Systems Management.

Reasons for Getting a PhD in Information Systems Management

• Career opportunities. An information systems management PhD program is worth it because it opens up more career opportunities for students than a bachelor’s or master’s degree does. In addition to the entry- and mid-level jobs you can get with other degrees, a PhD also gives you access to high-level, research-intensive careers with more freedom to pursue your own ideas.
• Research opportunities. Getting a PhD in Information Systems Management is a great way to begin your research career. It exposes you to new research opportunities and provides an avenue for you to contribute to developing solutions to complex problems in your field.
• Advanced skills development. Since a PhD in Information Systems Management is an advanced, research-intensive degree, it exposes you to a wide variety of specialized and practical skills. This includes research skills as well as knowledge and hands-on experience in advanced statistics, information policy, human-computer interaction, and digital cultural heritage.
• Access to higher salaries. Professionals who have earned their PhD in Information Systems Management earn higher salaries. This is because they have the experience and skills needed for highly specialized roles in technical fields.

Getting a PhD in Information Systems Management: Information Systems Management PhD Coursework

In getting a PhD in Information Systems Management, you will be exposed to core subjects that cover advanced concepts and skills in the field. As a bonus, the average class size in a PhD program is substantially smaller than that of other degree programs. This section provides a brief description of courses common to information systems management PhD programs.

Information Systems

This course discusses the concepts, theories, and tools used in designing information systems to provide solutions to relevant business problems. It equips students with the knowledge of and skills in computational methods necessary for computer programming, networking, and database systems design.

Foundations of Programming

Computer programming plays a crucial role in business intelligence today, and in this course, you will learn about different concepts of programming and their practical application. This includes key skills needed for programming and software development emphasizing data theories and event-driven user interfaces.

Applied Statistics

This course teaches key concepts and theories in statistics and integrates them with information technology and management of technology. It covers the collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of data, and also topics delving into computer simulations and other statistical applications of data.

Information Retrieval

Handling and manipulating data is one of the key functions of an information systems security manager. In this course, you’ll learn advanced skills for safely retrieving and manipulating data. The majority of the course is practical and will occur in SQL. Examples of topics you’ll encounter include data control languages, looping, and branching.

Data Warehousing and Data Mining

Storing data involves multiple heterogeneous sources and can only be useful after consolidating them. As such, this course will teach you the main concepts, components, and architectures behind data warehousing. Additionally, you will learn how to use specialized algorithms to mine stored data.

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How to Get a PhD in Information Systems Management: Doctoral Program Requirements

Admission to an information systems management PhD program does not guarantee your degree. However, your odds improve if you understand all of the steps involved in earning a doctorate. The section below outlines the typical doctoral program requirements, but be sure to consult your school for your specific program requirements.

PhD students must attend a minimum number of seminars before graduating. These seminars explore the existing literature in information systems management and enrich your academic experience by exposing you to a wide variety of research projects. Additionally, through them, you can get ideas regarding which research areas to explore on your own. 

Each PhD in Information Systems Management comes with a coursework requirement that usually involves a minimum number of credit hours. You will work with a graduate advisor to draft out a plan of study made up of courses in alignment with your research and other education objectives. You must then complete all the courses in your study plan with a satisfactory grade before the time limit elapses. 

In preparation for your thesis, you must complete certain research milestones, often within the first and second years of your information systems management program. Usually, the milestones involve writing and submitting preliminary research papers or collaborating with a faculty member on a research project.

After completing your coursework, you must take and pass the comprehensive exam to become a doctoral candidate in the information systems management PhD program. This exam tests your knowledge of information systems and research methods, and determines your readiness to take on your thesis. 

Once you've decided on your research topic or area, you must then convince members of your dissertation committee that it is a worthwhile inquiry. That means writing a dissertation proposal, arguing for its merits in the proposal defense, and fielding any questions concerning the proposed study.

Your thesis, or dissertation, is an original research project representing your contribution to the information systems management knowledge pool and the last hurdle in your PhD program. You must complete and defend your thesis to the satisfaction of your dissertation committee to earn your PhD in Information Systems Management.

Potential Careers With an Information Systems Management Degree

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PhD in Information Systems Management Salary and Job Outlook

Information systems management PhD jobs are relevant and will remain so for the foreseeable future. In fact, data from the BLS reveals that most information systems management PhD jobs will grow between eight and 25 percent over the next decade.

Information systems management jobs are also very lucrative, with the BLS reporting that professionals in this field earn an average salary of $159,010 . It further reports that the lowest-paid workers in information systems management PhD jobs earn less than $95,220 while the top earners have salaries in excess of $208,000.

What Can You Do With a PhD in Information Systems Management?

With a PhD in Information Systems Management, you can work in research and academia, either in the private sector or government. Additionally, a PhD in Information Systems Management allows you to become a leader in your field. Your career options extend to jobs like chief information officer, chief technology officer, data scientist, and academic researcher.

Best Jobs With a PhD in Information Systems Management

• Academic Researcher
• Data Scientist
• Chief Technology Officer
• Information Systems Director
• University Professor

What Is the Average Salary for a PhD in Information Systems Management? 

According to PayScale, the average salary for a PhD in Information Systems Management holder is $141,000. That figure will fluctuate based on your experience, as veteran professionals tend to earn substantially more than entry-level professionals, as well as your specific job title.

Highest-Paying Information Systems Management Jobs for PhD Grads

Best information systems management jobs with a doctorate.

The best information systems management jobs with a doctorate pay lucrative salaries, have a strong job outlook, and allow you to pursue research in your chosen field. The section below will introduce you to some of these jobs, explain what they entail, provide their job outlook and salary, and list the states that currently pay the most to these professionals.

Computer and information systems managers design, implement, and upgrade computer systems to help organizations meet their information technology goals. They install computer systems, ensure network security, and perform regular maintenance on computer systems. Additionally, they look for ways they can improve organizational productivity with technology. 

• Salary with an Information Systems Management PhD: $159,010
• Job Outlook: 11% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 42,400
• Highest-Paying States: New York, California, New Jersey, Washington, Washington DC

Recent years have seen massive growth in information technology, and we largely owe this to computer information research scientists. They constantly push the boundaries of the known by experimenting with computing languages, software, and hardware to develop new technology or new uses for existing technology.

• Salary with an Information Systems Management PhD: $131,490
• Job Outlook: 22% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 3,200
• Highest-Paying States: Oregon, Arizona, Texas, Massachusetts, Washington

The main function of database administrators is to maintain an organized, efficient, and reliable information system. Additionally, they ensure that sensitive information is secure from unauthorized use and properly backed up to prevent data loss. They also perform periodic maintenance such as removing irrelevant information and updating permissions.

• Salary with an Information Systems Management PhD: $98,860
• Job Outlook: 8% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 13,900
• Highest-Paying States: New Jersey, Massachusetts, Washington, New York, Rhode Island

Operations research analysts are decision-makers and problem-solvers. Using their extensive knowledge of data, mathematics, and logic, they identify issues in the existing system and develop action plans to solve them. Their responsibilities in the organization usually center around collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data.

• Salary with an Information Systems Management PhD: $82,360
• Job Outlook: 25% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 10,200
• Highest-Paying States: Virginia, Alabama, Maryland, Hawaii, New York

Postsecondary computer science teachers may work in a college, university, or professional school, and their job is to train students in computer science. Since they work in academia, they constantly attend conferences to keep abreast of new developments in their field. Some even conduct experiments and contribute to the knowledge of their subject.

• Salary with an Information Systems Management PhD: $77,910
• Job Outlook: 12% job growth from 2020 to 2030
• Number of Jobs: 139,600
• Highest-Paying States: California, Oregon, Washington DC, New York, Massachusetts

Is a PhD in Information Systems Management Worth It?

Yes, a PhD in Information Systems Management is worth it. Not only is the job market growing, but you can also secure high-paying jobs with this degree. Additionally, you’ll get to define your research area, work under expert faculty, and make lasting and important contributions to the field of information technology.

To do all of this, you’ll need to get your degree from one of the best PhD programs that the nation has to offer. That means meeting their admission requirements and securing funding to finance your education. Furthermore, you must complete the required coursework, carry out original research, and successfully conduct your dissertation defense.

Additional Reading About Information Systems Management

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PhD in Information Systems Management FAQ

The best schools offering PhDs in Information Systems Management are accredited by a regional accreditation body. Some of the most popular ones are the Higher Learning Commission, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The major difference between a PhD and DBA in Information Systems Management is that while a PhD prepares you for academic and research careers, a DBA is more of a professional doctoral program. Also, while the PhD focuses on theoretical issues and uncovering knowledge, the DBA applies them in the field to real-world problems.

No, you don’t need a master’s degree to apply for a PhD in Information Systems Management program. Many PhD programs have master’s courses built in, so a bachelor’s degree will suffice in most cases. If you’ve completed a master’s degree, you may be able to skip the master’s-level courses in your PhD program and earn your degree quicker.

Yes, there are many information systems management professional associations you can join to give you a leg up in your career. Some of the best ones are the Association for Information Systems (AIS), Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), and the CompTIA Information Technology Association.

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PhD in Information Systems

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The Information Systems (IS) doctoral program is a research-based program where students work with world-renowned scholars to build skills that will prepare them for impactful careers as professors in information systems at business schools.

Overall, the doctoral program places a heavy emphasis on training students through active engagement in the research process. Students develop a strong foundation in research methods and statistics, while closely collaborating with multiple faculty members on research projects.

General details about the curriculum, requirements, and structure of the  program can be found here . Please be aware this document is not an exhaustive list of the requirements for the program.

Program Faculty

Our renowned, award-winning IS faculty are published experts on topics like:

Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning

Cybersecurity, Text Analytics and Face Recognition

Emerging Digital Technologies

Large Language Models (LLMs)

Machine Learning and Semantic/Lexical Analytics

Natural Language Processing

Tools and Methods for Making Sense of Large Data

David Dobolyi

Assistant Professor

Abram Handler

Associate Professor

Ramiro Montealegre

Assistant Professor • Information Analytics PhD Program Director

Program Graduates

The PhD program prepares students to be researchers and teachers at major universities. See where our graduates started their careers and published research.

• Publications
• Aakash Saxena PhD: 2020 Placement: Sykes Enterprises, Inc. Dissertation: A Method to Extract Context-Sensitive Semantics of a Concept Using Word-Embedding Space and Its Application  
• Jaebong Son  PhD: 2017 Placement - California State University Dissertation: What Have We Missed When Examining Twitter as a Communication Medium during Disasters  
• Jeffrey Sweeney  PhD: 2016 Placement: Erasmus University Dissertation: On Value Creation from Knowledge Management Systems  
• Jose Ramirez  PhD: 2015 Placement: United States Military Academy at West Point Dissertation: Essays on Military and Civilian Manpower Planning  
• Mark Zais  PhD: 2014 Placement: Office of the Secretary of Defense Dissertation: Simulation-Optimization, Markov Chain and Graph Coloring Approaches to Military Manpower Modeling and Deployment Sourcing  
• Subhamoy Ganguly PhD: 2013 Placement: Indian Institute of Management – Udaipur Dissertation: Essays in Scheduling: Applications in Health Care and Manufacturing  
• Jingjing Li  PhD: 2013 Placement: University of Virginia Dissertation: Addressing Information Proliferation: Applications of Information Extraction and Text Mining  
• Michele Samorani  PhD: 2012 Placement: University of Alberta, Canada Dissertation: Data Mining For Enhanced Operations Management Decision Making: Applications in Health Care  
• Tomasz Miaskiewicz  PhD: 2010 Initial Placement: The New University of Lisbon Current Placement: NOVA School of Business and Economics Dissertation: Bridging the Gap Between Consumers and Designers: The Role of Accurate and Effective Personas  
• Harald Reinertsen  PhD: 2010 Placement: Smith Stål Øst AS, Norway Dissertation: Optimization of the Industrial Cutting Stock Problems – Production Scheduling in a Dynamic Stochastic Environment  
• Zainab AlQenaei  PhD: 2009 Placement: Kuwait University Dissertation: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Consumer Mental Health Recovery Measures and Clinicians’ Reports Using Multivariate Analysis of the Singular Value Decomposition of a Textual Corpus  
• Marco Better  PhD: 2007 Placement: OptTek Systems, Inc. Dissertation: Data Mining Techniques for Prediction in Discrete Data Applications  
• Fang Liang  PhD: 2007 Placement: PROS Pricing Solutions Dissertation: The Hyperplan-Based Classification Techniques  
• Dirk Hovorka PhD: 2006 Placement: Bond University, Australia Dissertation: Information Systems Foundations: Four Research Essays  
• Rahul Patil  PhD: 2006 Placement: Indian Institute of Management Dissertation: Improved Techniques for Due Date Quotation in Realistic Production Environments  
• Emilio Collar  PhD: 2005 Placement: Western Connecticut State University Dissertation: An Investigation of Programming Code Textbase Readability Based on a Cognitive Readability Model  
• Younghwa Lee  PhD: 2005 Placement: University of Kansas Dissertation: Developing Theoretical Models of Website Usability  
• Mark W.S. Chun  PhD: 2003 Placement: Pepperdine University Dissertation: Embedded Knowledge, Embedded Information Systems: A Resource-Based Perspective on the System Integration Process During a Corporate Merger

Management Information Systems Quarterly   ( WITS 2016 Best Prototype Award ) Unlocking Knowledge Inheritance of Behavioral Research: A Design Framework and an Instantiation (Conditional acceptance) Jingjing Li—University of Virginia (PhD 2013) Kai Larsen –University of Colorado Boulder Ahmed Abbasi –University of Virginia

Information Systems Research Don’t Mention It? Analyzing User-generated Content Signals for Early Adverse Event Warnings   (2019) Ahmed Abbasi –University of Virginia Jingjing Li—University of Virginia (PhD 2013) Donald Adjeroh –West Virginia University Marie Abate—West Virginia University Wanhong Zheng –West Virginia University

MIS Quarterly      Information technology use as a learning mechanism: The impact of it  use on knowledge transfer effectiveness, absorptive capacity, and franchisee performance (2015) Kishen Iyengar - University of Colorado at Boulder Jeffrey R Sweeney - Maastricht University (PhD 2016) Ramiro Montealegre - University of Colorado at Boulder

MIS Quarterly      Can online wait be managed? The effect of filler interfaces and presentation modes on perceived waiting time online (2012) Younghwa Lee - University of Northern Iowa (PhD 2005) Andrew N.K. Chen - University of Kansas Virgina Ilie - California Luthern University

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Research requirements

Teaching Requirements

Department of Technology, Operations, and Statistics | Doctoral Program in Information Systems

Doctoral program in information systems.

• Overview of the Doctoral Program in Information Systems

Program Requirements

Doctoral Courses

• Doctoral Students and their Research
• Information Systems Faculty

Overview of the IS Doctoral Program

Mission: To educate and train scholars who will produce first-rate IS research and who will succeed as faculty members in first-rate universities. We offer tracks in technical perspectives on IS, economic perspectives on IS, and organizational/management perspectives on IS. Admissions and performance: We enroll an average of three students each year out of more than 100 highly qualified applicants. Students enrolling typically have GMATS over 700 or GREs over 1400. International students typically have TOEFLs higher than 640. Our students are highly competitive within Stern and nationally. Recently our students have received school-wide awards as "outstanding doctoral students." They have won acceptance at doctoral consortia sponsored by the Academy of Management and the International Conference on Information Systems. And they have won national dissertation research competitions.

Advising and evaluation: The IS doctoral program faculty director advises all first-year doctoral students. During the first year students have many opportunities to get to know the research interests of all departmental faculty. By the beginning of the second year, students have selected a concentration advisor who will guide them through the comprehensive exam process and up to the thesis stage. By the middle of the third year students will have selected a thesis advisor. Each year every student submits a statement of intellectual progress to his/her advisor. All faculty meet to review the progress of all students in a day-long meeting each year. At this time, the student's intellectual progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. The results of this review include a formal letter to the student assessing the previous year's work and offering guidance for the following year's work. All students take a comprehensive written and oral exam at the end of the second year. Students defend their thesis proposal by March of their fourth year and defend their completed dissertation at the end of the fourth year or during the fifth year.

Research and interaction with faculty: The heart of the IS doctoral program is immersion in a community of researchers. Every student has a formal research apprenticeship with one or more faculty members each year. Every student participates in formal and informal research seminars each week with departmental faculty and visitors. Every student presents research in progress and works toward producing publishable papers, usually with a faculty co-author. Students learn to be researchers by doing research. They learn to be research colleagues by working with others and critiquing their research.

Placement record: In the past ten years, our graduates have accepted faculty positions at such schools as University of California at Berkeley, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, University of Texas at Austin, the University of British Columbia, National University of Singapore, The Wharton School and the University of Cambridge, UK.   Please click on the links on the right to learn how to apply, to attend an information session, and to contact the Stern School Doctoral Office. 

Natalia Levina Coordinator, Information Systems Doctoral Program IOMS Department

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All students take a common core of courses during their first year which provides an overview of the major research areas in IS and the fundamental knowledge necessary for specialized course work in the second year. In the second year students take specialized course work in one of three concentrations: technical perspectives, economic perspectives, behavioral/managerial perspectives.  

Mandatory Breadth Courses (3)

• Behavioral Research Methods
• Micro-economics
• Technical Foundations
• Each student is required to take 1 Probability and 1 Statistics course, from a list of approved courses.
• Technical Research in IS
• Economics Research in IS
• Behavioral/Managerial Research in IS
• Research Apprenticeship

YEAR TWO - Each student chooses one concentration track

Technical Track:

• A programming requirement, may be satisfied in a variety of ways
• Honors Analysis of Algorithms
• Artificial Intelligence
• Optimization
• Database Systems
• Machine Learning/Data Mining
• Other courses based on student's interest
• Research apprenticeship

Economics Track:

• Mathematical Methods for Economists
• Econometrics
• Game Theory
• Students will take elective courses in the Stern Economics Department, at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, in Operations Management, Statistics, or at Courant as specified in consultation with the advisor

Behavioral/Managerial Track:

• Any two of the following four Stern Management Department Courses
• Organizational Behavior
• Managerial Cognition
• Organizational Theory
• At least one research methods or statistics course beyond the first year courses.
• Students may take doctoral level courses in Psychology, Sociology, Political Science, Public Policy, History, Education, or Law.
• Electives in the area of interest
• Thesis research
• Teaching apprenticeship (in year 3 or 4)
• Teaching one course (in year 3 or 4)
• INFO-GB.3345 (B20.3345)  Doctoral Seminar in Digital Economics  (offered in Spr 2012) This course introduces students to scientific paradigms and research perspectives related to the economics of information technologies. Topics in 2012 include information goods, piracy, digital rights management, network economics, sponsored search auctions, user-generated content, contagion in networks, technological innovation, IT productivity, the digital commons and online privacy.  
• INFO-GB.3382 (B20.3382)  Research Seminar on IT and Organizations: Social Perspectives (offered in Spr 2012) The course introduces students to sociological and organizational literature on the role of Information Technology in organizations and society.  
• INFO-GB.3383 (B20.3383)  Networks, Crowds & Markets   
• INFO-GB.3386 (B20.3386)  Technical Foundations of IS  
• INFO-GB.3355 (B20.3355)  Behavioral Research Methods  
• INFO-GB.3391 (B20.3391)  Research Seminar in Data Science   (offered in Spr 2012) In this course we will take a deep dive into selected topics in data science. The focus will be two-fold. First, we will read textbook segments, classic papers, and new research, with the goal of understanding research in data science. Second, we will study the actual practical application of data science methods to extract knowledge from large-scale data. We will cover topics such as machine learning, data mining, information retrieval, text classification, sentiment analysis, similarity analysis, network analysis, graphical models, Bayesian models, topic models, model evaluation, crowd-sourcing and micro-outsourcing, massive-scale data processing, reducing data for analytic purposes, and more. The selection of which topics are covered in a particular semester will be based on: (i) the current research and business environments, (ii) the research interests of the IS faculty, and (iii) the interests of the students in that semester. We also will discuss applications that are of current interest, such as recommender systems, social-network marketing, online advertising, Mechanical Turking, and more.

Questions about the PhD Program in Information Systems?

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The School of Information is UC Berkeley’s newest professional school. Located in the center of campus, the I School is a graduate research and education community committed to expanding access to information and to improving its usability, reliability, and credibility while preserving security and privacy.

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The School of Information offers four degrees:

The Master of Information Management and Systems (MIMS) program educates information professionals to provide leadership for an information-driven world.

The Master of Information and Data Science (MIDS) is an online degree preparing data science professionals to solve real-world problems. The 5th Year MIDS program is a streamlined path to a MIDS degree for Cal undergraduates.

The Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) is an online degree preparing cybersecurity leaders for complex cybersecurity challenges.

Our Ph.D. in Information Science is a research program for next-generation scholars of the information age.

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The School of Information's courses bridge the disciplines of information and computer science, design, social sciences, management, law, and policy. We welcome interest in our graduate-level Information classes from current UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students and community members.  More information about signing up for classes.

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Research by faculty members and doctoral students keeps the I School on the vanguard of contemporary information needs and solutions.

The I School is also home to several active centers and labs, including the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) , the Center for Technology, Society & Policy , and the BioSENSE Lab .

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Ph.D. in Information Science

Ph.d. community.

Ph.D. students are knowledge architects and respected contributors to our information society, with a vision of expanding access to quality information, an appreciation for diverse perspectives, and the spirit of collaboration.

You Belong at Berkeley

The I School is a welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds, nations, cultures, and experiences.

The doctoral program is a research-oriented program in which the student chooses specific fields of specialization, prepares sufficiently in the literature and the research of those fields to pass a qualifying examination, and completes original research culminating in the written dissertation. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is conferred in recognition of a candidate's grasp of a broad field of learning and distinguished accomplishment in that field through contribution of an original piece of research revealing high critical ability and powers of imagination and synthesis.

The Ideal Place for Breakthrough Thinking

School of Information offers an ideal environment for information scholars , on the campus of a preeminent, forward-thinking research institution .

Dedicated to cross-disciplinary research, breakthrough thinking, and creative collaboration, the I School actively shapes the information frontier and has a track record of scholarly ideas, solutions, and policy counsel that make information more accessible, manageable, and useful.

Rigorous academics instill the theoretical and research capabilities required to advance diverse interests — from information design, architecture, and assurance, to human-computer interaction and the social, economic, and public policy implications of information. Ph.D. students work closely with faculty recognized as information pioneers.

Interdisciplinary thinking and partnership are central to the I School approach, so doctoral research often engages exceptional UC Berkeley schools and departments beyond the I School, from journalism, business, and law to computing, engineering, humanities, and social sciences.

On average, I School students complete the Ph.D. degree in 6 years.

• Semester 1–4 : Breadth, major, & minor coursework
• Semester 4–5 : Prelim research paper & exam
• Semester 6–8 : Qualifying exam
• Semester 10–12 : Complete & present dissertation

Detailed degree requirements & timeline

Areas of Study

Major and minor areas include:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Information Economics and Policy
• Information Law and Policy
• Information Organization and Retrieval
• Information Systems Design
• Social Aspects of Information
• Information and Communication Technologies and Development

Your Career

I School Ph.D. graduates go on to careers in academia, industry, or the public sector.

Recent Ph.D. graduates hold tenure-track faculty positions at the world’s leading universities, as well as leading research positions in industry, academia, and public-interest organizations.

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PhD in Information Systems

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The PhD program in information systems (IS) prepares students for an academic career of scholarly research and university-level teaching.

From studying human-computer interaction, online reviews and social media design, to IS implementations and strategy, doctoral students explore real-world IS problems using a variety of methods, including surveys, experiments, archival data analysis , and analytics.

Message from the Coordinator

The Information Systems (IS) PhD takes a theory-inspired and practice-engaged approach to research, in order to understand how individuals, organizations and communities develop, design, use, and are affected by, information systems. We want our doctoral students to investigate relevant and interesting IS phenomena grounded in the IS discipline, and be intellectually curious, rigorous, critical and creative in their approach to research problems and research designs.

Research in our program targets the intersection of (1) implementation, design, and use of information systems, and (2) business and societal domains of their application, to produce research that can make a difference to theory, and practice and/or policy making. Our faculty’s research encompasses on a variety of technologies (e.g., ranking algorithms, social media and AI applications), domains of application (e.g., online communities and algorithmic work), and methods (experiments, secondary data analysis, surveys) . Our course work focuses on a strong theoretical and methodological foundation in the IS discipline, combined with an understanding of how IS are applied to the pressing issues of our time. We investigate research problems that can make a difference to organizations and/or society, bringing to bear methods that combine the power of different kinds of data. Our goal is to develop outstanding researchers and teachers who will make substantive contributions to scholarship and knowledge creation, and to place them in academic research institutions.

Our doctoral program is successful because it offers:

• World-class faculty who actively research, publish and shape-steer the scholarship in the top IS journals
• Collaborative and creative intellectual community that supports doctoral student scholarly development
• Comprehensive, rigorous and relevant coursework that equips students with the theories, concepts and methods needed to investigate IS problems
• Individual attention from multiple faculty members to support students in early research endeavors and multiple publication opportunities
• Preparation for the IS academic job market
• Exposure to the IS research community from around the world through support for traveling to international conferences (AMCIS, ICIS, HICSS, ECIS, etc.) and on-campus research talks

We welcome applications from individuals who have a strong academic record, are eager to investigate, why and how IS are developed, deployed and used, and aim to pursue a scholarly career in academia. Relevant industry experience can be an advantage, but it is not a must.

Monideepa Tarafdar Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Professor and PhD Coordinator in Information Systems

The PhD program in information systems (IS) prepares students for an academic career of scholarly research and university-level teaching. From studying human-computer interaction, online reviews and social media design, to IS implementations and strategy, doctoral students explore real-world IS problems using a variety of methods, including surveys, experiments, archival data analysis, and analytics.

Teaching instruction is provided, and students are provided with teaching opportunities to support their development as world class business instructors.

Our program offers access to a unique group of world-class faculty who conduct research in the following areas:

• Human-computer interaction; decision support systems and online decision-making
• Website design and signaling; Online consumer impulsiveness; B2C electronic commerce strategy
• Social media affordances; online reviews; ranking algorithms
• Societal impacts such as social media driven online activism and social protest
• Algorithms, AI, bias and transparency
• IS use and post-adoptive cognitions, emotions, and behaviors (both negative and positive)
• Big data analytics use and strategy
• IS and wellbeing
• Healthcare systems implementation and use

Students generally complete a PhD in Information Systems within 4-5 years, beginning their studies in the fall semester. Students must take 45 credits of coursework, building foundational knowledge in information Systems and Research Methods before taking minor and elective courses. The program includes a first year core exam (summer paper); a comprehensive examination generally taken after completing the second year; a 3-course teaching requirement and a dissertation.

Research in information systems draws from a number of fields including psychology, sociology, human-computer interaction, computer science, marketing, management and sociology.  Topics of study include:

• Theories and concepts in the IS discipline
• Research methods (experiments, surveys, big data analysis, statistics, econometrics)
• Domains in the IS discipline (e.g. Human-computer interaction, post adoptive use, negative psychological, behavioral and societal effects of IS, algorithmic work, artificial intelligence and related concepts, social media driven phenomenon and online communities)
• Theories in psychology, management and sociology

YEAR 1: Coursework, including core courses; Core exam (summer paper)

YEAR 2: Coursework, including core courses, research electives and minor area courses; Comprehensive exam

YEAR 3: Development of dissertation proposal; Teaching; Additional coursework as needed;

YEAR 4-5: Dissertation; Teaching

IS Doctoral Candidates

Department of Information Systems

College of engineering and information technology, doctor of philosophy in information systems.

The Graduate School at UMBC is located in the heart of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, a premier location known for its flourishing tech industry.

Our Ph.D. is one of the few programs that approaches Information Systems in a holistic sense, including the social and political elements of building and maintaining complex, large-scale systems. We have a diverse, multicultural faculty and student body that practices an interdisciplinary and applied approach to Information Systems.

Our well-renowned full-time faculty is involved with a wide variety of externally funded projects and they are also proudly featured in top scholarly venues.

Admission Requirements

•  The majority of successful applicants have an undergraduate GPA well above 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• The IS Ph.D. program builds on an understanding of the design, development, analysis, and use of computer-based information systems. Successful applicants will have demonstrated aptitude and/or interest in one or more of these areas. In addition, applicants should have or be willing to acquire the necessary competence in some of the following areas depending on their research concentration: statistical analysis, experimental design, programming, databases and data mining, computational analysis, in order to conduct sophisticated research at the doctoral level.

We currently accept Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), and PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English). The minimum acceptable combined TOEFL score is 550 (written), 213 (computer based) or 80 (iBT-Internet based). The TOEFL code for UMBC is  5835 . For IELTS, the minimum acceptable total score is 6.5. A minimum score of 53 is required on the PTE Academic test. We will also accept Duolingo English test. The minimum required score is 115.

• GRE scores are optional: The IS department is multi-disciplinary with faculty of varied research interests. While the GRE is not required, it is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your capabilities. The importance of the GRE in the admissions process may vary substantially by subject area. Whether or not you submit the GREs, you are required to demonstrate analytical and writing skills as described in the second bullet in the SOP section.
• What research area are you interested in? Why would you like to work in that particular area?  What aspects of your background will prepare you to work in that area? What are your career goals? What prior experience do you have in conducting/assisting in research?
• You are required to demonstrate analytical and writing skills, for example, through GREs, industry experience, research experience, certifications, challenging professional or academic projects, coursework performance, papers or articles published, achievements in national or international contests, hackathons, and/or code/visualizations you have created. You can use additional documents to show evidence of some of these qualities.
• Also, look on the web for information about the professors and their research. Indicate which research area(s) you are interested in working in, perhaps commenting on the interdisciplinary nature of your interests.
• You are strongly encouraged to contact individual faculty members with whom you are interested in working and discuss with them about your background and interests.
• Three letters of recommendation
• Official transcripts of all post-secondary schools (Electronic Transcripts: If you are submitting transcripts electronically, please forward to Kathie Nee, [email protected], for domestic applications and to Scott Philips, [email protected],  for international applications.
• The UMBC Graduate School will accept official WES ICAP Course-by-Course evaluations as fulfillment of the requirement for official transcripts in the admissions process.

The deadlines for the Ph.D. program are:

• Fall semester: January 7
• Spring semester: September 1

All application materials must be submitted by the deadline. Only applications that are complete by the deadline, with all required documents, are considered. Upon request, incomplete applications will be kept open for the following semester’s admission decisions.

If you need any further information please contact Shannon Carey (Keegan), Graduate Programs Manager, [email protected] .

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Information science: phd.

About the Program

The doctoral program.

The doctoral program in Information Management and Systems is a research-oriented program in which the student chooses specific fields of specialization, prepares sufficiently in the literature and the research of those fields to pass a qualifying examination, and completes original research culminating in the written dissertation. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is conferred in recognition of a candidate's grasp of a broad field of learning and distinguished accomplishment in that field through the contribution of an original piece of research revealing high critical ability and powers of imagination and synthesis.

The I School also offers a master's in Information Management and Systems (MIMS), a master's in  Information and Data Science  (MIDS), and a master's in  Information and Cybersecurity (MICS).

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Admission to the PhD Program

We welcome students from a diverse set of backgrounds; some will be technically educated, some educated in the humanities and social sciences.

The I School typically accepts 3-7 PhD students each year from more than 100 applications. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty.

Applicants are evaluated holistically on a number of factors. A strong academic record is important, but not sufficient. A critical factor is the ability to demonstrate a research record and agenda that fit well with specific I School faculty. In a small, interdisciplinary program, it is important that applicants clearly indicate in their Statement of Purpose which faculty member(s) they are interested in researching with, and why.

To be eligible to apply to the PhD in Information Management and Systems program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

A bachelor's degree or its recognized equivalent from an accredited institution.

Superior scholastic record, normally well above a 3.0 GPA.

Indication of appropriate research goals, described in the Statement of Purpose.

For applicants whose academic work has been in a language other than English, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Not required: GRE/GMAT. Starting Fall 2021, we no longer require the GRE or GMAT. We recommend you put your time and effort towards the required application materials.

Further  information about I School Ph.D. Admissions  can be found on the I School website. 

Applying for Graduate Admission

Thank you for considering UC Berkeley for graduate study! UC Berkeley offers more than 120 graduate programs representing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary scholarship. A complete list of graduate academic departments, degrees offered, and application deadlines can be found on the Graduate Division website .

Prospective students must submit an online application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental materials specific to the program for which they are applying. The online application can be found on the Graduate Division website .

Admission Requirements

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;

A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and

Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.

For a list of requirements to complete your graduate application, please see the Graduate Division’s Admissions Requirements page . It is also important to check with the program or department of interest, as they may have additional requirements specific to their program of study and degree. Department contact information can be found here .

Where to apply?

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page .

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Program design.

The School of Information is an interdisciplinary school examining the design, organization, and management of information and information systems. The School of Information draws on the expertise not only of its own faculty but of the full Berkeley campus. We encourage students to take full advantage of being at this world-class University and not feel bound by disciplinary boundaries.

The PhD degree program at the School of Information is a research program. Each student is expected to work with his or her adviser to ensure that the program of study includes:

• A thorough understanding of research methods and research design.
• The ability to review current research critically.
• The ability to understand emerging trends from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Expected PhD Timeline:

• Semester 1:  Identify a faculty adviser
• Semesters 1–4:  Complete breadth courses; complete major and minor requirements
• Semester 4:  Complete the preliminary research paper
• Semester 5:  Complete preliminary exam
• Semester 6–8:  Complete qualifying exam; advance to candidacy
• Four semesters after qualifying exam:  Complete dissertation and give presentation

Please refer to  the School of Information website  for more information.

Breadth Courses

Major/Minor Areas

Related Courses

Info 201 research design and applications for data and analysis 3 units.

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Introduces the data sciences landscape, with a particular focus on learning data science techniques to uncover and answer the questions students will encounter in industry. Lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments will teach how to apply disciplined, creative methods to ask better questions, gather data, interpret results, and convey findings to various audiences. The emphasis throughout is on making practical contributions to real decisions that organizations will and should make. Course must be taken for a letter grade to fulfill degree requirements. Research Design and Applications for Data and Analysis: Read More [+]

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: One and one-half hours of lecture per week.

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Information/Graduate

Grading: Letter grade.

Research Design and Applications for Data and Analysis: Read Less [-]

INFO 202 Information Organization and Retrieval 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course introduces the intellectual foundations of information organization and retrieval: conceptual modeling, semantic representation, vocabulary and metadata design, classification, and standardization, as well as information retrieval practices, technology, and applications, including computational processes for analyzing information in both textual and non-textual formats. Information Organization and Retrieval: Read More [+]

Rules & Requirements

Prerequisites: Students should have a working knowledge of the Python programming language

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week.

Information Organization and Retrieval: Read Less [-]

INFO 203 Social Issues of Information 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This course is designed to be an introduction to the topics and issues associated with information and information technology and its role in society. Throughout the semester we will consider both the consequence and impact of technologies on social groups and on social interaction and how society defines and shapes the technologies that are produced. Students will be exposed to a broad range of applied and practical problems, theoretical issues, as well as methods used in social scientific analysis. The four sections of the course are: 1) theories of technology in society, 2) information technology in workplaces 3) automation vs. humans, and 4) networked sociability. Social Issues of Information: Read More [+]

Social Issues of Information: Read Less [-]

INFO 205 Information Law and Policy 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This course uses examples from various commercial domains—retail, health, credit, entertainment, social media, and biosensing/quantified self—to explore legal and ethical issues including freedom of expression, privacy, research ethics, consumer protection, information and cybersecurity, and copyright. The class emphasizes how existing legal and policy frameworks constrain, inform, and enable the architecture, interfaces, data practices, and consumer facing policies and documentation of such offerings; and, fosters reflection on the ethical impact of information and communication technologies and the role of information professionals in legal and ethical work. Information Law and Policy: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor required for nonmajors

Instructor: Mulligan

Information Law and Policy: Read Less [-]

INFO 206A Introduction to Programming and Computation 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course introduces the basics of computer programming that are essential for those interested in computer science, data science, and information management. Students will write their own interactive programs (in Python) to analyze data, process text, draw graphics, manipulate images, and simulate physical systems. Problem decomposition, program efficiency, and good programming style are emphasized throughout the course. Introduction to Programming and Computation: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 7.5 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Four hours of lecture per week for seven and one-half weeks.

Instructor: Farid

Introduction to Programming and Computation: Read Less [-]

INFO 206B Introduction to Data Structures and Analytics 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 The ability to represent, manipulate, and analyze structured data sets is foundational to the modern practice of data science. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of data structures and data analysis (in Python). Best practices for writing code are emphasized throughout the course. This course forms the second half of a sequence that begins with INFO 106. It may also be taken as a stand-alone course by any student that has sufficient Python experience. Introduction to Data Structures and Analytics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: INFO 206A or equivalent, or permission of instructor

Credit Restrictions: Course must be completed for a letter grade to fulfill degree requirements.

Formerly known as: Information 206

Introduction to Data Structures and Analytics: Read Less [-]

INFO 213 Introduction to User Experience Design 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course will provide an introduction to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Students will learn to apply design thinking to User Experience (UX) design, prototyping, & evaluation. The course will also cover special topic areas within HCI. Introduction to User Experience Design: Read More [+]

Introduction to User Experience Design: Read Less [-]

INFO 214 User Experience Research 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This course addresses concepts and methods of user experience research, from understanding and identifying needs, to evaluating concepts and designs, to assessing the usability of products and solutions. We emphasize methods of collecting and interpreting qualitative data about user activities, working both individually and in teams, and translating them into design decisions. Students gain hands-on practice with observation, interview, survey , focus groups, and expert review. Team activities and group work are required during class and for most assignments. Additional topics include research in enterprise, consulting, and startup organizations, lean/agile techniques, mobile research approaches, and strategies for communicating findings. User Experience Research: Read More [+]

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

User Experience Research: Read Less [-]

INFO 215 Product Design Studio 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023 This course will give participants hands-on digital product design experience oriented around current industry practice. The course will be project-based with an emphasis on iteration, practice, and critique. During the course, participants will work on a series of design projects through a full design process, including developing appropriate design deliverables, gathering feedback, and iterating on designs. Product Design Studio: Read More [+]

Objectives & Outcomes

Course Objectives: The course objective is to provide students interested in web and mobile Product Design with skills, practice, and experience that will prepare them for careers in product design and design-related roles.

Prerequisites: DES INV 15 or COMPSCI 160 or INFO 213 AND INFO 214; or permission of the instructor. Students can take INFO 214 and INFO 215 concurrently, but students may not drop INFO 214 and remain in INFO 215

Formerly known as: Information Systems and Management 215

Product Design Studio: Read Less [-]

INFO 217A Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Research 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2021, Fall 2020 This course is a graduate-level introduction to HCI research. Students will learn to conduct original HCI research by reading and discussing research papers while collaborating on a semester-long research project. Each week the class will focus on a theme of HCI research and review foundational and cutting-edge research relevant to that theme. The class will focus on the following areas of HCI research: ubiquitous computing , social computing, critical theory, and human-AI interaction. In addition to these research topics the class will introduce common qualitative and quantitative methodologies in HCI research. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Research: Read More [+]

Instructor: Salehi

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Research: Read Less [-]

INFO 218 Concepts of Information 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2020 As it's generally used, "information" is a collection of notions, rather than a single coherent concept. In this course, we'll examine conceptions of information based in information theory, philosophy, social science, economics, and history. Issues include: How compatible are these conceptions; can we talk about "information" in the abstract? What work do these various notions play in discussions of literacy, intellectual property, advertising, and the political process? And where does this leave "information studies" and "the information society"? Concepts of Information: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing

Instructors: Duguid, Nunberg

Concepts of Information: Read Less [-]

INFO 225 Leadership and Management 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021 This course focuses on the practice of leadership, collaboration, and people management in contemporary, distributed, information and technology-rich organizations. Not just for potential people managers, this course is derived from the premise that a foundation in leadership, management, and collaboration is essential for individuals in all roles, at any stage of their career. To build this foundation we will take a hybrid approach, engaging literature from disciplines such as social psychology, management, and organizational behavior, as well as leveraging case studies and practical exercises. The course will place a special emphasis on understanding and reacting to social dynamics in workplace hierarchies and teams. Leadership and Management: Read More [+]

Leadership and Management: Read Less [-]

INFO 231 Decisions and Algorithms 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2013, Spring 2011 This class is for graduate students interested in getting an advanced understanding of judgments and decisions made with predictive algorithms. The course will survey the vast literature on the psychology of how people arrive at judgments and make decisions with the help of statistical information, focused mostly on experimental lab evidence from cognitive and social psychology. Then study the burgeoning evidence on how people use statistical algorithms in practice, exploring field evidence from a range of settings from criminal justice and healthcare to housing and labor markets. Special attention is paid to psychological principles that impact the effectiveness and fairness of algorithms deployed at scale. Decisions and Algorithms: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Help students understand systematic human errors and explore potential algorithmic solutions.

Decisions and Algorithms: Read Less [-]

INFO 233 Social Psychology and Information Technology 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Discusses application of social psychological theory and research to information technologies and systems; we focus on sociological social psychology, which largely focuses on group processes, networks, and interpersonal relationships. Information technologies considered include software systems used on the internet such as social networks, email, and social games, as well as specific hardware technologies such as mobile devices, computers , wearables, and virtual/augmented reality devices. We examine human communication practices, through the lens of different social psychology theories, including: symbolic interaction, identity theories, social exchange theory, status construction theory, and social networks and social structure theory. Social Psychology and Information Technology: Read More [+]

Instructor: Cheshire

Social Psychology and Information Technology: Read Less [-]

INFO 234 Information Technology Economics, Strategy, and Policy 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 This course applies economic tools and principles, including game theory, industrial organization, information economics, and behavioral economics, to analyze business strategies and public policy issues surrounding information technologies and IT industries. Topics include: economics of information goods, services, and platforms; economics of information and asymmetric information; economics of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data privacy, and peer production; strategic pricing; strategic complements and substitutes; competition and antitrust; Internet industry structure and regulation; network cascades, network formation, and network structure. Information Technology Economics, Strategy, and Policy: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: INFO234 is a graduate level course in the school's topical area of Information Economics and Policy, and can be taken by the masters and doctoral students to satisfy their respective degree requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes: Students will learn to identify, describe, and analyze business strategies and public policy issues of particular relevance to the information industry. Students will learn and apply economic tools and principles to analyze phenomena such as platform competition, social epidemics, and peer production, and current policy issues such as network neutrality and information privacy. Through integrated assignments and project work, the students will apply the theoretical concepts and analytic tools learned in lectures and readings to develop and evaluate a business model, product, or service of their choosing, e.g., a start-up idea they are pursuing.

Instructor: Chuang

Information Technology Economics, Strategy, and Policy: Read Less [-]

INFO 239 Technology and Delegation 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2019, Fall 2018 The introduction of technology increasingly delegates responsibility to technical actors, often reducing traditional forms of transparency and challenging traditional methods for accountability. This course explores the interaction between technical design and values including: privacy, accessibility, fairness, and freedom of expression. We will draw on literature from design, science and technology studies, computer science, law, and ethics, as well as primary sources in policy, standards and source code. We will investigate approaches to identifying the value implications of technical designs and use methods and tools for intentionally building in values at the outset. Technology and Delegation: Read More [+]

Technology and Delegation: Read Less [-]

INFO 241 Experiments and Causal Inference 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2022 This course introduces students to experimentation in data science. Particular attention is paid to the formation of causal questions, and the design and analysis of experiments to provide answers to these questions. This topic has increased considerably in importance since 1995, as researchers have learned to think creatively about how to generate data in more scientific ways, and developments in information technology has facilitated the development of better data gathering. Experiments and Causal Inference: Read More [+]

Experiments and Causal Inference: Read Less [-]

INFO 247 Information Visualization and Presentation 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 The design and presentation of digital information. Use of graphics, animation, sound, visualization software, and hypermedia in presenting information to the user. Methods of presenting complex information to enhance comprehension and analysis. Incorporation of visualization techniques into human-computer interfaces. Course must be completed for a letter grade to fulfill degree requirements. Information Visualization and Presentation: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: INFO 206B or knowledge of programming and data structures with consent of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of laboratory per week.

Instructor: Hearst

Information Visualization and Presentation: Read Less [-]

INFO 251 Applied Machine Learning 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 Provides a theoretical and practical introduction to modern techniques in applied machine learning. Covers key concepts in supervised and unsupervised machine learning, including the design of machine learning experiments, algorithms for prediction and inference, optimization, and evaluation. Students will learn functional, procedural, and statistical programming techniques for working with real-world data. Applied Machine Learning: Read More [+]

Student Learning Outcomes: • Effectively design, execute, and critique experimental and non-experimental methods from statistics, machine learning, and econometrics. • Implement basic algorithms on structured and unstructured data, and evaluate the performance of these algorithms on a variety of real-world datasets. • Understand the difference between causal and non-causal relationships, and which situations and methods are appropriate for both forms of analysis. • Understand the principles, advantages, and disadvantages of different algorithms for supervised and unsupervised machine learning.

Prerequisites: INFO 206B , or equivalent course in Python programming; INFO 271B , or equivalent graduate-level course in statistics or econometrics; or permission of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.

Instructor: Blumenstock

Applied Machine Learning: Read Less [-]

INFO 253A Front-End Web Architecture 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course is a survey of technologies that power the user interfaces of web applications on a variety of devices today, including desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. This course will delve into some of the core Front-End languages and frameworks (HTML/CSS/JS/React/Redux), as well as the underlying technologies enable web applications (HTTP, URI, JSON). The goal of this course is to provide an overview of the technical issues surrounding user interfaces powered by the web today, and to provide a solid and comprehensive perspective of the Web's constantly evolving landscape. Front-End Web Architecture: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Introductory programming

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture and one hour of laboratory per week.

Formerly known as: Information 253

Front-End Web Architecture: Read Less [-]

INFO 253B Back-End Web Architecture 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This course is a survey of web technologies that are used to build back-end systems that enable rich web applications. Utilizing technologies such as Python, Flask, Docker, RDBMS/NoSQL databases, and Spark, this class aims to cover the foundational concepts that drive the web today. This class focuses on building APIs using micro-services that power everything from content management systems to data engineering pipelines that provide insights by processing large amounts of data. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of the technical issues surrounding back-end systems today, and to provide a solid and comprehensive perspective of the web's constantly evolving landscape. Back-End Web Architecture: Read More [+]

Back-End Web Architecture: Read Less [-]

INFO 255 Privacy Engineering 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023 The course overviews a broad number of paradigms of privacy from a technical point of view. The course is designed to assist system engineers and information systems professionals in getting familiar with the subject of privacy engineering and train them in implementing those mechanisms. In addition, the course is designed to coach those professionals to critically think about the strengths and weaknesses of the different privacy paradigms. These skills are important for cybersecurity professionals and enable them to effectively incorporate privacy-awareness in the design phase of their products. Privacy Engineering: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Critique the strengths and weaknesses of the different privacy paradigms Describe the different technical paradigms of privacy that are applicable for systems engineering Implement such privacy paradigms, and embed them in information systems during the design process and the implementation phase Stay updated about the state of the art in the field of privacy engineering

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for INFO 255 after completing INFO 255 . A deficient grade in INFO 255 may be removed by taking INFO 255 .

Privacy Engineering: Read Less [-]

INFO 256 Applied Natural Language Processing 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021 This course examines the use of natural language processing as a set of methods for exploring and reasoning about text as data, focusing especially on the applied side of NLP — using existing NLP methods and libraries in Python in new and creative ways. Topics include part-of-speech tagging, shallow parsing, text classification, information extraction, incorporation of lexicons and ontologies into text analysis, and question answering. Students will apply and extend existing software tools to text-processing problems. Applied Natural Language Processing: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: INFO 206A and INFO 206B or proficient programming in Python (programs of at least 200 lines of code). Proficient with basic statistics and probabilities

Instructor: Bamman

Applied Natural Language Processing: Read Less [-]

INFO 258 Data Engineering 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022 This course will cover the principles and practices of managing data at scale, with a focus on use cases in data analysis and machine learning. We will cover the entire life cycle of data management and science, ranging from data preparation to exploration, visualization and analysis, to machine learning and collaboration, with a focus on ensuring reliable, scalable operationalization. ensuring reliable, scalable operationalization. Data Engineering: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: INFO 206B or equivalent college-level course in computer science in Python with a C- or better AND COMPSCI C100/ DATA C100 / STAT C100 or COMPSCI 189 or INFO 251 or DATA 144 or equivalent college-level course in data science with a C- or better

Instructors: Hellerstein, Parameswaran, Jain

Data Engineering: Read Less [-]

INFO 259 Natural Language Processing 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This course introduces students to natural language processing and exposes them to the variety of methods available for reasoning about text in computational systems. NLP is deeply interdisciplinary, drawing on both linguistics and computer science, and helps drive much contemporary work in text analysis (as used in computational social science, the digital humanities, and computational journalism). We will focus on major algorithms used in NLP for various applications (part-of-speech tagging, parsing, coreference resolution, machine translation) and on the linguistic phenomena those algorithms attempt to model. Students will implement algorithms and create linguistically annotated data on which those algorithms depend. Natural Language Processing: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Familiarity with data structures, algorithms, linear algebra, and probability

Natural Language Processing: Read Less [-]

INFO C262 Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 This course explores the theory and practice of Tangible User Interfaces, a new approach to Human Computer Interaction that focuses on the physical interaction with computational media. The topics covered in the course include theoretical framework, design examples, enabling technologies, and evaluation of Tangible User Interfaces. Students will design and develop experimental Tangible User Interfaces using physical computing prototyping tools and write a final project report. Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces: Read More [+]

Instructor: Ryokai

Also listed as: NWMEDIA C262

Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces: Read Less [-]

INFO C265 Interface Aesthetics 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This course will cover new interface metaphors beyond desktops (e.g., for mobile devices, computationally enhanced environments, tangible user interfaces) but will also cover visual design basics (e.g., color, layout, typography, iconography) so that we have systematic and critical understanding of aesthetically engaging interfaces. Students will get a hands-on learning experience on these topics through course projects, design critiques , and discussions, in addition to lectures and readings. Interface Aesthetics: Read More [+]

Also listed as: NWMEDIA C265

Interface Aesthetics: Read Less [-]

INFO 271B Quantitative Research Methods for Information Systems and Management 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Introduction to many different types of quantitative research methods, with an emphasis on linking quantitative statistical techniques to real-world research methods. Introductory and intermediate topics include: defining research problems, theory testing, casual inference, probability, and univariate statistics. Research design and methodology topics include: primary/secondary survey data analysis, experimental designs, and coding qualitative data for quantitative analysis. Quantitative Research Methods for Information Systems and Management: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Introductory statistics recommended

Quantitative Research Methods for Information Systems and Management: Read Less [-]

INFO 272 Qualitative Research Methods for Information Systems and Management 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Theory and practice of naturalistic inquiry. Grounded theory. Ethnographic methods including interviews, focus groups, naturalistic observation. Case studies. Analysis of qualitative data. Issues of validity and generalizability in qualitative research. Qualitative Research Methods for Information Systems and Management: Read More [+]

Instructor: Burrell

Qualitative Research Methods for Information Systems and Management: Read Less [-]

INFO 283 Information and Communications Technology for Development 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 This seminar reviews current literature and debates regarding Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD). This is an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented field that draws on insights from economics, sociology, engineering, computer science, management, public health, etc. Information and Communications Technology for Development: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Three hours of seminar per week.

Instructor: Saxenian

Formerly known as: Information C283

Information and Communications Technology for Development: Read Less [-]

INFO 288 Big Data and Development 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2019 As new sources of digital data proliferate in developing economies, there is the exciting possibility that such data could be used to benefit the world’s poor. Through a careful reading of recent research and through hands-on analysis of large-scale datasets, this course introduces students to the opportunities and challenges for data-intensive approaches to international development. Students should be prepared to dissect, discuss, and replicate academic publications from several fields including development economics, machine learning, information science, and computational social science. Students will also conduct original statistical and computational analysis of real-world data. Big Data and Development: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Students are expected to have prior graduate training in machine learning, econometrics, or a related field

Big Data and Development: Read Less [-]

INFO 289 Public Interest Cybersecurity: The Citizen Clinic Practicum 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 This course provides students with real-world experience assisting politically vulnerable organizations and persons around the world to develop and implement sound cybersecurity practices. In the classroom, students study basic theories and practices of digital security, intricacies of protecting largely under-resourced organizations, and tools needed to manage risk in complex political, sociological, legal, and ethical contexts. In the clinic , students work in teams supervised by Clinic staff to provide direct cybersecurity assistance to civil society organizations. We emphasize pragmatic, workable solutions that take into account the unique needs of each partner organization. Public Interest Cybersecurity: The Citizen Clinic Practicum: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.

Public Interest Cybersecurity: The Citizen Clinic Practicum: Read Less [-]

INFO 290 Special Topics in Information 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Specific topics, hours, and credit may vary from section to section, year to year. Special Topics in Information: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.

Fall and/or spring: 8 weeks - 2-8 hours of lecture per week 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 10 weeks - 1.5-6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: One to four hours of lecture per week. One and one-half to six hours of lecture per week for 10 weeks. Two to eight hours of lecture per week for 8 weeks.

Special Topics in Information: Read Less [-]

INFO 290M Special Topics in Management 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Specific topics, hours, and credit may vary from section to section and year to year. Special Topics in Management: Read More [+]

Additional Format: One to four hours of lecture per week. Two to eight hours of lecture per week for 8 weeks.

Special Topics in Management: Read Less [-]

INFO 290S Special Topics in Social Science and Policy 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 Specific topics, hours, and credit may vary from section to section and year to year. Special Topics in Social Science and Policy: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 8 weeks - 4-8 hours of lecture per week 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two to four hours of lecture per week. Four to eight hours of lecture per week for 8 weeks.

Special Topics in Social Science and Policy: Read Less [-]

INFO 290T Special Topics in Technology 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 Specific topics, hours, and credit may vary from section to section and year to year. Special Topics in Technology: Read More [+]

Special Topics in Technology: Read Less [-]

INFO 291 Special Topics in Information 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Prior to 2007 Specific topics, hours, and credit may vary from section to section, year to year. Special Topics in Information: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: One to four hours of lecture per week.

Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.

Instructor: Hoofnagle

INFO 293 Information Management Practicum 0.5 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Spring 2016 This course is designed to help School of Information graduate students maximize their internship, practicum, or independent research experiences. Information Management Practicum: Read More [+]

Course Objectives: Experience the practical application of your academic knowledge to real-world professional contexts; Gain insight into an organization and how one might make a valuable contribution; Reflect on the information the experience has provided, to see if it fits within one’s personal value set and work/life manifestos. Try out various professional activities to see when you are in ‘flow’;

Student Learning Outcomes: Assess the organizational culture of a company, governmental body, or non-governmental organization Connect academic knowledge about information management to real-world professional contexts Evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of information science techniques when deployed in organizational situations Integrate the student's own individual professional goals with the organization's needs relevant to the internship or practicum Reflect critically on the internship or practicum experience

Prerequisites: Consent of a Head Graduate Adviser for the School of Information

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of internship per week

Summer: 10 weeks - 1.5 hours of internship per week

Additional Format: One hour of internship per week. One and one-half hours of internship per week for 10 weeks.

Information Management Practicum: Read Less [-]

INFO 294 Doctoral Research and Theory Workshop 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 An intensive weekly discussion of current and ongoing research by Ph.D. students with a research interest in issues of information (social, legal, technical, theoretical, etc.). Our goal is to focus on critiquing research problems, theories, and methodologies from multiple perspectives so that we can produce high-quality, publishable work in the interdisciplinary area of information research. Circulated material may include dissertation chapters , qualifying papers, article drafts, and/or new project ideas. We want to have critical and productive discussion, but above all else we want to make our work better: more interesting, more accessible, more rigorous, more theoretically grounded, and more like the stuff we enjoy reading. Doctoral Research and Theory Workshop: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: PhD students only

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of workshop per week

Additional Format: Two hours of workshop per week.

Doctoral Research and Theory Workshop: Read Less [-]

INFO 295 Doctoral Colloquium 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023 Colloquia, discussion and readings designed to introduce students to the range of interests of the school. Doctoral Colloquium: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Ph.D. standing in the School of Information

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of colloquium per week

Additional Format: One hour of colloquium per week.

Doctoral Colloquium: Read Less [-]

INFO 296A Seminar 2 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Topics in information management and systems and related fields. Specific topics vary from year to year. Seminar: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Two to Four hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.

Seminar: Read Less [-]

INFO 298 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2019, Spring 2016, Fall 2015 Group projects on special topics in information management and systems. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for INFO 298 after completing INFOSYS 298.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week

Summer: 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of directed group study per week

Additional Format: One to four hours of directed group study per week. One and one-half to seven and one-half hours of directed group study per week for 8 weeks.

Directed Group Study: Read Less [-]

INFO 298A Directed Group Work on Final Project 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2016, Spring 2015 The final project is designed to integrate the skills and concepts learned during the Information School Master's program and helps prepare students to compete in the job market. It provides experience in formulating and carrying out a sustained, coherent, and significant course of work resulting in a tangible work product; in project management, in presenting work in both written and oral form; and, when appropriate, in working in a multidisciplinary team. Projects may take the form of research papers or professionally-oriented applied work. Directed Group Work on Final Project: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Course must be taken for a letter grade to fulfill degree requirements

Additional Format: One to four hours of directed group study per week.

Directed Group Work on Final Project: Read Less [-]

INFO 299 Individual Study 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Summer 2016 8 Week Session, Spring 2016 Individual study of topics in information management and systems under faculty supervision. Individual Study: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-12 hours of independent study per week

Summer: 8 weeks - 2-22.5 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Format varies.

Individual Study: Read Less [-]

INFO 375 Teaching Assistance Practicum 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2021, Fall 2020 Discussion, reading, preparation, and practical experience under faculty supervision in the teaching of specific topics within information management and systems. Does not count toward a degree. Teaching Assistance Practicum: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two hours of lecture per week.

Subject/Course Level: Information/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers

Instructor: Duguid

Teaching Assistance Practicum: Read Less [-]

INFO 602 Individual Study for Doctoral Students 1 - 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015 Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D. degree. Individual Study for Doctoral Students: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: One to Five hour of Independent study per week for 15 weeks.

Subject/Course Level: Information/Graduate examination preparation

Individual Study for Doctoral Students: Read Less [-]

Contact Information

School of information.

102 South Hall

Phone: 510-642-1464

Senior Director of Student Affairs

Siu Yung Wong

[email protected]

Senior Director of Admissions

Julia Sprague

[email protected]

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RESEARCH AT THE LEADING EDGE

Where You Get Your Ph.D. Matters. Get Yours at a Global Center of Innovation.

Ph.D. Studies at Heinz College

You have the vision. You have the drive. What you need now is a doctoral program that will challenge and support you on your path to a career as a researcher, educator, and expert.

Heinz College is a graduate school without boundaries.

Distinguished by the interdisciplinary model of Heinz College and Carnegie Mellon University, our Ph.D. programs prepare graduates to lead change in their chosen fields through meaningful collaborations and hands-on work with our renowned and extremely accessible faculty. 

Heinz College features the unique co-location of two schools: The School of Information Systems and Management and The School of Public Policy and Management; however, below that larger structure, we are a college without departments and their characteristic silos. Our faculty, students, and research centers thrive by working together to solve problems across subjects, disciplines, and business verticals.

In the Heinz Ph.D. program, you will conduct innovative research to address increasingly complex challenges facing society, whether those challenges are technical, organizational, political, economic, social, or—as is often the case—some combination thereof.

Heinz College Is The #1 Analytics Education Program And Has Been #1 In Information And Technology Management Since 2001

Decorated faculty & research centers, here, you will work with award-winning thought leaders and boundary-busting research centers.

Truly Interdisciplinary

Matthew Eisenberg chose Heinz College for his research for the promise of interdisciplinary collaboration—like bringing machine learning to health economics.

Recent Best Paper Awards From Our Faculty

Alessandro Acquisti — Management Science, Best Paper

George Chen —  AAAI Workshop on AI for Behavior Change, Best Paper

Akshaya Jha — United States Association for Energy Economics, Young Professional Research Award and Best Paper

Ramayya Krishnan & Beibei Li — Information Systems Research, Best Paper Finalist

Rema Padman — Association of Information Systems, SIGHealth section, Best Paper

Alessandro Acquisti —  Information Systems Research, Best Paper

Leman Akoglu —   SIAM International Conference on Data Mining (SDM), Best Paper

George Chen —  INFORMS Data Mining and Decisions Analytics Workshop, Best paper (theoretical track)

Beibei Li   — International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Best Paper

Beibei Li  —  Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems (WITS), Best Paper  

Ananya Sen  —  Workshop on Information Systems and Economics, Best Paper

Zhe Zhang  —  ACM, Best Doctoral Dissertation Runner-Up

Alessandro Acquisti  —  Management Information Systems Quarterly, Best Paper

Leman Akoglu  —  ECML PKDD, Best Paper

Martin Gaynor  —  National Institute of Health Care Management Research, Best Paper

Recent Ph.D. Accolades

David Adler  was selected as the 2019-2020 recipient of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics Graduate Fellowship.

Nate Breg was selected to receive one of the Center for Machine Learning and Health 2020 Fellowships in Digital Health .

Maria Caballero  was selected to participate in the Western Economic Association International’s Graduate Student Workshop, held at the association's  95th Annual Conference .

William Herlands  was named a finalist for the  Schmidt Science Fellows .  

Mikaela Meyer has been selected for the American Statistical Association’s 2020 Gertrude Cox Scholarship Award .

Ph.D. in Information Systems & Management

Gain a deep understanding of the technical and organizational aspects of information systems

Key research areas in Information Systems & Management include: Economics of Digitization | Machine Learning & Large-Scale Data Analytics | Information Security & Privacy | Health Care & IT

Ph.D. in Public Policy & Management

Apply a rigorous scientific approach to social, organizational, economic, and management problems in an increasingly connected world

Key research areas in Public Policy & Management include: Crime & Drug Policy | Energy & Environmental Policy | Health Economics & Policy | Labor Economics | Management Science

Joint Ph.D. Programs

Heinz College offers joint Public Policy Ph.D. programs in cooperation with other CMU departments

Explore joint degree programs with CMU’s Tepper School of Business, School of Computer Science, and the College of Engineering

DiscoverDataScience.org

Ph.D. in Information Systems

with Kat Campise, Data Scientist, Ph.D.

Considering a PhD in Information Systems? At the intersection of computer science, business, and information technology lies a highly specialized field poised for immense growth over the next decade. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates 16% job growth in the field by 2031, much faster than the average occupation.

This guide is designed for those interested in continuing their education following the completion of a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems or a Master’s Degree in Information Systems , highlighting the curriculum and time commitment required as well as a cost-benefit analysis to help determine if pursing a PhD in Information Systems is the right next step for your career. 

Master’s vs. a Ph.D. in Information Systems

Within the U.S. academic system, a Master’s Degree in Information Systems will lead you down the research path, to a point. Culminating in a master’s thesis, a master’s degree program typically takes 2 years to complete and is considered a shorter and less in-depth application of your coursework than a PhD. In contrast, a PhD in Information Systems program is focused on completing a lengthy dissertation and a set of rigorous exams (this last requirement differs depending on the program and university). A PhD, ultimately, is a research degree that advances a brand-new idea or innovation within the discipline. You could say that a master’s thesis is an exploratory analysis that supports a given hypothesis while PhD research is more extensive and results in a book-length and detailed exegesis of your approved topic.

Career Outlook

According to Kat Campise, Data Scientist, PhD, most PhD trajectories head straight for a career in academics where “publish or perish” is the ongoing mantra. There are exceptions as graduates of PhD programs launch or continue careers in government, finance, technology and business; advancing to positions including, but not limited to, senior information manager, chief information offer, chief technology officer, director of systems development, or director of information technology operations.

It is worth noting that a gap exists between business expectations and academic perceptions of value. The world of business is focused on the “bottom line.” Due to the widespread adoption of data science, businesses are more amenable to an academic research approach, but with the caveat that the value constraints, such as key performance indicators, risk measures, etc. continue to drive the determination as to whether a job function is providing an increase in their financial inflows while keeping costs to a minimum. Also, while a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for many entry-level positions, a master’s degree is often required to advance across most industries. Meanwhile, academia’s valuation is in how (and if) you’re pushing the research in your field of expertise forward. In academia, post-doctoral job expectations include teaching, writing, attaining grant funding, attending and presenting at conferences, and conducting research. The focus here is solely on intellectual capital rather than filling the corporate coffers.

Earning Potential

As of their May 2021 employment survey, the BLS lists the median annual salary for information systems managers as $159,010 . Entry-level information systems (IS) professionals may expect salaries closer to $95,220. However, the top 10% of IS managers often earn more than $208,000 per BLS data. Compensation depended on several factors including education, certifications, specific skill set, and years of experience.

According to Campise, whether you’ll hit the top of the pay scale after you complete an Information Systems PhD depends on where you intend on applying those learnings (i.e., industry and specialization) and how you market yourself. While those who’ve completed a doctorate tend to have higher median earnings than their master’s degree level cohorts, it is not a guarantee.

Guide to Choosing a PhD Program in Information Systems

If after reading the above you’ve decided that you’re ready to embark on the PhD in Information Systems path, then the steps below will take you through the next phase: applying to a PhD program.

Step 1: Assess your location and time commitment constraints

PhD level degrees aren’t for the faint of heart. You’ll be committing a substantial amount of mental and financial energy toward completing all coursework, attempting to publish your research, attending conferences, and following the requirements for your dissertation. Depending on the school, program, and whether you’re a full or part-time student, a typical PhD program takes an average of six years to complete.

Online vs. On Campus

An important factor to consider is whether you wish to complete your PhD through a traditional on campus program or online. While on-campus programs remain popular, numerous respected, accredited schools now offer the flexibility of online PhD programs. Online programs are ideal for working adults who require asynchronous scheduling with the option of evening or weekend classes and meetings. Many online PhD programs are hybrids that require an on-campus presence at certain points throughout the program.

When determining whether an online or in-person program is right for you, consider answering the following questions. Is there a local university that offers a PhD in Information Systems or, alternatively, a PhD in Computer Information Systems? Are you willing and/or have the financial ability to relocate for such a program? Do you have the time to travel to and from campus along with completing the research and writing? What other commitments do you have that limit the time and energy needed to complete a PhD?

Your answers should help you choose between an on campus and online program as well as jump-start your initial list of university options, which should be narrowed down before you reach the final step: applying to one or more universities.

Step 2: Review the curriculum

The PhD emphasis in most disciplines is a theoretical approach. Your academic goal as a PhD in Information Systems student is to learn and test established theories that will lead you to derive a theory of your own. As you peruse the course requirements for each potential university, you may notice the use of the term seminars . Seminars are discussion-based as opposed to traditional lectures where the professors speak at the students. It’s likely that you’ll be assigned published research papers to read, analyze, and discuss with your professor and fellow students during the class. Some PhD programs combine seminars with lectures in terms of the type of courses offered. Others may only incorporate the lecture environment. Consider your learning style while you’re reviewing the curriculum.

The course topics for a PhD in Information Systems usually include theories in information systems, qualitative and quantitative research in information systems along with technical applications via statistics, analytics, and machine learning. You’ll spend a great deal of time thoroughly learning how to conduct research in the field. Many programs offer a concentration option such as healthcare, cybersecurity or analytics.

Since a PhD course of study will consume a huge chunk of time and effort, it’s important to self-assess your level of interest. It’s extremely likely that you’ll have moments of doubt and lack of motivation at some point during the degree, says Campise, but an intense interest in a certain concentration can help carry you through the trials and tribulations.

Step 3: Perform a cost-benefit analysis

Completing a PhD comes with financial and opportunity costs. If there are ample grants or fellowships available for research, then you may be able to earn some money or reduce tuition costs while you’re completing the degree. This is not guaranteed. Working full time during a PhD might be marginally feasible. Tuition costs vary between $7,000 and more than $30,000 per year. That’s only the tuition and doesn’t include your living and travel expenses (for conferences). Attaining a graduate assistantship and/or teaching lower-level university courses can help offset the financial outflow. On the other hand, you may lose some work experience (in the business world) or need to put your job search on hold while you complete the PhD requirements. That said, it’s important to carefully weigh the sacrifices you’ll be making in the short term with the potential benefits that can occur in the long run. If you’re planning on entering or returning to the realm of private business, practice your research skills and run a search on various job sites. Review information systems jobs, their salary, and compare that to the education requirements. Can you earn significantly more with a PhD in Information Systems or by attaining a PhD in Computer Information Systems? Also, what are the factors motivating you to complete this advanced research degree?

Step 4: Analyze the admission requirements

Minimum scores on the GRE or GMAT are required for entrance to most PhD programs. International students are generally required to take either the TOEFL or the IELTS; the TOEFL tends to be the favored test for English proficiency. Each school will have their own cutoff range which is usually listed on the department’s website (wherever the PhD in Information Systems is housed). As always, official transcripts will be required, and many set a Master’s Degree in Information Systems as the minimum level of education considered as viable for program entry. This, however, is not 100% consistent. Other majors may be admissible, and in some cases a bachelor’s degree might be acceptable in lieu of a master’s degree.

Expect to spend additional money on application fees (approximately $60+). You’ll find that most applications must include a Statement of Purpose (SOP), and likely another writing sample. Some PhD applications also require the addition of a research paper that you’ve written in a prior class or have published (in a journal or a conference paper). The SOP for a PhD application should address how your research interests align with either the department or specific faculty members. You’ll likely be choosing your dissertation committee members from within the departmental faculty, so matching their research focus is particularly important. Research interests evolve throughout the degree, but it’s ok to focus on a specific area when applying.

On Campus Listings

Arizona State University  – Tempe, Arizona PhD in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems Program Length:  84 Semester hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $11,864 (Resident), $23,372 (Non-resident) Course  Offerings

Auburn University  – Auburn, Alabama Ph.D. in Business-Information Systems Program Length:  28 Credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $1361 per hour credit (Resident) $2,431 per hour credit (Non-resident) Course  Offerings

Baylor University  – Waco, Texas PhD in Information Systems Program Program Length:  54 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $22,400.2 estimate tuition and required fees per semester Course Offerings

Carnegie Mellon University  – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Ph.D. Studies in Information Systems & Management Program Length:  54 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $27,396 Course Offerings

Colorado Technical University  – Manitou Springs, Colorado Ph.D. Studies in Information Systems & Management Program Length:  100 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:   Not required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $598 per credit hour Course Offerings

Drexel University  – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PhD in Information Science Program Length:  24 post-master’s course credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Not Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $1,265 per credit hour Course Offerings

Emory University  – Atlanta, Georgia PhD Information Systems and Operations Management (ISOM) Program Length:  4 years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $20,900 per semester Course Offerings

Florida State University  – Tallahassee, Florida Management Information Systems  Program Length:  27-33 credit hours yearly Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $479.32 per credit hour (resident) $1,110.72 per credit hour (non-resident) Course Offerings

Georgia State University  – Atlanta, Georgia Information Systems Program Length:  66 credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  Tuition will be completely covered if you are accepted into this program. For out-of-state graduate students, this represents a benefit of approximately $49,000 per year if you register for fall, spring and summer. Course Offerings 

Harrisburg University  – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems Engineering & Management Program Length:  30 credit hours per semester Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $800 per semester hour Course Offerings 

Indiana University – Bloomington, Indiana PhD in Information Systems  Program Length:  40.5 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $1,330 per credit hour Course Offerings 

Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa PhD in Information Systems  Program Length:  74 credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $10,504 (Resident), $23,790 (Non-resident) Course Offerings 

Michigan State University – East Lansing, Michigan PhD in Business Information Systems Program Length:  30 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $769.50 per credit (Resident), $1,498.50 (Non-resident) Course Offerings

Mississippi State University – Mississippi State, Mississippi PhD in Business Information Systems Program Length:  71-74 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $4,325 per term Course Offerings

New Jersey Institute of Technology – Newark, New Jersey Ph.D. in Information Systems Program Length:  33-48 credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $31,074 (resident) $40,802 (non-resident) Course Offerings   

New York University – New York, New York Doctoral Program in Information Systems Program Length:  5 years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $111,616 (based on nine month academic year) Course Offerings 

Nova Southeastern University – Fort Lauderdale, Florida PhD in Information Systems  Program Length:  64 Credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus or Hybrid GRE Required:  Not Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $12,075 per term Course Offerings 

Purdue University – West Lafayette, Indiania PhD Management Information Systems Program Length:  4 Years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  Tuition-waiver and other funding opportunities are provided for the entire four-year duration Course Offerings

Rutgers University – Newark, New Jersey Ph.D. in Accounting Information Systems Program Length: 72 credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $8,616.00 term (Resident) $14,652.00 term (Non-resident) Course Offerings

Temple University  – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PhD Management Information Systems Program Length:  4 Years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  All admitted students receive full financial support including tuition and stipend Course Offerings

Texas Tech University  – Lubbock, Texas Ph.D. in Business Administration, Concentration in Management Information Systems Program Length:  60 Semester credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $326 per credit (resident) $741 per credit (non-resident) Course Offerings

University of Arizona  – Tucson, Arizona Management Information Systems Program Length:  42 units Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $837 per unit (resident), $1,781 per unit (non-resident) Course Offerings

University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, Arkansas Information Systems PhD Program Length:  72 graduate semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree and 42 graduate-only semester hours beyond the master’s degree Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $23,548 per academic year (resident), $40,766 per academic year (non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Colorado Denver  – Denver, Colorado PhD. Computer Science and Information Systems  Program Length:  60 course hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $10​,760 per year (Resident) $31,640 per year (Non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Georgia  – Athens, Georgia PhD in Business Administration (Management Information Systems) Program Length:  5 years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $363 Credit hour (Resident), $1,029 Credit hour (Non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Houston  – Houston, Texas Ph.D. in Management Information Systems (MIS) Program Length:  51 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  Students receive a tuition waiver for four years (less student-paid fees). It is recommended to have a “fund” of $5,000 designated for paying the tuition every semester which will be reimbursed. Course Offerings 

  University of Illinois at Chicago  – Chicago, Illinois PhD in Management Information Systems Program Length:  60 Semester Hours Delivery Method:  Campus or Online GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $10,716 (in-state), $12,853 (out of state) per semester Course Offerings 

University of Iowa  – Iowa City, Iowa PhD in Management Sciences Program Length:  72 Semester Hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  100% covered tuition cost and fees Course Offerings =

University of Maryland  – College Park, Maryland Information Systems PhD Program Length:  42 Credits Minimum Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $717.00 per credit (resident), $1,548.00 per credit (non-resident) Course Offerings

University of Maryland Baltimore County  – Baltimore, Maryland Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems Program Length:  5 area courses Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $640.00 per credit (Maryland resident), $1,099.00 per credit (non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Massachusetts-Amherst  – Amherst, Massachusetts PhD Program in Information Systems Program Length:  45 credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Not Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $8,262.00 Total Tuition & fees for 12+ credits (resident), $16,812.50 Total Tuition & fees for 12+ credits (non-resident) Course Offerings 

  University of Memphis  – Memphis, Tennessee Ph.D. in Management Information Systems Program Length:  60 hours (minimum) Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:  $609.00 per credit (TN Resident), $801.00 per credit (Non-TN Resident) Course Offerings 

University of Michigan-Dearborn – Dearborn, Michigan Ph.D. in Information Systems Engineering  Program Length:  50 hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Not Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $406 per credit hour (Resident), $778 per credit hour (non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of North Carolina Charlotte – Charlotte, North Carolina Ph.D. in Computing and Information Systems Program Length:  72 post baccalaureate credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $2,168.50 for 9+ Credit Hour (NC resident), $8,885.50 for 9+ Credit Hour (NC resident) Course Offerings 

University of North Carolina Greensboro – Greensboro, North Carolina Ph.D. in Information Systems Program Length:  71-84 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $3,700 per semester (in-state), $10,600 per semester (out-of-state) Course Offerings 

University of North Texas – Denton, Texas Information Systems Ph.D. Program Program Length:  Minimum of 69 hours of graduate credit beyond the Master’s degree or 99 hours of graduate credit beyond the Bachelor’s degree. Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $21,646 annual cost (resident), $29,332 annual cost (non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ph.D information systems (IS) Program Length:  16 course credits are required for graduation Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Not Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $39,470 plus the general fees and health insurance per academic year Course Offerings 

University of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania PhD in Information Systems and Technology Management Program Length:  12 Courses Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $1,308 per credit Course Offerings 

University of Rochester – Rochester, New York PhD in Business Administration major in Computers and Information Systems Program Length:  90 credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $1,925 per credit Course Offerings 

  University of South Florida – Tampa, Florida PhD in Business Administration Information Systems Concentration Program Length:  Minimum of 90 Credit Hours beyond the Bachelor’s Degree Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $431.43 per credit (resident), $863.64 per credit (non-resident) Course Offerings

University of Texas at Austin – Austin, Texas Information Systems Doctoral Program Program Length:  4 to 5 years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $5,530 per semester (resident), $19,365 per semester (non-resident) Course Offerings

University of Texas at San Antonio – San Antonio, Texas Ph.D. in Information Technology Program Length:  84 semester credit hours Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $705.45 per semester credit hour (resident), $1,640.58 per semester credit hour (non-resident) Course Offerings 

  University of Texas Dallas – Dallas, Texas PhD in Management Science, Information Systems Concentration Program Length:  4 to 5 years Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $29,286 – $29,740 Total (resident), $53,128 – $54,364 Total (non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Utah – Salt Lake City, Utah Ph.D. in Business Administration with a major field in Information Systems Program Length:  55 degree hours minimum Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $264.06 per credit hour (resident), $929.38 per credit hour (non-resident) Course Offerings 

University of Washington – Seattle, Washington Information Systems PhD Specialization Program Length:  30 Credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $16,590 annual tuition (resident), $20,881 annual tuition (non-resident) Course Offerings  

Washington State University – Pullman, Washington PhD in Management Information Systems Concentration Program Length:  37 Credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required 2020-2021 Tuition:   $23,485 per academic year (resident), $37,721 per academic year (non-resident) Course Offerings

Walton College – Fayetteville, Aarkansas PhD in Management Information Systems Concentration Program Length:  72 Credits Delivery Method:  Campus GRE Required:  Required Tuition : $23,548 per academic year (resident), $40,766 per academic year (non-resident) Course Offerings

Online Listings

University of Bridgeport – Bridgeport, Connecticut PhD Technology Management Delivery Method:  Online GRE Required:   minimum score of 155 in both Verbal and Quantitative Tuition : $31,305 per year Course Offerings

Capella University PhD in Information Technology Delivery Method : Online with in-person research seminars GRE Required : No Tuition : $965 per credit, $2,895 Comprehensive exam, Dissertation $2,895 per quarter Course Offerings

Capitol Technology University PhD in Technology Delivery Method: Online GRE Required : No Tuition: $933 per credit Course Offerings

University of the Cumberlands – Williamsburg, Kentucky PhD Information Systems Delivery Method:  Online GRE Required:   Tuition : $500/credit hour + $50 technology fee per Bi-term Course Offerings

Dakota State University – Madison, South Dakota PhD Information Systems Delivery Method:  Online GRE Required : Yes, taken within the last 5 years. Exceptions granted for those who meet specific prerequisites. Tuition : $34,500 Course Offerings

Northcentral University PhD Information Systems Delivery Method : Online GRE Required : No Tuition : $68,365 Course Offerings

Syracuse University Doctor of Professional Studies in Information Management Delivery Method : Online GRE Required : No Tuition : Scholarships, grants and fellowships available Course Offerings

Walden University PhD in Management Information Systems Management specialization Delivery Method : Hybrid GRE Required : No Tuition : $68,360 – $144,220 Course Offerings

2021 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for computer and information systems managers reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed January 2023.

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• Table of Contents
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Research Rankings

Student publications.

• Admissions Procedures

Program at a Glance

This program is designed for students who seek training in advanced theoretical and applied issues in the field of information systems. The training prepares students for conducting leading-edge research in topics ranging from the design of optimized systems to the effective use of such systems in organizations. Students undergo rigorous training in research methodologies, as well as in the design of information systems. The research conducted is often interdisciplinary in nature and is characterized by strong analytical or econometric modeling of new and emerging issues in information technology management and creation. The program prepares students mainly for academic positions in research universities; some students may be placed in research positions in industry, government or consulting organizations.

The PhD in Information Systems program is characterized by a high ratio of research faculty to students, which fosters close working relationships. Students have the opportunity to be involved in ongoing faculty research projects under the mentorship of experienced professors. The close interaction with faculty enables students to quickly learn to identify and develop research ideas and create their own research agenda. Students also develop their teaching skills under faculty mentorship by teaching organized classes.

Successful candidates must possess a strong aptitude for abstract thinking and quantitative analysis to address relevant business problems. Students admitted into the PhD in Information Systems program devote the first few years to coursework and research projects, preparing for the qualifying examinations and developing their preliminary dissertation proposal. The next one to two years are devoted to dissertation research and writing. Students must complete at least 75 semester hours of approved graduate work before a degree may be conferred. Credit may be granted for courses taken elsewhere.

Program Contact

Srinivasan Raghunathan, PhD

Ashbel smith professor phd area coordinator, information systems.

[email protected] | (972) 883-4377 | JSOM 3.425

The Information Systems Doctoral program at the Naveen Jindal School of Management offers an outstanding opportunity for research in the Information Systems discipline. Our faculty’s research productivity usually ranks at the top in the world. More importantly, we work at the forefront of a variety of research topics and methodologies. Come join us to make this program even stronger!

Presently ranked #1 worldwide in research based on publications in three information systems journals, our Information Systems faculty are distinguished, pioneering researchers.

Faculty research pursuits range from quantitative modeling to empirical studies, mathematical programming, applied stochastic processes, statistics, econometrics, and economics.

With analytical depth and methodology, drawing from disciplines such as economics, operations research and econometrics, their research is both prevalent and employed in today’s rapidly changing technological world.

The UT Dallas Top 100 Worldwide Rankings of Business Schools based on Research Contributions in Information Systems Research, Journal on Computing, MIS Quarterly , 2017–2021.

Advanced and rigorous coursework, methodology and design, and significant placement on student research are the hallmarks of the Information Systems program.

The Information Systems program is characterized by a high ratio of research faculty to students which fosters close collaboration. Students have the opportunity to be involved in ongoing research projects under the mentorship of renown, distinguished faculty.

The program is designed for students to develop a strong aptitude for abstract thinking and quantitative analysis to address relevant business problems for their careers in academia or industry.

As shown in the table below, our Information Systems students have obtained top academic and industry appointments.

The close interaction with faculty enables students to quickly learn to identify and develop research ideas and create their own research agenda. Students also develop their teaching skills under faculty mentorship by teaching organized classes.

Below are examples of student publications in 24 leading business journals from 2017-2021.

Abhijeet Ghoshal , Atanu Lahiri, Debabrata Dey, 2021. “Support forums and software vendor’s pricing strategy.” Information Systems Research , vol. 32.

Srinivasan Raghunathan, Mehmet Ayvaci, YeongIn Kim , Huseyin Cavusoglu , 2021. “Designing payment contracts for healthcare services to induce information sharing: the adoption and the value of health information exchanges (hies).” MIS Quarterly , vol. 45.

Subodha Kumar , Min Chen , Min-Seok Pang, 2021. “Do you have room for us in your IT? An economic analysis of shared IT services and implications for IT industries.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 45.

Young Kwark , Liangfei Qiu, Gene Moo Lee, Paul A. Pavlou, 2021. “On the spillover effects of online product reviews on purchases: evidence from clickstream data.” Information Systems Research , vol. 32.

Sirong Luo, Dengpan Liu , Radha Mookerjee, 2021. “The effects of auction-based pricing mechanisms and social characteristics on microloan performance.” Productions and Operations Management , vol. 30.

Ganesh Janakiraman, Sameer Mehta , Vijay Mookerjee, Milind Dawande, 2021. “How to sell a data set? Pricing policies for data monetization.” Information Systems Research , vol. 32.

Jiahui Mo , Sumit Sarkar, Syam Menon, 2021. “Competing tasks and task quality: an empirical study of crowdsourcing contests.” MIS Quarterly , vol 45.

Murat M. Tunc , Huseyin Cavusoglu , Srinivasan Raghunathan, 2021. “Online product reviews: is a finer-grained rating scheme superior to a coarser one?” MIS Quarterly , vol. 45.

Mingwen Yang , Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, Vijay Mookerjee, 2021. “The race for online reputation: implications for platforms, firms, and consumers.” Information Systems Research , vol. 32.

Mingwen Yang , Varghese S. Jacob, Srinivasan Raghunathan, 2021. “Cloud service model’s role in provider and user security investment incentives.” Production and Operations Management , vol. 30.

Milind Dawande, Ganesh Janakiraman, Manmohan Aseri , Vijay S. Mookerjee, 2020. “Ad-blockers: a blessing or a curse?” Information Systems Research , vol. 31.

Chenzhang Bao , Kirk Kirksey, Indranil R. Bardhan, Bruce A. Myers, Harpreet Singh, 2020. “Patient–provider engagement and its impact on health outcomes: a longitudinal study of patient portal use.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 44.

Leila Hosseini , Vijay Mookerjee, Chelliah Sriskandarajah, Shaojie Tang, 2020. “A switch in time saves the dime: a model to reduce rental cost in cloud computing.” Information Systems Research , vol. 31.

Jianqing Chen, Srinivasan Raghunathan, Lusi Li , 2020. “Informative role of recommender systems in electronic marketplaces: a boon or a bane for competing sellers.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 44.

Sameer Mehta , Vijay Mookerjee, Milind Dawande, Ganesh Janakiraman, 2020. “Sustaining a good impression: mechanisms for selling partitioned impressions at ad exchanges.” Information Systems Research , vol. 31.

Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, Danish H. Saifee , Atanu Lahiri, Indranil R. Bardhan, 2020. “Are online reviews of physicians reliable indicators of clinical outcomes? a focus on chronic disease management.” Information Systems Research , vol. 31.

Ying Xie, Jayarajan Samuel , Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, 2020. “Value of local showrooms to online competitors.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 44.

Jyotishka Ray , Syam Menon, Vijay Mookerjee, 2020. “Bargaining over data: when does making the buyer more informed help?” Information Systems Research , vol. 31.

Zhiqiang (Eric) Zheng, Vijay Mookerjee, Mingwen Yang , 2019. “Prescribing response strategies to manage customer opinions: a stochastic differential equation approach.” Information Systems Research , vol. 30.

Zhengrui Jiang , Dipak C Jain, Xinxue Shawn Qu, 2019. “Optimal market entry timing for successive generations of technological innovations.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 43.

Xinxue Shawn Qu, Zhengrui Jiang, 2019. “A time-based dynamic synchronization policy for consolidated database systems.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 43.

Byungwan, Koh , Il-Horn Hann, Srinivasan Raghunathan, 2019. “Digitization of music: consumer adoption amidst piracy, unbundling, and rebundling.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 43.

Milind Dawande, Ganesh Janakiraman, Zhen Sun , Vijay Mookerjee, 2019. “Data-driven decisions for problems with an unspecified objective function.” Journal on Computing , vol. 31.

Yue Zhang , Jian-Yu Fisher Ke, Nan Hu , Ling Liu, 2019. “Risk pooling, supply chain hierarchy, and analysts’ forecasts.” Production and Operations Management , vol. 28.

Vijay Mookerjee, Milind Dawande, Ganesh Janakiraman, Manmohan Aseri , 2018. “Procurement policies for mobile-promotion platforms.” Management Science , vol. 64.

Srinivasan Raghunathan, Lusi Li , Jianqing Chen, 2018. “Recommender system rethink: implications for an electronic marketplace with competing manufacturers.” Information Systems Research , vol. 29.

Srinivasan Raghunathan, Young Kwark , Jianqing Chen, 2018. “User-generated content and competing firms product design.” Management Science , vol. 64.

Vijay Mookerjee, Yong Tan, Depngpan Liu , 2018. “When can ignorance be bliss: organizational structure and coordination in electronic retailing.” Information Systems Research , vol. 29.

Vijay Mookerjee, Dengpan Liu , 2018. “Advertising competition on the internet: operational and strategic considerations.” Production and Operations Management , vol. 27.

Mingzheng Wang, Yu Zhang, Zhengrui Jiang , Haifang Yang, 2018. “T-closeness slicing: a new privacy-preserving approach for transactional data publishing.” Journal on Computing , vol. 30.

Sarkar, Sumit, Menon, Syam, Mo, Jiahui , 2018. “Know when to run: recommendations in crowdsourcing contests.” MIS Quarterly , vol. 42.

Feng, Haiyang, Jiang, Zhengrui , Liu, Dengpan . “Quality, pricing, and release time: optimal market entry strategy for software-as-a-service vendors.” MIS Quarterly , 2018, vol. 42.

Bardhan, Indranil, Zheng, Zhiqiang, Ayabakan, Sezgin . “A data envelopment analysis approach to estimate it-enabled production capability.” MIS Quarterly , 2017, vol. 41.

Janakiraman, Ganesh, Sun, Zhen , Mookerjee, Vijay, Dawande, Milind. “Not just a fad: optimal sequencing in mobile in-app advertising.” Information Systems Research , 2017, vol. 28.

Ghoshal, Abhijeet , Lahiri, Atanu, Dey, Debabrata. “Drawing a line in the sand: Commitment problem in ending software support.” MIS Quarterly , 2017, vol. 41.

Mookerjee, Vijay, Cai, Yuanfeng, Jiang, Zhengrui . “How to deal with liars? Designing intelligent rule-based expert systems to increase accuracy or reduce cost.” Journal on Computing , 2017, vol. 29.

Nault, Barrie, Raghunathan, Srinivasan, Koh, Byungwan . “Is voluntary profiling welfare enhancing?” MIS Quarterly , 2017, vol. 41.

Raghunathan, Srinivasan, Cezar, Asunur , Cavusoglu, Huseyin. “Sourcing information security operations: the role of risk interdependency and competitive externality in outsourcing decisions.” Production and Operations Management , 2017, vol. 26.

Raghunathan, Srinivasan, Kwark, Young , Chen, Jianqing. “Platform or wholesale? A strategic tool for online retailers to benefit from third-party information.” MIS Quarterly , 2017, vol. 41.

Ray, Jyotishka , Samuel, Jayarajan , Menon, Syam, Mookerjee, Vijay. “The design of feature-limited demonstration software: choosing the right features to include.” Production and Operations Management , 2017, vol. 26.

Zhang, Jie, Hu, Nan , Pavlou, Paul. “On self-selection biases in online product reviews.” MIS Quarterly , 2017, vol. 41.

Zheng, Zhiqiang, Ayabakan, Sezgin , Kirksey, Kirk, Bardhan, Indranil. “The impact of health information sharing on duplicate testing.” MIS Quarterly , 2017, vol. 41.

Chen, Hongyu , Zheng, Zhiqiang, Ceran, Yasin. “De-biasing the reporting bias in social media analytics.” Production and Operations Management , 2016, vol. 25.

Hann, Il-Horn, Koh, Byungwan , Niculescu, Marius. “The double-edged sword of backward compatibility: the adoption of multigenerational platforms in the presence of intergenerational services.” Information Systems Research , 2016, vol. 27.

Janakiraman, Ganesh, Sun, Zhen , Mookerjee, Vijay, Dawande, Milind. “The making of a good impression: information hiding in ad exchanges.” MIS Quarterly, 2016, vol. 40.

Lee, Chul Ho , Geng, Xianjun, Raghunathan, Srinivasan. “Mandatory standards and organizational information security.” Information Systems Research , 2016, vol. 27.

Mookerjee, Vijay, Ceran, Yasin , Singh, Harpreet. “Knowing what your customer wants: improving inventory allocation decisions in online movie rental systems.” Production and Operations Management , 2016, vol. 25.

Xia, Hao , Dawande, Milind, Mookerjee, Vijay. “Optimal coordination in distributed software development.” Production and Operations Management , 2016, vol. 25.

Admission Procedures

Applicants should have at least a bachelor’s degree. Admission is based on grade point average, graduate examination test score (GMAT* or GRE), letters of reference (at least three, with two from academic references), business and professional experience (if applicable), a written statement of personal objectives and compatibility with faculty research activities. Since the School of Management starts making first-round admission decisions on December 9, it is best to complete the entire application process no later than December 8. While applications will be accepted after that date, applying after December 8 may significantly lower your chance of acceptance. Applications for admission can be made using the UT Dallas Graduate Application website .

* UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management prefers the GMAT admission test, however, we gladly accept the GRE test as well.

Degree Requirements

Calculus, matrix algebra, computer programming and statistics are prerequisites for the doctoral program – every admitted student is responsible for ensuring he/she has satisfied these prerequisite requirements before joining the program.

Doctoral students in Management Science benefit from an exposure to multiple functional areas in management. To ensure this benefit, students who enter the program without an MBA (or equivalent degree) are required to complete a combined minimum of four courses (at the master’s or doctoral level) in at least three functional areas. This cross-functional exposure is particularly useful for students engaging in cross-functional research, in positioning their research for wider appeal, and for effectively teaching business school students with diverse specializations.

The Management Science PhD core curriculum consists of a minimum of 9 courses.

Please visit the Management Science Degree Plan page for core and secondary core course requirements.

Nine hours in any approved field

Students are required to take a sequence of specific courses. Students should consult with faculty members in their respective areas to decide on the sequence of courses.

Twelve hours of special topics and seminars in the information systems area.

Students are required to write original research papers in both their first and second summers. The second year paper is presented in a seminar attended by faculty and other students, and must be judged to be passing by the faculty before the student can advance to candidacy.

PhD in Information Systems students take a written preliminary exam at the end of their first year in the program over a set of core methodology courses ( MECO 6315 Statistics, MECO 6345 Advanced Managerial Economics, MECO 6350 Game Theory, OPRE 7353 Optimization). At the end of their fifth semester in the program, students take a qualifying exam (consisting of two parts: a written exam that tests their knowledge of information systems theory and applications, and a completed research paper).

PhD students must successfully complete the preliminary and qualifying examinations, respectively, to enter PhD candidacy. The area faculty will determine whether a student has successfully completed the exam requirements based on the student’s performance. Criteria to evaluate students may include results from the in-class written portion of the exams, quality of research papers and/or presentations, performance in special courses (e.g. seminar courses), satisfactory GPA as determined by area faculty, and other forms of assessment as required by the student’s area. An unsatisfactory performance in any one criteria for either the preliminary examination or the qualifying examination may result in dismissal from the program.

Once the student has passed qualifying exam and paper requirements, work on the dissertation can commence. The dissertation is written under the direction of the dissertation committee. Twelve to 24 semester hours may be granted for the dissertation toward the minimum 75-hour requirement for the degree. At a time mutually agreeable to the candidate and the dissertation committee, the candidate must orally defend the dissertation to the committee.

The Dissertation Proposal must be successfully defended at least one semester prior to the term of graduation. The requirements for the proposal defense should be discussed with the dissertation committee prior to scheduling the defense. Dissertation Proposal Defenses will be open to all faculty and PhD students of the Jindal School of Management.

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Information Technology

Why study information technology.

The Doctor of Philosopy (PhD) in Information Technology provides students with the necessary skills to provide applied research in evidence-based, human-centered, and secure information technology (IT) practice. The program prepares students to educate future IT professionals at the K12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. Graduates of our doctoral degree program in Information Technology are also prepared to become key leaders in organizations and enterprises to develop IT solutions for consumers or businesses.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Completed a baccalaureate degree from an ABET-accredited Information Technology degree program with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. ABET is a nonprofit certified organization that accredits college and university programs in Applied and Natural Science, Engineering, and Engineering Technology.
• Completed an undergraduate degree and (a) completed a minimum of 18 graduate-level course work in Information Technology with a GPA of 3.5 or above, or (b) completed significant years of professional experience in information technology as determined by the graduate director.

Other requirements:

• While it is not a requirement, applicants may include Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores to demonstrate their potential for success in the doctoral program. This is highly recommended for applicants who have not yet completed a Master's degree. 
• For international applicants: Submission of a transcript evaluation by a  NACES member  is required in place of the unofficial transcript(s) to reflect both a converted GPA (on a 4.0 scale) as well as the US equivalence of the degree earned.
• References should be from credible sources who speak to relevant IT experience and/or work ethic; two or more reference letters should be on letterhead.
• A resume or curriculum vita (CV). Include any prior research or teaching experience and a list of publications with full citations, if applicable
• Applicants are encouraged to share a copy of a Master's thesis and/or academic publication(s) to further demonstrate aptitude for doctoral level research and writing skills. This documentation can be uploaded in the "Additional Materials" section of the application.
• English Profiency Scores (if applicable)

Graduates of the program will be prepared to hold positions in academia as assistant professors of Information Technology or other related computing disciplines. In the industry, graduates of the program will be able to hold positions in research and development in a variety of IT-related organizations, medical research organizations, financial organizations, social media organizations, government, among many others.

For question regarding advising, please contact Nicole Cochran , Associate Director of Graduate Education.  

The following exams and minimum scores are accepted as proof of English proficiency:

• TOEFL: minimum score of 80 iBT
• IELTS: minimum score of 6.5 overall band 
• Duolingo (DET): minimum score of 110 
• PTE: minimum score of 54
• Guide: IT PhD 2019-2020 post-master's
• Guide: IT PhD 2019-2020 post-baccalaureate

Application Deadlines

Early Admission

General Admission

Prospective students are admitted once per year in the Fall semester: the application deadline is January 31. 

Contact Information

Find related programs in the following interest areas:.

• Computers & Technology

Program Code: 18DOC-IT-PHD

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Home News Career Opportunities After a Master’s in Information Technology (MIT)

Career Opportunities After a Master’s in Information Technology (MIT)

Information technology (IT) shapes our digital world. This powerful field brings structure and innovation to ambitious tech initiatives while driving communication, efficiency, and security in all things virtual. These qualities have fueled the rapid expansion of IT, delivering a myriad of organizational and professional opportunities.

This growth is evidenced by findings from  Gartner , with 81% of CEOs showing a clear intention to grow their IT teams. Many are concerned that their current IT initiatives do not yet meet enterprise needs — but they regard IT professionals as central to bridging this gap. However, high-level training is key, and top employers are determined to find and hire the field’s most respected professionals.

There are numerous ways to gain IT competencies and enter the professional landscape, but few pathways are as effective as pursuing a Master of Science in Information Technology. This degree encourages both current and aspiring IT professionals to develop advanced technical skills.

To reveal the potential of this degree and this field, we explain below: What are the best career opportunities after completing master’s in information technology programs? Keep reading to discover top career outcomes of a master’s in information technology.

The Evolving Landscape of IT Careers

Information technology careers have seen significant changes in recent years, sparked not only by the growth of the industry itself but also by the advent of new systems and solutions. From cloud migrations to the Internet of Things (IoT), many changes have been influenced and implemented by IT leaders.

As the scope of the field expands, there is an increased need for specialized professionals, who promise to drive further innovations while also maintaining solid security and compliance.

The Impact of Emerging Technologies

From artificial intelligence and machine learning to predictive analytics and data mining, many cutting-edge technologies promise to bring exciting new opportunities to the IT field. These solutions will not, as some worry, displace IT professionals but rather introduce new ways for AI and humans to work together to achieve impressive outcomes.

Automation represents a key shift, and with AI solutions available, organizations will bring enhanced efficiency to repetitive or mundane tasks. This will free up IT professionals to focus on more dynamic pursuits. In addition, emerging technologies will play into threat detection, resource management, and predictive maintenance.

The Importance of Advanced Education in IT

As new technologies continue to enter the fray, it will be increasingly critical that aspiring IT professionals master these systems while developing soft skills such as communication, creativity, and, most importantly, problem-solving and agility.

Graduate-level programs promise to equip IT professionals with this elite blend of skills while also providing a reliable way to enhance their resumes. Although graduate credentials are not always required to enter the field, these will increasingly be viewed as crucial for career advancement. Top master’s in information technology career opportunities are highlighted in detail below:

Information Security Analyst

Information security analysts play a central role in protecting computer networks. At the front lines of network security, these passionate professionals help develop and implement proactive strategies designed to safeguard organizational networks.

Role and Responsibilities

Information security analysts monitor systems and applications for signs of suspicious activity, drawing on advanced tools and technologies to help them uncover potential threats. Many are tasked with performing comprehensive vulnerability assessments.

In the event of a security incident, these professionals help determine both the cause and the impact. They may be involved in mitigation efforts as well.

Expected Industry Growth and Salary Insights

According to the  United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), information security analysts are in high demand; this data reveals an impressive job outlook of 32% between 2022 and 2032. Earnings can be impressive, too, as this field offered median wages of $112,000 per year as of 2022.

IT Project Manager

Driving the strategic planning and execution of information technology projects, IT project managers work closely with stakeholders to define project scope and deliverables. Strict timelines and resource availability must also be taken into account. This role may involve extensive coordination with department managers, along with strong leadership to ensure that project team members complete critical tasks on time and according to stakeholder expectations.

Bridging Technology and Business

Possessing both considerable technical skills and business acumen, IT project managers act as liaisons between various teams and departments. They must be able to communicate effectively with both stakeholders and team members. This is an excellent opportunity for tech-driven professionals drawn to challenging and fast-paced leadership opportunities.

Salary and Industry Insights

As the IT field shifts towards a project-oriented approach, specialized project managers will become more important. Insights from the  Project Management Institute (PMI)  reveal strong demand across the spectrum of project management, with an astounding 2.3 million trained professionals needed to fill project management-related positions.

This demand has sparked impressive pay among specialized project managers, with insights from  PMI’s Project Management Salary Survey  indicating that U.S. project management specialists earn an annual $85,000, while those at senior levels can expect $120,000 in annual earnings.

Data Scientist

Drawing on advanced analytical techniques, data scientists have the potential to extract actionable insights from vast amounts of raw data. Their work often revolves around cleaning and transforming data, though predictive modeling is a critical component of this field. Driving the advancement of machine learning, data scientists have an essential role to play in the IT landscape of tomorrow.

The Role of a Data Scientist in IT

Data scientists work closely with a range of IT professionals to leverage the power of data. For example, data scientists often collaborate with IT architects to guide the implementation of analytics infrastructure.

Collaborative efforts may also involve software developers, who can deploy data-driven solutions according to data scientists’ recommendations. Insights and visualizations generated by data scientists can have a major impact on teams and professionals across the full scope of IT.

Skills Required and Potential Industries

The  BLS  projects a bright future for data scientists across industries, with a job outlook of 35%. A variety of organizations (within a variety of sectors) look to data scientists to contribute to high-level, data-driven initiatives. Data science is especially important in modern healthcare and finance. Across sectors, data scientists must demonstrate proficiency with programming languages, data mining, and regression analysis.

Cloud Solutions Architect

Cloud solutions architects are on the front lines of modern cloud computing. They understand the full power of the cloud and more specifically how cloud-based opportunities translate to business functions and workflows. Handling the full scope of cloud-based solutions, these professionals need to understand not only how cloud technologies work but also how they can be implemented to help organizations achieve ambitious objectives.

Role of Cloud Computing in Information Technology

Cloud solutions must be designed in a way that reflects existing IT infrastructure. Furthermore, cloud solutions architects must continually seek to optimize these solutions, often through advanced strategies involving load balancing or caching.

Many cloud solutions architects are heavily involved in the effort to move applications from on-premises solutions to the cloud. Through extensive migration planning, they can show how to make the switch seamlessly, without disrupting critical workflows or operations.

The Future of Cloud Services

Moving forward, AI is expected to have a greater role in cloud services, with edge computing, in particular, promising to transform entire industries. Edge computing delivers a distributed framework, in which applications are brought closer to data sources. Other  emerging technologies  expected to influence cloud services include quantum computing and the Internet of Things.

AI and Machine Learning Engineer

One of the most exciting and in-demand roles in the modern IT landscape? AI and machine learning (ML) engineering. Drawing on high-level data science skills, AI engineers develop or select algorithms and parameters that will aid in ML initiatives.

This rapidly evolving role often involves extensive data preparation: cleaning raw data to ensure it is appropriate for ML models. Methodologies such as regression and clustering allow engineers to train ML systems while leveraging increasingly large data sets.

The Rise of AI in Various Sectors

While many future IT professionals will work in AI or ML engineering, this is just one of countless dynamic roles that will draw on emerging technologies. AI holds huge implications for every sector imaginable, and as the related efficiencies become more evident, leaders will be eager to work with data scientists and other experts to determine how they can leverage AI and ML solutions.

Future of AI and Machine Learning Engineers

AI and ML engineering is an emerging field, and although there is clearly huge potential in this niche, aspiring AI professionals will need to convey IT expertise while also making a concerted effort to remain up to date on rapidly evolving technologies.

We may not yet understand or be able to predict with full confidence what precisely tomorrow’s AI engineers will accomplish, but it’s increasingly clear that a  nuanced understanding  of data science and software engineering will be crucial to success, as will an extraordinary level of adaptability.

IT Consultant

Many IT professionals crave flexibility and autonomy. Both are well within reach for consultants, who apply their in-depth IT knowledge to offer outside perspectives as they work with a variety of clients.

Consultants are often specialists focused on software management, cybersecurity, systems integration, and other critical areas. They leverage domain knowledge and center their work on specific IT concerns within targeted fields such as healthcare or logistics.

Role of Consultants in Technology

Consultants play a key role in assessing IT infrastructure and shaping strategic plans. Their insight can help bridge the gap between technology and business concerns. Many organizations depend on consultants to reveal problems or propose solutions that would otherwise seem out of reach.

Path to Becoming an Independent Consultant

Many IT professionals take on other roles mentioned in this guide (such as IT project manager or information security analyst) before eventually forging their own paths as independent consultants. Success in this field calls for technical expertise and strong business skills, not to mention an excellent professional network so that consultants can easily find and connect with new clients.

Network Architect

Resilient networks are crucial for optimal communication at the enterprise level. With network architects on hand, leaders can feel confident that network performance will be consistent. Responsible for designing critical networks, these professionals engage in capacity planning, topology design, and redundant network implementation.

Role of Network Architects in IT

Playing a central role in the adoption of emerging technology, network architects provide a solid foundation to ensure that new solutions like cloud computing are implemented seamlessly. Additionally, these professionals facilitate widescale collaboration, which is essential to ongoing innovation.

Network Architect Industry Outlook

While growth in network architecture isn’t exactly keeping pace with other areas in information technology, this remains a promising field, complete with a  BLS-projected outlook  of 4%. Experts anticipate many opportunities to become available as experienced professionals retire or move into other IT specialties.

Enterprise Systems Manager

As comprehensive software solutions, enterprise systems help a number of organizations streamline workflows while boosting innovation and reducing operational expenses. Enterprise systems managers implement and maintain these systems. Depending on organizational objectives, this might involve developing roadmaps or shaping access policies.

The Role of Enterprise Systems Managers in IT

Enterprise systems need to be consistently available and reliable, as these streamline the flow of data and allow organizations to coordinate key decision-making efforts. Enterprise systems managers promote necessary collaboration while also ensuring compliance through system monitoring and other strategies.

Industry Outlook for Enterprise Systems Managers

Though the BLS does not currently provide outlook data specifically tied to enterprise systems management, this falls within the scope of computer and information systems management, which has a strong outlook of 15%. Earning capacity is powerful, too, with median wages of $164,070 per year.

Preparing for a Future in IT

Do you envision an exciting future in IT? You will need to form a solid foundation with a degree program that emphasizes technical competency. Beyond this, however, you must be prepared to adapt to emerging technologies.

Continuous Learning and Adaptability

Due to the rapid pace of change throughout the IT sector, it is imperative that technical professionals in all specialties commit to ongoing professional development. As new tools, technologies, and methodologies are developed or released, IT professionals need to adapt.

Networking and Professional Organizations

Networking is crucial to success in IT, as it exposes professionals to excellent opportunities. There are many ways to build a solid professional network, and often, this begins with enrolling in a graduate-level IT program. Beyond this, membership in professional organizations is advisable. Examples include:

• Cloud Security Alliance
• Network Professional Association
• Association of Information Technology Professionals
• Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)

Your IT Career Awaits: Start Today With Marymount University

As you prepare for a bright future in IT, don’t underestimate the value of a  Master’s in Information Technology program . Look to Marymount University for valuable training and career advancement opportunities, and get in touch today for further information.

https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-06-26-gartner-survey-finds-81-percent-of-cios-expect-to-grow-their-it-team-in-2023

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm#tab-2

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-network-architects.htm#tab-6

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/data-scientists.htm

https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/salary-survey-thirteenth-edition-non-members.pdf?rev=16bd8bb399034b588bdb59631c7cc97d

https://www.gartner.com/en/doc/768816-the-future-of-cloud-computing-in-2027-from-technology-to-business-innovation

https://pub.aimind.so/the-ai-engineer-roles-responsibilities-and-the-future-of-artificial-intelligence-bbcf23baa7d3

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10 of the highest-paying IT jobs right now

If you’re looking for a well-paying, in-demand job that rewards problem-solving skills, a career in information technology might be a good fit for you. The field of IT encompasses computer systems, programming languages, software, data, information processing, and storage to create, secure, and exchange electronic data. 

Even with recent layoffs in the tech sector, Gaurav Jetley, assistant professor of computer information systems in Colorado State University ’s College of Business, says not to worry.

Embark on an AI revolution with UT Austin. Two course start dates per year. Accessible $10,000 tuition.

“IT jobs are still in demand,” Jetley says. “We will see more jobs open up later this year, hopefully.”

And it appears to be true: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 377,500 job openings are projected each year, with a median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations of $104,420 in May 2023.

For those who are interested in pursuing IT jobs, here are 10 of the field’s top-paying roles.

10. Principal Software Engineer  

Top-paying companies: Microsoft, USAA, MITRE

Description: Principal Software Engineers lead teams of engineers to create high-quality, scalable software to achieve an organization’s goals. This role develops and tests software; they are also responsible for reviewing code written by other engineers, identifying the right technology to meet an organization’s needs, and creating architecture for complex software systems.

Average base salary: $111,822, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: New York, N.Y. ($165,480), Atlanta, Ga. ($157,432), Chicago, Ill. ($147,257), according to Indeed .

9. Information Security and Cybersecurity Engineers and Architects  

Top-paying companies: Capital One, MITRE, Honeywell

Description: Information Security and Cybersecurity Engineers and Architects are IT professionals who work alongside developers to make sure that software, systems, applications, and networks are secure. 

These roles may also respond to security risks faced by organizations, such as cyberattacks, security incidents, and data breaches. While architects are responsible for designing cybersecurity systems, engineers focus on building and maintaining cybersecurity infrastructure.

“These are folks who are at the forefront of technology,” Jetley says. “They have to be proactive. They have to be updated on what’s happening, what kind of new threats are emerging, and to take steps to mitigate these things.”

Average base salary: $112,619, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: Charlotte, N.C. ($162,158), Raleigh, N.C. ($146,450), Washington, D.C. ($122,770), according to Indeed .

8. DevOps Engineer  

Top-paying companies: Capital One, Boeing, Northrop Grumman

Description: DevOps Engineers manage an organization’s IT infrastructure. This role updates and maintains software processes with the aim of fixing bugs and improving user experience. DevOps engineers have a strong focus on automation and coordinate all teams involved with a product’s development.

“These are very technically savvy folks that basically manage the entire IT infrastructure,” Jetley says. 

Average base salary: $125,152, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: Palo Alto, Calif. ($157,688), San Francisco, Calif. ($153,008), Herndon, Va. ($148,683), according to Indeed .

7. Chief Information Officer  

Top-paying companies: Cisco, Walt Disney Company, Adobe

Description: Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are responsible for managing and implementing an organization’s information and computer technology systems. This executive position figures out which technologies will benefit an organization, improve business processes, and integrate systems that help an organization achieve their goals.

“This position is not about the nitty gritty but looking at the overall strategy for the entire company,” Jetley says. “They also take care of the implementation of systems.”

Average base s alary: $128,101, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: New York, N.Y. ($211,773), Austin, Texas ($180,626), Washington, D.C. ($163,990), according to Indeed .

6. Solutions Architect  

Top-paying companies: Cisco, IBM, Amazon.com

Description: Solutions Architects develop, build, and implement an organization’s systems architecture to meet customer and business needs. This role evaluates an organization’s existing system architecture and figures out solutions to change, improve, and modernize. 

“You usually have a solutions architect in companies that are employing a cloud solution. They design these solutions,” Jetley says. “These days we’re seeing an uptick in cloud solutions architects because of AI. Most AI is running in the cloud these days.”

Average base salary: $128,106, according to Payscale .

Top-paying locations: San Francisco, Calif. ($148,014), New York, N.Y. ($135,266), Chicago, Ill. ($132,515), according to Payscale .

5. Director of Information Technology  

Top-paying companies: Oracle, Bristol Myers Squibb, USAA

Description: IT Directors manage the information technology and computer systems of an organization under the CIO. This position makes sure that an organization’s tech solutions adequately manage the security, accessibility, and functionality of their IT framework. They also ensure proper communication between chief executives and the IT department.

Average base salary: $130,896, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: San Jose, Calif. ($193,636), St. Louis, Mo. ($176,150), New York, N.Y. ($159,317), according to Indeed .

4. Data Architect  

Top-paying companies: Amazon.com, Accenture, IBM

Description: Data Architects design, deploy, and manage the data infrastructure of an organization. This role formulates an organization’s entire data strategy, including analyzing existing databases, planning future ones, and implementing data storage and management solutions. As practically every company employs data, this role is useful in every industry.

“They define how the data will be stored in the company, how it will be consumed,” Jetley explains.

Average base salary: $132,442, according to Payscale .

Top-paying locations: Washington, D.C. ($153,480), New York, N.Y. ($149,160), Minneapolis, Minn. ($122,717), according to Payscale .

3. Application Architect  

Description: Application Architects manage the development and troubleshooting of applications. Whether overseeing a team of developers or working with clients to plan and design applications, this role addresses programming and coding issues to improve products. This position requires someone to be both a master developer and an experienced leader.

Average base salary: $138,429, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: San Jose, Calif. ($173,364), San Francisco, Calif. ($161,567), Washington, D.C. ($153,720), according to Indeed .

2. Vice President of Information Technology

Top-paying companies: Oracle, Centene, USAA

Description: Vice Presidents (VPs) of Information Technology are tasked with overseeing the IT operations of an organization, including its infrastructure, security, data management, and software applications. VPs of IT direct and manage schedules, IT plans, programs, and policies related to an organization’s management of information systems, computer services, data processing, network communications, and business operations.

Average base salary: $167,619, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: Arlington Heights, Ill. ($228,699), San Diego, Calif. ($213,387), Dallas, Texas ($211,544), according to Indeed .

1. Chief Technology Officer  

Top-paying companies: Capital One, Bloomberg, AFL-CIO

Description: Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) manage an organization’s technological needs and oversee its research and development efforts. CTOs consider the needs of an organization and make investments to help them reach their goals. They also use technology to improve products that serve customers.

Average base salary: $186,703, according to Indeed .

Top-paying locations: San Diego, Calif. ($298,291), Seattle, Wash. ($255,930), New York, N.Y. ($224,111), according to Indeed .

The takeaway  

If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, the field of IT is a rewarding one for continuous learners who love to problem solve. For those who are just getting started, it’s a good idea to pursue certifications or a bachelor’s degree related to IT. Jetley recommends concentrating on a specialty.

“Have a general understanding of many specialties, but digging deep into one specialty is key,” Jetley says. “For that, you have to spend a considerable amount of time learning these systems.”

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Examine the technology behind AI over 6 weeks on this Oxford online programme.

PhD Studentship: Discrete and Continuous Integrable Systems

Loughborough university - school of science, department of mathematical sciences.

Continuous integrable systems are nonlinear differential equations that can be solved exactly and exhibit orderly dynamics. Integrability is the result of some structure underlying the differential equation. A wide variety of such structures exists, formulated through, for example, symmetry groups, differential geometry, or spectral theory. Discrete integrable systems are difference equations that exhibit similar behaviour and possess similar structures to continuous integrable systems. Despite this similarity, it is a non-trivial problem to find explicit relations between discrete and continuous integrable systems. The goal of this project is to develop connections between discrete and continuous integrable systems, particularly those for which the underlying structure is a “Lax pair”. A Lax pair can be thought of as a system of linear equations, which are compatible if and only if an additional condition is satisfied. If we can write a given nonlinear differential (or difference) equation as the compatibility condition of a Lax pair, that provides it with sufficient structure to make it an integrable system. In this project we will explore algorithmic approaches to turn discrete Lax pairs into continuous ones. Integrable systems provide valuable models in fundamental physics, signal processing, wave dynamics, and other fields. The relations between continuous and discrete integrable systems also provide useful insights towards efficient numerical approximation of broader classes of differential equations. The successful candidate will be part of the Geometry and Mathematical Physics group at Loughborough University, benefitting from a stimulating environment that includes weekly research seminars, a diverse expertise in integrable systems, geometry, and dynamics, as well as links with research groups across the UK and internationally. They will be supported in developing their research and science communication skills, and will be able to partake in outreach events if desired. They will have the opportunity to advance their coding skills and learn new programming languages. Loughborough University provides supportive and flexible working arrangements. It is a member of the Race Equality Charter, a Disability Confident Employer, and a Stonewall Diversity Champion. The School of Science holds an Athena SWAN bronze award for gender equality.

Entry requirements:

Students should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 honours (or international equivalent) in Mathematics or related subjects. A relevant master’s degree and/or a background in mathematical physics and/or familiarity with symbolic computations (Mathematica, SageMath, or similar) will be desirable.

English language requirements:

Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website .

Funding information:

The studentship is for 3 years full-time or 6 years part time and provides a tax-free stipend of £19,237 per annum for the duration of the studentship plus tuition fees.

How to apply:

Apply online via the above  ‘Apply’  button. Under programme name, select Mathematical Sciences. Please quote the advertised reference number: MV/MA/2024 in your application. To avoid delays in processing your application, please ensure that you submit the minimum supporting documents , including a CV. The selection criteria will be used by academic schools to help them make a decision on your application.

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• Search Working at TU/e
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Working at TU/e

Phd on grid-edge optimal solutions, job description.

The role of the distribution system operator (DSO) is changing from a passive maintainer of electricity networks to an active coordinator in the edge of the energy system. At the same time, customers become enabled to change from passive energy users to active participants in the local electricity system. Maintaining privacy and grid (cyber) security levels are part of the challenge to face.

A digital transformation at the edge of the distribution grid and at connected customers is unfolding. This opens possibilities for deploying distributed intelligence to enable smart network operations by collecting and processing data while preserving high levels of privacy for the customers. Exploring AI models for smart System Operation (AISO) is a collaboration project in which DSO Alliander will work together with the TU/e departments of Electrical Engineering (Electrical Energy Systems group) and Mathematics & Computer Science (Interconnected Resource-aware Intelligent Systems, and Stochastic Operations Research) to realize these innovations.

The project will be part of the TU/e’s Eindhoven AI Systems Institute (EAISI) and Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES) programs and therefore share, learn, and disseminate within the EAISI and EIRES communities and through the TU/e master programs Data Science and AI, Medical Engineering and AI Engineering Systems, and educational activities from the TU/e Electrical Energy Systems group and Math & Computer Science department.

If you are eager to work with a multi-disciplinary team focusing on AI-driven applications to support the DSO then this is the right position for you.   

Job Description

The project focuses on synthetical data generation, AI-driven state estimation, stochastic modelling and reliability assessment, and grid-edge optimal solutions. These models will be combined with the AI-driven state estimations to enhance network observability and grid monitoring. Additionally, integration with the stochastic modelling and reliability assessment process will provide valuable insights into the impact of uncertainties on grid reliability. Finally, in conjunction with the developed edge intelligence, these advancements will enable optimal solutions for the electricity grids in the Netherlands and e.g. the rest of Europe, while maintaining user privacy.

The research results will be immediately utilized by Alliander for congestion estimation and flexibility procurement. To achieve this, it is part of this project that all the developed (AI-driven) models and algorithms are also implemented in production-ready open-source packages.

One of the four main research tracks (RTs) of AISO is as follows:

RT4: Grid-edge optimal solutions

Along with the new generation of smart meters and the emerging development of virtual grid concept, there is a clear trend for system operation to push intelligence towards the edge devices.

To this end, within this research track, the successful candidate will work on designing privacy-aware accurate, fast, and efficient semi/self-learning AI models that can deliver results comparable with cloud-based fully supervised AI models. More specifically, the research will include:

• Designing self-learning edge AI models based on the privacy/security-by-design principle
• Tackling AI model generalization
• Optimization of distributed and centralized AI model design and load balancing
• Integration and validation of simulation-based solutions in the virtual grid environment

See for the other 3 reseach tracks below:

PhD1 / RT1: Synthetical data generation using multivariate models . PhD2 / RT2: AI-driven state estimation and prediction . PhD3 / RT3: Stochastic modelling and reliability assessment

Job requirements

• A MSc degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or related fields
• A strong background in deep learning, distributed ML, and AI model optimization
• Good scientific programming skills and experience inlanguages such as Python, C++, Julia, etc.
• Enthusiasm in open-source and motivated to learn basic skills of scientific software engineering.
• Strong analytical, implementation, and experimentation skills
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and be a team player
• Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach MSc and BSc students
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level)

Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,770 max. €3,539).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process .
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A  Staff Immigration Team  and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information and application

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Curious to hear more about what it’s like as a PhD at TU/e? You can navigate here .

Information 

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager [Nirvana Meratnia, professor, [email protected]  or +31 40 247 3828.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact [email protected] . Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page .

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.