Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Information Systems

University of North Texas

Course Work

Course work requirements for the Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Computer Information Systems consists of major and supporting fields of at least 33 hours and a research core of 12 hours. The specific requirements of the major and supporting fields are established by each individual student's Program Committee, although 9 to 12 of the 33 hours are typically used for the supporting field. The research and foundation core, required of all business Ph.D. students, provides a common foundation in research methodology. The final requirements for the Ph.D. consist of 12 hours of dissertation research.

Research Requirements

All Ph.D. programs in Business Administration require completion of 15 hours of approved formal course work in research methodology, 6 hours of methodological electives, and 12 hours of the dissertation research study. Information Systems Ph.D. students typically satisfy their research requirements with the following courses:

Research (15 hours)

• BUSI 6450 Business Research Methods
• BUSI 6220 Applied Regression Analysis
• BUSI 6480 Advanced Issues in Research Design
• BUSI 6240 Applied Multivariable Statistics
• BUSI 6280 Applications in Casual and Covariance Structural Modeling

Dissertation

• BCIS 6950 Dissertation Seminar

The research core is designed to provide the student with competencies in epistemology, logic, philosophy of science, research design, analytic tools, and business research methodology. Consequently, students should take the research core courses early in their program so that they can apply the concepts learned throughout their program.

Dissertation research is not started until the student has passed his/her qualifying examinations and has been admitted to candidacy. This research is supervised by the student's major professor (Dissertation Committee Chairperson).

Students are urged to consider their research goals very early in their program. Students should coordinate their career interests, research interests, and dissertation interests with their course work. Students that attempt to complete a dissertation without the appropriate supporting course work normally do not successfully finish their program.

Begin your dissertation preparation and research starting the very first day of your Ph.D. Program.