Course description
The focus of the Ph.D. Program in Computers and Information Systems is on business aspects of Information Technology use and management. The Program emphasizes analytic and quantitative tools and techniques from economics, operations research and decision sciences to address these issues. The research conducted by the students and faculty have significantly advanced the state of the art in research on Information Systems in general, and Informations Systems Economics, in particular.
Program
Computers and Information Systems (CIS ) Majors take the Quantitative Methods Core, which leads to an automatic Minor in Management Science. The Ph.D. Programs distribution requirement broadens students education by exposing them to Applied Economics courses and elective courses (which must be approved by the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator). In order to learn about current research topics in the field, students are required to attend three CIS Ph.D. Seminars each year they are in residence.
The First Year: Foundation
The first year is designed to provide students with a strong methodological foundation in order to prepare them for research in the advanced years of the Program. The first year culminates with the Quantitative Methods Core Exam given in June.
The Second Year: Depth
The Qualifying Exam, given at the end of the second year, tests students ability to integrate class material and reading requirements. It may also include a take-home research exam, distributed as early as the fall of the second year, and due in the following summer. The Exam is based upon the typical two-year course sequence described in Figures 8 and 9, plus:
* Five M.B.A. courses shown, and associated Ph.D.-level reading lists, or substitutes approved in advance by the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator;
* Reading lists provided after passing the Core Exam on additional professional topics in the field (expert systems, performance evaluation, hardware and software trends, organizational impact of information technology, strategic issues in information systems);
* Independent research on topics assigned by the area faculty.
Admission to Candidacy
Upon completing the above requirements, students become Ph.D. Candidates by receiving a recommendation from the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator.
The Third Year: Breadth
The Fourth Year: Dissertation
Computers and Information Systems majors take additional courses in the third year after passing the Qualifying Exam. They are required to receive passing grades in the six CIS Ph.D. Seminars in their third and fourth years. They may take additional professional courses as well; for example, CIS 446, plus periodically offered advanced reading courses on topics such as modeling issues, queuing networks, common sense systems, large-scale mathematical programming, and decision support systems. In addition, students must meet all minor and distribution requirements.
Candidates also begin work on a dissertation. Research in the field of Computers and Information Systems focuses on problems of design, performance analysis, and optimization of computers and information systems. Current thesis titles are listed below.
* Technology, Market Structure and Firm Strategies
* On Internet Interconnection Agreements and Yield Management of Information Goods
* Product Differentiation in Electronic Markets
* Optimal Design of Online Auctions
* A Spacial Analysis of the Internet Industry and Optimal Pricing in Information Systems Management
* Modeling and Designing Business Processes
* Workflow Management in Business Processes
* Performance Evaluation of Kanban-Controlled Assembly Networks
The Computers and Information Systems Minor
To qualify for a minor in Computers and Information Systems, active participation in two CIS Ph.D. Seminars is required (the joint CIS/OMG Seminars are acceptable). A passing grade on the Computers and Information Systems Qualifying Exam is necessary, plus a grade of B or better in the following courses:
* Economics of Information Management (CIS 413)
* Business Process Analysis and Design (CIS 415)
* Business Data Communications (CIS 442)
or substitutes approved in advance by the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator.
