Georgia State University
Department of Computer Information Systems
Academic Programs
Ph. D.
Curriculum
Major in Computer Information Systems
Course Requirements Specific to CIS
A. Quantitative and Research Methods (5 hours)
B. Coursework in Major Field (45 hours)
The ten hours for each of the courses CIS 922, CIS 924 and CIS 926 will result from students taking each course twice. These three courses are "topics" courses whose content will change on a year-by-year basis. They normally will be taught by different instructors who will offer different perspectives on the CIS discipline. Each of these courses will be offered once a year and CIS majors will be expected to have repeated these courses by the end of their second year. This will allow first and second year students to register for the same course at the same time. One of the objectives of these courses is to prepare students for research in CIS and it is hoped that the stimulating presence of second year students in the class will encourage the first year students and provide greater opportunities for interaction and sharing of knowledge among the doctoral students in the program.
TRANSITION PLAN
Implementation:
The revised program would be officially implemented in its entirety starting in the Winter quarter of 1995.
Proposed Calendar:
The 1994-1998 calendar for the 5 courses in the CIS doctoral program will be as follows:
Academic Year Term Course
1994-95 Fall CIS 918
CIS 912
Winter CIS 924
Spring CIS 926
1995-96 Fall CIS 930
CIS 922
Winter CIS 924
1996-97 SpringFall CIS 926
CIS 928
CIS 922
Winter CIS 924
Spring CIS 926
Fall CIS 930
1997-98 CIS 922
Winter CIS 924
Spring CIS 926
As can be seen from this schedule, students will take the CIS 928, 922, 924, 926 series in one year alternating with the CIS 930, 922, 924, 926 series in the other year of their two sequence of CIS doctoral courses. Topics for the sections of CIS 922, 924 and 926 would be determined by the faculty members teaching those courses in any given year, but no topics course will be repeated two years in a row.
Course substitutions:
Existing Courses Approved Substitute CIS 912 CIS 922 CIS 914 CIS 924 CIS 916 CIS 926 CIS 918 CIS 928 or CIS 930
N.B. None of the currently enrolled doctoral students are adversely affected by the program change since the course hour requirements for the program remain the same as in the old curriculum.PhD Mission Statement & Assessment Method(s)
Department of Computer Information Systems
Mission Statement
The doctoral program of the department of Computer Information Systems (CIS) seeks to develop a high level of competence for its graduates' knowledge creation (research), knowledge communication (education), and knowledge transfer of the corpus of literature and practice constituting the CIS discipline. The doctoral program seeks to place graduates in organizations and institutions that encourage research. It further seeks to instill in its students a life-long desire and ability to pursue scholarship and advance knowledge.
The curriculum of many professional management and business schools includes course offerings not only in the theory of information systems/information technology, but also in the building, deployment, and management of such information and computer artifacts. The 1992 McGraw-Hill Directory of MIS Faculty in the US and Canada, for example, lists 1889 faculty engaged in teaching and researching in the information systems area. An Information Systems (IS) component to the business school curriculum and/or an IS or CIS academic program is also increasingly common in Europe and Asia.
The mission of the CIS doctoral program is to prepare graduates for positions in these university and college programs, worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the highest quality schools and research institutions.
Expected Outcome -- Students should be able to critically evaluate and discuss theoretical developments and results of original research in the discipline.
Assessment Method 1.1 -- Student mastery of knowledge will be evaluated by comprehensive examinations, prepared by and outcomes assessed a committee of faculty members.
Assessment Method 1.2 -- Graduates' mastery of knowledge will be evaluated via longitudinal surveys of graduates/or their employers with a focus on the ability to keep up with state-of-the-art knowledge in the discipline. This assessment will be made by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.
Expected Outcome -- Students should be able to conduct original research.
Assessment Method 2.1 -- Student creation of knowledge will be evaluated by faculty members serving on the dissertation committee. These evaluations include, but are not restricted to: the dissertation proposal defense and final defense of a dissertation.
Assessment Method 2.2 -- Graduates' creation of knowledge will be evaluated through longitudinal surveys of graduates and/or their employers with respect to research projects, grants, scholarly papers, technical reports, scholarly presentations which graduates have completed. This assessment will be made by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.
Expected Outcome -- Students should be able to successfully communicate their knowledge and research findings to a range of audiences.
Assessment Method 3.1 -- Student communication of knowledge will be evaluated through surveys of teaching assistant effectiveness during the student's tenure in the doctoral program. This assessment will be made by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.
Assessment Method 3.2 -- Graduates' communication of knowledge will be evaluated through an employer survey of teaching/presentation effectiveness. This assessment will be made by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.
Expected Outcome -- Students should be able to adapt their knowledge and results to various audiences and to transfer this knowledge to practice.
Assessment Method 4.1 -- Student transferrence of knowledge to practice will be evaluated by a practice-oriented white paper submitted to and assessed by a designated group of faculty and practitioners.
Assessment Method 4.2 -- Graduates' transferrence of knowledge will be evaluated by longitudinal surveys of professional knowledge transfer activities, submitted to and assessed by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.
Expected Outcome -- Graduates will accept positions at institutions where the research skills mastered in the program will be utilized.
Assessment Method 5.1 -- Initial placement statistics will be evaluated by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.
Assessment Method 5.2 -- Alumni surveys to monitor professional progress through the ranks of accomplishment and organizations and institutions will be evaluated by the CIS Doctoral Advisory Committee.