Dept. Web Site: http://bschool.washington.edu/departments/mgtsci/
Course Requirements for Majors
Research Methods Minor Area Requirements
A Typical Course Schedule
Requirements for an Information Systems Minor
Faculty and their Research Interests

General Information

The Department of Information Systems & Operations Management (ISOM) supports two areas for doctoral study: Information Systems (IS) and Operations Management (OM). Information systems is a relatively new discipline that deals with the design, use, and management of information technologies in organizations and society. Information Systems and Operations Management are linked by their common use of quantitative analysis and computers, which form an integral part of all ISOM courses. Both areas are designed for persons seeking academic and research careers.

The doctoral program in Information Systems includes the study of the design, development, use, and management of computer-based business information systems with a focus on creating business value. The IS program at the UW Business School has a highly productive faculty that contributes to the fundamental theories in IS in diverse directions such as database and data mining, software engineering, electronic commerce, information technology strategies, and economics of IS.

Students admitted into the IS doctoral program are expected to gain a solid understanding of the technical, organizational, and economic aspects of information systems. They develop in-depth knowledge in related reference disciplines such as economics, statistics, operations research, and/or computer science for needed skills that assist their research. The doctoral program prepares students for both academic and industrial jobs, though graduates usually choose the academic path.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree at an accredited university and should have a reasonable training in mathematics and economics. An admission committee of faculty members in the Management Science Department reviews all completed applications. While the committee considers all relevant factors in its recommendations, important factors include past academic performance, GMAT scores (which are usually above 650 for successful applicants), and previous work experience. The GRE exam can be substituted for the GMAT but the GMAT is strongly preferred. In some cases we may request a personal interview.

Recommended Preparation Prior to Entry

It is assumed that students are knowledgeable in advanced calculus, linear algebra, basic statistics, and a high level programming language. Any student who is deficient in these areas should consider taking appropriate coursework prior to entering the program.

Information Systems Area Faculty Coordinator

Prof. Xianjun Geng, Information Systems Area Faculty Coordinator, would be glad to answer your questions. You can contact him by phone (206-543-3981 or by email (gengxj@u.washington.edu).

Student Advising

The Department’s Doctoral Review Committee will guide new students until they establish a Supervisory Committee. Students are strongly encouraged to establish a Supervisory Committee by end of their first year. The Supervisory Committee (or Doctoral Review Committee if the Supervisory Committee had not been established) assists the student in choosing appropriate courses, approves course of studies, and monitors the student’s progress.

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Course Requirements for Majors

Students in the IS area must take at least eight courses. The courses to be chosen as part of the major requirement are classified into three groups: Group I includes the MBA level courses required for Ph.D. students; Group II includes the doctoral seminar courses in Information Systems; and Group III includes courses from other areas. The courses from Group III are to be chosen so as not to have excessive overlap with coursework in minor areas. All IS students must enroll in the doctoral seminar (IS 599) until all coursework is completed and the IS area examination is successfully completed; after completing this milestone, we strongly encourage all students to continue participating in the doctoral seminar. The number of credits for each course is indicated in parentheses after the course number.

Group I. MBA level courses:

Group II. Doctoral level courses:

Group III. Two graduate level courses from areas other than a minor area. It is strongly recommended that students select courses in Computer Science, Statistics and Economics. Possible topics include:

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Research Methods Minor Area Requirements

All students majoring in Information Systems must select Research Methods as one of their minor areas. The Research Methods area is designed to insure that all students are knowledgeable with research tools needed to conduct high-level research in IS.

It is assumed that students entering are knowledgeable in advanced calculus, linear algebra, basic statistics, and a high level programming language. Any student who is deficient in these areas should consider taking appropriate coursework prior to entering the program. The requirements listed below are viewed as minimal preparation for conducting doctoral level research; we strongly recommend that students expand their research methods area beyond the courses listed below.

Mathematics

Required course:

Microeconomics

Required courses (or equivalent):

Suggested courses:

Operations Management

Suggested courses:

Optimization / Mathematical Programming

Required courses (or equivalent):

Suggested courses:

Probability Theory / Stochastic Processes / Queuing / Simulation

Required courses (or equivalent):

Statistical Analysis / Inference

Required courses (or equivalent):

Suggested courses:

It is expected that courses in Research Methods area will be completed by the end of the second year.

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Other Minor Area Requirements

The second and/or third minor area will depend on the student's interest. Typical minor areas include:

Computer Science,
Economics or Business Economics,
Finance,
Marketing,
Mathematics,
Operations Management,
Statistics.

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A Typical Course Schedule

Assuming adequate background preparation, students are expected to complete the following coursework in the first year. The normal schedule is as follows but course offerings and quarter offerings might change depending on faculty availability.

First Year

Second Year

*To be decided by the IS faculty member based on student's interest and progress
** Offered in every other year

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Requirements for an Information Systems Minor

Students who select Information Systems as a minor area must take a minimum of four courses in Information Systems. They are required to take all three courses in Group I and one course from Group II.

Group I. MBA level courses:

Group II. Doctoral level courses:

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Written Area or Qualifying Examination

After completing all coursework in his or her major area, each student will take a written area examination consisting of questions contributed by all appropriate area faculty and administered by the chair of the student’s supervisory committee. The exam is graded on a high pass, pass, low pass, or fail basis; if appropriate, the supervisory committee may require additional work and/or classes as a condition of passing the exam.

In Information Systems area examination will test students on the course work as well as on the topics of current research in the area. The exam is typically scheduled in early July. To facilitate preparation for the area examination, the Information Systems faculty will maintain a reading list in the department office. This list will be updated periodically and will normally reflect the research interests of the IS faculty. The current list includes books, monographs, and recent research papers on the following topics: Information Systems Development, Database Theory, Network Pricing and Management, Economics of Information Systems, Electronic Commerce.

General Examination

After successfully completing the written area exam, each student takes a general (oral) examination. Members of the Supervisory Committee that includes a representative of the Graduate School, and any other interested faculty and students, administer this examination. Typically, this exam involves a defense of the student’s dissertation proposal; however, the chair of the Supervisory Committee determines the precise format of the general exam.

Dissertation

After successfully completing the general examination, the student is admitted to Candidacy and continues work on his/her dissertation research. A Reading Committee guides the student in working with the dissertation. It is also expected that the student will present his research to the Management Science department in the doctoral seminar.

Final Examination

When the dissertation is completed, the Supervisory Committee administers a final defense of the dissertation.

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Information Systems Faculty and their Research Interests

Debabrata Dey
Professor and Evert McCabe Fellow and Department Chair, Ph.D. Rochester
206-543-1855, ddey@u.washington.edu
Database theory and design, telecommunications, heterogeneous and distributed systems, software engineering

Ming Fan
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Texas
206-543-7525, mfan@u.washington.edu
Electronic commerce, Telecommunications, Database management

Xianjun Geng
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Texas
206-543-3981, gengxj@u.washington.edu
Electronic commerce, economics of information systems, data communications and networking.

Subodha Kumar
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Texas, Dallas
206-543-4777, subodha@u.washington.edu
Electronic commerce, Web advertisement, Combinatorial optimization, Scheduling.

Anjana Susarla
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Texas
206-543-8761, asusarla@u.washington.edu
Data communications and networking, systems analysis and design, database management, electronic commerce.

Yong Tan
Associate Professor and Neal and Jan Dempsey Fellow, Ph.D. Washington
206-616-6785, ytan@u.washington.edu
Electronic commerce, Software engineering, Economics of information systems, Telecommunications.

Arvind Tripathi
Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Connecticut
206-221-5369, tripathi@u.washington.edu
Data management, Decision support systems, Electronic commerce, Management of Information Systems, Modeling and simulation.

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