The PhD program in BIT at the University of Memphis aims at preparing students for a successful academic career as scholars. The BIT department prides itself on maintaining a supportive research and teaching atmosphere. PhD students are encouraged to actively get involved in research with faculty right from the first semester. Our program nurtures students’ innate curiosity while providing them with mentoring and support to train them for independent research and professional responsibilities.

BIT courses include topics such as information systems management, business database systems, systems analysis and design, business intelligence, data communications and networks, information assurance and data security. In research seminars students review the core topics in information systems, with an emphasis on current research. Students also take four courses related to research methodology, as well as two courses related to research in the field of information systems.

BIT faculty publishes applied and theoretical research in the top tier MIS academic journals, focusing on the AIS-6 journals: MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of MIS, Journal of the AIS, European Journal of Information Systems, and Information Systems Journal. Our faculty’s research spans multiple lines of inquiry including managerial, behavioral and technical topics and we employ empirical approaches, modeling, experimental, qualitative, design science and econometric methodologies.

Our PhD program in BIT benefits from a mix of junior faculty members complementing our existing strong cadre of senior faculty. This brings opportunity for the students to work in diverse research areas like information value, IS service quality, strategic information management, outsourcing and the use of open source, system testing and management, social networks, online consumer behavior, business value of IT, information assurance management, global IS issues, knowledge management, technology in the supply chain, healthcare IS, ethics and philosophy of IT, innovation & strategy, and IT leadership.

Our doctoral students actively participate in and benefit from the various initiatives the department is involved in such as weekly MIS research colloquium, the Systems Testing Excellence Program (STEP), and the Center for Innovation Technology Management.

For admission, prerequisites, and program information, see the college website at: http://www.memphis.edu/fcbephd/.