Overview

The Information Systems field holds exciting opportunities for researchers interested in developing and testing theories about the acquisition, use and impacts of information technology in firms and in society. Because Information Systems is a relatively new discipline, the boundaries of the field continue to develop and change. Thus, the field of Information Systems is open to research using innovative methodologies, which can yield significant contributions to the existing body of theoretical knowledge in both management and the social sciences.

Ph.D. students, upon joining the program, are expected to begin working with faculty members on research projects that will lead to publications in scholarly journals. In addition, in the first two years of the Information Systems Ph.D. Program students develop an array of research skills and a broad familiarity with the information systems research domain. In subsequent years the student will acquire deeper knowledge of a particular area while working with a faculty member in a manner that will lead to the writing of the dissertation as an original contribution to knowledge.

Structure & Requirements

A student in the Information Systems Ph.D. Program will choose, usually during the first year, one of two possible tracks, either the Electronic Commerce Track or the Organizational Track. The first year of the Ph.D. Program is structured around five core courses. During the fall semester of the first year all students take courses in Information Systems Readings, Electronic Commerce and Microeconomics. In the spring semester of the first year, students in the Electronic Commerce Track take a second course in Electronic Commerce and a second course in Microeconomics, while students in the Organizational Track take a course on Information Technology Topics and another on Information Systems Management Topics.

Two minor fields are selected by the student to serve the purpose of broadening one's scope of knowledge and meeting research needs. Students also take a two-course sequence in statistics to provide the quantitative skills necessary to do empirical research in the field of Information Systems.

Faculty

The faculty members in the Information Systems area at UT Austin are engaged in research to develop and extend our theoretical understanding of information systems and information technologies in a variety of contexts. Currently the Information Systems faculty and Ph.D. students are actively pursuing research on a wide range of topics related to information systems and information technologies, including:

The New Economy
IT/ Client Relationships
The Internet Company
Auctions
Digital Marketplaces
Electronic Intermediaries
IT Sourcing
Application Service Providers
Software Renting
IT Pricing
Mobile Computing
On-line Trading
Database Management
Active Databases
Real-time Databases
Systems Development Methods
Electronic Commerce
Business Process Engineering
Internet Fraud
Electronic Supply Chains
Enterprise-wide Information Systems
Virtual Work
Collaboration Technologies
New IT Ventures
Public Policy Related to IT
Digital Products
Knowledge Management
Intellectual Property Rights
Business Models
Global E-Commerce
The Business Value If IT
IT Infrastructures