Management Science and Information Systems, Ph.D.

Curriculum

The Ph.D. program requires 60 credit hours of coursework. The doctorate has the following program curriculum requirements:
• 15 hours of approved methods courses, 6 of which come from MSIS
• 12 hours of core seminar and practicum coursework from MSIS
• 6 hours of seminar and practicum coursework will be chosen by the student, in conjunction with a faculty committee, to support the individual student’s specific interests and needs.
• 6 hours of approved electives, chosen by the student in conjunction with a faculty committee.
• 18 hours of dissertation with a faculty advisor and chair.

 

For a list of departmental course offerings, refer to the course catalog, starting at the 6000 level.

 

Research and Faculty

The OSU MSIS faculty represents a well-balanced portfolio of academic scholars. The faculty is active with research and publication, dedicated to the students' learning experience and successful career development, committed to maintaining a collegial work environment, and supportive of professional development.

 

Major research areas

Meet our Departmental Faculty

 

Admissions

The priority deadline is December 15; the final deadline is February 1. Admission is for the Fall semester only for on-campus. We do not offer an online doctoral program or a distance learning program. The program is full-time on-campus with the expectation of students living in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The Department of Management Science and Information Systems (MSIS) has its own set of requirements for admittance, along with requirements for the OSU Graduate College. The following are the departmental requirements and represent the minimum requirements to apply:

• Test score of at least 600 (GMAT). We may accept GRE test scores (minimum score of 320), but preference will be given to those applicants who take the GMAT. The recent average GMAT score for accepted applicants is 683; the recent average GRE score is 323.
  
• A minimum 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale is required; the recent average of accepted applicants is 3.83.
  
• A master’s degree is required. While preference will be given to applicants with a technical degree (i.e., Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, etc.), other degrees are also acceptable so long as the entirety of the application is competitive. As an example, a recent graduate entered the program with a MS in Physics; another had a MBA.
  
• For international students, a TOEFL (Internet) of 95 is required.

In addition to these requirements, the following are requested for your application:

• Resume highlighting your work experience, previous and current research (if any), technical skills, and educational background.
  
• Publications (pdf versions) from conferences or peer-reviewed journals (if any).
  Three letters of recommendation (academic or industry; at least one academic) on your character, abilities, personality, and temperament.
  
• Statement of purpose addressing the following: 1) Why you desire to earn a doctorate, 2) why information systems is a good fit (as opposed to other fields), and 3) how the qualities and attributes you possess lend themselves to you successfully completing a doctorate.

While the expectation is for all applicants to meet these requirements, we understand not every applicant does so. For example, it is entirely possible to have a competitive application without having a high GMAT score. This could include impressive work experience or prior academic publications.

After applications are reviewed, selected applicants will be contacted for an interview with the doctoral committee. The interview is not an assessment of your technical abilities per se, but rather to ensure you are the right candidate for our program and if the program is a good fit for you.

All applicants will be notified no later than March 1 of the application decision.

Cost & Assistance

All qualified students admitted to the Ph.D. in business administration program in the management science and information systems field of study are offered a part-time teaching position as graduate teaching assistants (GTA) for which they perform teaching duties as assigned by the department head for an average of 20 hours per week. The position includes a full tuition waiver for eligible graduate courses (possible fee waiver) and carries a stipend of at least $20,000 for the academic year.

 

In addition, the department may supplement the stipend annually with an amount of up to $2,000. Besides the department supplement, there are top-tier fellowship opportunities for outstanding Ph.D. students and possibilities for additional summer funding.

Cost

Scholarships

Assistantships & Funding Opportunities