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Computer Information Systems
The focus of the Ph.D. Program in Computers and Information Systems is on business aspects of Information Technology use and management. The Program emphasizes analytic and quantitative tools and techniques from economics, operations research and decision sciences to address these issues. The research conducted by the students and faculty have significantly advanced the state of the art in research on Information Systems in general, and Informations Systems Economics, in particular.
Program
Computers and Information Systems (CIS ) Majors take the Quantitative Methods Core, which leads to an automatic Minor in Management Science. The Ph.D. Programs distribution requirement broadens students education by exposing them to Applied Economics courses and elective courses (which must be approved by the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator). In order to learn about current research topics in the field, students are required to attend three CIS Ph.D. Seminars each year they are in residence.
The First Year: Foundation
The first year is designed to provide students with a strong methodological foundation in order to prepare them for research in the advanced years of the Program. The first year culminates with the Quantitative Methods Core Exam given in June.
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 511 Advanced Price Theory I | AEC 512 Advanced Price Theory II MSM522 Optimization MSM 504 Theory of Prob. and Stochastic Processes I |
AEC 513 Advanced Price Theory III MSM 535 Integer Programming MSM 505 Theory of Prob. and Stochastic Processes II |
|
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | ||
| ECO 483/484 (2 hrs. each) Intro Math Stats/Econometrics MTH 265H (4 hrs.) Real Analysis BST 401 (4 hrs.) Probability Theory |
ECO 485 (4 hrs.) Econometrics | ||
The Second Year: Depth
The Qualifying Exam, given at the end of the second year, tests students ability to integrate class material and reading requirements. It may also include a take-home research exam, distributed as early as the fall of the second year, and due in the following summer. The Exam is based upon the typical two-year course sequence described in Figures 8 and 9, plus:
- Five M.B.A. courses shown, and associated Ph.D.-level reading lists, or substitutes approved in advance by the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator;
- Reading lists provided after passing the Core Exam on additional professional topics in the field (expert systems, performance evaluation, hardware and software trends, organizational impact of information technology, strategic issues in information systems);
- Independent research on topics assigned by the area faculty.
This requirement is in addition to the Second-Year Paper due November 15.
| Summer Quarter | STR 403 The Economic Theory of Organizations |
| Fall Quarter | CIS 521 Ph.D. Seminar in CIS CIS 415 Business Process Analysis and Design ECM 437 Marketing on the Internet ECM 440 Electronic Commerce Strategy |
| Winter Quarter | CIS 522 Ph.D. Seminar in CIS ACC 410 Accounting for Management and Control CIS 413 Economics of Information Management |
| Spring Quarter | CIS 523 Ph.D. Seminar in CIS OMG 411 Supply Chain Management Another CIS Elective |
Admission to Candidacy
Upon completing the above requirements, students become Ph.D. Candidates by receiving a recommendation from the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator.
The Third Year: Breadth
The Fourth Year: Dissertation
Computers and Information Systems majors take additional courses in the third year after passing the Qualifying Exam. They are required to receive passing grades in the six CIS Ph.D. Seminars in their third and fourth years. They may take additional professional courses as well; for example, CIS 446, plus periodically offered advanced reading courses on topics such as modeling issues, queuing networks, common sense systems, large-scale mathematical programming, and decision support systems. In addition, students must meet all minor and distribution requirements.
Candidates also begin work on a dissertation. Research in the field of Computers and Information Systems focuses on problems of design, performance analysis, and optimization of computers and information systems. Current thesis titles are listed below.
- Technology, Market Structure and Firm Strategies
- On Internet Interconnection Agreements and Yield Management of Information Goods
- Product Differentiation in Electronic Markets
- Optimal Design of Online Auctions
- A Spacial Analysis of the Internet Industry and Optimal Pricing in Information Systems Management
- Modeling and Designing Business Processes
- Workflow Management in Business Processes
- Performance Evaluation of Kanban-Controlled Assembly Networks
The Computers and Information Systems Minor
To qualify for a minor in Computers and Information Systems, active participation in two CIS Ph.D. Seminars is required (the joint CIS/OMG Seminars are acceptable). A passing grade on the Computers and Information Systems Qualifying Exam is necessary, plus a grade of B or better in the following courses:
- Economics of Information Management (CIS 413)
- Business Process Analysis and Design (CIS 415)
- Business Data Communications (CIS 442)
or substitutes approved in advance by the Computers and Information Systems Area Coordinator.
Faculty & Research Interests
Abraham Seidmann, Area Coordinator
Flexible manufacturing-systems management, corporate information systems, computer control of production systems, and dvanced financial information systems development.
Rajiv M. Dewan, Ph.D. Program Committee Chair
Economics of information management, finance and accounting information systems, high-tech marketing, telecommunications network design, and data management.
Roy Jones
Products and price competition for information goods, and factors influencing growth of the online services industry.
Edieal J. Pinker
Modeling of flexible work forces in uncertainty, and the influence of information technologies on design and structure of work and implications for management.
Courses & Descriptions
Listed below are titles of M.B.A.-level courses (for descriptions the Simon Information Guide), and descriptions of Ph.D.-level courses in Computers and Information Systems.
- CIS 401 Information Systems for Management
- CIS 413 Economics of Information Management
- CIS 415 Business Process Analysis and Design
- CIS 416 Advanced Information Technology
- CIS 435 Managing Electronic Commerce
- CIS 440 Electronic Commerce Strategy
- CIS 441 System Simulation (same as MSM 441)
- CIS 442 Business Data Communications
- CIS 446 Financial Information Systems (same as FIN 446)
- CIS 501, 502, 503 (first year, 3 credit hours) Ph.D. Seminars in Computers and Information Systems. The Seminars are offered in the fall, winter, and spring quarters, with topics rotating every two years and selected from the following: decision-support systems, economics of information and the valuation of information systems, issues in the management of information systems and the economics of computing, advanced topics in systems analysis and design, organizational aspects of information systems, logical and physical database design, and topics discussed in the joint CIS/OMG Ph.D. Seminar. Pass/fail grading system.
- CIS 512 Advanced Topics in Database Design (pre-requisite: CIS 415). This course examines current research issues in database management systems. Topics include database-design methodologies, semantic data models, semantic integrity constraints, object oriented approaches and applications of artificial intelligence to database management systems.
- CIS 521, 522, 523 (3 credit hours) Ph.D. Seminars in Computers and Information Systems. Taken by Ph.D. students in second year and beyond. Continuous registration required while in residence. Letter grading system.
