We prefer the GMAT, but we do accept the GRE test as a substitute. In either case, the exam must have been taken within five years of the time of application to WSU. A GMAT conversion will be applied to the GRE score submitted by applicants who take the GRE in lieu of the GMAT. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) provides a conversion chart. The converted GRE score will then be applied to the Carson College of Business admissions index score in the same manner as a standard GMAT score.

DESIRED PREREQUISITES

Most successful applicants to our program have attained, at minimum:

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year accredited university
• 3.25 GPA

As an entering Ph.D. student, you should be competent in statistics and business (management, economics, psychology, human resources management, finance, accounting, marketing, and operations management), and have adequate computer skills and a good command of the English language. If you are deficient in any of these areas, additional coursework and preparation (beyond the major course of study) may be required. Your advisory committee will determine those requirements.

Per CCB requirements, students should have:

• submitted the program of study by the end of the first year of enrollment in the Ph.D. program
• formed a Program Committee no later than the third semester in the program
• presented the second-year paper by the end of the 5th semester
• gotten their program of study approved by the WSU Graduate School at least one month before scheduling the (comprehensive) preliminary oral exam if changes were made after first year-end submission
• taken written field exams between the 4th and 5th semester
• taken the oral prelim exam by the end of the 5th semester (after passing the written field exam)
• formed a Dissertation Committee by the end of the 5th semester
• defended a dissertation proposal (as approved by the Dissertation Committee) by the end of the 6th semester
• defended the dissertation by the end of the 8th semester (could be extended up to 10th semester depending on the nature of research and potential for superior employment)
• passed the English Competency exam by the end of the 2nd semester (ESL TAs only)

Students are required to earn 72 credit hours, 36 of which must be graded. As such, students must take an additional 36 credits (either graded or pass/fail) to reach a total of 72 credits. Thus, “Research” and “Other Directed” credits may be taken to reach the total of 72 credits. A breakdown of credits could be as follows:

1. 36 credits of graded coursework,
2. 4 credits of other coursework (graded (e.g., BA 596) or S/F (e.g., BA 598—see below), and
3. 32 research credits

GRADED COURSE CREDITS

36 Credits

MIS Research

12-15 Credits
Students are required to take at least 4 of the following 5 courses:

• MIS 595: MIS Research Foundations
• MIS 596: MIS Doctoral Topics
• MIS 597: MIS Research Methods
• MIS 598: MIS Research Topics
• MIS 599: MIS Research Proposal Development

Research Methods and Statistics Requirements

15 Credits
The purpose of these courses is to provide grounding for students in the area of philosophy of science, research methods, research design, and statistics in order to assist them in becoming productive information systems scholars.

All students must take at least one seminar in research methods, providing an overview of a wide range of methods. MKTG 593 is the typical course but another course can be substituted for this if MKTG 593 is not available.

Students must take a minimum of 12 credits of statistics, covering the following areas:

• Design of Experiments, ANOVA (e.g. MKTG 565, Stat 530, Stat 507, Soc 522)
• Regression/Econometrics (e.g. MKTG 565, Soc 521, Stat 513, Stat 533, Stat 535, EconS 511, EconS 512)
• Psychometric Theory (e.g. Psych 514, Stat 520, EdPsy 576)
• Structural Equation Modelling (e.g., Psych 516)

*Other methods courses to support a specific research area may be recommended for individual students.

Supporting Field Requirements

3-6 Credits
The major field of Information Systems draws on numerous contributing disciplines for the purposes of research. In consultation with the doctoral student’s committee, supporting doctoral level coursework may be selected from areas such as (but not limited to) research seminars in Psychology, Management, Marketing, Communication, Sociology, etc.

Taking appropriate courses from multiple disciplines may fulfill the above requirements, although there needs to be some degree of coherence in the underlying themes of the courses.

Other Requirements

4 Credits
Students will also be required to take a one-credit course Research and Professional Development Seminar (BA 598) that will be coordinated by the CCB Graduate Programs Office and the 3-credit seminar in management teaching (BA 596).

PH.D. TEACHING COURSE

3 Credits
All Ph.D. students are expected to take the course BA 596—Doctoral Topics (Seminar in Management Teaching). Ideally, this course is taken in the fall semester of the second year in the program, before the student has full course responsibility for teaching a class. This course counts toward the additional 4 credits of graded/ungraded coursework.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR

1 Credit
This one credit seminar (BA 598), part of the 4 credits of other coursework, is a pass/fail colloquium designed to enhance research and teaching skills and to provide professional socialization of doctoral students from all fields. Students are required to take this course during their second semester in the program.

SECOND-YEAR PAPER

The second-year paper is a pass/fail, faculty-supervised independent research project. This involves conducting an empirical study that proposes and tests hypotheses, and involves the collection and analysis of data. The goal of the project is to develop a manuscript that can be submitted to a recognized scholarly journal.

WRITTEN FIELD EXAMINATION AND PRELIMINARY ORAL EXAMINATION (COMPREHENSIVE EXAM)

Students take their comprehensive exams after the 4th semester and before the end of the 5th semester. The comprehensive exams are intended as an opportunity for the student to demonstrate their knowledge of the discipline. Comprehensive exams consist of:

1. A written field examination, and
2. A preliminary oral examination.

Students must pass the written exam before moving on to the preliminary oral exam and must pass the oral exam before moving on to work on the dissertation.

Written Field Examination

The management unit’s written field exam is a 2.5 day, open-book exam that typically takes place in late June after the student’s 4th semester in the program. A student’s comprehensive exam committee, consisting of the PhD coordinator, members of the student’s program/dissertation committee, in consultation with management faculty, determines eligibility, develops and grades the exam.

Preliminary Oral Examination

The preliminary oral examination is taken after the student has passed the written field exam. The preliminary oral examination takes place during the student’s 5th semester in the program.

DISSERTATION PROPOSAL DEFENSE

Before completing their dissertations, students will first propose its topic, hypotheses, and proposed methods in front of their dissertation committees. Students must pass the proposal defense before completing their dissertations.

FINAL (ORAL) DISSERTATION EXAMINATION

Students will produce a written dissertation and defend it before their dissertation committee. Students must pass the dissertation defense to earn their Ph.D.