PhD In Management Information Systems

MIS Department

Program Overview

The PhD in Business Administration with a focus in Management Information Systems is a five-year full-time program. Consistently ranked among the best information systems PhD programs worldwide, the program is known for its cutting-edge research and support from actively publishing faculty.

The program prepares future information systems academics by providing strong foundations in a broad range of methods spanning psychometrics, econometrics, computational, design, and qualitative and by providing a strong emphasis in theory development to address important business and societal problems.

Given that information systems are ubiquitous and influence every aspect of life — individuals’ personal and work life, their transactions and interactions, organizational processes, outcomes, and interorganizational relationships, online platforms, markets, governments and society — the information systems field is broad and interdisciplinary and affords research opportunities across a diverse range of topics.

The research approach in the program is problem-focused, theory-based, and method-inclusive (i.e., all methods are welcome and no one single method is favored). Our PhD program provides you with significant individual flexibility, while at the same time ensuring you acquire the necessary conceptual and methodological skills to become a scholarly leader in our field.

Apply to the PhD Program

Priority deadline: January 4

Applications after January 4 will also be considered until spots are filled

Elena headshot
Elena Karahanna
ekarah@uga.edu
  • C.Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Distinguished Chair of Business Administration, UGA Distinguished Research Professor and Professor, Department of Management Information Systems
Years
Management Information Systems
PhD Program

Why a PhD in MIS?

There are five compelling reasons to join our program:

Research Productivity

We are among the most research-productive groups, consistently ranked in the top 10 or top 15 departments worldwide in publications in the top two IS journals (MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research). Further, several of our faculty have won multiple research grants and awards for outstanding research.

Internationally Renowned Faculty

Our faculty includes a former president of the Association for Information Systems (Richard Watson), two Leo Award winners — the highest award in the field (Richard Watson and Elena Karahanna) — and three AIS Fellows (Richard Watson, Hugh Watson and Elena Karahanna).

Editorial Appointments

Our faculty includes current and former senior editors at MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, and the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, associate editors at MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Management Science, and the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, and editorial board members of the Journal of Management Information Systems and Strategic Management Journal, among others.

Weekly Research Seminars

In these weekly seminars top scholars from around the world present and discuss their research. The PhD students have the opportunity to interact and discuss their research with these scholars in a meeting after the seminar.

MIS PhD Flyer

Student Focus

Our culture is collaborative and supportive and one in which we view our students as junior colleagues. Students are provided extensive mentoring, support, and personal attention given our one-to-one faculty-student ratio. Evidence of the quality of mentoring is the outstanding placement of doctoral students and the plethora of journal papers co-authored with our faculty (over 100 publications in the past 10 years). Students can work with multiple faculty, not just their dissertation chair as they develop as scholars.

MIS Faculty Research Interests

Typical Course Sequence

Year 1

Fall

  • MIST 9700: IS Research Fundamentals
  • MIST 9770: Research Methods
  • MIST 9760: Foundational IS Theories and Emerging IS Phenomena
  • MIST 9780: Workshop & MTP
  • Multivariate Statistics

Spring

Summer

  • MIST 8990: Directed Study
  • First Year Exam (May)
  • First Year Summer Paper due (beginning of Fall Semester)

Year 2

Fall

Spring

  • MIST 9710: Digital Strategy and Digital Innovation 1
  • MIST 9740: Qualitative Research Methods
  • MIST 9780: Workshop & MTP
  • Research Methods Elective

Summer

  • MIST 8990: Directed Study
  • Written & Oral Prelims
  • Second Year Summer Paper due (beginning of Fall Semester)

Year 3

Fall

Spring

Summer

Year 4

Fall

Spring

  1. MIST 9750 and MIST 9710 are offered every other year. Some incoming PhD student cohorts will take MIST 9750 in their first year and MIST 9710 in their second year and others will take MIST 9750 in their second year and MIST 9710 in their first year.  ↩︎
  2. Dissertation defense occurs in the spring of their fifth year.  ↩︎

Placements

Our PhD graduates are placed in top research universities around the world.

View Complete List of Placements

Testimonials

The MIS PhD program at UGA provides a phenomenal mix of rigor, diversity, and collegiality. The faculty are not only extremely productive but also extraordinary human beings.
Dr. Carolina SalgeWake Forest University (UGA PhD 2018)
The faculty have created a PhD program that is a wonderful (and rare!) combination of rigorous and supportive. The faculty are very involved with PhD students and foster an environment of respect and collegiality, while they shape students into capable scholars.
Dr. Jennifer ClaggettUniversity of Virginia (UGA PhD 2014)
As you would expect, the PhD program at the University of Georgia is a rigorous and demanding program working under some of the top scholars in the world. What you wouldn’t expect is how wonderful, warm, supportive and encouraging each faculty member is to each doctoral student starting the first day of the program and continuing long after the student has graduated.
Greg DawsonArizona State University (UGA PhD 2008)
Faculty members here are all very friendly and collaborative…you have the opportunity to learn from world-renown faculty members, join their projects, and start research that you are interested in. The diversified knowledge and the rigorous training you receive during the process are lifelong treasures.
Dr. Seth LiWilliam and Mary University (UGA PhD 2013)
The MIS doctoral program faculty at UGA are extraordinary mentors, and that doesn’t end when a student graduates… The rigor of this program’s training is known throughout the IS academic community, and the network of colleagues and collaborators available to graduates of the UGA MIS program is tremendous.
Dr. Keri LarsonWashington and Lee University (UGA PhD 2012)
I really enjoyed the rigorous training and the family-like culture here. The faculty have been very committed to my success and growth as both a well-balanced scholar and a person … I feel truly grateful and fortunate that their commitment to my growth continues beyond my graduation.
Dr. Adela ChenColorado State (UGA PhD 2011)
The MIS department at UGA has a wonderful group of researchers and educators… The faculty members are collectively committed to the students’ intellectual growth and professional development.
Dr. Ben LiuCity University of Hong Kong (UGA PhD 2011)
The MIS department at UGA genuinely feels like a close-knit family. The ongoing support that both my family and I experienced is my favorite aspect of the department. Being mentored by proficient, caring, and accomplished faculty has instilled in me a sense of excitement and confidence as I start my academic career. Go Dawgs!
Dr. Tanner SkousenBrigham Young University (UGA PhD 2023)
I’m incredibly grateful for my education at UGA. I received caring, personal attention in addition to rigorous training. I especially appreciated the professors’ deep desire to advance scientific understanding and perform impactful research. The UGA MIS department is packed with talent to learn from.   
Dr. Jacob SteffenBrigham Young University (UGA PhD 2022)
The department of MIS trains you to do rigorous and relevant research on Information Technology and its role in shaping emergent realities. The faculty’s focus on rigor is well-tempered with their care and nurture for junior scholars.
Dr. Sachin Kumar University of Bern (UGA PhD 2023)

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