Ph.D. in Business with an Information Systems and Technology Management Area of Focus | GW School of Business

The Department of Information Systems and Technology Management at the GW School of Business offers a Ph.D. in Business with an Information Systems and Technology Management (ISTM) Area of Focus. The ISTM doctoral program focuses on the research areas in information systems and technology management. The program is designed to explore diverse research topics in information systems, including digital transformation, IS economics, digital strategy, e-commerce, artificial intelligence (AI), and other emerging digital phenomena in today’s pervasively digitized businesses, and exploits them for business values. The proposed ISTM Ph.D. degree is intended to prepare students for successful research careers in the IS fields.

At the same time, the ISTM field itself is highly interdisciplinary encompassing various research areas and topics studying IS and IT, including economics, sociology, psychology, organization theory and behavior, strategic management and computer science. ISTM faculty members have been actively doing interdisciplinary research in IS economics, digital marketing, digital business strategy, and IS theories in psychology and organizations, and doing professional service as associative editors at top-tier journals such as MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research. The ISTM Ph.D. concentration is intended to prepare students for successful research careers in the IS specialization as well as encouraging cross-disciplinary research inquiries.

The research phase begins as early as the first year, when students serve as research assistants, and continues throughout the doctoral program. Students should gradually become more involved in the design and execution of research and, by the end of the second year, have typically produced at least one paper suitable for publication, typically coauthored with a faculty member. The later years of the program are dedicated to original research and the creation of the dissertation.

About the Department

ISTM faculty are dedicated to providing our students with leading edge information systems management, artificial intelligence, technology innovation courses, and research designed to make an impact in the business world.

Our top ranked research faculty’s broad, multidisciplinary approach to the study and research of information systems core concepts, trends and forecasts leverages information technology and exploits them for business values.

Our Research

The ISTM department is ranked #24 world-wide in research productivity measured by the number of articles published in the top information systems journals such as Information Systems Research and MIS Quarterly in the past three years, 2020-2022. The research and expertise of the faculty of the Information Systems and Technology Management Department spans a broad theoretical base, including information systems, engineering, computer science and healthcare.

Our Faculty

Our faculty earned their doctoral degrees from renowned schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California (USC), University of Washington, Erasmus University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and the City University of New York (CUNY).

ISTM department faculty have published in top tier journals, and work closely with faculty and doctoral students all over the world, leading to co-authored published articles. Our faculty are active in the discipline with four faculty members serving as Associate Editors for two top information systems journals, Information Systems Research and MIS Quarterly. They also serve as officers for academic divisions and track chairs for major conferences including the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Conference on Information Systems and Technology (CIST), INFORMS, and the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS).

Dr. YoungKi Park is the lead professor for the ISTM doctoral program.

Meet Our Faculty

Elias Carayannis
Sunghun Chung
Ph.D. in Information Systems, KAIST
Areas of Expertise: FinTech, Digital Inclusion/Innovation, Social Media Analytics, IT Business Value
Subhasish Dasgupta
Ph.D. in Information Systems, City University of New York (CUNY)
Areas of expertise: Information Technology Adoption and Diffusion, Behavioral Issues in Information Systems, Global Information Systems
Richard Donnelly
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Wenjing Duan
Ph.D. in Management Science and Information Systems, University of Texas at Austin
Areas of Expertise: Electronic Commerce; Social Media; Digital Marketing; Healthcare Analytics
Yi-Chun (Chad) Ho
Ph.D. in Information Systems, University of Washington
Areas of Expertise: Platform/Sharing Economy, User-Generated Content, E-/M-Commerce, Pricing in Digital Markets
Topical Areas of Interest: Live Streaming Commerce, Influencer Marketing, Crowdfunding
Yixin Lu
PhD: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare Analytics, Market Design, Programmatic Advertising, Platform Strategies, Sustainable Operations
YoungKi Park
Ph.D. in Information Systems, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
Areas of Expertise: Digital Business Strategy, Business Intelligence & Analytics, Enterprise Information Systems & Database, Set-Theoretic Configuration Methods, Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

Program & Curriculum

The program is designed to provide doctoral students with solid theoretical and methodological foundations to pursue the key topics of information and digital systems, virtual environments, digitization, and emerging digital technologies. The ISTM Ph.D. degree consists of fifteen courses (equivalent of forty-five credit hours) as part of the student's plan of study. These include:

Four required courses in research methods and quantitative analysis (12 credits)
Four required ISTM field core doctoral courses (12 credits)
Five doctoral level elective courses (15 credits)
An additional doctoral level seminar from outside the student's area of interest (3 credits).
A summer research paper during the first or first and second summer (3 credits).

Throughout the program, students become familiar with research methods and the literature of their major fields through research projects and directed readings. The completion of course work and qualifying examinations requires no more than two years.

Early student participation in research is strongly encouraged. The ISTM department hosts regular seminar series, which introduce students to cutting-edge research and provide a forum for faculty-student interaction. Students are encouraged to work with their counterparts at other schools and departments including the Marketing, Management, and Strategic Management & Public Policy Departments, as well as the university's Computer Sciences Department and the Milken School of Public Health, among others.

Students should take at least 15 (three-credits) courses to meet the required 45 credit hours for the PhD degree. The ISTM Ph.D. Program requires students to take a minimum of 45 credits during their program, including 27 credits in core courses, a 3-credit summer paper, and 15 credits in elective courses. Students should consult their Faculty Advisory Group about the required courses and electives for which they should register. All classes are required to be taken for letter grades. The program course requirements are provided below followed by an overview of the program structure.

Course Requirements

Common Methodology Courses (4)

ECON 8301 Microeconomic Theory I
ECON 8375: Econometrics I
ECON 8376: Econometrics II
MGT 8385: Research Methods and Design

Core Courses (4)

Students choose four out of the five following ISTM seminar courses with the student’s faculty advisory group:

ISTM 8391: Contemporary Research Topics in Information Systems
ISTM 8392: Empirical Research in Information Systems – A Cross-Disciplinary Overview
ISTM 8393: Behavioral Theories in Information Systems Research
ISTM 8394: Advanced Empirical Methods in Information Systems
ISTM 8395: Research in Digital Business Strategy

Students must also complete:

An additional doctoral level seminar from outside the student's area of interest
A summer research paper during the first or first and second summer, as required by the student's area of interest

Elective Courses (5)

Students choose five of the following courses with the student’s faculty advisory group:

DNSC 8328: Bayesian Statistics
DNSC 8393: Applied Stochastic Models for Business
ECON 8302: Microeconomic Theory II
ECON 8303: Microeconomic Theory III
ECON 8375: Econometrics III
ECON 8379: Applied Econometrics
EDUC 8122: Qualitative Research Methods
MGT 8382: Foundations of Organizational Behavior and Development
MGT 8397: Doctoral Seminar
PSYC 8202: Psychological Research Methods and Procedures
PSYC 8205: Multiple Regression Analysis in Psychological and Social Sciences
PSYC 8206: Multivariate Analysis and Modeling
PSYC 8291: Theories of Organizational Behavior
SMPP 8321: Seminar in Strategic Management
SMPP 8331: Organizational Theory
STAT 8273: Stochastic Processes

In addition to the above electives, students can — with ISTM doctoral program approval — register for relevant doctoral courses offered by the other GWU Departments or at the other universities which are part of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Program Overview

Year 1

Fall Semester: ECON 8301, ECON 8375, ISTM 8391, ISTM 8392
Spring Semester: ECON 8376, MGT 8385, ISTM 8393, 1 elective
Research Activities: Seeking research topics and advisors; regularly attending departmental and school seminars; start summer paper research
Milestone/Objective: Summer paper (due by the start of fall second year)

Year 2

Fall Semester: ISTM 8394, ISTM 8398, 1 elective
Spring Semester: ISTM 8395, 2 electives
Research Activities: Identification of major research topics; continuation of work with advisors; completion of second-year paper; presentation at conferences
Milestone/Objective: Comprehensive exam

Year 3

Fall Semester: Dissertation
Spring Semester: Dissertation
Research Activities: Conference presentations; premier journal submissions; start of dissertation proposal
Milestone/Objective: Teaching, Work on dissertation

Year 4

Fall Semester: Dissertation
Spring Semester: Dissertation
Research Activities: Conference presentations; premier journal submissions
Milestone/Objective: Dissertation proposal defense

Year 5

Fall Semester: Dissertation
Spring Semester: Dissertation
Research Activities: Premier journal submissions and publications; job market papers ready
Milestone/Objective: Dissertation defense, Research-oriented faculty position

Note: Please refer to the course requirements section for core courses and elective courses.

Admissions, Financial Aid & Next Steps

Admission to the program is competitive. All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, representing a four-year course of study in an accredited college or university. Superior academic performance is expected, and a strong background and ability in mathematics are essential for successfully completing the program. The program is expected to be completed in four to five years.

Learn about admissions and the costs of pursuing a Ph.D. in ISTM, and explore various resources available to help finance your degree.

Learn More About Doctoral Program Admissions, Financial Aid, and How to Apply