Information Technology

Offered by the Department of Management Science and Information Systems, this program is closely associated with the Center for Information Management, Integration and Connectivity.

Students who aspire to doctoral study in information technology but need to strengthen their background may wish to consider our Master in Information Technology program, which admits both part-time and full-time students.  Students in this program take many of the same courses as students in the doctoral program and may use these courses towards their doctoral degree if they are later admitted to the doctoral program.

In addition to possible teaching assistantships, research assistantships funded by faculty grants may be available for students with specific research interests. Faculty members who sometimes have grants that may permit the employment of doctoral students as research assistants include Professors Nabil Adam, Vijay Alturi, Glenn Shafer, Jaideep Vaidya, and Hui Xiong.  Interested students should consult the web sites for these professors to learn more about their research interests.

Characteristics of students most likely to be admitted
Students are expected to have basic knowledge in calculus, probability, statistics, linear algebra, and computer science.  Most students admitted in recent years come with a master’s degree in computer science, information technology, or industrial engineering.

Requirements

Seminar Series 

Doctoral students in Information Technology who have not yet defended a dissertation proposal are expected to attend the seminar series of the Center for Information Management, Integration and Connectivity, and each semester they receive a grade on their transcript based on their attendance and participation.  Applicants and potential applicants are also welcome at the seminar.

Course work, the qualifying examination, and the dissertation

The doctoral degree requires a total of 72 credits. At least 24 of these credits must be in dissertation research. An additional 6 credits must be taken to satisfy the program’s early research requirement. This leaves 42 credits, which will consist of courses, independent study, or additional dissertation research.

During the first two years, students are expected to take at least three courses for degree credit each semester.  They should then take the qualifying examination in May at the end of their second academic year.  The last two years of the program should be devoted primarily to completing the dissertation, but students may be advised to take some additional courses.  For more details concerning rules and requirements that apply to all RBS doctoral students, see Policies and Procedures.

Foundation/methodology requirement (4 courses)

These courses should be selected, in consultation with the adviser, from master’s level courses in information technology or computer science (taught at NJIT or at Rutgers-New Brunswick).  In some cases, courses already taken by the student in the course of his or her master’s study may be transferred for credit to meet part of this requirement.  However, students who have not yet studied probability at the level of 26:960:975 Probability should take it as one of their four minor courses.

Major (5 courses)

1. 26:198:621 Electronic Commerce (taught in the AIS department)
2. 26:198:622 Machine Learning (taught in the AIS department)
3. 26:198:641 Advanced Database Systems (taught in the MSIS department)
4. 26:198:643 Information Systems Security (taught in the MSIS department)
5. Additional course approved by adviser, departmental coordinator, and doctoral director.

Minor (3 courses)

          26:960:577 Statistical Linear Models and two other courses.

It is strongly recommended that students include the following courses in their study plan:

26:198:642 Multimedia Information Systems
26:198:644 Data Mining
26:198:645 Privacy, Security, and Data Analysis

Teaching requirement
Each student must teach at least one information technology course in RBS.  Before doing so, the student is expected to enroll in 26:120:560 Effective College Teaching, which is taught in the spring semester each year.  Students who enter the program with financial support may need to take this course in their first year in order to be sure of having an employment opportunity from RBS in Summer 2010. 

First early research requirement (equivalent to one course)
Students write a paper with a faculty member, to be presented to the department during the fall semester.

Second early research requirement (equivalent to one course)
Write a paper (ideally a dissertation proposal) with a faculty member, to be presented to the department during the fall semester.

Writing proficiency requirement:  In late May or early June at the end of the first year, students participate in the program-wide Intensive Writing Seminar.

Other rules and requirements:  For details of rules and requirements that apply to all doctoral students in RBS, see Policies and Procedures.

Since students are admitted to the program every year, each course usually has both first and second year students.

Scheduling of courses

Here is the schedule of courses in information technology taught by the ABEIS and MSIS departments over the next four years.  Since students are admitted to the program every year, each course usually has both first and second year students, as well as students in the Masters of Information Technology program.

One example of a course program for the first two years