PhD Programme in Information Systems

Programme

Overview

The University of Agder offers a PhD programme in Information Systems to individuals of all nationalities seeking research and teaching careers in the field of information systems.

The programme focuses on research issues related to the development, implementation, use and evaluation of information systems at different organisational levels and in both private and public sectors.

The overall purpose of the programme is to give the PhD candidate a deep and broad theoretical and methodological knowledge, along with the experience of completing a substantial piece of original scientific work (the dissertation).

Areas of Research

• e-Government (including e-Democracy and e-Participation)
• Enterprise systems
• Global information systems
• ICT and development
• Knowledge management
• Business process modelling
• IS evaluation and benefits management

Programme Progress Plan

180 ECTS credits are required for the PhD. (60 credits equal one year of full-time study in accordance with ECTS - European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). The degree should normally be conferred after approx. three years of full-time study, or four years with a 25% teaching requirement (the requirement for a PhD position).

Programme Components

The PhD programme in information systems consists of four components: core courses, methods courses, specialisation courses, and a dissertation. The coursework aims at providing the students with a) a thorough grounding in literature in information systems, b) a solid methodological foundation, and c) an opportunity for in-depth focus in areas relevant to information systems in which a student has specific interest. In addition to the courses offered by UiA, students will be allowed to take, subject to approval, doctoral courses offered by other national and international academic institutions. For example, the Department of Information Systems has an agreement with Aalborg University on mutual exchange of PhD courses.
The coursework is divided into three main areas, as presented in Table 1.

Table 1. PhD programme in Information Systems – Components

In total, the coursework consists of 45 ECTS. The coursework will normally be completed through the first 3-4 semesters of the PhD programme, and will be run as seminars including reading assignments, class discussion and presentation of term papers. The dissertation project will be initiated parallell to the coursework, guided by an appointed supervisor. The dissertation seminar will also support the students in developing their dissertation work, and will give the opportunity to present and discuss this with other PhD students and faculty. In the following, each of the course modules of the programme are presented further.

Core courses. The core courses are intended to give the students a thorough grounding in the knowledge base of the information systems area. The course titled “Theoretical Foundations of Information Systems” will provide the students with an understanding of core concepts and theories prevailing in information systems research. The second core course, titled “IT and organization”, will focus on the mutual relationship between information systems and organizational structure and behaviour as a basis for conducting research on related issues.

Methods courses. The purpose of the methods courses is to provide students with a solid methodological foundation. A minimum of 20 ECTS are required in the methods area. The Theory of science course and the Dissertation seminar will be given in collaboration with the other PhD programmes at Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. The course on Research Methods in Informations Systems will provide the students with an overview of main methodological approaches applied in information systems research. In addition, the students will be required to take one or more elective courses focusing on advanced topics related to quantitative or qualitative methods, depending on the methodological approach used in the dissertation. These method electives will be provided both internally in collaboration with other PhD programs at UiA, and by partner institutions such as Aalborg University.

Specialisation courses. The specialisation courses go into depth in specific topics currently on the research agenda in the information systems area. These courses are intended to give the PhD student sufficient knowledge within a subfield of information systems and to start producing research in this field. Examples of specialisation courses that can be given by the Department of Information Systems include: Research issues on Enterprise Systems, Research issues on Global Information Systems, and Research issues on eGovernment and ICT in Development.

In addition, the students will be encouraged to take specialisation courses offered by other universities in Norway and abroad, for example through the agreement with Aalborg University. As part of this category of coursework, participation in research seminars and conferences may also give course credits, subject to approval by the PhD Programme Committee. It will also be possible to arrange readings courses tailor-made for individual students in specialised areas of interest and competence, where the completion of such courses will require writing a paper. The course content of “directed reading” or “reading and conference” courses is subject to approval by the PhD Programme Committee. The specialisation courses will typically not be given regularly, but subject to needs and interest from the enrolled students and availability of instructors.

Requirements and Obligations

Academic Requirements:

According to article 6 of the University of Agder's regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD), a PhD degree is awarded on the basis of:

1. Approved doctoral degree dissertation and a satisfactory defence in a public disputation.
2. Approved completion of the organized training component.
3. Approved trial lecture.

The Dissertation

The dissertation shall be an independent piece of scientific work that meets international standards within the relevant subject area. The dissertation shall contribute to the development of new knowledge within the subject area and represent such an academic level that it can be publicised as part of the academic literature in the subject area.

Parts of a piece of joint work may be approved as a dissertation provided that the doctoral candidate’s own independent contribution can be identified and documented.

Collections of several academic publiactions may be approved as a dissertation when they in content constitute a totality. A summary must then be prepared to give an overall perspective.

The dissertation shall be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, English, German or French. If the candidate wants to use a language other than the ones mentioned, an application to do so has to be made by the time of admission.

Dissertation Advisor Allocation

A dissertation advisor is appointed for each PhD student at the time of admission. This person plays a key role in guiding students through the program. Normally, the professor accepting the student's application in the first place also becomes the dissertation advisor.

For a list of available PhD advisors and their areas of specialisation go here: List of Potential Supervisors

Interaction with the advisor is instrumental in helping the student to integrate both required and elective coursework which reflects the student's unique interests.

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