University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences - PhD Program

PhD Program

The Doctor of Philosophy program prepares students for advanced work in research and teaching. It provides research-oriented graduate study and professional specialization in the science of information. The program prepares students for advanced work in teaching and in conducting significant research with world-class resources befitting a top-tier research university. Some of the topics being explored by the research groups include geoinformatics, decision systems, spatial information, information security, usability engineering, and personalized adaptive systems. Completion of the program requires students to progress through three phases:

• Preliminary examination: The purpose of this exam is to "assess the breadth of the student's knowledge of the discipline, the student's achievement during the first year of graduate study, and the potential to apply research methods independently..."
• Comprehensive examination: The comprehensive exam is designed to evaluate the student's mastery of the field; with an emphasis on both depth and breadth in the area of specialization chosen by the student.
• Candidacy: Once promoted to candidacy, the dissertation becomes the primary focus of the doctoral student. All coursework, the preliminary, and comprehensize examinations must be completed successfully before being promoted to candidacy.

The research and educational offerings at the PhD level in the IS program cover a wide range of areas including (but, not limited to):

• Computer and network security
• Advanced Database management
• Geoinformatics
• Human-Centered Computing
• Adaptive Web systems
• Decision support systems
• Cognitive systems
• Large scale and distributed systems
• Cyberinfrastructure
• Foundations of computer and information systems

In the LIS program, key areas of study include:

• Archives and Information Science
• Information Behavior
• Health Information Behavior and Health Education Interventions
• Social information systems
• Web-based Information Systems
• School Librarianship

A large number of PhD graduates in LIS go on to academic careers. Some of the institutions where alumni can be found are The University of Michigan, University of Toronto, Texas Woman’s University, Simmons College, University of Alabama, Kuwait University, Jordan University, University of Texas at Austin, Dominican University, International Islamic University Malaysia, Rollins College, University of New Mexico

In addition, the program requires a minimum of 60 credits of course work. Most students are expected to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. degree within 6 years of full-time study.