The PhD Program in MIS in terms of its reputation, research record and research grants received, stands at the top of Canadian business schools and at the very top rank in the international arena. A recent assessment of research productivity showed that the UBC MIS program ranks 6th in the world among public universities, and 9th overall, in terms of publications in top MIS journals.
Our graduates have academic positions in Canada, the USA, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Students in our program work closely with faculty and other students in a stimulating intellectual environment to create outstanding research.
An active group of senior and junior academics is the distinguishing feature of the MIS faculty at UBC. These researchers investigate a wide variety of topics, including systems analysis, databases, telecommunications, electronic commerce, economics of information systems, intelligent systems, strategic and organizational issues, and planning for MIS. Their methods include laboratory experiments, field studies, survey methods, econometrics, modelling, and computational simulation. This rich portfolio of topics and research methods allows substantial flexibility for our PhD students in selecting a research topic.
Students admitted to our program usually have training in one of the following: business administration, computer science, engineering or science. Those who do not have the required prerequisites in business and information technology are requested to take courses in these topics during the early stages of their program.
Once admitted, you are assigned an advisor who will guide him or her through the different stages of the program. In your first summer of studies students work under the supervision of a faculty member on a research project that eventually could form the basis of their thesis research. Unless you are funded from outside sources, at least three years of funding is guaranteed to all admitted students.