The Doctor of Information Technology (DIT) addresses the expanding needs of professionals who manage information resources; solve information, communication and technology-related problems in businesses and other organizations; or educate and/or train others in fields related to the applications of information systems and communications. This is an intensive program designed primarily to develop practitioners and teaching faculty with very high levels of both technical and analytical expertise in specific fields of information technology (IT). Admission to the program is competitive. Meeting a specific set of minimum qualification does not assure admission.
UNVA seeks doctoral candidates possessing a solid undergraduate and graduate educational preparation, reasonable managerial or professional experience, strong intellect and the capacity for independent investigation. This program is designed for the student with a master's degree in information systems, information science, computer science, or a related area. The applicant should satisfy graduate prerequisites or have equivalent experience in information systems, programming languages, database systems, systems analysis and design, data communications and networks, and computer architecture.
Doctoral candidates must be fluent in English and are expected to write on a level meeting contemporary standards of professional publication.
The selection of applicants for admission to the DIT program is made by a faculty committee and is based on the applicant’s overall accomplishments and skills. Specifically, admission to the program requires:
Education: A master’s degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, or Computer Science from an accredited U.S. institution or a comparable foreign institution, with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in the master’s degree, is required. Applicants possessing a master’s degree in a field of study other than the above mentioned degrees may be required to take additional preparatory courses.
Experience: Applicants with responsible managerial or professional work experience will be given preference in admission.
• Applicants must submit a concise professional and/or academic resume highlighting both experience and training.
• A statement of goals.
• Recommendations: At least, two letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s ability to succeed in a doctoral program are required.
• English language proficiency: Applicants whose native language is not English or who have not completed their studies at a university where English is the language of instruction must provide evidence of English language proficiency. A score of 575 or higher on TOEFL test or a similar result on another internationally recognized assessment of proficiency may be submitted to meet this requirement. English proficiency requirements may be waived if the applicant holds a college degree from an English-speaking country.
• GMAT or GRE Examination: Applicants who have completed GMAT or GRE examinations within the past ten years may submit their test score results. This is not mandatory but will help the Admissions Department to assess the candidate’s abilities to undertake the program.
This doctoral program may be pursued on either a part-time or full-time basis and completed within three to five years.
Candidates for the DIT degree must complete a minimum of 60 credit hours, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. It is required that all candidates attend the earliest scheduled doctoral orientation class (one credit hour). Program components include:
• Forty-eight credit hours of course requirements.
• One credit hour of doctoral orientation.
• A minimum of twelve credit hours devoted to the doctoral research project.
• Satisfactory performance in the written Comprehensive Examination (upon completion of formal coursework).
• Submission of a doctoral research proposal.
• Formal presentation of the doctoral research project.
Requirements: 60 credit hours (Minimum)
Doctoral Orientation: 1 Credit Hour
ORTN 600 Doctoral Orientation
One Credit hour of doctoral orientation, not counted for total credit.
Research Methodology: 9 Credit Hours
RESE 602 Research Methods and Design
RESE 604 Quantitative Research & Analysis
RESE 606 Explorations in Business Research
Core Courses: 39 credit hours
BMGT 609 Management in Hi-Tech Organization
CSCI 610 Decision Support Systems
IMSC 606 System Development Process
IMSC 628 Technology Systems in Business
IMSC 631 Information Policy
IMSC 641 Cyber Security Principles for Managers
IMSC 645 Cyberspace Laws
IMSC 651 Seminar in Managerial Information Systems
IMSC 652 Seminar in Man-Machine Studies
IMSC 653 Seminar in Emerging Technologies
IMSC 664 Current Topics: the Professional Seminar
MKTG 620 Electronic Commerce
MULT 605 Multimedia Systems
Doctoral Project: Min. 12 Credit Hours
PROJ 700 Doctoral Projects
(Please refer to the Doctorate Degree Handbook for further details.)