Ph.D. in Business Administration with a major in Management Information Systems

Placements

University of Wisconsin – Whitewater; University of North Carolina at Pembroke; James Madison University; Middle Tennessee State University; Northern Michigan University; University of Mary Hardin-Baylor; University of the Incarnate Word; University of North Carolina at Pembroke; University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Wake Forest University

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Awards

Ibtissam Zaza, finalist in Three Minute Thesis and Doctoral Consortium at ICIS (International Conference on Information Systems)

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Defended Dissertations

“Enterprise Social Media in Individuals’ Performance: An Affordance Perspective,” by Miaoyi Zeng; Dr. Deborah Armstrong, major professor
“Two Essays on Crowdfunding and Consumer Returns,” by Dan Liu; Guangzhi Shang, major professor
“Intra-Platform Competition: The Role of Strategic and Operational Evolution in App Success” by Yi Liu; Dr. Ashley Bush and Dr. Xinlin Tang, major professors

Prerequisites

All applicants must have either an undergraduate or master’s degree in MIS or a related field such as Business, Information Sciences or Computer Science.  Each applicant is also required to know statistics and calculus.

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Major Requirements

The Management Information Systems (MIS) doctoral program is designed to develop scholars capable of conducting high-impact research at the intersection of technology, organizations, and people. It is heavily research-oriented while emphasizing relevance to the practice of business. As such, the primary goal of the program is to produce competent scholars who will contribute to the Information Systems community through careers in university teaching and research, as well as selected administrative and research positions in industry.

All MIS doctoral students must complete courses in four areas – Tools for Analytical Research (TAR), Primary and Support Area Coursework, and Research Competence Milestone Projects.

I. Primary MIS Coursework
The primary area courses and seminars provide opportunities for in-depth study of organizational, managerial and behavioral issues in Information Systems. Further, the seminars provide broad coverage of methodology and philosophy of science topics. Along with the research competence requirement, described below, the seminars aim to develop the students' research competencies, thus preparing them for a career in academia at leading research institutions. All MIS doctoral students must complete five primary area seminars as specified by the program.

In addition to these courses, first- and second-year students will participate in a professional development series that will be an additional registered course in each semester of the first two years of the program. The development series is designed to introduce doctoral students to the roles and responsibilities of faculty members, including research ethics, communication with faculty at other universities, the research review process, balancing research, teaching and service, among other topics.

II. Tools for Analytical Research (TAR) Area
All MIS doctoral students must take six TAR courses from the disciplines of mathematics and/or statistics. These courses provide the tools and skills necessary to understand and conduct rigorous empirical research in Information Systems.

All MIS doctoral students must take courses in the following four topics:

• General Linear Model Applications
• Advanced Topics in Analysis of Variance Applications
• Multivariate Analysis Applications
• Causal Modeling

Plus two courses on topics such as the following:

• Content Analysis
• Qualitative Methods
• Bayesian Analysis
• Nonparametric Statistics
• Survey Research
• Machine Learning
• Microeconomics

Several departments offer similar courses on these topics with different flavors. The students can consult the program advisor on the exact TAR courses that they need to take.

Note that students must earn a grade of ‘B’ or better in each course to satisfy the TAR requirement. TAR courses may not be taken on an S/U basis.

III. Support Area Coursework
The support area for MIS provides an opportunity to concentrate in a field of study complementary to the primary area and to the student's research interests. Typically, the support area will consist of three or four graduate courses or seminars, selected in consultation with the program adviser, in one of the following fields: Accounting, Business Analytics, Communications, Computer Science, Econometrics, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Mathematics, Organizational Behavior, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Risk Management and Insurance, Sociology, Statistics or Strategy. All Support area coursework must be taken for a letter grade, with exceptions to take courses on an S/U basis to be granted only with the explicit approval of the program adviser. In addition, at least two of the courses required in the Support area cannot be used to satisfy other requirements.

IV. Research Competence Milestone Projects
In addition to the courses, each MIS doctoral student will be required to demonstrate research preparation and competence by completing two milestone projects in the first and the second years of the program.

The first-year milestone project can build on seminar coursework or be developed through faculty-guided  independent study. Students are required to submit a research paper and deliver a presentation, both of which will be evaluated by a committee of research-active faculty members. Students who successfully complete the first-year milestone project will be able to continue the program in the second year.

The second-year milestone project is a year-long research apprenticeship conducted in collaboration with a faculty member during the second year of the program. This project requires each student to identify a topic of interest to him or her and work under the supervision of a specific professor in designing a research project, gathering and analyzing the data and developing a manuscript for submission to a reputable academic conference.

The professor supervising the student's work must certify  that the project has been completed and demonstrates potential for future conference submission. To fulfill the research competence requirement, the student must present their work to a committee of research-active faculty, who will evaluate the quality, rigor, and scholarly merit of the research. Students successfully completing the second-year milestone project will be able to take the comprehensive exam in the third fall semester.

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Sample Course Sequence 

Admission decisions are made by the college’s Doctoral Admissions Committee and are based on a combination of factors, including prior academic record from accepted universities; GRE or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores taken within the past five years; letters of recommendation; experience; record of accomplishments. Admission is competitive and focused on students with grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher and GMAT scores of at least 555 (600 on GMAT exams prior to 2024) or GRE scores of at least 155 on each section of the revised test.

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Application Checklist

I. The following items should be submitted through the Florida State Graduate Application portal, available exclusively online at admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp:

• Non-refundable $30 application fee.
• Statement of Purpose (2-3 pages).
• Submit a current resume or C.V.
• Three (3) required references included in your application portal. This will generate an automated email sent to your references by our system to request that they submit a recommendation for you and answer a series of standardized questions.

II. The following items should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office, 222 S. Copeland St./314 Westcott Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410 or to graduateadmissions@fsu.edu:

• One (1) official transcript from all colleges and universities attended (FSU transcripts are not necessary for FSU alumni, students). International applicants are required to submit an official NACES course-by-course transcript evaluation. Unofficial transcripts for U.S. institutions may be uploaded to your application for initial review. International transcripts must be an official NACES course-by-course transcript evaluation. Official test score. Please see the below section for International Applicants for more information.
• Request official GMAT or GRE scores. The code to send GMAT scores to Florida State is PN8K567, and the code to send GRE scores is 5219.
• English Language Proficiency scores are an FSU requirement for international applicants whose native language is not English or who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a U.S. institution or other institution where English is the required language of instruction; therefore, it cannot be waived). The code to send TOEFL scores to Florida State is 5219.

Test scores will only be considered official if sent directly from the testing service. The code for ETS to send (GRE and TOEFL) scores to FSU is 5219. The code to send GMAT scores to FSU is PN8K567. 

Transcripts and test scores should be sent to graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or: 
Graduate Admissions Office
222 S. Copeland St.
314 Westcott Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
USA

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International Applicants

International applicants should visit gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/international-admissions for information concerning financial responsibilities, degree equivalency, etc.

English Language Proficiency ExamInternational applicants whose native language is not English or who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a U.S. institution or other institution where English is the required language of instruction are required to take an English Language Proficiency exam and submit official test results in order to be admitted to Florida State University. The College of Business accepts all of the following examinations taken within the past two (2) years:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test and 100 on the internet-based test
• International English Language Testing System (Academic IELTS): minimum score of 7
• Pearson Test of English (PTE): minimum score of 66
• Duolingo: minimum score of 120 (Summer 2022 through Summer 2025)
• Cambridge C1 Advanced Level: minimum score of 180 (Fall 2022 and forward)
• Michigan Language Assessment: minimum score of 55 (Fall 2022 and forward)

In addition, international graduate applicants seeking teaching assistantships are required to pass a test of spoken English.

Transcript Evaluation Requirement
The Office of Graduate Admissions requires all international students to submit an official course-by-course evaluation of all academic records from non-U.S. institutions prior to application review. This verifies degree equivalency and serves in place of additional official or unofficial transcripts. This evaluation must be done by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES): www.naces.org. FSU offers a partnership with The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran), our preferred credential evaluation service, which allows a streamlined process at a discounted rate. More information about this process is available after you submit the first part of your graduate application.

Ph.D. students typically take 27-33 credit hours each year. Here are the estimated program costs for the 2025-2026 academic year:

• Florida residents: $479.32 (tuition plus fees) per credit hour. Total estimated program cost is $12,941.64 - $15,817.56 per year.
• Non-Florida residents: $1,173.86 (tuition plus fees) per credit hour. Total estimated program cost is $31,694.22 - $38,737.38 per year.

Note: These costs do not include required books, supplies for courses, or required health insurance. Costs are subject to change. Fees above do not include some per-term flat fees for FSUCard and facilities use. For a breakdown of on-campus student fees and their explanations, visit the university’s Tuition Rates page.

The doctoral program is a full-time program that lasts four to five years. Students should plan to live in the Tallahassee area year-round, including summers. Our program is not set up for individuals who wish to take courses part time or online.

The College of Business awards financial assistance to applicants based on academic criteria and performance. The goal of the college is to provide assistantships and/or fellowships to all of our admitted doctoral students, subject to overall enrollment and fiscal limitations. Most doctoral students who request funding, who maintain a satisfactory level of academic and work performance, and who are in residence receive financial assistance from the college. Annual stipends and supplementary assistance such as travel expenses for conference attendance will vary among cohorts and programs. Students who are not Florida residents (including international students) should note that tuition waivers associated with assistantships cover the out-of-state portion of their tuition for the duration of the program. U.S. residents have the option of changing residency, if so desired. Please note that waivers do not cover all fees.
 
Doctoral students on assistantship are supported for four full academic years, contingent upon satisfactory performance in the program. Eligibility for fifth-year support is considered for a student having made substantial progress toward placement at a research-oriented university. For a full list of Florida State University funding and awards, visit gradschool.fsu.edu. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all completed application materials before January 15 to be eligible for additional funding opportunities at the university level.

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Awards/Scholarships

The College of Business awards financial assistance to applicants based on academic criteria and performance. There are various scholarships available for graduate students. Visit our graduate scholarships page to learn more.

(Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit all completed application materials before January 15 to be eligible for additional funding opportunities at the university level.)

• For a full list of Florida State University funding and awards, visit gradschool.fsu.edu
• For more information on Florida State University's research and research funding, visit research.fsu.edu
• For more information on Florida State University's graduate fellowships and awards, visit ogfa.fsu.edu