Introduction

The purpose of this posting is to document the policies and procedures followed by the Information Systems and Decision Sciences (ISDS) Department in admitting and serving graduate students. It also includes certain Graduate School requirements which apply to all departments. The information contained here is not designed to supplant the LSU Graduate Catalog, and students are responsible for knowing current Catalog rules and regulations, especially various calendar deadlines. The following pages have been written for the benefit of those desiring to either a major or minor in ISDS.

Among the ISDS PhD program’s strengths are:

• A limited and selective enrollment that provides students opportunities to develop personal and professional ties with faculty and fellow students;
• Opportunities to work with faculty actively engaged in a wide range of on-going research projects, the results of which are published in leading academic and practitioner journals;
• Admitted students generally receive a competitive level of funding through departmental research or teaching assistantships. Students are also eligible for fellowships and other awards offered by the LSU Graduate School.
• A culture of collegiality that encourages students to work with multiple faculty and PhD students across different fields;
• Access to an extensive range of library resources, computerized and on-line databases, and statistical software for classroom applications and research;
• Access to the cultural riches of Baton Rouge (the state capital) and nearby New Orleans;
• Graduates typically accept employment at major colleges and universities in the US and abroad. Recent graduates have held positions at Cornell University, Louisiana Tech, University of South Florida, University of Louisiana – Lafayette, Southeastern University, Texas State University, Concordia University (Canada), IESE (Spain), among others.

Philosophy and Intent

The PhD is the terminal degree awarded in Business Administration at the Louisiana State University. As such, it is the highest degree that can be earned within the ISDS Department. Consequently, individuals must demonstrate an extraordinary devotion to scholarship and exhibit a mastery of research methodology and ISDS concepts and theories to be considered candidates for the PhD.

The primary mission of the PhD in Business Administration with a major in ISDS is to develop trained professionals who are qualified to instruct in a university environment and who are capable of conducting scholarly research. All candidates are required to demonstrate broad knowledge in the domain of ISDS as well as a detailed knowledge in a focused area of concentration within ISDS. The broad domain is represented by knowledge of Information Systems, Decision Sciences and Operations Management. The focused area of concentration can be selected from either 1) information systems or 2) operations management. Sample areas that students might focus their research on could be: information systems development, management of the IS function, outsourcing, technology adoption models, service oriented IT architectures, cloud computing, etc.

• Admissions
• Apply
• Curriculum
• Financial Aid
• Informational Flyer (PDF)
• Orientation Guide