NOTE: This document is owned by DLSU.ccs Na part of this document may be copied and distributed by unauthorized people.
The Doctorate in Information Technology(DI Program of the DLSU college of Computer Studies is a three-year postgraduate course designed to equip candidates with knowledge and skills needed to become agents for societal and organizational change through the planning, management, and implementation of IT in ways that are theoretically grounded, relevant, innovative, critical, and ethical.
The course seeks to bridge professional relevance (practice) with conceptual grounding (theory), and aims at developing a breed of professionals who can seamlessly link three domains: social and organizational knowledge, technical expertise, and ethics. A key assumption of the course is that changes in society are most effectively achieved by working through reshaping its most significant institutions. In this course, emphasis is placed on equipping students to understand. Plan, and manage IT interventions in business, educational, and government settings.
In the course of taking the program students will depart from popular and oversimplified models that view the IT processes as linear, predictable, revolutionary, utopian, and deterministic. They will increasingly understand that technology is complex, socially shaped, value-laden, and capable of being harnessed for diverse goals, which in turn are not equally desirable in terms of their normative implications. At the end of the program successful candidates can then become change agents in different capacities: as policy makers, chief information officers, high-level lecturers or researchers, heads of organizations or officers in charge of large departments.
The program requires 39 academic units:
Foundation courses
Specialized courses
Case study(solving an organizational IT problem in a real-life organizational context 3 units
Research Methods 3 units
Dissertation(with publication requirements, culminating in a public defense) 12 units
GRAND TOTAL 39 units
1. F1: An overview of IT in Society
Students will be expected to grasp the role of technology in three sectors: business, government, and education. An emphasis will be placed on describing best practices, the latest trends in technology, lessons learned from successful and unsuccessful cases, and the opportunities and challenges that are unique to the Philippines as a developing country. While the course is primarily exploratory and descriptive, students must begin to consciously articulate normative standards based on this survey: in the cases presented, how was IT used to make organizations “better” and how was the notion of "better" defined?
2. F2: Foundations of Social Theory
In this course, students will be expected to formulate a strong conceptual understanding of what society is, engaging will mainstream as well as non-mainstream works to be able to define a “good" society. From this overarching view, students will then be led to explore three “spheres" of society: business, government, and education. Mainstream views of these spheres will be explored and subsequently interrogated, and alternative views of these spheres will be considered. For example, in exploring business track, dominant managerialist views of business as profit-maximizing, efficiency-oriented, and effectiveness oriented will be examined, but the limitations of these views will also be considered and alternative views will be explored. In the course of interrogating mainstream views, Christian perspectives on business, government, and education can be introduced. The major forms and dominant practices associated with these institutions in Philippine society will also be explored and evaluated. Students will be expected to do research on one of these sectors, specifically by studying one case of a non-mainstream model, and report their findings, assessments, and recommendations.
3. F3: Foundations of IT
This course revisits students' basic understandings of information technology. It engages with the foundational questions "What is information technology?" How can IT be known and under and "How do these assumptions shape IT in practice?” In addressing these questions students therefore revisit basic ontological and epistemological a about IT remain hidden and taken for-granted, yet are powerful in shaping how one manages and studies IT. He course begins by exploring responses to the questions under the mainstream positivist tradition. However acknowledging that a single view of technology is constraining to both research and practice, alternative views (e.g., interpretivist, critical, other post-positivist views) will also be explored. An important part of the course will be application: giving students the opportunity to trace the implications of these approaches on how they respond to specific organizational and societal issues.
Upon completing this overview, about halfway through the course, each student is then expected to choose a site where s/he will conduct a case study. Students will spend half of the term gathering data about the organization (interviews, ethnographic studies, document reviews). At the end of this course, students will be required to present a detailed case study if of the organization, culminating with three possible problems or issues. Necessary, the lecturer will then forward the proposals to the relevant content expert for feedback.
4. F4: Ethics This course covers an introduction to ethical theory and how it can be applied to issues involving organizations and/or information technology Major ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, social contract and virtue ethics will be covered It is founded on the assumption that design and use is not value neutral, but value-laden.
5. Study The case study is intended to provide real-world exposure to in the type of institution they wish to focus on. Ideally it should be a study that can pave the way for the dissertation, although at this stage students who choose to shift topics will not be unduly disadvantaged The case study will require real involvement in live' large scale project for one trimester and one summer.
The final output of the case study is a written report of the project done detailing the candidate's contribution to the project. The following must be noted about the practicum:
The case study may take a variety of forms: it may involved paid or volunteer work or even a consulting engagement, and it may take place in educational institutions, LGUs, business organizations, or non-profit organizations.
6. S1, S2, S3: Courses directly in line with the student's chosen dissertation topic. These may be taken within or outside CSS, but the courses are subject to approval.
7. Research courses
The research course is divided in two parts, including(a) methods course that involves writing and successfully defending a thesis proposal and(b) dissertation proper, which involves writing and defending the final work. Two publications are required prior to defending the as means of validation and acceptance of the work. One of these publications must be an international publication. A public defense of the dissertation is recommended. A panel of 5 evaluators is required for defense. At least on will come from another university and at least one from another college.
Year 1
Term 1 -> F1
Term 2 -> F2, F3
Term 3 -> F4, Case study
Summer -> Case study
Year 2
Term 1 -> S1, S2
Term 2 -> Methods
Term 3 -> S3
Summer -> Dissertation
Year 3
Term 1 -> Dissertation
Term 2 -> Dissertation
Term 3 -> Dissertation
The program accepts applicants who have a relevant masters degree AND two years of relevant work experience. Master's degrees from the following fields are considered ideal(others may be considered on a case to case basis):
Note:
The Doctor of Information Technology (D.Sc) goal is to help students acquire the practical skills and theoretical knowledge necessary to work as an expert in their field. The program will prepare Information Technology graduates to pursue academia, counseling, or leadership positions in their chosen areas of study. The Information Technology program is designed to advance the professional development of experienced information technology graduates and professionals in the information technology arena by extending their knowledge and equipping them with broad research and process information technology skills, enabling them to make a key leadership contribution to their chosen fields.
AIU’s Doctorate degree in Information Technology goes one step further by allowing students to study and research multiple key areas of computer science to develop a unique foundation of practical knowledge and computer science theory.
Your AIU Distance Learning Doctorate program in Information Technology will be a custom-made program, designed just for you by you and your advisor. This flexibility to meet your needs is seldom found in other distance learning programs. Our program does not require every student to study the same subjects and use the same books and other learning materials as every other student. Instead our online Doctoral programs are designed just for you. They are individually designed to meet your needs and help you to reach your professional and personal goals.
Important: Below is an example of the topics or areas you may develop and work on during your studies. By no means is it a complete or required list as AIU programs do not follow a standardized curriculum. It is meant solely as a reference point and example. Want to learn more about the curriculum design at AIU? (Course and Curriculum)
Software Systems Design and Implementation
Algorithms and Data Structures
Data Warehousing
Technical Foundations
Information Systems Research
Object-Oriented Systems
Information Technology Delivery
Strategy and Management of Information Technology
Statistical Research Techniques
Qualitative Research
Multivariate Modeling
Research Methodology
Communication & Investigation (Comprehensive Resume)
Organization Theory (Portfolio)
Experiential Learning (Autobiography)
Academic Evaluation (Questionnaire)
Fundament of Knowledge (Integration Chart)
Fundamental Principles I (Philosophy of Education)
Professional Evaluation (Self Evaluation Matrix)
Development of Graduate Study (Guarantee of an Academic Degree)
Doctoral Dissertation Project
MBM900 Doctoral Proposal
MBM902 Doctoral Dissertation (15,000 words)
Publication: Each Doctor of Information Technology graduate is encouraged to publish their research papers either online in the public domain or through professional journals and periodicals worldwide.
