Information Technology (Ph.D.)

Prepare to pursue a career in academic or industrial research with a Ph.D. in Information Technology at Illinois Institute of Technology. Become a master in several areas of information technology such as software development, cybersecurity, data science, artificial intelligence, system technologies, business development, and management. Complete the program by making a significant original contribution to research in the field of information technology.

 

Research, design, and deliver optimal technical and policy technology solutions for the problems of business, industry, government, nonprofit organizations, and individuals. Learn the essential skills to lead, manage, and work with teams in an enterprise environment to collaboratively arrive at optimal technology solutions.

 

Take advantage of strong industry and academic connections with faculty who are actively involved in the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Information Technology Education (ACM SIGITE), ABET, and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education. Deep connections with the United States Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of State, and the National Security Agency, as well as companies such as Motorola Solutions, Accenture, J. P. Morgan Chase, and Zurich, provide a variety of research opportunities. 

 

Learn more about ongoing and past research projects and the program’s associated centers.

Program Overview

To receive a Ph.D., coursework requirements must be met and qualifying exams, including a comprehensive exam, passed. A thesis defense is required. Graduates of this degree should be able to demonstrate mastery of one or more core areas of information technology though original research, and publish documentation of such research.

Students in the Ph.D. program have course requirements that depend on whether they enter the program with a Master of Science in Information Technology or a related computing field, a master’s degree that is not in information technology or a computing field, or with a bachelor's degree in information technology. A student’s adviser may require specific core or elective courses be taken. Possible elective courses may include PSYC 540, PSYC 545, PSYC 546, PSYC 554, and MATH 525.

Students with a Master of Science in Information Technology or a Related Computing Field

Minimum Total Credits Required                       72

Maximum Transfer Credit ²                              32

500-, 600-, or 700-Level Course Credit Required40

Select a minimum of three courses from three different core course groups as listed below.

9

ITM 695                         Doctoral Seminar

3

ITMT 597                       Special Problems in Information Technology 4

0-6

Select zero to six credit hours

0-6

ITM 691                         Research and Thesis Ph.D.

24-28

A maximum of 32 credit hours of master's transfer credit is allowed.

32

Students with a Degree Not in Information Technology or a Computnig Field

Minimum Total Credits Required                      72

Maximum Transfer Credit ²                              23

500-, 600-, or 700-Level Course Credit Required49

Select a minimum of one course from each of the following core course groups: Software Development, System Technologies, and Business Development

9

Select a minimum of two courses from two of the following core course groups: Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and Management, Management

6

ITM 695                         Doctoral Seminar 3

3

ITMT 597                       Special Problems in Information Technology

0-9

Select zero to nine credit hours in conjunction with adviser

0-9

 

ITM 691                         Research and Thesis Ph.D.

24-31

(23)

A maximum of 23 credit hours of masters transfer credit is allowed.

23


Students with a Degree in Information Technology

Minimum Credits Required                               72

500-, 600-, or 700-Level Course Credit Required72

Select a minimum of one course from each of the following core course groups: Software Development,                          9

System Technologies, and Business Development

Select a minimum of two courses from two of the following core course groups: Cybersecurity, Data Analytics                 6

and Management, Management

ITM 695                         Doctoral Seminar 3                                                                                                                                                                           3

 

Select 9-21 credit hours in conjunction with adviser                                                                                                  9-21

\

 

ITM 691                         Research and Thesis Ph.D.                                                                                               24-36

1

Students with a degree in a related computing field or a master’s degree not in information technology or a related computing field may berequired to complete prerequisite and specific core or elective courses selected by their adviser.

Undergraduate-level prerequisite courses will not be applied to the degree.

2

400-level Information Technology and Management courses earned at Illinois Institute of Technology may not be applied. A

maximum of 12 credit hours of 400-level courses may be transferred if the courses were applied to a master’s degree.

3

Students must take three sequential semesters of ITM 695.

4

At least three credit hours of ITMT 597 or ITMT 691 are required in the first year.

Notes

To be used to satisfy requirements, courses must be passed with a grade of "B" or better. 400-level Information Technology andManagement courses earned at Illinois Institute of Technology and accelerated courses cannot be used. With department approval, coursesmay be replaced by more advanced courses.

The 500- and 600-level electives can include credit hours from ITMT 595. They cannot include credit hours from ITMT 597, ITM691, or ITM 695. With department approval, up to nine credit hours may come from outside the ITM department.

Total credits required for the degree is a minimum. A student's adviser may require other courses to be taken. Consequently the total credits taken may exceed the minimum.

Core Courses

 

There are six core course areas. To meet a core requirement, a course must be taken at Illinois Institute of Technology as part ofthe Ph.D. or a previously completed Master's program; transfer courses from other institutions cannot be used. Core courses must bepassed with "B" or better to satisfy core course requirements.  

 

 

ITMD 513

Group 1: Software Development

Open Source Programming

3

ITMD 515

Advanced Software Programming

3

ITMD 536

Software Testing and Maintenance

3

ITMD 542

Full-Stack Web Development

3

         Group 2: Systems Technologies                                                                                                                                                                     

ITMO 541

Network Administration and Operations

3

ITMO 544

Cloud Computing Technologies

3

ITMO 553

Open Source System Administration

3

ITMO 554

Operating Systems Virtualization

3

ITMO 557

Storage Technologies

3

ITMT 593

Embedded Systems

3

GGGro

ITMD 532                      UML-Based Software Development

3

ITMD 534                      Human and Computer Interaction

3

ITMD 535                      Human-Computer Interaction Design

3

ITMM 581                      Information Technology Entrepreneurship

3

ITMM 582                      Business Innovation

3

ITMM 587                      Product Management

3

ITMS 528                       Database Security

3

ITMS 548                       Cyber Security Technologies

3

ITMS 558                       Operating Systems Security

3

ITMS 578                       Cyber Security Management

3

ITMS 584                       Governance, Risk, and Compliance

3

ITMS 588                       Incident Response, Disaster Recovery, and Business Continuity

3

ITMD 522                      Data Mining and Machine Learning

3

ITMD 523                      Advanced Topics in Data Management

3

ITMD 524                      Applied Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning

3

ITMD 526                      Data Warehousing

3

ITMD 529                      Advanced Data Analytics

3

ITMT 531                       Object-Oriented System Analysis, Modeling, and Design

3

ITMM 537                      Vendor Management and Service Level Agreements

3

ITMM 570                      Fundamentals of Management for Technology Professionals

3

ITMM 571

Project Management for Information Technology Management

3

ITMM 572

Process Engineering for Information Technology Managers

3

ITMM 574

Information Technology Management Frameworks

3

ITMM 585

Legal and Ethical Issues in Information Technology

3

 

Admission to the Ph.D. program is competitive and applicants must have high grade-point averages, GREscores, and (if required) TOEFL scores. Students may enter the program directly after completing only abachelor’s degree in information technology or after completing a master’s degree in information technology or a related field. Preferred research area and preferred Ph.D. advisers should be clearly mentioned in the cover letter.

Program Directors

Research Areas and Featured Faculty

Cybersecurity

Data Science and AI

Web Intelligence, Natural Language Processing, Recommender Systems, Information Retrieval

 

National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

The United States Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency have designated Illinois Institute of Technology as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.

The Bachelor of Information Technology and Management degree is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.

 

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North American Defense and Security Academic Alliance 

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) North American Defense and Security Academic Alliance (NADSAA) exists as a collaborative information-based enterprise dedicated to strengthening and normalizing relationships between the two commands and academic institutions. That relationship stimulates and develops new thinking, examines cross-organizational solutions, and helps cultivate future generations of defense and security practitioners.

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