Management Information Systems - Doctor of Philosophy - PHD - Postgraduate / Graduate Program - UBC Grad School

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Overview

An active and collegial group of senior and junior academics is the distinguishing feature of the MIS faculty at UBC. These researchers investigate a wide variety of topics, including electronic commerce, economics of information systems, systems analysis, intelligent systems, strategic and organizational issues, and planning for MIS. Their methods include laboratory experiments, field studies, survey methods, econometrics, conceptual modelling, and computational simulation. This rich portfolio of topics and research methods allows substantial flexibility for our PhD students in selecting a research topic.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

The PhD Program in MIS in terms of its reputation, research record and research grants received, stands at the top of Canadian business schools and at the very top rank in the international arena. A recent assessment of research productivity showed that the UBC MIS program ranks 6th in the world among public universities, and 9th overall, in terms of publications in top MIS journals.

Quick Facts

Faculty Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Mode of delivery In person at UBC Vancouver

Program Components

Dissertation

Academic Unit Robert H. Lee Graduate School

Specialization Management Information Systems

Tuition (First Year) Domestic: $5,515.71 | International: $9,690.18

School

Sauder School of Business

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Program Enquiries

Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement: 100

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Listening

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement: 7.0

Reading

6.5

Writing

6.5

Speaking

6.5

Listening

6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE or a comparable test is required. Please check the program website.

2) Meet Deadlines

September 2025 Intake

Application Open Date

01 September 2024

Canadian Applicants

Application Deadline: 31 December 2024

Transcript Deadline: 10 January 2025

Referee Deadline: 31 January 2025

International Applicants

Application Deadline: 31 December 2024

Transcript Deadline: 10 January 2025

Referee Deadline: 31 January 2025

Deadline Explanations

Application Deadline

Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.

Transcript Deadline

Deadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.

Referee Deadline

Deadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Information Systems (PhD)

The program will review research interests of applicants and recommend/match faculty members during the application/evaluation process. Applicants should not reach out to faculty members directly.

Citizenship Verification

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees	Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat	International
Application Fee	$116.25	$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year	3	3
Tuition per installment	$1,838.57	$3,230.06
Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)	$5,515.71	$9,690.18
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible)		$3,200.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)	$1,116.60 (approx.)
Costs of living	Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

We provide a financial package that includes tuition plus $30,000 per year for the first five years of the PhD Program.

Average Funding

Based on the criteria outlined below, 5 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards averaging $40,452.

2 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 2 students was $4,335.
4 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 4 students was $25,426.
5 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 5 students was $16,505.

Study Period: Sep 2022 to Aug 2023 - average funding for full-time PhD students enrolled in three terms per academic year in this program across years 1-4, the period covered by UBC's Minimum Funding Guarantee. Averages might mask variability in sources and amounts of funding received by individual students. Beyond year 4, funding packages become even more individualized.
Review methodology

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union.

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

102 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 100 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):

RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Western University (Ontario) (5)
City University of Hong Kong (5)
University of Manitoba (3)
University of British Columbia (3)
Simon Fraser University (3)
University of International Business and Economics (3)
Arizona State University (2)
Boston College (2)
University of Toronto (2)
University of Ottawa (2)

Sample Employers Outside Higher Education

Banco de México (2)
Bank of Canada (2)
IBM Research
Ministry of Education - Guyana
Ontario Public Service
Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
Royal Bank of Canada

Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education

Strategic ICT Specialist
Senior Economist
Research Scientist
Senior Financial Specialist
Economic Staff
Consultant / Analyst
Information Organization Manager
Deputy Executive Secretary
Assistant Chief
Head of Research

PhD Career Outcome Survey

You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.

Disclaimer

The data show all specializations in Business Administration combined. These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.

Career Options

Our graduates have academic positions in Canada, the USA, Asia, and Europe. Students in our program work closely with faculty and other students in a stimulating intellectual environment to create outstanding research.

Alumni on Success

Ali Dashti

Job Title
Assistant professor

Employer
Kuwait University

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Information Systems (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Applications	27	26	36	30	26
Offers	2	0	1	5	3
New Registrations	2	0	1	3	1
Total Enrolment	7	6	7	6	7

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 75% based on 9 students admitted between 2011 - 2014. Based on 6 graduating students from the 2011 - 2014 admissions cohort the minimum time to completion is 3.07 years and the maximum time is 7.51 years with an average of 5.56 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Disclaimer

Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants for each registration year, May to April, e.g. data for 2022 refers to programs starting in 2022 Summer and 2022 Winter session, i.e. May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Data on total enrolment reflects enrolment in Winter Session Term 1 and are based on snapshots taken on November 1 of each registration year. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Graduation rates exclude students who transfer out of their programs. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs.

Research Supervisors

Supervision

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Information Systems (PhD)

The program will review research interests of applicants and recommend/match faculty members during the application/evaluation process. Applicants should not reach out to faculty members directly.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

Cavusoglu, Hasan (IT investment, information security, value of information technology, online product differentiation, information system security, Economics & sustainability, Management Information Systems)
Cenfetelli, Ronald Timothy (Human computer interaction, E-Business, IT-mediated customer service, Negative aspects of technology, Structural equation modeling, Survey research techniques, Multi-level modeling)
Chamberlain, Sandra (Accounting and the economics of, Valuation of publicly traded firms using accounting information, Accounting and contracting, Earnings quality, Accounting for Financial Institutions)
D Adduzio, Jenna (Voluntary and mandatory disclosures; Regulatory and standard setting issues; Disclosure materiality)
Lee, Gene (Economics and business administration; Management information systems; AI in Business; Business Analytics; Information Systems; Social Media Analysis; Mobile Ecosystem)
Li, J. Frank
Lo, Kin (financial reports; financial disclosures; financial statements; accounting; stock options; executive compensation; auditing; stock valuation; securities regulation; tax planning; tax policy, Empirical research in financial accounting and reporting, Investigating the motives and effects of voluntary disclosures, The effects of alternative regulated reporting regimes, Refinement of accounting research methodology, Examining the role of accounting in equity valuation)
Lundholm, Russell (Financial statement analysis )
Nan, Ning (Economics and business administration; Management information systems; blockchain governance; complex adaptive systems; digital business; evolvable information systems; Information Systems; Management; online community)
Vijayaraghavan, Rajesh (Accounting and risk management in financial institutions, Disclosure, Corporate governance and performance measurement, Corporate Finance, Applications of machine learning)
Wu, Joy (Behavioral experiments, Data privacy, Information markets, Fairness Views, Platform strategy)
Yeung, Ira (Voluntary Disclosure; Information Quality; Financial Institutions)
Zhang, Jenny Li (Accounting; Economics and business administration; Management information systems; Finance and Accounting; Financial reporting, corporate disclosure, restatements, pension)
Zheng, Xin (SEC Enforcement, Securities Litigation, Auditing, Fraud, Regulation, Financial Reporting)
Zhou, Mi (Management information systems; Economics of Digitization; Digital Media Products; Digital Marketing; Omnichannel Customer Behavior)

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.

Year	Citation
2016	Dr. Saghafi studied business information modelling. He investigated approaches that could improve the performance of users in business analytics, and enhance their overall understanding of the application requirements. His research has important implications for both researchers and practitioners in the area of information systems development.

Sample Thesis Submissions

Three essays on AI strategies and innovation

Further Information

Specialization

Management Information Systems

Management Information Systems covers information on systems analysis, databases, telecommunications, electronic commerce, economics of information systems, intelligent systems, strategic and organizational issues, and planning for MIS.

Program Identifier

VGDPHD-CHQL

Classification

Management information systems

Program Website