DMIT  CURRICULUM

The curriculum is described below in terms of the coursework phase and the dissertation research phase. Upon completing the coursework and comprehensive examination or qualifying paper is completed giving a doctoral student candidacy, and permission to start the dissertation research. The 12 courses comprising the coursework are offered in three tracks: the DMIT Core Courses Track, the Shared Doctoral Courses Track (offered with the DBA Program), and the Research Methods Track.

DMIT Core Courses Track

All DMIT students will enroll in the following four DMIT core courses. The DMIT core course descriptions have been revised based on input from the DMIT stakeholders such as the Advisory Board, external academic dissertation committee members and DMIT graduates.

 MIS8013 Enterprise IT Lifecycle Processes  - The goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive perspective of Information Technology life cycle processes that are needed in organizations in support of the business process improvement, re-engineering and redesign, and the skills to introduce and manage such processes. The course is concerned with the processes by which IT resources are acquired, maintained, supported, managed and aligned with the business processes of the enterprise. The context of a new business initiative calling for IT enablement is analyzed using a "best practices' technique and tools. Frameworks, standards and reference models for structuring the IT process architecture, within the context of business value chains, are studied. Approaches to business process modeling, business process improvement, re-engineering and redesign, and full life-cycle support for end-to-end processes are examined. Individual and team project assignments have been extended to address situations in real world environments.

 MIS8023 Global Enterprise Data Management  - This course studies in depth how critical enterprise wide business issues are dealt with through the integration of customer data and the management of data quality assessment. Data management is an important part of IT management in enterprises, and especially the global enterprise spanning across country boundaries and continents. This is evident in the case of international mergers or acquisitions that are seen today. This course discusses the processes that affect the reliability and quality of data. It covers strategies and approaches of bringing people, processes, and technology together through data management, data integration, and data governance. It addresses methods of creating and managing master data, and processes for evaluating the alternative methods and solutions to determine the approach that best addresses the organization's needs. The course highlights the specific technology frameworks and tactics for the success of enterprise data management.

 MIS8043 Global Enterprise Architecture - The course in enterprise architecture (EA) is concerned with analyzing and modeling the architecture of the extended enterprise, where collaboration among stakeholders within and outside the enterprise is a key success factor. The EA is seen as a comprehensive model of the assets of the enterprise, i.e. a master scheme, which acts as an integrator between the viewpoints of business planning, business processes and operations, information systems, and supporting technology infrastructure. Meta architecture frameworks are examined and used to analyze the requirements of views of architecture viewpoints in the architecture stage of an architecture initiative. The course is informed by a number of architecture frameworks and approaches used in practice. The prevailing architecture approaches followed A range of computer-based tools are used to develop and document the architecture models. Students are informed by international standards, reflecting best practices. Team project deliverables are stored in a digital repository that provides read-only access to future classes.

Advanced Topics Course - Options of the Advanced Topics Course are offered based on student interests and provide new opportunities for curriculum development. Options of this course are proposed via the DMIT Program Committee. Examples of sections are listed below. The Advance Topics Course scheme is aligned with the Advanced Topics Course for the DBA.

Option 1: Enterprise IT Leadership and Governance  -

The focus of the course is on research and skills related to leading today's enterprise, with attention to the IT enablement for global reach of successful corporations. Topics include business-IT alignment, strategic planning and budgeting, IT governance and portfolio management, managing emerging technologies, designing effective global organizations, sourcing IT services, and business communications in the global context. The value of IT investments are examined and mapped to benefits, maximizing the realization of IT-related benefits for the enterprise, and assessing and managing IT-related risks.

 Option 2: Service Oriented Architecture -




DMIT - Common Shared Courses Track from DBA Curriculum

• Leading the Global Enterprise - In order to develop leaders who can effectively lead global operations, it is important to understand what makes leaders effective across cultures.  This course exposes students to a variety of theories and cutting edge practices for effectively leading in diverse and dynamic global organizations.  The course examines the theoretical literature of leadershipfrom historic contributions to contemporary and emerging research in this vast and expanding field.  Students will have opportunities to assess and develop their personal leadership skills as well as learn multiple approaches aimed at developing the leadership skills in others.  The course includes a variety of application-based techniques that reinforce successful leadership and management practices used in today's leading organizations.
• Globalization and the World Economy - This course focuses on the external challenges and opportunities facing leaders in the 21st century world economy.  The course identifies, analyzes, and assesses the implications of the profound changes ocurring in demographic, economic, political, legal, social, and cultural institutions, structures and systems that are defining and shaping the future economy.  Topics include history of global trade; key driving forces, benefits, and costs of globalization; global capital and consumer markets; trade policy; and economic development.
• Organization Development, Transformation, & Change - This course focuses on development and change of organizations in a global environment. The course examines the theories, research, and practice of planned and unplanned change, the phases of organization development, and the applicability and effectiveness of techniques for improving organization performance. Topics include: turnaround management in response to economic uncertainty and crisis; critical drivers of successful change for individuals and organizations; the distinction between transitional and transformational change; sustainability of the business enterprise; change from mergers and acquisitions; organization capacity and capabilities; positive states of organizing; and the application of systems thinking and complexity theory to organizational change. 
• Management of Technology and Innovation - This course focuses on the management of technology and innovation in competitive world markets.  The course explores the theory, research, and practice of how organizations adapt to innovations and technological change; manage investments in research and development; assess, and manage risks under conditions of rapid technical change; create, capture, market, and sustain value from emerging technologies and innovations; manage research alliances and partnerships; and integrate changes to technology, markets, and organizations.

Research Methods Track

 Feedback varied from 2 to 4 courses, with recommendation that each individual research project should involve focus on specific research methods needed. There is broad support for the research BOK in the program

The proposed shared research track is comprised of four courses of three credit hours each. A course in doctoral research methods - modeled along the lines of the existing DMIT MIS7813 course - leads the research track and is scheduled early in the program. This course will include a review of statistical concepts, either as an online component of the class or as a short series of zero-credit online seminars offered prior to, during, or after the course. Students will be required to complete an independent study of statistics prior to the start of the first research course. The research methods course is followed by courses in qualitative and quantitative methods.

 The Advanced Research Methods course is intended to provide students with exposure to more advanced research methods or specific research methods required by their research projects. Students and faculty would be surveyed to determine the most appropriate content and approach to be used in the Advanced Research Methods course. The course could focus on a single topic or on a small range of topics using one or more instructors. The Advanced Research Methods topics could also be developed into a series of non-credit research methods courses using course content developed in previous semesters. 

• Overview of Doctoral Research Methodology - This course is the first course in the Research Track. The course studies the research process through the phases of the dissertation research project: research planning, literature review, research conceptualization, and research validation. Topics include but not limited to doctoral research norms for the Theory and Practice paradigm; research taxonomies; critical thinking in research; role of systems thinking in research; research strategies; research techniques for the literature review; proposal formulation; representation schemes for research conceptualization; approaches to research validation (evidence collection, demonstration of concept, experimentation, case studies, interviews and surveys); documenting research findings; and publishing of the dissertation. The course references other courses in the research track and the dissertation phase of the curriculum. 
• Research Design - Qualitative Methods - This course covers the qualitative research design. Topics include how to choose and craft a qualitative research statement and questions attending to the larger pragmatic and theoretical contexts that shape them; theoretical orientations, sampling, assumptions, qualitative data, and practical applications of qualitative research; an overview of action research, phenomenology, ethno methodology, grounded theory, narrative analysis, case studies, thematic and content analysis; and qualitative research software. Students will learn how to conceptualize the phenomenon being researched in terms of a conceptual framework and accompanying models. They will also learn how to conceptualize the solution, verify the framework and models, and validate the research proposition(s). Students will create a qualitative-based research proposal and have the opportunity to do qualitative interviewing, data collection, and analysis. Students will be introduced to mixed-methods research on how to transform qualitative findings into a quantitative study. 
• Research Design - Quantitative Methods - This course covers the quantitative research strategy; data collection and processing of collected data by quantitative means; methods, techniques and tools to quantify business systems and processes; application of statistical techniques, business process management, and the use of statistical packages. Techniques include but not limited to correlation; partial correlations; analysis of variance and covariance; linear regression; significance in correlation and regression; assumptions, tests, and corrections in regression models; sample size and power analysis. The students learn how to obtain quantifiable insight about business systems, quality assurance, performance and business decision processes. 
• Advanced Topics in Research Methods (new) - T is course may have a number of themes offered as sections of the course to interested students. Potential themes include:

 Option 1: Simulation and Modeling - Descriptive, prescriptive, predictive modeling and simulation techniques in analyzing and synthesizing business data, information and knowledge in global scenarios are studied. The students will learn how to get quantifiable insight about business systems, quality assurance, performance and business decision processes. Experimentation against theoretical concepts is performed in a virtual enterprise environment. Use of data mining, data and information warehouses, and business intelligence is addressed. The students learn how to model and simulate processes at macro and micro levels of complexity. 

Option 2: Action research and participant-observer research - Action research is used to solve specific problems within a program, system, organization, or community. This is where the researcher becomes part of the process. Students will learn the "action research" paradigm and how to participate in a research setting for observation and types of observation dimensions in fieldwork. 

Option 3: Systems Theory and Application - Applying the systems approach utilizing holistic and systemic methods, qualitative and quantitative methods for conceptualizing, collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data in a single research project. Validating mixed methods research. To be elaborated building on earlier course work in quantitative and qualitative methods. 

Option 4: Correlation and Regression Analysis - T is theme extends the students' knowledge of correlation and multiple regression analysis in organizational research. Topics include: measures of association; complex correlations; advanced analysis of variance and covariance; multiple linear regression; advanced corrections in regression models; multi-co-linearity; sample size and power analysis; categorical variables; moderator and mediating variables; and logistic regression. As time permits, discretionary topics may include structural equations modeling. 

Option 5: Research Design and Measurement Methods - This theme provides an overview of research designs and measurement methods. Topics include critical thinking in research; research designs for organizational research; desired inferences and threats to those inferences; survey methodology, and the evaluation of organization programs and initiatives. The course emphasizes the use of instruments to measure constructs of interest in business research, (e.g. innovation, customer satisfaction, strategic orientation, organizational commitment). This includes the construction and validation of instruments and embedded subscales; issues in sampling and data collection; reliability analysis; construct validity; and an overview of measurement instruments used in organization research. 

Option 6: Management Science Methods  - The general goal of the theme is to develop and enhance the student's problem solving and decision-making capabilities in an organizational environment. Students study deterministic and stochastic analytical concepts, techniques, and tools that may be used to make optimal decisions in the pursuit of organizational goals, such as cost efficiency, service delivery, and profit. Topics include probability theory; utility theory; game theory; linear models and linear programming; and network analysis. Supporting tools are utilized to perform modeling, processing and analysis. Specifically, when confronted with a management problem the student should be able to conceptualize the problem within an analytical framework; understand basic analytical models; analyze and use appropriate analytical results in the decision-making process; and identify the capabilities and limitations of various management science techniques. 

Dissertation Track  ( 24 Credits)

The doctoral research process is performed as 24 dissertation credits. While the research process is generic there are processes specific to each of the LTU doctoral programs. A doctoral candidate should select a dissertation supervisor who will also serve a dissertation chair. The supervisor is responsible for guiding the dissertation research. The doctoral candidate must also select the members of the dissertation committee, who will provide complementary support for the research project. The role of members of the dissertation committee is outlined in the Doctoral Research Prospectus. 

Mode of Delivery/Scheduling

Hybrid modes of delivery will be supported that enable students with active professional schedules to undertake doctoral studies. With the hybrid model classes are held intermittently, on-ground and online, during an academic term. Value is added with this premium model where current collaboration technologies are utilized in every course. The distance factor of online learning is mediated by personalizing the online component of courses, and using Webcam technology so students feel and act as part of the group when they are learning online. On-ground class sessions take place on a weekend schedule. The schedule to complete the coursework phase of the program will be made available in advance of the start of each academic year. The schedule will be repeated each academic year and will allow new students to join the program any term of the academic year, in consultation with the program chair.