CIS is an Interdisciplinary PhD Program

The CIS program is a collaborative effort of the School of Communication (COM), Department of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS), Department of Information Technology Management (ITM), and the Library and Information Science Program (LIS). This partnership allows CIS PhD students to draw on the broad expertise held by the partnering faculty members in developing integrative advances in the communication and information sciences.

COM - School of Communications

The School of Communications is the center for academic and professional scholarship linking East and West through the broad areas of communication and journalism. The mission of the School of Communications is to be the primary resource for the people of Hawai'i, through an integrated program of excellence in teaching, research and application, to meet the challenges and opportunities of communication and journalism in the emerging technological, multicultural, and international context of the twenty-first century.

ICS - Department of Information and Computer Sciences

The mission of the Information and Computer Sciences Department is to prepare students to be research and development leaders in computer science and computer technology. To this end, the program is a catalyst and a resource for shaping the future of the broad discipline of computer science. The faculty embraces the mutual interdependence of research and teaching to achieve excellence in both. As part of its mission the program brings the latest research findings into courses and actively involves students in research endeavors of the faculty. The program also provides leadership in the application of high technology to improve the educational experience.

ITM - Department of Information Technology Management

21st century organizations operate within global networks of customers, suppliers, competitors, and regulations. Information is the lifeblood of these networks, and effective information management is essential to a firm's success. IT creates entrepreneurial and strategic opportunities as well as challenges in this environment. Managers must be able to evaluate new technologies, wisely invest in IT innovations, implement and manage applications, and manage the flow and use of information through IT-enabled business processes. Our mission in the Department of Information Technology Management is to help mangers be successful in this technology-intensive world.

LIS - Library and Information Science Program

The Library and Information Science Program, which has a 40-year history of quality and excellence in teaching, research and service, has produced hundreds of information professionals working in Hawai'i and the nation and throughout the world. A great part of the success of the program can be attributed to the visionary leadership and proactive planning that have marked the LIS Program's approach to addressing the realities of a rapidly changing information environment.

Other Related Disciplines

Because of the broad knowledge base required to support this interdisciplinary approach, the program also draws from such fields as education, engineering, operations research, economics, political science, and behavioral sciences.