Required CIS Courses

CIS PhD candidates are required to complete the three CIS core courses (701, 702, & 703) with a grade of B or better. In addition they are required to be enrolled in CIS 720, Interdisciplinary Seminar in CIS, every semester that they are enrolled in the program.

CIS 701

Communication/Information Theories of Society (3 credits)

CIS 702

Communication/Information Technologies (3 credits)

CIS 703

Communication/Information Research Methods (3 credits)

Other Required or Recommended Courses

CIS 720, Interdisciplinary Seminar in CIS (1 credit)

The CIS 720 Research Seminar is designed to facilitate the progress towards completion of the CIS Ph.D. program for all students enrolled in the program. The seminar includes the following types of content:

 -  Research seminars by CIS faculty: Introduce students to the research of graduate faculty in the program; illustrate how research projects or streams are designed and carried out
 -  Research seminars by visiting faculty, faculty of other UH Manoa units: Present relevant research topics and approaches to CIS students for possible application or as illustrations of how to conduct research.
 -  Research presentations by CIS students: Create a forum for graduate students to present their ongoing research work and to receive constructive feedback on the research program.
 -  Student-led workshops or panels: Articulate and present experience and advice on navigating the PhD program, overcoming obstacles, and so on.
 -  Faculty-led workshops: Present new information on techniques, policies, practices of the PhD program relevant to student researchers.

CIS 699, Publishable Paper (variable credit)

The CIS 699 class is taken at least once during the program to work with a mentor on your publishable paper.  The number of credits will vary depending on what you work on during the semester; this is something that you will discuss with the mentor when preparing to register for the class.

CIS 699 can also be taken multiple times to prepare for area exams.

CIS 705, Data Science Foundations (3 credits)

All aspects of data science: the methodology and processes; ethics and regulatory issues; programming tools; data acquisition, cleaning, analysis and mining; visualization, publication, curation, and preservation; applications in various fields. You may find course descriptions in the university catalog.

CIS 704, Special Topics in Communication and Information Sciences (variable credit)

Seminar reflecting research interests of faculty and current interdisciplinary topics in communication and information sciences.

Students may also enroll in other courses from among the courses offered each semester by the four participating departments as needed to develop a broad background in the communication and information sciences and to prepare for the comprehensive examinations. Some of these courses are required preparation for focus area examinations. Contact examination coordinators for details. You may find course descriptions in the university catalog.

Required Research Methods Course

Students are required to take at least one research methods course besides CIS 703. The following is an extensive but not exhaustive list of courses offered in various UH Manoa Departments that can be considered to fulfill the research methods course (besides CIS 703) requirement.

The listed courses range from epistemological topics, to methodological ones, to specific research techniques that CIS students may want to use in their research. You may find further courses in the university catalog.

List of available research courses