College of Information Science & Technology (CIST)

CIST 8950  GRADUATE CAPSTONE (3 credits)

The graduate capstone course challenges students to prove their mastery of the skills and domain knowledge they have gathered throughout their program of study. The course begins with a module on project management and research best practices. The majority of course is structured around facilitating a non-trivial semester-long project, often in service to a third-party project sponsor, such as a community, industry, or government partner. The course is intended for students that have selected the coursework option, not thesis, and that are close to graduation (see prerequisites).

Prerequisite(s): Students must have 9 credit hours or fewer left in their program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CIST 9040  COLLOQUIUM ON IT RESEARCH (1 credit)

The purpose of the course is to provide a forum for interaction among doctoral students and faculty on topics of relevance to professional success as researchers. Topics to be discussed include: nature of research in information technology; research problem selection, development, and presentation with special emphasis on the doctoral dissertation; dissertation process; development and crafting of papers for journals; collaboration on research projects; and review process for journal papers.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to PhD program in Information Technology or permission of instructor.

CIST 9050  COLLOQUIUM ON IT TEACHING (1 credit)

The purpose of the course is to provide a forum for interaction among doctoral student and faculty on topics of relevance to professional success as teachers/educators in university settings. Topics to be discussed include: issues and challenges of teaching; getting started in teaching; course preparation; teaching methods; assessment of students; on-going course development; diversity in the classroom; use of technology in teaching including online education; and developing and maintaining a teaching portfolio.

Prerequisite(s): Doctoral students in Information Technology and Biomedical informatics. Students from doctoral programs across the University of Nebraska are welcome to register with permission of instructor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CIST 9060  COLLOQUIUM ON IT PROFESSION AND ETHICS (1 credit)

The purpose of this course is to provide a forum for interaction among doctoral students and faculty on topics of relevance to professional success as members of the academy. Some of the topics to be discussed will include: ethics and professional code of conduct; strategies for dealing with academic dishonesty/plagiarism; academic and professional organizations in the IT profession (e.g., IEEE, ACM, AIS, PMI, AITP); challenges of human subjects research; developing survival skills: balancing service, teaching and research, etc.; career development and progression; and role and nature of local, national, and international service.

Prerequisite(s): Any IS&T PhD student is eligible to attend; other Doctoral students can attend with permission of instructor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CIST 9080  RESEARCH DIRECTIONS IN I.T. (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide a forum for interaction among doctoral students and faculty on topics of relevance to IT research and make them familiar with current and future research directions in IT. Students will examine what constitutes a research contribution, gain hands-on experience with directed research, and explore the breadth of sub-disciplines within IT research.

Prerequisite(s): Doctoral standing in Information Technology or permission of course coordinators. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CIST 9100  SEMINAR ON READINGS IN IT (1 credit)

Seminar focused on IT literature within a topic area aligned with PhD in IT concentrations, providing opportunity for in-depth review and discussion of materials in the concentration reading list. Provides exposure to current topics, research methods, and professional practice for the concentration.

Prerequisite(s): Open to all currently admitted PhD students and other graduate students by instructor permission. May be repeated up to 3 times for credit in Major Field of Study, and up to 3 times as an elective.

CIST 9900  SPECIAL TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (3 credits)

This course is designed to acquaint students with issues which are current to the field or emerging trends in the information technology area. Topics will vary across terms. This course may be repeated, but no topic may be taken more than once.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor. Additional prerequisite courses may be required for particular topic offerings.

CIST 9970  RESEARCH OTHER THAN THESIS (1-3 credits)

This is a directed research course enabling students to pursue a research topic individually under the direction of a graduate faculty member. Research problems should help introduce students to practical research methods in the field of computing, and they should be framed in such a way to enable the student to complete the work in the course of one semester.

Prerequisite(s): Requires instructor permission. Only open to doctoral students in the IT PhD program. Course cannot be taken for credit after candidacy nor count towards core/major field of study requirements in the IT PhD. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CIST 9980  INDEPENDENT STUDY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (1-3 credits)

This course allows students to conduct an in-depth study of a specific topic of their interest that is not available in a formal course. The topic to be studied must be agreed upon by the student and the instructor, including a structured schedule and grading criteria, and should be distinct from students' thesis work or Research Other Than Thesis (CIST 9970) course credits.

Prerequisite(s): Requires instructor permission. Only open to doctoral students in the IT PhD program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

CIST 9990  DISSERTATION (1-12 credits)

The dissertation is an original research project conducted and written under the direction of a faculty supervisory committee. The dissertation provides the student with an opportunity to do original research that contributes to advancing the body of knowledge in information systems and/or information technology.

Prerequisite(s): Admission to the Ph.D. program in Information Technology. Admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Prior to enrolling for dissertation hours, the students must have permission of the supervisory committee. Not open to non-degree graduate students.