Doctor of Arts

PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of shaping the future of doctoral studies at GSLIS, and are not currently accepting applications to the Doctor of Arts. However, for those students already enrolled, the following applies.

Degree Requirements

Doctoral students must achieve a grade of at least B+ in all required courses and retain a minimum of a B+ average throughout the doctoral program. Each student's program must be approved by the doctoral coordinator and the dean.

All students should note that if their study is interrupted for any semester, fall or spring, they must maintain matriculation during their absence by enrolling in LIS 600, Supervised Study, which is not counted toward meeting degree requirements. The successful completion of course work, the achievement of a passing grade on the final comprehensive examination and successful completion of a field research project (the form and content of which are determined by the Doctor of Arts Committee) compose the minimum requirements for the conferral of the doctor of arts degree from Simmons College.

Students are expected to complete all requirements for the doctor of arts degree within six years of initial enrollment, and must maintain continual enrollment in the fall and spring semesters during that period of time. Students should consult the school's The Doctor of Arts Program Procedures Manual for further details.

The faculty delegates the Doctor of Arts Committee to set policy and implement procedures for the Doctor of Arts program. This is accomplished within the general guidelines, policies, and procedures of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Required Courses

While the faculty wishes to allow for the greatest possible flexibility and individualization, all students are required to take the following courses:

LIS 632: Research Methods (4 semester hours)
This seminar examines the fundamental purposes, principles, and methods of research, focusing on distinctive characteristics of library problems and methods of research best adapted to solution.

LIS 642: Applied Statistics for Library Management (4 semester hours)
This is a basic course in the application of measurement procedures in library management problems with an emphasis on basic statistical procedures and techniques commonly employed in the analysis of operational data for managerial decision making.

LIS 652: Evaluation of Information Services (4 semester hours)
Evaluation involves an examination of issues related to effectiveness, service quality, satisfaction, costing, and so forth; and the use of input, output, outcome, and impact measures. In a seminar environment, students develop evaluation skills and apply these to practical problems confronting the provision of information services. There is emphasis on the concept of customer-based services, and students apply geographic information system (GIS) software to gain insights into the planning and review of services.

LIS 686: Systems Analysis in Information Services (4 semester hours)
This course provides a detailed overview of the processes involved with developing and acquiring technological systems for information intensive environments. Systems analysis employs a process known as "general systems theory" that can be applied to any type of system, both technological and otherwise. The analysis process includes both primary data collection (print) and other data collecting procedures, such as interviewing, surveys, and focus groups, which are appropriate to the project being examined. Students work in groups on a real-life project that begins with problem definition and concludes with the writing and presenting of a feasibility report.

LIS 692: Contemporary Management Theory (4 semester hours)
This course begins with a critical review of the works of the major contributors to contemporary management thought. The focus is on basic theories of effective management, with an emphasis on creating a greater awareness of one's behavior and its impact on others, and the basic elements needed for working with others in organizations. Topics indude leadership, motivation, needs, attitudes, perception, influence, and interpersonal relations.

LIS 699:
Supervised Field Research (4 semester hours)
Each student participates in an in-depth examination of a problem having managerial implications beyond a local setting. The study should culminate in a report of publishable quality. This course is open only to students in the Doctor of Arts program who have completed 32 semester hours and have successfully passed the comprehensive examination. Note: while working on the study, students are enrolled in LIS 600 in the fall and spring semesters. The semester in which the study is completed, the student enrolls in LIS 699.

The balance of the degree program will ordinarily include LIS 601, Independent Study, other courses numbered in the 600s, and, where pertinent to the individual's career goal, courses in the 400s and 500s.

Doctor of Arts

Program of Study

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

Doctor of Arts Committee

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