PhD Learning Goals and Outcomes

Our Vision

The School of Information Studies  echoes the University vision to be an innovative leader in empowering graduates from diverse backgrounds to meet the challenges of an increasingly interdependent world.

Our Mission

The School of Information Studies, through its various degree programs and certificates, empowers students to become professionals who connect individuals and communities to the world of information and learning with reason, compassion, and a commitment to  service and radical inclusion.

Program Goals and Learning Outcomes

Program goals and learning outcomes are integrated into the curriculum, and are tied to course objectives and deliverables.

PhD Program: Learning Goals and Outcomes, May, 2021

The Dominican University School of Information Studies (SOIS) PhD program is designed to accommodate working professionals and is aimed at preparing students for higher levels of inquiry and thoughtful practice in related professions or teaching in an academic setting. The Doctor of Philosophy in Information Studies is awarded to the student who has attained a broad understanding of the content, methods, and theories of this field and related interdisciplinary fields of knowledge. SOIS has identified the following goals for the PhD program:

  • To educate dynamic leaders in information studies who are uniquely suited to bridge the theory-practice divide in the global arena.
  • To develop creative innovators poised to shape library and information strategies for the 21st century nationally and internationally.
  • To prepare diverse scholars who are able to produce relevant, inclusive research and have the potential for contributing new, potentially interdisciplinary knowledge.
  • To prepare professionals grounded in diverse points of view for leadership roles in both academic and non-academic settings.
Student Learning Outcomes

The SOIS PhD program student learning outcomes will be assessed using course grades, the qualifying process, the dissertation proposal defense, and the dissertation defense.

SOIS PhD students will be able to:

  1. Critically evaluate diverse interdisciplinary research through reflection, engagement, and synthesis.
  2. Develop original, quality research to advance the fields of library and information science (LIS), information management (IM), or related information disciplines.
  3. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills across platforms.
  4. Articulate the relationships among interdisciplinary approaches to information studies, and the social, cultural, and political systems in which those approaches are embedded.
  5. Conduct ethical and responsible research including critical and reflective analysis.