History and Focus
of the School of Information Systems and Technology (SISAT)
A legacy of world class faculty
SISAT was founded in 1983 by Dr. Paul Gray (PhD; Stanford, and co-founder of Association of Information Systems (AIS). An innovative IS researcher and pioneer, Dr. Gray served as both the SISAT department chair (1983-1998) and a core faculty member until his retirement in 2001. However, Dr. Gray remains an active part of SISAT as both Professor Emeritus and curator of the Paul Gray PC Museum. SISAT was also honored to have the late Magid Igbaria (PhD, Tel Aviv Univ.; most published researcher in IS) serve as the Fletcher Jones Chair of Technology Management until his passing in 2002. Indeed, most of SISAT's current core faculty, worked with Dr. Igbaria and still derive inspiration and motivation from this influential and prolific scholar.
Bringing research to practice
Unusal for the time and still a unique feature today, the School of Information Systems and Technology was founded as an independent entity. Unconstrained by a typical business school structure, students are allowed to focus specifically on those topics associated with IS&T. You will find our curriculum to be practical in its focus and valuable to your current professional projects. Our “bringing research to practice” philosophy is executed through our core courses, which are taught by full-time faculty members and combined with practicums, in association with major private and public employers in Southern California. In additiour Master's of Science in Information Systems and Technology is designed around 4 specialization areas, providing real-world skills in fields where IS&T expertise is in demand.
Embracing a global perspective
While a significant portion of our student body is from the southern California region, we are proud to host students from around the world including India, Korea, Japan, Oman, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, and Venezuela. This eclectic student body facilitates a global perspective to IT systems and their management. Topics related to cultural dimensions, outsourcing and global competition are covered throughout the curriculum.
A Balance of Technology and Management
Our core courses provide a solid technical grounding in IT systems, while at the same time, addressing the significant management challenges to designing, developing, implementing and assessing IT systems in applied business and governmental settings. Through the practicums and electives, students can achieve specialized knowledge in either the technical or management track. Cutting-edge topics such as security (technical) and outsourcing (management) are integrated into the learning experience.
Quality and Flexibility
We are one of a few stand-alone accredited, research-intensive IS&T schools in the nation, with our full-time faculty dedicated exclusively to research and teaching in field of IS. Not only will you receive the highest-quality education in IS at CGU, you will also receive a personal and flexible educational experience. You have the option of taking courses either as a part-time or full-time student for both the Master's and PhD programs. We are one of a very few accredited part-time PhD programs in IS in the world. You also have the option to take a technical or managerial focus in your concentration courses.
Outstanding Resources
CGU offers an intimate educational experience coupled with the academic breadth and resources of a much larger institution. We provide a uniquely supportive environment as a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium of seven independent, private institutions. We share a variety of central services, programs, and facilities, designed to support your academic, artisitic, health and recreational needs. These resources include the Honnold/Mudd Library with over 2-million volumes available, a full service bookstore, a student health services center, a counseling center, and a chaplains’ office and multi-faith religious center.
Exploring multiple disciplines
Because CGU is unique in its emphasis on transdisciplinary studies, you are encouraged to explore electives in other disciplines and to tailor your degree to meet your career goals and interests. We offer dual-degree programs, such as the MSIS/MBA with the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management. Although this is the most popular dual-degree, our students have also earned dual degrees with Psychology, Economics, Education, and the Humanities. Students are able to take courses at any of the other Claremont Colleges as well. Our Ph.D. students are also required to take a Trasdisciplinary course, in which professors and students from various disciplines discuss multi-faceted approaches to exploring some of today’s most pressing world issues, such as poverty, education, natural disasters, and ethics.
Preparation for success
Our graduates have been successful in securing top positions throughout the field of Information Systems and Technology. We also have graduated more Ph.D.s in the field of information systems over the last fifteen years than any other university in the U.S. Our grads are working in prestigious academic and research positions around the globe. Nearly half of our PhD graduates work as faculty or administrators at 11 different colleges and universities in California.
Location
The School of Information Systems and Technology at Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is located in the beautiful city of Claremont, a suburb of Los Angeles in Southern California. Situated on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Claremont has a small-town charm, with tree-lined streets, friendly people, and year-round sunshine. Our location provides easy access to the diverse, cultural and social scene of L.A., as well as an array of leisure activities in the mountains, at the beach, or in the desert.
Connections
SISAT has established relationships with some of the top industry leaders and education institutions in the country such as JPL, Boeing, ESRI, Caltech and Harvard. Through employee education and reserach collaboration, our partnerships with outside industry have provided our students with both a real-world perspective on the use and implementation of IS as well as key connections to outstanding employment opportunities.
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