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College of Management and Human Potential - Doctoral Programs:
Doctor of Information Technology (DIT) (Semester)

For students beginning their program prior to November 28, 2022.

This program prepares students to address information technology-related challenges at the highest level of an organization. Students examine the latest advancements in technology and develop solutions for complex, real-world industry challenges. They also study ways to effectively communicate complex IT strategies to company executives and stakeholders. Coursework focuses on IT strategic analysis, information management, and human-computer interaction. The curriculum blends theory and practice through a variety of learning formats, including leadership simulations, seminar courses, a doctoral study, and residencies.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Doctor of Information Technology (DIT) program will be prepared to:

  1. Critically evaluate current research and best practices in the area of IT methods in organizations.
  2. Analyze best practices and research to determine appropriate design of integrated IT systems.
  3. Recommend IT strategies that support enterprise mission and objectives following tenets of professional, social, and ethical responsibility.
  4. Demonstrate IT leadership skills at the team and enterprise levels.
  5. Demonstrate the ability to communicate technical and business concepts to a range of audiences.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to formulate project management, compliance, and sourcing of IT within an organization.
  7. Conduct original research that contributes to professional and actionable knowledge in an applied environment.

Minimum Degree Requirements

  • Doctoral Writing Assessment (0 credits)
  • Foundation course (3 semester credits)
  • Technical core courses (18 semester credits) 
  • Research sequence (10 semester credits)
  • Specialization seminar/leadership courses (15 semester credits)
  • Completion of Doctoral Study
    • Doctoral mentoring course (0 semester credits)
    • Doctoral study completion course (3 semester credits each term for a minimum of five terms until completion, with two 8-week terms taken per semester)
  • Two academic residencies

Curriculum

Foundation Course (3 semester credits)

Technical Core Courses (18 semester credits)

Research Courses (10 semester credits)

Specialization Seminar/Leadership Courses (15 semester credits)

These courses are dependent upon the particular specialization. Please see the course list on each specialization page. Changing specializations may increase a student’s expected time-to-degree completion and cost.

Completion of the Doctoral Study

Residency Requirements

  • Complete Residency 1 as soon as you begin your program; required in order to advance into ITEC 8427.
  • Complete Residency 2 during your research methodology courses; required in order to advance into specialization seminar/leadership courses and ITEC 8100.
  • Optional: Complete a DIT Doctoral Study Intensive any time after completing the first ITEC 8100. Contact Student Success Advising to register.

Course Sequence

The recommended course sequence is as follows:

Semester Course Credits
Semester 1

ITEC 8000 - Foundations and Communications for Information Technology

 3 semester credits

ITEC 8240 - Advanced Database Systems

 3 semester credits
Complete Residency 1 as soon as you begin your program; required in order to advance into ITEC 8427.
Semester 2

ITEC 8665 - Predictive Analytics for Decision Making

 3 semester credits

ITEC 8255 - Cyber Crime Prevention and Protection

 3 semester credits
Semester 3

ITEC 8225 - Technology Innovation and Change Management

 3 semester credits

ITEC 8250 - Requirements and Quality Engineering

 3 semester credits
Semester 4

ITEC 8425 - Strategic Technology Management

 3 semester credits

ITEC 8427 - Applied Research Methods—Qualitative and Quantitative

 3 semester credits
Complete Residency 2 during your research methodology courses; required in order to advance into specialization seminar/leadership courses and ITEC 8100.
Semester 5

ITEC 8437 - Quantitative Decision Making for Strategic Analysis

 3 semester credits

ITEC 8447 - Qualitative and Case Study Research for Strategic Analysis

 4 semester credits
Semester 6 Specialization Seminar/Leadership Course 1
and

ITEC 8100 - Doctoral Study Mentoring

 3 semester credits

0 semester credits
Specialization Seminar/Leadership Course 2
and

ITEC 8100 - Doctoral Study Mentoring

 3 semester credits

0 semester credits
Semester 7 Specialization Seminar/Leadership Course 3
and

ITEC 8100 - Doctoral Study Mentoring

 3 semester credits

0 semester credits
Specialization Seminar/Leadership Course 4
and

ITEC 8100 - Doctoral Study Mentoring

 3 semester credits

0 semester credits
Semester 8 Specialization Seminar/Leadership Course 5
and

ITEC 8100 - Doctoral Study Mentoring

 3 semester credits

0 semester credits
Optional: Complete a DIT Doctoral Study Intensive during ITEC 9000. Contact Student Success Advising to register.

ITEC 9000 - Doctoral Study Completion* 

 3 semester credits per term; taken continuously until completion
Semester 9+

ITEC 9000 - Doctoral Study Completion* 

 3 semester credits per term; taken continuously until completion

* Students take this course for a minimum of five terms and are continuously enrolled until completion of their doctoral study with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval.

To complete a doctoral study, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the chief academic officer. Students must also publish their doctoral study on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the doctoral study process in the DIT Process Guide.

Doctoral Writing Assessment

Students who start or readmit to doctoral programs at Walden University in the university catalog for academic year 2017 or later will complete the university’s required doctoral writing assessment. Designed to evaluate incoming doctoral students’ writing skills, this assessment aims to help prepare incoming doctoral students to meet the university’s expectations for writing at the doctoral level.

Doctoral Writing Assessment

Students who start or readmit to doctoral programs at Walden University in the university catalog for academic year 2017 or later will complete the university’s required doctoral writing assessment. Designed to evaluate incoming doctoral students’ writing skills, this assessment aims to help prepare incoming doctoral students to meet the university’s expectations for writing at the doctoral level.

8-Year Maximum Time Frame

In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.

Students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral degree requirements (see Enrollment Requirements in the student handbook). Students may petition to extend the 8-year maximum time frame, but an extension is not guaranteed.