University of the Cumberlands Online PhD in Information Technology

Wowzers. I still have all of my university-provided resources from Liberty, over a year later. Interesting.

 

What a sexy looking diploma haha congrats.

 

Yeah, I finished the program almost a year ago now and I still can log into my email - it's still getting all of the typical school spam emails too. /shrug

 

For those in the program or who have finished the program, what is slash was your dissertation topic? I'm really interested in finding out the type of topics folks in this program are exploring.

 

Looks like you just graduated in February. Congratulations Dr. Xspect!

 

I have not started my dissertation yet, but my first dissertation course is next month. I am currently in the mock dissertation course, DSRT 837 - Professional Writing and Proposal Development. My topic relates to my specialization in Blockchain Technology, so I am considering Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), FinTech, or Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS).

DSRT 736 (Summer 2025)
DSRT 839 (Fall 2025)
DSRT 930 (Spring 2026)
DSRT 931 (Summer 2026)

 

I completed my first course in the 2025 Spring Second Bi-term. I was also able to transfer 18 credit hours toward the Content Specialty Area requirement through my second MS and certifications.

This thread has really great and helpful information. After going through all the discussions here, below is my academic plan. I have experience in research and data science, so hopefully that will be helpful in this journey. I would greatly appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Content Specialty Area - Data Science (18 Credit Hours) - Satisfied

• 9 credits transferred from previous MS
• 9 credits transferred from Certifications

Core Courses (18 Credit Hours)
2025 Spring

• ITS 835 Enterprise Risk Management - Second Bi-term - Completed

2025 Summer

• Break for preplanned travel - First Bi-term
• ITS 831 Information Technology Importance in Strategic Planning - Second Bi-term

2025 Fall

• ITS 832 Information Technology in a Global Economy - First Bi-term
• ITS 833 Information Governance - Second Bi-term

2026 Spring

• ITS 834 Emerging Threats and Countermeasures - First Bi-term
• ITS 836 Data Science and Big Data Analytics - Second Bi-term

Professional Research (24 Credit Hours)
2026 Spring

• DSRT 734 Inferential Statistics in Decision-making - First Bi-term
• DSRT 837 Professional Writing and Proposal Development - Second Bi-term

2026 Summer

• DSRT 736 Dissertation Seminar - Full-term
• DSRT 834 Advanced Statistical Applications - First Bi-term
• DSRT 850 Qualitative Research Methods - Second Bi-term

2026 Fall

• DSRT 839 Advanced Research Methods - Full-term

2027 Spring

• DSRT 930 Dissertation - Full-term

2027 Summer

• DSRT 931 Dissertation - Full-term

 

That is fast... If that is your plan, you should think about what research topic and research methodology by now.

 

Thank you!

I have some ideas for research topics and methods in my area of work. Still narrowing them down. I am also giving myself the 2027 Fall term as a buffer in case I need to split either Spring or Summer 2026. Those two terms are heavy with two courses at the same time.

I see you are in the dissertation phase. How is it going? Anything you would have done differently before getting there?

 

I am just starting DSRT 736, Chapter 2. Right now, I am working on the research topic draft and submission. Then start writing the literature reviews while waiting for the approval.

DSRT 839 is for Chapters 1 & 3, IRB, and Comprehensive Exam.

My goal is to finish by the end of Summer 2026, if I need more time...not taking Summer 2026 while working solo and continuing in Fall 2026.

https://www.ucumberlands.edu/academics/academic-advising-assistance/graduate-school#:~:text=The%20Graduate%20School%20Dissertation,the%20process%20and%20resources