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San Jose Gateway PhD Program

The San José Gateway PhD program is an international doctoral degree program offered in partnership between the nationally ranked San José State University School of Library and Information Science (SJSU SLIS) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), one of Australia’s top 10 research institutions. The program prepares individuals for research, faculty, and leadership positions in the field of library and information science. 

With this convenient, primarily online program, information professionals and academics can earn their Doctorate of Philosophy degree with a focus on Library and Information Science, granted by QUT, without having to relocate or disrupt their current careers. The doctoral program can be completed on a part-time basis with up to eight years total duration.

San José Gateway PhD students focus on their research from the very beginning of the program. They conduct original research and receive one-on-one mentoring from faculty who are award-winning scholars, researchers, and educators, representing two continents and a truly international perspective.

Doctoral students also participate in monthly online seminars, keeping in touch with members of their cohort and their international supervisory committee. "One of the unexpected and valued benefits of the program was the input and support I received from faculty members who were not necessarily on my supervisory team but who took an interest in my work," said Dr. Mary Ann Harlan, San José Gateway PhD program alum (2012).

Twice a year, the San José Gateway PhD students and faculty meet in-person during short residencies held at San José State University in San José, California, and at an annual research conference (currently, the American Society for Information Science & Technology [ASIS&T]). “The residencies, when I could meet in person with my supervisors, were energizing. The monthly online meetings were also useful in checking in and keeping in contact, so I never felt on my own,” said Dr. Diana Wakimoto, the first individual to complete the San José Gateway PhD program.

This unique part-time doctoral program launched in 2008, and three doctoral students including Drs. Harlan and Wakimoto completed the San José Gateway PhD program in 2012, earning their Doctor of Philosophy in recognition of their erudition in a broad field of learning and for notable accomplishment in the field through an original and substantial contribution to knowledge.

For more information about the San José Gateway PhD Program, we invite you to visit the following web pages:

Important Dates

  • Application deadlines: March 21, 2014 and April 4, 2014
  • Upcoming presentations: Read CIRI News and Events, including upcoming presentations by San José Gateway PhD students, on the CIRI web page.

Awards and Honors

  • San José Gateway PhD student Maria Otero-Boisvert appears as co-author in Bill Crowley’s new edited  Defending Professionalism: A Resource for Librarians, Information Specialists, Knowledge Managers, and Archivists, (2012). Maria’s chapter (with Lenora Berendt) is entitled “Future-Proofing the Academic Librarian.”
  • QUT's program in Library and Information Studies received an impressive rating of 4 (out of 5) by the Australian Research Council, indicating that the program is "above world standard."

Contact Us

Questions? Please visit the Gateway PhD FAQs page. You may also contact Dr. Sandra Hirsh, San José Gateway PhD program coordinator, to discuss your research interests.

Our doctoral students gain a global perspective on the profession as they receive guidance from faculty supervisors on two continents.