[AISWorld] DILEMMA: Masters Degree or Work Experience before IS PhD?

[James Gaskin]

I have a student who is a strategy undergrad, but he has decided to pursue a
PhD in Information Systems to become a professor. He already has some good
technical skills, so he is wondering whether he ought to do a Masters in IS
or just get a job in IS before applying to IS doctoral programs. For those
of you who run your doctoral programs, what do you think your preference
would be? For the sake of argument, let's say he has a 700 on the GMAT,
speaks English natively, has good social skills, and he has experience as a
research assistant. I would love your thoughts. 

Thanks!

James Gaskin