Page 44 - Technology and Innovation Journal - 19-1

382 FOSSUM ET AL.

doctoral students in academic positions at peer insti- provide the opportunity to take risks, possibly fail,
tutions. While this is one important outcome for and ultimately learn from the experience in a struc-
Ph.D. engineering students, we estimate, based on tured environment. In addition to these educational
the number of engineering assistant professors in outcomes, the program aimed to prove that acquisi-
the United States and the number of Ph.D. degrees tion and practice of these skills in the context of an
granted in engineering each year, that only approxi- engineering Ph.D. program can lead to increased
mately 10% of graduates obtain tenure-track faculty national technological and economic leadership
positions even after post-doctoral appointments (4). through an increase in intellectual property gener-
Most engineering Ph.D. recipients pursue careers in ation and enterprise formation by its students over
industry, often in industrial research and develop- their professional lifetimes.
ment, where their deep technical knowledge is of
immediate application. In both paths, however, the PROGRAM OVERVIEW
educational program focuses entirely on the stu-
dents’ technical education. Little attention is paid Curriculum
to the potential benefits associated with helping The PhD Innovation Program shares a large
engineering Ph.D. students develop, as part of their common core with Thayer’s Ph.D. program, which
Ph.D. program, the business and organizational skills comprises applied math and engineering course-
needed for technology entrepreneurship. Programs work, a multi-year research project, professional
designed to help students explore commercialization skill-building, an oral qualifying examination, and
of their research, often in collaboration with busi- a Ph.D. thesis defense. The PhD Innovation Pro-
ness schools, do exist at many universities, but there gram includes coursework from the Tuck School of
are not many programs that focus on helping Ph.D. Business (adjoining the engineering school on the
students develop the knowledge and understanding Dartmouth campus), Thayer innovation coursework,
necessary for technology entrepreneurship as a core and an internship, preferably in a start-up, which,
part of their Ph.D. education. under some circumstances, could be the student’s
To address this, in 2007-2008, the faculty of the own venture. Internships in larger established cor-
Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth Col- porations can also be instructive if the student has no
lege developed a specific Innovation Program with prior work experience. Entrepreneurial courses are
the objective of providing a much more structured taught by full-time tenure-track faculty, but guests are
approach to developing the skills needed to be a often invited in the advanced coursework to provide
Ph.D.-level technology entrepreneur. In our pro- supplemental information and experiences. Several
gram, in the context of new technology generation, faculty are experienced entrepreneurs. The required
innovation is defined as the process of translating course load at Dartmouth for completing the PhD
and transforming a discovery or invention into a Innovation Program is only a few courses larger in
form suitable for commercialization. Innovation is total than the regular Ph.D. program since some of
thus the bridge of directed research between pure the required innovation courses supplant required
research and advanced development. The program courses in technical breadth. Upon successful com-
was structured with the goals of providing intro- pletion and conferral of the Ph.D., an innovation
ductory exposure to the relevant business curricula, certificate is granted. Innovation Program course-
providing practical experience through a mandatory work includes corporate finance, a course in law for
internship in a start-up company late in a student’s technology and entrepreneurship, an elective such as
Ph.D. program, providing mentorship from suc- accounting, and Thayer School’s unique Introduction
cessful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and to Innovation course. The Introduction to Innovation
building an understanding of the process of turning capstone course, taught by a faculty member and
complex research into commercializable technology. entrepreneur, is specially designed for the program
The program is designed to teach students to rec- and provides instruction and practice in commer-
ognize the skills needed to bring about successful cialization of new technologies over a several-term
innovation and associated new enterprise and to period. Thayer is able to deliver a rich experience in