Technology Management, Ph.D.

The curriculum for the PhD-TM Program fosters a research-intensive doctoral education relevant for the rapidly emerging area of technology management. Management core courses provide a necessary foundation in management. Technology management courses expose students to the fundamental and most current research and thinking in the broadly defined technology management field. Research methods courses help students develop quantitative and qualitative research skills. Thematic elective courses help students gain in-depth knowledge in a focused thematic area related to technology management. Working together, students and doctoral advisers select which courses relate to the student’s course of study in the PhD-TM Program. As part of each thematic elective course, students also take an associated thematic independent research course to investigate thoroughly previous research in the selected theme. All PhD students must undertake a doctoral research project, preferably in the second summer semester of study. This course introduces students to the requirements of management research. Finally, students work on the dissertation, an original investigation of a research question(s) related to technology management. Students are required to complete 75 credits, including 51 credits from the course work and 24 credits from the dissertation. For the most current information visit: http://www.poly.edu/academics/programs/technology-management-phd.

Management core courses should be taken as early in the program as possible. Choose five courses.

Choose three courses

Four 3-credit doctoral seminar courses must be taken with an associated technology management course. These seminars provide strong research background required for doctoral studies in technology management.

Choose four seminars.

Doctoral seminars are offered on a rotating basis. Not all the course options are available to all PhD-TM students during their study.

Students must take all four courses.

Each student must successfully pass two comprehensive examinations before starting the dissertation.

Part One: This examination includes material covered in the master’s-level management core and technology management courses. It can be taken after completing 30 graduate credits.

Part Two: This examination includes material from the thematic elective and associated thematic research courses, doctoral seminars and research methods courses. It can be taken after completing required course work.

Students can take both examinations together. Results are provided within one month of the examination. Students have only two chances to pass each examination.

The dissertation is evaluated in two parts: Proposal Defense and Final Defense. For details, contact the PhD-TM Program academic director.

Every student participates in formal and informal research seminars each week with departmental faculty and visitors. All members of the program are expected to participate in formal and informal seminars each week with departmental faculty and visitors. Each student is required to present research in progress once a year and works towards publishable papers, usually with a faculty as co-author. The seminar is a key component of the student training. Participation in other research seminars and activities at the department is also required.

Students are expected to work actively with one or more faculty each year. They learn to be researchers by doing research.

The TM doctoral program faculty director advises all first-year doctoral students. During their first year students have many opportunities to get to know the research interests of all departmental faculty. By the beginning of the second year, students have selected an intermediary adviser who will guide them through the comprehensive exam process and up to the thesis stage. By the middle of the third year students will have selected a thesis adviser. Each year every student submits a statement of intellectual progress to his/her adviser. All faculty meet to review the progress of all students in a day-long meeting each year. At this time, the student’s intellectual progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. The results of this review include a formal letter to the student assessing the previous year’s work and offering guidance for the following year’s work.

All PhD-TM students need a fundamental knowledge of probability and statistics. Students without such a background must take MG-GY 5050 Probability and Managerial Statistics. Students without any background in professional writing and communications must take JW-GY 6003 Introduction to Technical Communication or JW 6313 Proposal Writing. Students who have a master’s degree or who are transferring from other institutions (or other departments within Polytechnic) are admitted based on the same qualification standards that apply to new students. For each required MS- or PhD-level course, if students have taken a similar course, they may transfer credits for the course. However, students still have to take and pass both qualifying exams. A minimum of 30 credits, including all dissertation credit, must be taken at Polytechnic. No dissertation credits from other institutions can be transferred.

All students must take the required coursework as assigned and follow the stipulated curriculum. The course work must be finished within the first three years and the dissertation thesis within the next three years. Thus, all students (full-time and part-time) must complete all work for the doctorate within six years of initiation.