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Ph.D. Innovation Program

Thayer School offers the nation's first doctoral-level engineering Innovation Program meant to provide Ph.D. graduates with the entrepreneurial training they need to turn research discoveries into marketable applied technologies.

Since 2002, Thayer School PhD candidates have filed over 30 patent applications.

Reflecting Dartmouth's commitment to serving society through engineering, the Innovation Program addresses the nation's growing need for people with both technical and entrepreneurial expertise.

Program graduates will receive an innovation certificate in addition to their Ph.D. degree.

Curriculum

The Innovation Program modifies and supplements the doctoral engineering curriculum with entrepreneurial studies, including:

Professors Gerngross and Hutchinson Professors Tillman Gerngross and Charles Hutchinson founded GlycoFi, Inc.
  • new venture creation
  • finance
  • accounting
  • patent law
  • marketing
  • organizational behavior
  • a 3- to 6-month internship in a startup or other entrepreneurial enterprise

Eligibility

New applicants to the Ph.D. program as well as current students in the Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. programs are eligible. For more information, interested applicants should email Dean Joseph Helble.

In the past 10 years, Thayer School students and alums have been active in 28 start-up companies.

Funding

Financial support in the form of Innovation Fellowships is available for a limited number of students. This funding will cover the costs of student stipend, tuition, and fees.

Under most circumstances, students participating in the Innovation Program will be supported primarily by research assistantships for the first two years of their Ph.D. program enrollment, and then by Innovation Program Fellowships for the duration of their Ph.D. studies.

Application and Admission

Students are admitted separately to this track of the Ph.D. program.

Professor Laura Ray Professor Laura Ray co-founded Sound Innovations, Inc.

Applicants to the program should submit:

  • A statement (2-page max) describing

    • reasons for interest in innovation
    • why innovation is relevant to your long term career goals
    • an example demonstrating creativity in arriving at a solution;

  • A statement (2-page max) describing a broad technology development problem that interests you. This should be written in the general form of a proposal for funding. Note: students who do not yet have a thesis advisor should identify the name(s) of 1 or 2 potential Thayer School faculty advisors for their proposed work;

  • A C.V. (3-page max). Note: candidates who are simultaneously applicants for admission to the Thayer School Ph.D. program may instead elect to have their application materials used to meet this requirement;

  • A signed letter indicating thesis advisor approval (current Thayer students only).

Professor Lynd Professor Lee Lynd co-founded Mascoma Corporation

Application materials for the 2009-2010 academic year are due on or before January 1st and should be submitted to Thayer School Graduate Admissions.

A review of an applicant's prior academic record will be conducted as part of the admission process. Finalists will be interviewed—either in person or by video conference—by the selection committee consisting of the Director of Graduate Programs (or a faculty appointee), the Dean of Thayer School (or a faculty appointee), and members of the faculty who serve on the program's Advisory Board.

To Learn More

Contact Dean Joseph Helble at joseph.helble@dartmouth.edu.