THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT /
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY
12234 |
TO: |
The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents |
FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
COMMITTEE: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice |
TITLE OF
ITEM: |
Master Plan Amendment: Polytechnic University, Ph.D. in Technology Management |
DATE OF
SUBMISSION: |
January 28, 2004 |
PROPOSED
HANDLING: |
Approval (Consent) |
RATIONALE FOR
ITEM: |
Master Plan Amendment is required when an institution offers its first doctoral degree program in a new discipline |
STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goals 2 and 4 |
AUTHORIZATION(S): |
|
SUMMARY:
Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, seeks Regents approval of an amendment of its master plan to authorize the University to offer a program in technology management leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Master plan amendment is needed because this would be the University’s first doctoral degree program in the disciplinary area of business.
The Office of Higher Education has determined that the proposed program, if approved, would meet the standards for registration set forth in the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.
Recommendation: I recommend that the Regents take the following action:
VOTED, that the master plan of Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, be amended, effective February 23, 2004, authorizing the University to offer a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in technology management. This amendment will be effective until February 28, 2005, unless the Department registers the program prior to that date, in which case master plan amendment shall be without term.
Attachment
Polytechnic
University
Polytechnic
University requests approval to offer a doctoral program, the Doctor of
Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Technology Management, at its main campus in Brooklyn, New
York. A master plan
amendment is required because this would be the University’s first doctoral
offering in the discipline area of business.
This
program, if approved, would enable the University’s Department of Management to
offer a full range of degree programs in the increasingly important and rapidly
growing area of Technology Management. The University offers three
master’s-level degree programs in this area and also offers a baccalaureate
degree program in Technology and Information
Management.
The
department has 10 full-time faculty and is in the process of acquiring two to
three more full-time faculty who will support the program by 2004-2005. All
faculty members possess Ph.D. degrees from premier institutions and many also
have extensive business and consulting experience. One of the reviewers of the proposed
program stated that:
The current faculty is knowledgeable and well
regarded in their specific domain to jumpstart the proposed program. The junior faculty members are active in
research and are well trained in their advanced degrees to be able to train the
next generation of scholars. The
recruitment of recent faculty – well trained in the substance and methodology of
technology management research is a major factor in my assessment that the
Department has the requisite expertise.
Another
reviewer noted:
The faculty in the management department is
ideally suited for the proposed PHD program. There are some very senior professors
with stellar academic credentials and quite a few younger members of the faculty
that are well trained in their disciplines and bring a lot of energy and
enthusiasm to the project…. It is apparent that they represent diverse academic
disciplines (e.g., economics, engineering, marketing) but have a common binding
interest in the development and management of
technology.
The
Technology Management Ph.D. curriculum consists of two major parts: coursework
and dissertation research. The first part involves undertaking a specific core
curriculum, consisting of 27 courses. The coursework is followed by a
comprehensive qualifying examination consisting of two phases: one on the
material covered in the master's-level core courses and second on the material
covered in thematic electives and research courses. The second part of the
curriculum involves dissertation research. The student first presents a research
proposal to the student's dissertation committee in proposal defense. Upon
approval of the proposal, the student conducts the research study and presents
the findings in final defense.
While
this overall structure of the Technology Management Ph.D. is similar to other
Ph.D. programs, there are several unique characteristics that make it an
innovative, niche-oriented research program. First, it focuses on the growing and
well-documented needs of our society for educators and researchers in the
intersecting areas of technology and management. Second, it is an
interdisciplinary program spanning various fields such as sub-disciplines of
management (e.g., strategy, marketing, operations management, finance,
information systems, human resources, etc.), electrical engineering, computer
science, biology, chemistry and chemical engineering, manufacturing engineering,
and aeronautics, depending on the students’ interest area. Third, the University
is uniquely positioned to offer this program given its degree offerings in
engineering, science, and management. Fourth, there is no other university
offering a program like this in the Tri-State/New York metropolitan
region.
Admission
to the Technology Management Ph.D. program will require applicants to submit
their scores on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or Graduate
Record Examination (GRE), transcripts from all previous educational institutions
attended, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose.
International applicants, whose first language is not English, will be required
to submit TOEFL scores as well. The complete application package will be
reviewed and decided upon by an admissions committee consisting of the program
academic director and at least one other faculty
member.
The
Technology Management Ph.D. is primarily targeted toward students in the
Tri-State/New York metropolitan region. About half of the students will come
from this area and will approximate the age, gender, and racial/ethnic profile
of graduate students at the University. The remainder will come from other
states and other countries.
The
Technology Management Ph.D. is a full-time degree program. It is expected that about three students
will be admitted in each of the first two years of the program, with an increase
to four students in each of the third, fourth, and fifth years. The number of students admitted will be
kept at a level such that full attention can be given to the research and
mentoring needs of the students.
This
program will be primarily based at the Polytechnic University’s MetroTech Campus
in Brooklyn, although students may elect to take some courses at other campuses.
The campus has classrooms equipped with wireless Internet access and audiovisual
equipment for advanced teaching needs. In addition to general computer labs,
special lab facilities for use in research projects are available in the areas
of wireless communications, multimedia, local area networks, image processing,
robotics, VLSI design, distributed computing, and microwaves. Ph.D. students
will also have access to office space and computer equipment. The on-campus
Dibner Library has an in-house collection of more than 190,000 books and
journals in engineering, the sciences, management and other related fields, and
access to major online research databases.
The Technology Management Ph.D. is designed for research-oriented students who are largely interested in research-based positions at academic and research institutions. Universities with undergraduate and graduate programs that emphasize the integration of technology and management will be the primary employers of Technology Management Ph.D. graduates. In addition, government research-funding agencies, non-profit research agencies, corporate research centers and some research-based consulting firms may also seek Technology Management Ph.D. graduates, given the unique research background of these candidates. A reviewer of Polytechnic’s proposal indicated that:
There
is an urgent need for scholars interested in the management of technology. The need is especially high for
management of technology scholars that also have more than a superficial
understanding of the underlying technology that they are interested in
studying. With its long tradition
of inter-disciplinary work and its strength in technological fields, Poly is
well positioned to produce such scholars.
Planning
Review
A
statewide canvass of all colleges in the New York City region and all doctoral
degree-granting institutions was conducted. Eight responses were received with
all indicating no objection.