The Ph.D. Plus program at the Pratt School of Engineering is in the process of becoming an official certificate program.
The program—which is student-organized—educates Ph.D. students who are considering careers outside of academics. If the proposal to make the program a Pratt certificate is approved in the Spring, students who complete the program will have an official note on their transcript.
“Ph.D. Plus is actually a pretty radical idea for the slowly changing world of doctoral education,” Dean of Pratt Thomas Katsouleas wrote in an email Wednesday.
Jenni Rinker, a doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering and co-chair of the Ph.D. Plus program, said that the program is essential for filling the information gap that exists in “traditional” Ph.D. programs with regard to linking academia and other industries. Rinker added that the program seeks both to educate students and develop their skills through a series of seminars designed to address various Ph.D. career paths that students may not know about.
“How many Ph.D. students know about technology transfer or consulting or policy?” Rinker said.
Although some assume most graduate students go into the field of academia, more than 60 percent of Pratt graduate students who received their degrees in the last ten years have moved into non-academic career paths, Rinker added.
Ph.D. Plus is currently well into the application process for becoming a certificate, said Suzana Vallejo-Heligon, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering who helped found the program. The program members aims to gain approval by the Board of Trustees in the Spring.
“The reason why we were applying to become a certificate is mostly as an outward sign to the rest of the world,” said Ph.D. Plus co-chair Judy Winglee, a doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering. “Either way, we will still be offering the same service to the Pratt community.”
Winglee noted that converting the program to a certificate would allow students to officially report that they had completed the requirements of the program which include workshops, an internship and an optional course of choice relevant to participants’ fields of interest.
Katsouleas said that Ph.D. Plus is unique because it is designed to be compatible with the busy schedule of the Ph.D. student. He noted that in order to accommodate the Ph.D. student lifestyle, the program makes use of seminars, workshops and internships as opposed to semester-long courses.
“Students go off and do [internships] and then they come back and it gives them a break from their thesis,” said William Reichert, associate dean for Ph.D. education and faculty coordinator for the Ph.D. Plus program.
Reichert noted that the program enhances student understanding of career options.
“Ph.D. Plus encourages students to think hard about what kind of experience would make them the best candidates for what they want to do professionally,” Reichert said.
He added that the faculty and administration of Pratt discussed their ideas for the program initially spoke with Pratt students to see if there was a demand for the program. From there, they designed the “skeleton” of the program, Reichert said.
Rinker said the program is one of the only programs of its kind anywhere in the world.
“Because we as students are developing the program, we are closer to the issue than if it were organized by a faculty member,” Rinker said. “Additionally, the program’s focus on engineering Ph.D. career tracks ensures that our focus is not so broad that it is equally useless to everyone.”
Winglee added that the program is continually striving to improve.
“The best part of the program is that it is always getting better,” Winglee said. “It is put on by a group of motivated students and we are always looking to do new workshops for the community.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.