Technology, Policy, and Innovation, PhD

Core Courses

• EST 600 - Technology, Policy, and Innovation: Theory and Practice 4 credits
• EST 610 - Data Analysis for Technology, Policy and Innovation 3 credits
• EST 625 - Advanced Theory and Practice in Technology and Policy 3 credits

Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination has two parts: Part A and Part B.

Part A Examination

The student conducts an original independent research project under the guidance of a faculty advisor, typically starting in the first semester in the program. Results are presented to a Part A committee, typically during the fourth semester for full-time students or the sixth semester for part-time students. The purpose of the Part A examination is to ascertain the student’s preparation to conduct independent original research in a TPI area. We expect that the quality of the methodology and results should be sufficient for a poster presentation at a leading academic conference.

The Part A exam may be presented at any time that is convenient for the student and the student’s Part A committee. The student’s advisor and the student will consult to make a recommendation to the Graduate Program Director regarding the composition of the Part A Committee. The student’s Part A Committee will be comprised of three to four faculty members including at least one faculty member from within the Department of Technology and Society and one from outside the department. The student’s advisor may not serve on the student’s Part A committee.

The Part A committee will evaluate the exam in terms of its three components:

1. Written report - typically, 15-30 pages, and, typically, 50-100 citations. The report must a) identify a research question of interest to some research community; b) provide an overview of related background research; c) describe a reasonable approach to addressing the research question; and d) present the results of the research project.
2. Presentation - approximately 45 minutes. The presentation must a) provide a motivation for conducting this line of research; b) summarize the background material, emphasizing only the most important related work; c) give an overview of the methodology, emphasizing why this approach was taken; and d) give results.
3. Questions - posed by members of the committee following the presentation. Questions may be related to any aspect of the presentation or the written report.

The Part A examination will be graded as either Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. A student who receives a Pass with Conditions must address the conditions by the end of the following semester. A student who does not pass the Part A examination after two attempts will be dismissed from the program.

Part B Examination: The student achieves an average GPA of 3.7 or higher on three social sciences-related courses:

• Research Methods I - from a social sciences department
• Research Methods II - from a social sciences department
• EST 610 (Advanced Statistics)  -within Department of Technology and Society

A student who does not achieve the 3.7 GPA in the initial course work may take an additional Research Methods course to replace one of the courses taken in a social sciences department. A student who cannot achieve the 3.7 GPA in these courses shall be required to take a statistics examination prepared by department faculty. If the student does not pass this written examination, one retake will be allowed. A student who does not pass the Part B examination will be dismissed from the program.

Dissertation Proposal Examination

Students who pass the qualifying examination are expected to develop a dissertation proposal within one semester for full-time students, and two semesters for part-time students. This thesis proposal must then be presented and defended in an oral preliminary examination. Failure to fulfill this requirement within 18 months of passing the qualifying examination, and without a formal extension, may be considered evidence of unsatisfactory progress toward the Ph.D. degree.

The dissertation proposal is the roadmap of the dissertation. It specifies the intended contribution and context of the work as well as methods, approach, and schedule for completion. A typical proposal (or prospectus) is approximately 30-50 pages long. It should be written at the technical level of a funding proposal for the NSF or a similar foundation. The committee needs to be convinced of the uniqueness and novelty of the work, the student’s knowledge of the literature, the clarity of the research questions and associated hypotheses, and the efficacy of the proposed research methods.

The major requirements of the dissertation proposal are as follows: 

1. The student must be working with an advisor from within the department. When someone from another part of the University is better able to advise on a topic, that individual can be a co-advisor; the student still is required to have a Technology & Society faculty member as advisor.
2. The student must be thoroughly familiar with the background and current status of the intended research area. They must also have clear and well-defined plans for pursuing the research objectives; and offer evidence of progress in achieving these objectives.
3. The student must select a dissertation committee. This committee consists of at least four individuals including the advisor, the committee chair, and a faculty member who does not have a primary or joint appointment in the Department of Technology and Society. Students will be strongly encouraged to have at least one faculty member from another university on their committee. It is in the student’s best interest to assemble the strongest possible committee. The Graduate Director approves the committee and may add additional faculty to serve on a proposal committee.

The student will present the dissertation proposal to the dissertation committee in a seminar presentation, limited to members of the committee. This presentation is held at least two weeks after having submitted the written proposal to the committee members. As part of the preliminary examination, faculty members are free to question the student on any topics they feel are in any way relevant to the student’s objectives and career preparation. Most questions, however, will be directed toward verifying the student’s grasp of the intended specialty in depth. The committee will judge the presented proposal with either pass, fail, or contingent pass. In case of the third result, the committee asks the student to answer written questions and/or make modifications to the proposal.

The findings of the committee will be communicated to the student as soon as possible and to the Graduate School within one week of the presentation of the proposal. A student who does not pass the preliminary examination on the first attempt will be given a second chance. If the preliminary is failed on the second attempt, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Advancement to Candidacy

Having passed the preliminary examination, the student is advanced to candidacy. This status, called G5, is conferred by the Dean of the Graduate School upon recommendation of the Department. Note that unlike the change from G3 to G4, the change from G4 to G5 is not automatic: the student must request to be advanced to candidacy by notifying the Technology and Society Graduate Program Coordinator. Students must advance to candidacy at least one year before defending their dissertations. The Graduate School requires G5 students to register for nine credits, which can be research or other graduate courses relevant to their dissertation with permission from the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate School. Courses outside of the major require the approval of the dissertation advisor and Graduate Program Director.

Dissertation Preparation and Defense

A dissertation is intended to advance the state of knowledge in an area of study. It is a significant and substantial piece of scholarship. Students should read a number of dissertations, monographs, and scholarly books in their area to gain insight into the required scope of work. The department expects a dissertation to be at least 150 pages long. Further, the level of detailed discussion must be significantly broader than that of an article in a refereed journal.

The dissertation must be orally defended before the dissertation examination committee, and the candidate must obtain approval of the dissertation from this committee. The oral defense of the dissertation is open to all interested faculty members and graduate students. The final draft of the dissertation must be submitted to the committee no later than three weeks prior to the date of the defense.

Teaching Requirement

In addition to regular course requirements, University policy requires that all doctoral students participate in an appropriately structured teaching practicum. This can be accomplished with a Practicum in Teaching course, in conjunction with T.A. responsibilities.

Residence Requirement

The student must complete two consecutive semesters of full-time graduate study. For students who have earned less than 24 graduate credits (at Stony Brook University and/or another institution), full-time study is 12 credits per semester. For students who have earned 24 graduate credits or more, full-time status is nine credits per semester.

Satisfactory Progress and Time Limits

Students are expected to finish all the requirements, including thesis research and defense, in four to five full-time-equivalent years. A student who does not meet the target dates for the Qualifying Examination, Thesis Proposal, and Preliminary Examination, or who does not make satisfactory progress toward completing thesis research, may lose financial support and/or be placed on academic probation. The candidate must satisfy all requirements for the Ph.D. degree within seven years after completing 24 credit hours of graduate courses in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook. In rare instances, the Dean of the Graduate School will entertain a petition to extend this time limit,provided it bears the endorsement of the Department’s Graduate Program Director. A petition for extension must be submitted before the time limit has been exceeded. The Dean or the Department may require evidence that the student is still properly prepared for the completion of work.

Part-Time Students

Students admitted into the Ph.D. program for part-time study are bound by all the rules set out henceforth. In particular, part-time students should adhere to the schedule for the Qualifying Examination, Thesis Proposal, and Preliminary Examination unless a different schedule has been approved in writing by the Graduate Program Director. Students failing to make sufficient progress towards completing their degree may be placed on academic probation.