MICR 128 Enterprise Experience Internship
This course provides practical training experience through a full-time internship at an institution outside of the Dartmouth College campuses (Lebanon and Hanover). The goal of this course is to provide students with real-world, hands-on experience with existing enterprises through internship during graduate school. Such experience will expose students to diverse career opportunities during graduate school, providing students with lead-time to focus and network in a field of interest prior to completion of their PhD. Multiple types of training (e.g., project management and business entrepreneurship skills needed in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, teaching experience needed for a successful faculty position in liberal arts colleges) will be particularly valuable for students who go on to conduct NIH-funded research as well as benefit those students who do not follow the academic research career track. Approximately 30% of biomedical PhDs work in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries in research and non-research positions.
Examples of potential internship opportunities are:
- Researcher in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company
- Business and marketing associate in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company
- Teacher/lecturer at an institution of higher education/college
- Assistant at a patent law firm
- Position in office of government policy and legislation
- Position in office of public health policy
For this course, the student will propose and arrange a paid or unpaid internship in an existing enterprise (industry, government, or other) in consultation with their Thesis Advisor (primary mentor), Advisory Committee, and MCB Graduate Committee prior to enrollment. This process should happen in advance of the term of enrollment. Course enrollment is concurrent with the internship and should be for a period of one term. At the end of the internship, the student will make an oral presentation (with Powerpoint slides; approx. 20 minutes) to the MCB community that addresses the nature of the enterprise they were engaged in, the problem they were assigned, and the results and impact of their project. The purpose of the presentation is to share lessons learned from the internship experience with the MCB community. The presentation will be accompanied by a short but complete written report. Neither the presentation nor report should contain confidential information of the enterprise.
The Internship Proposal Form must be completed prior to committing to an internship, and must be signed by the student’s Thesis Advisor and the Course Director. A letter from the Internship Supervisor at the proposed host enterprise must be sent to the Thesis Advisor and Course Director detailing the start/end dates of the internship, and the job function and roles of the intern.
Prerequisite: Must have completed all MCB Program and course requirements prior to enrolling. Senior students in their fourth year or beyond who are still conducting their research and are at least 6 months away from thesis defense will be eligible. Must have prior approval of Thesis Advisor, Advisory Committee and MCB Graduate Committee for internship.
This course is graded on a credit/no credit basis by the Course Director after completion of the written report and oral presentation. International students with visa sponsorship should consult with the Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS) regarding eligibility, and review the appended information on F-1 Curricular Practical Training.
Financial matters:
The internship may be paid or unpaid by the host enterprise or by Dartmouth stipend, depending on arrangement with their Thesis Advisor (as in cases where the internship is a collaboration that will benefit the Advisor’s research), but the total student/intern salary cannot exceed the amount that student would have otherwise received as Dartmouth stipend. Internship at another academic institution to perform research is discouraged; the goal of this internship program is to expose students to career environments not found within Dartmouth. The Thesis Advisor cannot serve as or appoint the Internship Supervisor (such as in cases where the proposed internship would be hosted by a local company in which the Thesis Advisor has a stake/role).
Dartmouth-based health insurance benefits will be paid by the student’s Thesis Advisor for the term.
Prerequisite
Permission of the instructor