Two new master's degree programs at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville offer an interdisciplinary program designed to better prepare students for entry into high-tech industry. The microelectronics-photonics and applied physics degree programs, which have received a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training grant, combine technology management, physics, chemistry and career-specific engineering with business and education.

Ken Vickers, head of the program, recalled his years at Texas Instruments Inc. when he wished his employees had received broader training. He now teaches a course in technology entrepreneurship: how to decide whether research will produce a marketable product.