Innovations in University Education in Innovation: Moving Beyond the B.S.

This article focuses on university education in innovation. We examine and present a novel system we have developed that is achieving our vision of instantiating a robust education that teaches, develops, and grades innovation in the education system. This paper is discussing a paradigm shift, offering new degrees with a common core focused on innovation, with teams of students learning and practicing the key elements of the innovation process. First we examine the motivation and need for a radically new approach, not a new major or a course, that is based upon a new common core and family of degrees. We describe how we knew that to effectively reach our goals the program had to span across departments, college boundaries, and beyond the very core of the university. Second, we show how in doing so we created a family of degrees that moved us beyond the centuries-old B.S. and B.A. educational constraints with a new, innovative "Bachelor of Innovation^™" (B.I.) family of degrees that includes a core built around multi-disciplinary multi-year innovation partnering with real companies. Lastly we summarize the unique aspects of the program and the rationale behind them, from the 3-year multi-disciplinary team experience to the trademarked name. We present our B.I. program as its own case study in innovation within higher education, reviewing the key challenges we faced so that other innovative institutions and departments may learn from our experience. We conclude with lessons learned and the future of the B.I. family of degrees.