Industry-Sponsored Graduate Fellowships (IGF)
We meet the demand for educated and experienced engineers, while providing direct benefit to industry through an innovative approach to graduate student support — the Industry Sponsored Graduate Fellowship Program. Here’s how it works:
- Participating companies sponsor a GVSU MSE Industry Sponsored Graduate Fellow (IGF) by providing a paid internship position and covering the cost of the Fellow’s tuition.
- The IGF will perform supervised engineering assignments and applied research at the sponsoring company, typically for 20 hours/week in the fall and winter semesters, while taking a full time graduate course load.
- In the summer, the IGF will be assigned 40 hours/week in their internship position and may enroll in 0-3 credit hours of course load.
This unique model establishes the MSE program at GVSU with a distinctive identity unlike any other Graduate Program in the country, and is attracting many high caliber students. Moreover, the program will provide the essential funding to build a vibrant graduate school in engineering.
Win^3 (win-cubed): the governing philosophy behind the IGF based on the principle that it should create value for all the three constituents - student, company, and university.
Benefit for Companies
- Leveraging GVSU's ability to attract domestic and international talent with specialized skill sets.
- Access to uninterrupted talent pipeline.
- Ability to train engineer to match company's requirements - longest job interview!
- Multinational organizations can recruit employees with US industry experience.
- Possibility of generating Intellectual Property at no additional cost.
- Contributing to developing the broader West Michigan community.
Benefit for Students
- Opportunity to earn a graduate degree and get valuable work experience.
- Become expert practitioners in the field.
- Fully funded graduate education.
- Can negotiate a better career entry position after degree completion.
- International students can make a smooth transition into US industry.
Benefit for GVSU
- Ability to recruit high caliber graduate students , and build a well diversified graduate program.
- Direct contribution to the community by providing a talent pipeline from the US and abroad.
- Leading in innovative Graduate Engineering education.
- Developing a high quality and economically sustainable graduate program to produce engineers with practical, relevant, applied industry experience.
Student Credit and Work Load
|
Student load |
Fall |
Winter |
Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Credit Load |
9 |
9 |
3 |
|
Workload |
20 hrs/week |
20 hrs/week |
40 hrs/week |
Notes
- Table shows Year 1 plan. In Year 2, student credit load will be 6 each in Fall and Winter semesters
- Estimated tuition cost for 9 graduate credits is ~$8,136* paid directly to the University. GVSU will bill the sponsor for tuition each semester.
- Stipends are negotiated between sponsor and student, and we expect the rate to reflect student status as a degreed engineer. Stipends are paid directly to the student by the sponsor.
*2025-2026 engineering graduate tuition is $904/credit.
Current and Past IGF Sponsors
Interested in supporting an IGF or learning more about the program and how it can benefit your company? Contact the Graduate Program Director.