The College of Engineering at Michigan State University is a top producer of practice-ready talent for Michigan and beyond due in large part to a deeply rooted commitment to collaborating with industry and government.
Be it support from corporate sponsors like Marathon for the Engineering and Science Success Academy, a summer bridge program offering underrepresented students encouragement as they pursue degrees in engineering and computer science, or the Michigander Scholars Program, a collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to develop future talent for electric vehicle, mobility and semiconductor industries, working together is essential for a MSU talent pipeline in Michigan and beyond.
“Helping fuel state and regional economies by providing a steady pipeline of practice-ready talent is a responsibility we take seriously,” said Interim Dean John Papapolymerou. “That we do it well is a testament to the relationships we build, the quality of our educational experiences, and the students who choose to learn here.”
Practice-ready talent
More than 500 employers in a variety of industries including automotive, manufacturing, insurance, commercial banking, information technology, electronics and hardware, small business sectors, and more, hire Spartan engineers and computer scientists into their organizations to build a healthier, safer, and more sustainable world.
In 2023, 94.3% of students who reported destinations after graduation were headed directly to employment or graduate school. More than 59% of them landed jobs in Michigan and 76% in the Midwest with an average salary of $76,806.
Collaborating with employers and alumni to further prepare students through co-ops, internships and career development opportunities is foundational to the College of Engineering experience. The Center for Spartan Engineering and First-Year Engineering CoRe Experience work closely with organizations and alumni across many industry sectors to offer robust professional development and recruitment opportunities to students working their way toward successful careers.
“Well-rounded practice-ready graduates are our hallmark,” said Garth Motschenbacher, director of employer engagement with the Center for Spartan Engineering. “Our graduates have the skills, knowledge and experiences that translate into a competitive advantage for the employers who hire them.”
Impacts of experiential learning
At the core of the college’s world-class academic programs is experiential learning focused on students gaining real-world experience to prepare for what’s next. Throughout their Spartan Engineering experience, students have many opportunities to gain experience with communications, economics, ethics, diversity in the workplace, and more, which helps them build valuable awareness and context.
Hannah Nelson, a junior studying Applied Engineering Sciences and leader of the college’s Women in Engineering Mentoring Connect program, interned at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids. She knew from the first moments at the facility that she had found her calling. The unique interdisciplinary AES program prepares graduates to be technically sound and business ready, and Nelson knows her learning experiences at the rehabilitation hospital will help her build an exciting career focused on improving mobility for rehab patients.
“Working at Mary Free Bed had an outstanding impact on me,” Nelson said. “I could see the direct impact of the prosthetics and orthotics that they were designing and how these devices helped to positively change the lives of patients.”
Engagement with student organizations is yet another way students build connections and prepare for their roles in the workplace and society. A complement to interaction with peers, faculty advisors and corporate sponsors at MSU are opportunities for students to engage in regional and national conventions that build communications skills and professional networks.
Dauan Hendley Jr. graduated with his electrical engineering degree in 2024 and now designs new and improved electric vehicles as a battery development engineer at Nissan. As an undergraduate student, Hendley was involved in the Engineering Society of Detroit and served as treasurer of The National Society of Black Engineers leveraging many opportunities to develop skills and extend learning beyond the classroom.
“As an engineer, it's important that you are adaptable to different situations and people,” Hendley said. “Being born and raised in Detroit, I was surrounded by like-minded people, but MSU opened the door for me to learn from and work with people with different cultures and perspectives, allowing me to learn and grow as an engineer and as a person.”
Spartan Engineering students involved in the student chapter of AIChE (The American Institute of Chemical Engineers) recently won top awards at the global association’s 2024 Student Awards Ceremony. Chemical Engineering student Lauren Petrie received first place in the Student Design Competition for designing a “Power-to-Gas" process that uses a renewable source of electricity, and the MSU student chapter won the Outstanding Student Chapter Award.
“Winning individual and chapter AIChE awards is a significant and well-deserved acknowledgement for our students,” said Christina Chan, chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. “The experiences, connections, and skills students develop through involvement with industry associations help them prepare and stand out among their peers.”
Student-led: Corporate-sponsored
As demand for engineers with cross-domain experience grows, developing systems-level and practice-ready talent is job one. The college offers students a broad set of co-curricular experiences that allow for the practical application of the knowledge they develop in the classroom, often through design projects which are pervasive across curricula and supported by corporate sponsors.
From the first-year cornerstone courses to the final undergraduate capstone projects on Design Day, students engage with working professionals across many industries and world-class faculty who help them connect with what being an engineer or computer scientist means.
“Design Day serves as a culmination of our seniors’ academic journey,” said Wayne Dyksen, executive director of Design Day. “Students showcase not only their technical abilities but also that they can innovate and work together to solve challenges.”
On Design Day in Spring 2024, nearly 1,000 Spartan Engineers participated representing 10 degree programs, 14 courses and 207 sponsored teams. One of those sponsored teams was Team TechSmith, a six-person team of computer science students. The team took home a top award for developing an Enhanced Video Assistant (EVA) web application that enables users to upload videos to be edited by an AI system, combatting the real-world learning curve involved in video and asset editing.
Also in the spring of 2024, the college’s premier graduate research event, Graduate Research Symposium, featured 200 students and drew a significant audience of alumni, community, industry and corporate sponsors. The annual interdisciplinary event offers ample opportunity for students and industry to explore connections between research and practice with a broad range of industries and research themes represented including applied electromagnetics, health and biomedical, Smart Ag, sustainability and more.
“The goal is to showcase research conducted by graduate students across the college and provide connections for faculty, staff, industry partners and graduate students,” said Sandra Christlieb, event organizer. “This event creates opportunities to learn, engage and collaborate.”
Working as a team
Student teams also offer significant interaction with industry and hands-on learning. The 60-member MSU Baja Racing Team works together to design and assemble their vehicle from the ground up to include testing and resolving technical and design challenges. Team leaders tasked with the business side of racing take on responsibility for scheduling, procurement, travel arrangements, budgeting, promotion and fundraising with corporate donors. Companies like GM, Toyota and Ford provide sponsorships and interaction with their engineers.
“We give students the opportunity to take their classroom knowledge and really apply it,” said Max Fried, a senior in mechanical engineering and the team’s chief engineer. “We have some massive thank yous to give, and so we'll bring the car to sponsors, let them check it out and see what all their support has gone toward.”
Team PoliMOVE-MSU, an autonomous vehicle racing team made up of students and faculty from MSU and Politecnico di Milano, recently finished first in an Indy Autonomous Challenge competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The racing series brings together academic institutions and public-private partnerships to challenge university students from across the globe to invent and test a new generation of automated vehicle software — including advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS — to operate fully autonomous race cars.
After witnessing how the team’s racing experiences prepare them for jobs in high-growth industries, the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification became one of the team’s sponsors in 2024.
“Michigan’s creativity, innovation and mobility leadership is globally renowned; we remain committed as ever to delivering on that leadership by creating opportunities for young people to build exciting and impactful careers in the future of mobility and electrification,” said Michigan’s chief mobility officer Justine Johnson. “Our partnership with MSU Mobility is one of many ways that we continue to remind the world that the future of mobility will be driven by the state of Michigan — whether it’s by air, sea, land or racetrack.”
Responding to the needs of industry
The last several decades have brought about a remarkable transformation in the engineering workforce, reflecting not only advancements in technology but also changes in the breadth and depth of engineering challenges. The recently launched Technology Engineering undergraduate degree program, a blend of engineering, technology and computer science, is an example of the college’s meaningful responses to the changing needs of industry.
“In-depth discussions with industry partners drove us to develop a program that combines cutting-edge technologies, hands-on experiences, and real-world applications that prepare students with strong engineering and problem-solving capabilities,” said Janet Brelin-Fornari, director of the Technology Engineering program. “Graduates will be prepared to tackle the complex challenges of our interconnected world.”
MSU’s Industrial Testing and Assessment Center, a Department of Energy funded center, serves as another example of impactful collaboration to serve industry. Teams of students and faculty in the ITAC offer no-cost technical assessments for small to medium-sized manufacturers and commercial building owners across Michigan. As clients save energy, improve productivity, and reduce waste, students gain on-the-job training and conduct research as they prepare to work in the energy and manufacturing sectors.
“We’re not only helping our clients, we’re building a connected, energy-savvy workforce through a structured, hands-on educational program,” said Kristen Cetin, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the US Department of Energy Industrial Training and Assessment Center. “Watching students evolve through this process is extraordinary.”
Bringing it all together
“As a research and teaching institution, we are called to address society’s most pressing challenges, many of which are close to home,” Papapolymerou added. “Our intentional and collaborative connections with industry and government help us take discovery and learning to a whole new level, a practice-ready level.”
For organizations interested in collaborating with the College of Engineering at Michigan State University, visit our Outreach and Engagement page.
