Flexible Graduate Student Funding Models: Industry Engagement and Internships for Career Development
This National Science Foundation Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) Track 2 award to the Georgia Tech Research Corporation will examine how combining industry support and internships with traditional support mechanisms, such as assistantships and fellowships, can improve the educational experience for STEM Ph.D. students. This project also explores how models of industry engagement in Ph.D. students’ educational pathways influence faculty members, including how faculty members shape their research priorities, mentorship practices, and grant-seeking behavior. By studying how industry-engaged models influence mentorship, collaboration, and long-term success, the project aims to uncover ways to improve graduate education for students knowing that the students’ experiences should align with potential careers in both academia and industry. The findings will provide a blueprint for implementing scalable practices that reshape how universities support graduate students and foster stronger connections between academia and the workforce.
The project will use a mixed-methods research design to evaluate the effectiveness of industry-engaged flexible educational engagement models in STEM Ph.D. programs. It will focus on two key areas: mechanisms of support and graduate research environments. Researchers will collect quantitative data through surveys of students, faculty, and industry partners, examining variables such as career outcomes and research productivity. In-depth qualitative insights will be gathered through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, including students, faculty mentors, industry collaborators, and university administrators. Longitudinal data from institutional records will track student progress and career trajectories over time. The study will seek to understand how industry engagement and other structures influence motivation, engagement, and success. In its first year, the project will focus on developing research instruments and the recruiting of participants. Data collection will span years two through four, with analysis and refinement occurring throughout. In the final year, the team will disseminate findings, release institutional policy recommendations, and evaluate the broader impacts of the work. Expected outcomes include evidence-based strategies for implementing sustainable, scalable industry-engagement models, improved understanding of how industry partnerships shape graduate education, and actionable insights for industry and career opportunities in STEM fields.
This award reflects NSF’s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation’s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
