Welcome to MSU! We know that a virtual visit can't replace checking out our research labs or wandering across our beautiful campus, but we want to give you a sense of what it means to be part of the Spartan Nation. We've collected a number of resources here to help you get a sense of what life is like at MSU; for more specific information about your program please CONTACT the graduate program director and/or graduate secretary in your department - they can help to arrange phone or video meetings with current students, faculty and staff members in the College of Engineering.
Virtual "Dean's Reception"
Prospective and admitted graduate students are invited to REGISTER to join us live via zoom on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, from 2:00-3:00pm ET to meet with Dr. Leo Kempel, Dean of the MSU College of Engineering. Dean Kempel will share information about graduate studies in engineering at MSU and answer questions. Dr. Katy Luchini Colbry, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Services in Engineering, will also share a presentation on Choosing a Graduate Program.
A recording of this session will be posted here after the event; you can also watch this zoom video to see last year's meeting with Dean Kempel (recorded on Tuesday, March 15, 2022).
Get to Know Campus
- Digital Tours are available for residence halls, performance spaces, the Breslin Center, Abrams Planetarium and Library at Michigan State University
- Quick campus overview, including key cultural, athletic, academic, and administrative facilities.
- Biomechanical Engineering Research Lab and Dr. Tamara Reid Bush, from Mechanical Engineering.
- Transparent Solar Panels and Dr. Richard Lunt, from Chemical Engineering & Materials Science.
- CoRe Undergraduate Engineering Experience - many of our graduate students serve as Teaching Assistants for CoRe and undergraduate design courses.
- Formula Racing Team, one of the hallmark design project teams in the College of Engineering (open to undergraduate and graduate students).
- The Grad Factor playlist of brief interviews with graduate students from across campus - this is a big place, and you'll have opportunities to collaborate with experts in many fields.
- Who Will Think About Tomorrow? this is a brief commercial for the University, which features many Engineering graduate students and research projects.
- You Are a Spartan, a welcome video from MSU that includes many Engineering faculty, graduate students and campus sights and sounds.
- MSU YouTube Channel, where you can explore campus through thousands of videos in the searchable archives.
Housing and Transportation
Many graduate students choose to live in one of the MSU apartment complexes (https://liveon.msu.edu/neighborhoods), which start at around $800/month for a one-bedroom with all utilities included (plus a washer/dryer in the unit). The apartments are relatively small, but nicely maintained, a good value for the price, and extremely convenient with parking and bus stops right outside. Owen Graduate Hall (https://liveon.msu.edu/reshall/owen) is another popular option, with single rooms starting around $3,150 per semester. These rooms are tiny, but fully furnished and a convenient option if you want to live right in the middle of campus. Current housing rate information is available online (http://liveon.msu.edu/rates). NOTE: due to the pandemic, MSU adjusted housing rates and pro-rated some living costs for 2020-21. Thus, the rate information on the MSU Housing website in Spring 2021 may not be typical of housing costs on campus for 2021-22.
Graduate students also live off-campus in a variety of houses and apartment complexes in the communities of East Lansing, Lansing, Okemos, Haslett, Holt and Mason. You can find a variety of information about housing in the East Lansing area at http://collegelifeel.msu.edu/housing-info/. When you are comparing properties, be sure to ask about utilities - the apartment complexes should be able to provide you with average utility costs for the unit you're considering. In Michigan, heat in winter is a necessity and can make bills for electricity and/or natural gas much higher than average, so be sure to ask about the range of utility costs.
The Capital Area Transit Authority (www.cata.org) provides excellent bus service on MSU's campus and throughout the greater Lansing area. A student bus pass can be purchased for $50/semester, or you can purchase individual, weekly or monthly passes. Most engineering graduate students are eligible for employee parking permits on MSU's campus; those were $133/semester in 2020-21. More information on campus parking permits is available at http://police.msu.edu/parking-services/permits/.
