Graduate studies

Graduate assistantships in the Accelerator Science and Engineering Traineeship (ASET) program are available to qualified U.S. graduate students who wish to carry out their thesis research at FRIB. The ASET program provides master’s and PhD level candidates an opportunity to conduct work within a research group on a specific project for the purpose of supporting the student’s thesis work. The university sets the academic standards and awards the degree in the specific academic program of study. FRIB strives to support students through their graduate studies.

The ASET program is part of MSU’s number-one-ranked nuclear physics graduate program, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of graduate schools. Additionally, each year approximately 26 percent of U.S. nuclear physics graduate students receive part of their training at MSU.

Students in the ASET program are trained and mentored by more than 20 MSU faculty members. In addition, more than 30 PhD scientists and engineers working in ASET areas at FRIB will enhance the student experience.

After training at MSU, trainees are placed in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories to further their training. An extensive and flexible framework of national laboratory training partners includes Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories,  SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.

The partnerships with DOE national laboratories will include internships, practicums, focused long- or short-term credit-bearing courses, and workshops related to professional development of non-scientific skills (project management, entrepreneurial skills, science communication, technology transfer) required for large accelerator design, construction, and operation. The partnerships will integrate ASET Traineeship students into their research program beyond the third year and support them until the completion of their theses.

Ready to apply or have questions? Please apply and inquire through our FRIB graduate studies page at frib.msu.edu/grad. 

Support for several kinds of graduate fellowships in ASET is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) Office of High Energy Physics, DOE-SC Office of Nuclear Physics, and the National Science Foundation.