The Michigan State Interdisciplinary Training in Education and Social Science (MITTENSS) Fellowship provides doctoral students with specialized training focused on applying social science knowledge and methods to research on education policy and implementation. Scholars who complete the fellowship will be uniquely prepared to help shape decisions affecting students and schools across the nation.
Resources & support
MITTENSS Fellows receive generous financial benefits and additional resources, including:
- While on the fellowship, MITTENSS Fellows will receive a $34,000 stipend and a $2,000 research account. Your home department will provide you with a support package in other years. MITTENSS support is subject to remaining funds.
- Working with a core faculty member as a research assistant.
- A one-year apprenticeship with a policy making agency. Partners include the Michigan Department of Education, the Detroit Public Schools Community District, MSU’s Institutional Research Division in the Office of Planning and Budget, and the MSU Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education’s office.
- Engagement with cutting-edge educational research and conversations with leading education policymakers through seminars, speaker events, and summer research workshops.
The fellowship is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education, and administered by the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, or EPIC, in the MSU College of Education.
Funding for the fellowship is concluded in June 2026.
Associated Ph.D. Programs
- Education Policy
- Economics
- Political Science
- Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education
- K-12 Educational Administration
Fellows must be admitted into a doctoral program at MSU before being eligible for the MITTENSS Fellowship. Learn more.
Fellowship experiences
- Research assistantship
- Policy apprenticeship