STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and it serves as a catch-all term for education and careers in these fields. These are the focus subjects of the National Science Foundation programs.

The Noyce scholarship program is part of the Division for Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation.  The grants that are received by colleges and universities hosting the Noyce scholarship come from them.

At the time of the award, all scholarship recipients must meet the following criteria:

*  Be a US Citizen or permanent resident

•  Be enrolled in classes at MSU
•  Be of at least Junior class standing
•  Have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
•  Be majoring in a physical science or mathematics
•  Be willing to commit to teaching in a high-need school district for several years after graduation

The only way an education major can receive a Noyce scholarship is if they also hold a second major in a STEM content area.  For instance, mathematics is an eligible major, but mathematics education is not.

Yes, you can hold a Noyce scholarship along with other scholarships or financial aid. However, the amount of the award cannot exceed the total cost of attendance at MSU.

You can teach at any school that is considered a high-need school district.

If any scholarship recipient fails to uphold the teaching commitment after graduation, the Noyce scholarship reverts to a loan that must be repaid to MSU.  The university needs the loan information in place in the event this contingency arises.

Our own Noyce project at MSU, and the larger Noyce Program at NSF, are both interested in knowing about the effectiveness of our work and making adjustments as needed to better suit our students and teacher alumni.  Each year, you will be asked to complete surveys about your impressions regarding teaching STEM content, and you will be asked some interview questions by our project’s evaluator.  To the extent it is possible, your feedback is kept anonymous and will not affect continuation of your scholarship award.

To that end, our project and NSF will be following up with you for several years after your teaching commitment has ended to learn more about the long-range outcomes of the scholarship recipients.  This is why you are asked to provide an email address that will outlast your time at MSU. 
 

The evaluation and research component of this project has been approved by the MSU Institutional Review Board as an Exempt study under IRB Protocol #IRB-23-419.