FAQs

How do I reserve a room for a meeting in PRIME? ... in Erickson?

First Floor Wells Room Reservations: Please contact Freda Cruél to reserve a room.

Erickson Room Reservations: Visit https://education.msu.edu/coeresources/. You can view existing reservations, availability, and room options there, and reserve a meeting room.

Please note if you are going to reserve a room in a university building on a weekend, please do it well in advance. Some buildings are locked on weekends, so additional paperwork and services may be needed, such as MSU Police to unlock doors and MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilties, IPF, for heating/cooling and trash/cleaning services.

How do I register for MTHE 999 credits?

Please contact Freda Cruél to register for MTHE 999 credits. Tell her how many credits you need, and for which semester. Copy your advisor, if using email.

Who do I see if I need office space?

Contact Freda Cruél or Lisa Keller for office space.

Where do I get program mail?

All of the mathematics education doctoral students have a mail box on the first floor of Wells, as well as access to the copy machine for a limited number of copies each semester for your personal research use. Please check your MSU email daily. If you are working on campus, check your mailbox weekly.

What does an assistantship pay for?

Assistantships pay a biweekly stipend and provide a tuition waiver of 9 credits for the fall semester, 9 credits for the spring semester, and if a student has a summer assistantship, 5 credits in the summer. They also provide health insurance. Those with fall and spring assistantship appointments have health coverage from August 16 to August 15 of the following year. See details at: https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Text.aspx?Section=111#s358

How do I go about securing an assistantship for year two and beyond?

You should contact the appropriate people below by the middle of the spring semester for an assistantship the following fall.

For Teaching Assistantships, contact the following people:

Sandra Crespo if you are interested in teaching methods/field instruction for secondary or elementary mathematics. See more information on the College of Education assistantship webpage, which includes a link to their assistantship application page.

Andy Krause if you are interested in teaching Mathematics Department courses.

Kevin Lawrence (Supervisor) if you are interested in teaching MTH 201, a math content courses for elementary teachers.

Copy Lisa Keller on your teaching assistantship requests.

For Research Assistantships: Contact the Principal Investigator of the project you are interested in working on to see if there are any availabilities for RAs for the coming year.

I would like a summer assistantship. How do I go about securing one?

See the answer above. Contact the above faculty to see if there is a need for instructors or RAs in a summer session. Also, contact Lisa Keller if you are a PRIME graduate student seeking a summer assistantship, as the program may also be able to help with securing one if we hear of openings.

Is funding available for graduate student research?

There are many resources available for graduate student research funding.

You will receive emails from the program regarding applications for Continuation and Dissertation Completion Fellowships.
Graduate School Research Enhancement Award https://grad.msu.edu/research-support to support student research for one time in your degree program.
COGS Professional Development Award https://cogs.msu.edu/resources/funding/professional-development-award/
Graduate School Cohort Fellowship Program https://grad.msu.edu/cohort-fellowship-programs
Graduate Student Support from the College of Education: Maria Rising (Graduate Student, risingma@msu.edu) works in the Office of Regulatory Affairs at MSU and focuses on providing help for graduate students seeking funding for their research. If you are interested in such help, please contact Maria who would be very happy to meet with you. She also would be glad to arrange workshops for classes or groups of graduate students in the program to discuss research funding opportunities.
See information on our website: https://prime.natsci.msu.edu/current-students/assistantships-fellowships-and-funding.aspx

What are the small $15-25 charges I see at the beginning of the semester? Do I have to pay it or is it covered?

They are all student-voted taxes: FM radio tax, ASMU tax, COGS tax, and the State News Tax. Please visit https://finaid.msu.edu/fees.asp for more information about these items. They are not paid by an assistantship.

Where do I find tax documents and information?

You may find helpful information in your portal at ebs.msu.edu

MSU Volunteer Income Tax Assistance for students

Taxes information for International Students and Scholars

Do I have to enroll myself each semester in health care? Where do I go to enroll a spouse or children in health care?

As a graduate student with an assistantship, you are automatically enrolled in the MSU Graduate Assistant Health Plan through Blue Care Network (BCN), but you will have to enroll your dependents each semester. MSU contributes up to $2,500 per plan year towards the cost of a spouse or child; or up to $2,700 per plan year towards the cost of a spouse and a child/or two or more child(ren). For more information and to enroll your spouse and/or children in health care, go to https://hr.msu.edu/benefits/graduate-assistants/health/ .

For a graduate student with a fellowship, your account is credited with the amount needed to enroll yourself in health insurance. You will need to enroll yourself in the plan – it is not automatic, unless if you are an international student.

I am a parent as well as a graduate student, so I am extremely busy! How can I find resources for me and my family?

https://grad.msu.edu/spouse-and-family-resources

https://studentparents.msu.edu/

MSU Child Care Grant: https://finaid.msu.edu/ccgrant.asp

COGS Childcare Endowment

MSU Student Foodbank: https://foodbank.msu.edu/

MSU Community Resources

What are some local daycares or schools that PRIME students have used and recommend?

Spartan Child Development Center, Radmoor Montessori School, KinderCare, People’s Church Preschool, and Emanuel Lutheran School are some that our graduate students and faculty have used and recommend looking into. There are also other good ones in the area that you can find through internet searches or by talking to people in other programs with young children. Note: There are often wait-lists for daycares, so it is good to look and register for a spot early.

Where can I get Microsoft Office and SPSS? Are they free?

Copy this address into your browser: msu.onthehub.com. Yes, they are free downloads, but you are required to provide proof of your academic affiliation to register and qualify for the software discounts offered.

Where do I enter my GradPlan information?

This is the login page for Campus Solutions: student.msu.edu

For information, visit: https://grad.msu.edu/gradplan

See the GradPlan Notes sheet for program-related information on GradPlan in the Math Ed Graduate Student D2L site and PRIME Hub.

What is D2L and why do I need to use it?

D2L (short for Desire 2 Learn) is an MSU-supported online learning management system. D2L help and documentation is available at http://help.d2l.msu.edu.

Here is the login site: https://d2l.msu.edu/d2l/loginh/

PRIME has a Math Ed Graduate Student D2L site to provide programmatic and career resources in addition to using D2L features to administer student comprehensive examinations and for students to upload their annual review documents.

The courses you take often utilize a D2L site, as well as any courses you may teach.

How do I set up my OneDrive account?

As a student, you automatically have access to Spartan Drive, which is MSU's version of Microsoft One Drive. All faculty, staff, and students that are on the CampusAD Domain will have access to 5 TB of storage (with a maximum file size of 15GB) on Spartan Drive which is accessible over the web, desktop, tablet or other mobile device. Spartan Drive offers users a simple way to store, sync and share files with other people and devices. The files stored in Spartan Drive can be accessed directly from a web browser or from an operating system.

Available for students, faculty, researchers, and staff.

Access Spartan Drive at spartan365.msu.edu and learn more about Spartan Drive.

Where can I get tech support at MSU?

Visit https://tech.msu.edu/support/help/.

What are the available options for travel support?
MSU has several options for support of graduate student travel to conferences in which you present your research. Funds are generally not provided for attending a conference, unless if your project is willing to support that expense. Here are the forms to request travel funding, from the units:

Math Ed Travel Fund Request (yearly funds)
The Graduate School (one travel funding allotment per degree), or
COGS (one travel funding allotment per degree, one professional development funding per degree).

See the Forms site under Current Students for more details.

Are there ways I can arrange some of my conference travel expenses without having to charge them on my credit card and paying for them months in advance of a conference?

Yes! See Freda after your conference has been approved and she can pay for your conference registration on her MSU Pcard. She can also assist with booking a flight, and often the flight can be paid on the Pcard as well. These expenses are counted toward your total PRIME travel funding for the year.

Where can I learn more about life as a graduate student?

Below are some links that you can use to explore more about life as a graduate student. Also, we recommend checking with your first-year mentor and other graduate students in the program for any questions that have not been addressed above or through these links.

COGS often has events for graduate students that help you connect with graduate students beyond the PRIME program, as well as information about fitness center passes and discounts, Wharton Center performances and tickets, athletics tickets, and other activities around campus. More information can be found here: https://cogs.msu.edu

https://grad.msu.edu/graduate-student-life

https://prime.natsci.msu.edu/resources/community-resources/

https://prime.natsci.msu.edu/resources/academic-resources/

https://prime.natsci.msu.edu/community/

https://admissions.msu.edu/life-at-msu/default.aspx