The Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program (KCGIP) at the University of Oregon is helping meet Oregon’s growing need for a skilled STEM workforce. This applied master’s program combines six to nine months of industry-specific hands-on training, professional development and a paid nine-month internship, providing a direct path from academia to high-tech careers across multiple sectors.
“Through industry partnerships and comprehensive supports, we’re preparing students to thrive in critical industries such as semiconductors and genomics, driving the high-tech innovation economy,” said Stacey York, senior director of professional development and workforce readiness.
KCGIP’s impact extends beyond the master’s level. Through partnerships with UO’s Departments of Physics and Chemistry & Biochemistry, and three regional community colleges — Lane, Umpqua, and Central Oregon — the program is helping cultivate talent across Oregon and to diverse populations.
In 2022, the Oregon Pathways to Industry Research Careers (OPIRC) program was launched with a $4.3 million National Science Foundation S-STEM grant, one of the highest-dollar NSF awards of its kind at the time. In 2023, a $1 million Round Two Workforce Ready Grant administered through Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission was awarded to the KCGIP.
These two initiatives complement each other, providing high financial need students from diverse communities across Oregon with financial and career readiness supports. Over the course of the NSF grant, 64 scholars from Central Oregon, Lane, and Umpqua Community Colleges will participate, receiving up to $45,000 in scholarships, mentorship from KCGIP master’s students working in high-demand technical fields, specialized advising, and more than 100 hours of career readiness training.
Through the Round Two Workforce Ready Grant, OPIRC students in community college and UO undergraduate programming have gained access to career readiness and academic supports that will propel their technical careers. These supports include hands-on, paid research experiences; professional development; industry site tours; expanded scholarships; tutoring; and community building to strengthen retention and cultivation of professional networks. KCGIP students with high financial need also benefited from Future Ready Oregon through expanded scholarships and opportunities to be trained and paid as mentors for undergraduates in the OPIRC program.
“OPIRC and Future Ready Oregon have completely transformed my understanding of my potential, said Jonny Bouton, Lane Community College transfer student and UO chemistry major. Before joining the program, the cost of earning a bachelor’s degree had discouraged me from even attempting to pursue a STEM education. But since I have had the support of OPIRC, I have discovered my ability to excel academically and am now excited to begin my career in industry.”