Projects, Empowerment, and Progress

WPI’s project-based curriculum has long been a source of career development for students and alumni. Our emphasis on problem solving in group settings has prepared generations of WPI talent to overcome real-world challenges in the workforce. Major Qualifying Projects (MQP’s) in particular have proven valuable for honing discipline-specific skills for students working with corporate sponsors.

By building a portfolio of relevant experience through internship/co-ops and academic projects, students form meaningful connections that they can market when pursuing full-time opportunities or additional degrees. Companies that blend student interaction across these areas are highly successful in retaining the best-fit talent.

A recent study conducted by Richard Vaz, dean of WPI‘s Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division, showed how WPI projects can help attract and retain more women in the STEM fields. As spotlighted in Inside HigherEd, Vaz found that the majority of WPI-educated women felt that the projects improved their leadership skills and gave them greater understandings in developing ideas and solving problems as well as forming connections between society and technology. Women’s positive evaluations of their project learnings were about 10% higher than those of men.

Regardless of gender, the majority of WPI students and alumni feel as though the WPI Plan has provided significant learning opportunities. Many alumni who come back to hire WPI talent enjoy sharing their IQP and MQP experiences with the staff. Companies that sponsor project opportunities in addition to hiring interns provide lifetime learning experiences for students while developing new talent.