It’s Theory and Practice, not Theory then Practice.
Since 1970, project-based learning has been the core of WPI’s undergraduate curriculum, known as the WPI Plan, providing students a professional and social context to apply their acquired skills and abilities. In 1970 the WPI Plan was a bold experiment. Today, with nearly 50 years’ experience, it’s a proven and highly effective model for undergraduate learning that’s both adaptable and rigorous. Through the Plan, students learn how to learn by applying their classroom experiences in projects that challenge them from a proficiency, social, and global perspective.
WPI’s signature project-based approach to undergraduate education features integrative project work across four years, both in the major and in general education, in classrooms, and around the globe at our more than 50 project centers. Under the Plan, students work closely with faculty and each other to develop solutions to real-world problems in their own communities and in communities around the globe. Participating in team and individual research settings, students tackle authentic, open-ended projects under faculty guidance. In the process, they master critical thinking, sharpen research skills, fine-tune written and oral communication skills, and connect the curriculum to local and global issues.
“WPI’s project-based education model provides multiple opportunities to apply their knowledge and gain “unique professional and social advantages” that help them excel after graduation.”
-The Princeton Review
“WPI graduates learn to solve real-world problems through the school’s project-based curriculum. Within this system, students design and complete projects that combine what they’re learning in class with larger social and environmental issues.”
-Business Insider