Society, Technology, & Policy Program

Policy analysts apply an array of skills and techniques to evaluate the impacts of existing policies, both public and private, and to help formulate new policies to address societal needs. WPI's major in society, technology, and policy focuses on the relationships between science-technology, society, government, and business. The program allows students to develop a strong interdisciplinary background in these areas and to learn the analytical tools and methods needed to apply this knowledge to important questions in such areas as environmental policy and regulation, science-technology policy, and internet policy.

Program Outcomes

In addition to fulfilling WPI's university-wide undergraduate learning outcomes, society, technology, and policy majors will demonstrate:

1. Ability to conduct public policy analysis, technology assessment, or social impact analysis.
2. Understanding of and ability to apply research methods in the social sciences.
3. Ability to communicate effectively the results of a social analysis with policy implications in speech and writing.
4. Understanding of the relationships between technology, policy, and the public interest in a democratic society.
5. Ability to integrate understanding of science and technology into thinking on the social implications of science and technology.
6. Ability to understand the impacts of government regulation on the future development of a technology or industry.
7. Literacy in the technological aspects of policy issues in the student's area of concentration.
8. Ability to identify and appropriately consider ethical constraints during science and technology policy deliberations and decision-making.

Program Distribution Requirements for the Society, Technology, and Policy Major

The normal period of residency at WPI is 16 terms. In addition to the WPI requirements applicable to all students, completion of a minimum of 10 units of study is required in social science, basic science, and mathematics as follows:

Society, Technology, and Policy Requirements	Minimum Units
1. Social Science (Notes 1, 2)	4
2. Minimum Basic Science background	2/3
3. Minimum Mathematics background (Note 3)	1
4. Technical concentration (Note 4)	5/3
5. Electives (Note 5)	5/3
6. MQP	1

NOTES:

1. Students must obtain approval of their proposed program from the Departmental Program Review Committee. Course distribution will focus on a disciplinary specialty and either policy analysis or a society-technology specialization such as Social Impact Analysis or Technology Assessment.
2. Relevant Humanities or Business courses approved by the Departmental Review Committee may be counted for a maximum of 2/3 of a unit in fulfilling the 4-unit requirement.
3. One course in calculus-based statistics is required.
4. A series of courses in one field of science, engineering, or business or a combination of courses approved by the departmental review committee which focus on issues to be developed in the MQP.
5. These courses are to be approved by the Departmental Review Committee and are meant to broaden the technical concentration and tie it to social concerns.