Projects are at the core of the WPI curriculum, requiring students to apply the knowledge learned in classes and labs to real-world situations, developing solutions to problems that matter to real people. Project work helps students become better collaborators, critical thinkers, public speakers, and communicators— vital to success at WPI and the skills that distinguish WPI graduates throughout their careers.
Our signature project-based approach to undergraduate education, known as the WPI Plan, prepares students for success. These great young minds bring ingenious approaches to an astounding array of challenges–and the projects fundamentally change the students, building leaders who possess passion, proficiency, and a certainty that their life's work can change the world.
WPI’s distinctive project-based educational model has been lauded in the academic world for years, but one of the most compelling acknowledgements is by those who know the benefits of a WPI education firsthand — WPI alumni. A 2012 survey of 2,500+ WPI alumni from the classes of 1974 through 2011 revealed the powerful impact of project-based learning on professional skills — and much more.
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To continue meeting the educational and learning style needs of students, WPI is engaging students in developing an entrepreneurial mindset, which focuses on curiosity, connections, and creating value to society. Our students learn how to think with an entrepreneurial spirit, even if they never plan to start a business, and our project-based educational model offers a great platform for this type of learning and thinking.
A case study: The effects of project based learning almost 50 years after Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) re-engineered its technological education.
For nearly 50 years, WPI has been helping students become effective collaborators, innovators, and global citizens through project-based learning.
