Women’s Technology Program (WTP)

The MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) is a rigorous four-week summer academic experience to introduce high school students to engineering through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade. Students can attend WTP in Mechanical Engineering (ME).

WTP is a women-focused collaborative community aimed at empowering young women and other students who are underrepresented and underserved in engineering, including students who attend high schools with limited access to STEM classes and activities, will potentially be the first family member to attend college, come from low socioeconomic means, or who have otherwise been discouraged from pursuing their interest in STEM because of their background or who they are. We strongly encourage applications from students who are African American, Hispanic, or Native American; however, all applicants will be reviewed equitably, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

WTP is designed for students who are excited about learning, have demonstrated their ability to excel at math and science in their high school classes, and who have no prior background (or very little) in engineering, with few opportunities to explore these fields.

MIT graduate students design and teach the classes, assisted by MIT undergraduate (or recently graduated) students who also live in the dorm with the high school students. The daily schedule includes classes, labs, homework, and social time with other WTP students.

Who should apply to WTP?   High school students now in grade 11 who:

• love and excel at math and science but have no prior experience (or very little) in mechanical engineering

• would like to experience hands-on activities where they design and build engineering projects

• enjoy problem solving and collaborative learning

• want to focus for 4 summer weeks exclusively on learning about mechanical engineering in an intense academic environment

Twenty participants are selected from a national applicant pool of the top 11th grade math and science students. All WTP applicants must live in the U.S. year round (your permanent family home address is in the U.S.).

The primary criteria for acceptance are a strong curiosity about engineering and/or computer science and a demonstrated ability to excel in math and science. Students should be able to handle college-level material at a rapid pace, but should not have completed prior coursework or summer programs in the WTP curriculum.

Application Deadline:  January 15th.  The online application is available at the end of November each year.