Women's Technology Program
in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

       

WTP-EECS

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About WTP in EECS

The MIT Women's Technology Program in EECS (WTP-EECS) is a rigorous, fastpaced four-week academic and residential experience where female high school students explore electrical engineering, computer science, and mathematics for EECS through hands-on classes, labs, and team-based projects in the summer after 11th grade. Note: due to the COVID pandemic WTP 2020 was cancelled, and we are currently uncertain about what WTP 2021 will look like - possibly a virtual experience and curriculum. The information below was for on-campus, in-person WTP summers.

Classes are taught by current female MIT students or recent graduates. Visit our Curriculum page for more details about WTP-EECS coursework, and other links to the left to learn about residential life and how to apply. Current MIT students wishing to teach for WTP-EECS please visit the Staff page.

40 participants are selected each year from a nationwide applicant pool of young women who have demonstrated outstanding academic talent in math and science. No prior experience in physics or engineering is required, but we expect students to handle college-level material at a rapid pace.

WTP was created by MIT students in EECS in 2002 who were concerned about the fact that many young women do not consider engineering or computer science majors in college, despite having strong math and science backgrounds and analytical abilities. Research into this issue identifies some key pipeline barriers:

  • lack of pre-college computing experience
  • negative stereotypes about the field
  • lack of female role models
  • lack of confidence in their potential to pursue EECS

705 students have attended WTP-EECS since it began in 2002. Over 64% of WTP-EECS alumnae have chosen college majors in engineering or computer science; another 20% have majored in science or mathematics (the remaining 11% are in a variety of fields).

The many credit WTP with sparking their initial interest in engineering and computer
science