Major Qualifying Project

The Major Qualifying Project (MQP) is a focused design and/or research project in the student’s major field. Through the MQP, every WPI student has the chance to experience the kind of real-world problem solving that will soon characterize their professional careers. With an MQP on their resume, WPI students can make a significant contribution to their field before they even launch careers or gain admission to the best graduate schools.

Faculty with specific research interests will act as advisors for MQPs with a similar focus. You can find advisors for such topics as analog/electronics sensors, wireless/ DSP/digital communications, biomedical electronics, embedded systems, signal processing, robotics, microwave engineering, and cryptography. Many other topics are available and some students even suggest different and new MQP ideas.

The MQP involves problems typical of those found in the student’s professional discipline and often addresses economical, ethical, and safety issues. These qualifying projects are far from trivial; each requires a substantial part of an academic year. Frequently, projects are sponsored by outside agencies/companies to which students must present their oral and written reports.

MQPs in ECE are conducted in a student’s senior year, but project recruiting and teaming begins as early as November of a student's junior year.

See What an MQP Is All About