Undergraduate Programs
Draper
Laboratory offers programs for undergraduate students to provide
them with “real-world” experience to enhance their education
and help them prepare for careers in engineering. Undergraduate
students who are considering pursuing a master’s degree in
the future are encouraged to look at the Graduate
Students Program pages on this site as well.
Unless otherwise noted, all engineering
divisions at Draper currently will consider hiring students
participating in the programs described below.
MIT’s VI-A Internship Program: Draper
Participation
MIT’s VI-A Internship
Program combines academic work in the Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science Department with work at Draper. Through this program,
MIT students can earn an S.B. and M.Eng. simultaneously.
Students spend one or
two summers working at Draper, earning hourly wages and academic
credit. Then following their senior year, they can become a Draper
Fellow during the summer and school year while they work on
their master’s theses.
Students accepted into
the VI-A Program are first assigned to work that will introduce
them to the extent of the Laboratory’s activities to give
them possible ideas for thesis projects.
Application Process
Contact the VI-A Office
at MIT’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department.
For seniors going into the VI-A program, interviews are scheduled
to be held at Draper Laboratory in the autumn. For other undergraduates,
VI-A interviews normally are conducted on campus during the spring
semester.
MIT
Student Summer Opportunities
Draper Laboratory offers qualified MIT students paid summer work
at Draper in a variety of disciplines. There are several programs
offered for students at MIT through which they can apply to work
at Draper. For example, students participating in the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate)
Program in the MIT Department of Astronautics and Aeronautics can
apply through the program to work at Draper. Such programs offer
exploration of various careers for undergraduate students; they
do not lead to a degree or credit. There are some students, however,
who return during the following summers; some even work part-time
during the school year.
Application
Process
MIT students who are participating in structured programs that include
internships should check with their program administrators to find
out if there is a formal application procedure through the program.
If there is, they should follow it. Otherwise, students should follow
the procedure in the next section.
Other
Student Summer Opportunities
Draper Laboratory also hires qualified undergraduate students from
schools other than MIT for paid summer work in a variety of disciplines.
Positions last for a summer and will not lead to a degree or credit.
There are some students, however, who return during the following
summers; some even continue working part-time during the school
year. These experiences offer exploration of various careers for
undergraduate students.
Application
Process
Students interested in obtaining jobs at Draper should contact the
Human Resources Office at hr@draper.com with their resume and a one-page statement describing their career
objectives. In the main body of the e-mail, state the division(s)
the student is interested in, what type of employment is wished
for, and for what period of time. In addition, the student’s
citizenship status and contact information must be specified. The
information will be forwarded to the appropriate members of the
technical staff for selection as a summer worker. If there is a
match, students will be contacted by the interested staff member
directly or through the Human Resources Office for further discussions.
Cooperative Education Programs
Draper Laboratory hires a small number of Northeastern
University and Wentworth
Institute of Technology students through their cooperative education
programs. Under the co-op program, a student is employed at Draper
for three to six months for a work assignment. Please refer to Northeastern’s
and Wentworth’s web sites for more information on their co-op
programs.
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