Future Students

Discover the VIP experience beyond the basics

Join VIP

 

VIP is an academic program in which teams of undergraduate students from various years, disciplines and backgrounds work with faculty and graduate students on their efforts in scholarship and exploration. The teams are interdisciplinary — drawing students from the disciplines needed by each project; vertically integrated — maintaining a mix of undergraduate students from different cohorts; large scale — often with 10-20-plus undergraduates per team; and long term — undergraduates can earn academic credit in VIP for up to four years, and the projects last for many years, even decades. VIP is open to ALL undergraduate student of any major at Purdue. The best way to learn more about VIP is to read about the different teams on the VIP Teams page.

 

There are many benefits of participating in VIP:

  • Gain hands-on experience and contribute to meaningful research projects 
  • Develop professional networks 
  • Gain mentoring and leadership experience 
  • Gain understanding of ethical, economic and legal issues 
  • Have something to talk about in interviews 
  • Make a difference 

Things to remember when registering for VIP:

  • Each VIP team consists of a mix of first-year students, sophomores, juniors and seniors, many majoring in non-engineering fields such as agriculture, business, liberal arts, pharmacy, science, health and human sciences, and technology. 
  • Students are expected to participate on the same team and contribute for at least two consecutive semesters on campus, and students may participate multiple semesters. 
  • Each team has a scheduled lab time each week. 
  • All students must complete Professional Development Hours over the course of the semester. These can be completed through a range of live lectures and workshops or pre-recorded online modules. 
  • You receive academic credit (one or two credit hours per semester) for participating in VIP. How academic credits are applied to your major depends on your degree program and is determined by your department and/or advisor. 

 

VIP Learning Community

For First-Year Engineering Students

The VIP Learning Community builds a support community by offering first-year students three common classes with other VIP learning community students, outside-of-class activities, the opportunity for a shared residence experience and a formal mentoring experience. The combination helps students transition to Purdue, explore different engineering disciplines and find fulfilling career paths. College of Engineering students are encouraged to apply for combining participation in this learning community with the Women in Engineering Learning Community housed in Shreve Hall. Students interested in the Data Mine and VIP can participate in The Data Mine - Vertically Integrated Projects. 

Students in the VIP Learning Community (VIP 17911/17912) remain with the same team for both the fall and spring semesters, providing a valuable opportunity to strengthen their technical skills, expand their knowledge, and contribute meaningfully within a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment. This sustained engagement fosters confidence, team cohesion, and steady progress toward personal, professional, and academic goals. 

 

Registering for VIP Learning Community

 

  • Complete and submit the housing application and then the Learning Community application. (This can take a few days for each part to process, so it’s important students ensure all parts are completed by April 15.)
  • For all other Learning Community questions about logistics (housing location, registration, etc.), visit the Learning Community website.

Courses

ENGR 13300 (Transforming Ideas to Innovation)

 

One of the core classes for the learning community is ENGR 13300 (Transforming Ideas to Innovation). The course introduces students to engineering professions using multidisciplinary societally relevant content. Students will develop engineering approaches to systems, generate and explore creative ideas, and use quantitative methods to support design decisions. Students will experience the process of design and analysis in engineering including how to work effectively in teams and will develop skills in project management, engineering fundamentals, oral and graphical communication, logical thinking and modern engineering tools (e.g., Excel, Python and MATLAB). An emphasis will be placed on computing logic development and builds upon the co-requisite experience of the students in the VIP class.

Syllabus — Purdue University ENGR 13300