Boeing Scholars - FAQs

Q. Who is eligible to apply?

• Full-time students on the Pullman campus (there is a separate program on the Everett campus)
• Junior class standing (Senior with 2 years remaining is also acceptable). Transfer students entering as juniors are also eligible.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 from the following colleges/majors:
• Carson College of Business (any major, up to 4 students)
• Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture (any major, up to 4 students)
• Murrow College of Communication (any major, up to 2 students)
• College of Arts and Sciences (limited to majors below, up to 2 students):
• Bio Sciences
• Chemistry
• Data Analytics
• DTC
• Environmental Science
• Math
• Physics

Q. How do I apply?

• All students apply via the single on-line application form
• A preview of the Boeing Scholars Application is available here. This is for information purposes only. Applications must be submitted through the on-line system.
• Note: Essay fields have a limited number of characters (not words).

Q. What are the criteria for selection?

The Boeing Scholars are selected as a cohort – meaning that applicants are evaluated on both their individual qualifications and their potential contribution to the group.

Individual qualities we are looking for are:

• Strong academic skills in their major field/s of study.
  To contribute to a multidisciplinary team, Scholars need to have a solid foundation in their individual discipline.
• Ability to work well in a team.
  The projects are challenging and require intense collaboration. No one person will have all the necessary skills to complete the project.
• Ability to learn on their own.
  The projects are real-world, which means that the required skills may fall outside the existing skillset of the team. Scholars need to be able to explore new domains and quickly come up to speed in subjects outside their comfort zone.
• Communication skills.
  Scholars need solid written and oral communication skills.
• Professionalism.
  The Scholars serve as representatives of WSU and will be interacting with Boeing employees, managers, and executives. Scholars therefore need to conduct themselves in a professional way that reflects positively on the University.
• Interest in Boeing.
  We look for enthusiasm to work on Boeing projects. Given Boeing’s size and broad business interests, Scholars should be able to articulate their excitement for some aspect of what Boeing does.
• Willing to commit to the two year program.
  Students need to understand the requirements and be able to commit to meeting them. In particular:
  • Students must register for the MGMT or ENGR course for both semesters of their senior year. Students should evaluate their academic program to make sure that their graduation timetable can accommodate these classes.
  • Seniors must be in residence at the Pullman Campus for both Fall and Spring semester (i.e., cannot be graduating in December).

Cohort consideration:

• Balance of skills among disciplines.
  This is a multidisciplinary program and the projects require a variety of skills.

Q. How many Scholars are selected?

• Up to four from Carson College of Business
• Up to four from Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture
• Up to two from Murrow College of Communication
• Up to two from College of Arts and Sciences

Q. What are the projects like?

They are challenging, messy, open-ended, frustrating, exhilarating, complex, and risky. In other words, they are just like the types of projects you can expect after graduation. For examples of prior year projects, see the main Boeing Scholars webpage

Q. Will the Boeing Scholar classes satisfy my Capstone or other requirements?

Capstone Requirements:

• Vary by college and department. You must to talk your advisor to determine if you need to take your college’s/department’s capstone class in addition to the Boeing Scholars class.
• In the past year, we had a mix of students using the Boeing classes as their capstone while others did a separate capstone class.
• We are working with the individual colleges to identify general guidelines, but they do not exist yet. Advanced planning early in your Junior year may help you to optimize your schedule.
• We recommend you consider the worst case (i.e., you need to take both) to assess if your schedule can accommodate the Boeing Scholar requirements.

Honors College Thesis:

• Boeing Scholars have been able to use their Boeing projects as the basis for their Honors Thesis. Students need to coordinate their Honors proposals through the Honors College and ensure that all Honors requirements are met. Students may be required to do additional, complementary research in support of their thesis. For more information, refer to the Honors College website.

Carson College Experiential Learning Requirements:

• This is in progress. Will be updated as more information becomes available.