Students in yellow safety vests posing in front of river.

Power Practicum

If you are an undergraduate student interested in attending Practicum or industry member interested in hosting, please email esic.center@wsu.edu

Previous Years

Every year, Power Education Partnership (PEP) members are given the opportunity to host undergraduates from Washington State University. This weeklong visit during spring break is called the Power Practicum. Undergraduates are exposed to real-world engineering and learn from engineering teams about their career experiences. 


Tacoma Power 2023 Brent Otto and Vincent Forro

Each site has a unique curriculum that reflects the type of companies involved at the site. Each day the students learn about a different aspect of the industry from the employees who work in that area. The employees become instructors for the day and expose students to their respective fields of expertise, the challenges they face, and teach students about the tools they use and the processes as they are happening.

Interested in Attending?

The Practicum is between a full-fledged summer internship and a field trip, and has the benefits of both without requiring the extensive coordination of an internship or the lack of hands-on experience in a field trip. Because the Practicum is a course and unpaid, the Power Engineering Program (PEP) at WSU subsidizes travel or housing for students so that their participation is not limited by the cost of relocation. The Practicum is organized during Spring Break to take advantage of a full week of experience. ESIC begins accepting applications in the fall, check back for information on the upcoming practicum!

46 Students at 13 sites throughout Washington and Oregon! Practicum '24