About WPI

About WPI

A Distinctive Approach to STEM Education and Research

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), a global leader in project-based learning, is a distinctive, top-tier technological university founded in 1865 on the principle that students learn most effectively by applying the theory learned in the classroom to the practice of solving real-world problems. Today, WPI recognizes the essential nature of preparing and supporting future scientists, engineers, and business leaders in their journeys to become the empathetic, collaborative, and resourceful STEM professionals the world needs now.

WPI’s award-winning, pioneering project-based and globally engaged curriculum engages students in solving important scientific, technological, and societal problems throughout their education—on campus and at more than 50 project centers in the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe. In both academics and research, undergraduate and graduate students pursue interdisciplinary collaboration with each other, with faculty across WPI’s four schools, and with public and private partners to develop broad-scope solutions to socially relevant problems.

More than 70 PhD, master's, bachelor’s, and certificate programs are offered both on campus and online, providing flexible options and opportunities for students to advance their careers and succeed in today’s—and tomorrow’s—world.

 

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Grace Wang, PhD, Named 17th President

Grace Wang, PhD, a materials scientist and highly accomplished and collaborative leader in higher education, government, and industry, has been selected as the 17th president of WPI. Elected by the WPI Board of Trustees after an extensive national search, President Wang joined the community on April 3, 2023.

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The Global Leader in Project-Based Education

For over half a century, projects have been at the core of WPI's signature undergraduate curriculum (known as the WPI Plan), requiring students to apply their acquired skills, knowledge, and abilities to develop solutions to real-world problems. As the global leader in project-based learning (PBL), WPI is now helping other colleges and universities around the world advance PBL across higher education through the Center for Project-Based Learning.

Our Community

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a group of students standing in a line looking up

At WPI, our greatest strength is our people. We are home to a passionate community of faculty, staff, researchers, and students who are dedicated to using their talents, expertise, and intellectual curiosity to solve the most complex global challenges.

Our Campus

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image of campus center and fountain area in spring

To know what WPI is all about, you have to experience it firsthand. WPI’s campus, set on a secluded hilltop, doesn’t look or feel like an urban university. Yet just down from “The Hill,” a vibrant college town awaits, with the amenities, opportunities, and lively cultural scene one would expect from New England’s second largest city.

WPI at a Glance


70+

degree programs

50+

global project centers on six continents

95

acre hilltop campus in New England's second-largest city

WPI Land Acknowledgement

WPI acknowledges the painful history of genocide in the U.S. for native and indigenous peoples. As a public statement that honors the indigenous people as native inhabits on this land, WPI honors and respects the many and diverse tribal nations who were forcefully removed from their sacred lands.

WPI would like to recognize the people of the Chaubunagungamaug and Hassanamisco Nipmuc Tribe as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. We take this moment to honor their elders, past, present, and emerging. WPI strongly advocates for higher education professionals to honor the land, the original tribal occupants, and the history of where they are located.