About The WPI Business School

WPI Business School professors work together around a desk with laptops in front of them.

WPI: Where Business Savvy Meets STEM Excellence

Since our founding in 1865, WPI has been the university where students learn to develop innovative solutions and deliver them to the world through business savvy. Rather than treating business as an elective, it’s central to everything our students do. 

Over time, The WPI Business School have designed programs that prioritize real-world skills, industry experience, and peer collaboration, while faculty provide students with hands-on opportunities to conduct noteworthy research. We know these approaches work because our graduates achieve exceptional success upon graduation, whether they’re being recruited by some of the world’s top companies or making impactful contributions in academia. 

CONTACT
Location: Washburn Shops
Phone: 508-831-5218

Our Ideology

Mission 

The WPI Business School develops adaptive leaders who create sustainable solutions, deliver globally responsible impact, and conduct transformative research at the intersection of business, technology, and people. 

Vision 

Bridging business and technology to develop globally responsible leaders who shape the world. 

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Leadership, Faculty, and Staff

Learn more about the dean, faculty, and staff members who lead The WPI Business School. 

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Accreditations

WPI is one of about five percent of business schools accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) since 2003, completing a re-accreditation review in 2018. AACSB’s mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. AACSB Accreditation has been synonymous with the highest standards in business education.   

WPI’s BS in Industrial Engineering is also accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., (ABET). 

Read more about AACSB here.

Program-Specific Competency Goals

Common to all Undergraduate and Masters programs: 
Evidence-based problem solving: Able to frame a problem and use evidence and analytic reasoning to develop and implement practical solutions.
Team-based collaboration: Able to effectively work together to pursue the common goal of solving complex problems.
 

Undergraduate Programs:
Business Knowledge/Fluency: Able to assess the financial, organizational, and technical viability of proposed business solutions.
Communication Skills: Able to communicate project ideas and results in clear and well-organized presentations and conversations.
 

Masters Programs:

  • Master of Science in Business Analytics:
    • Designing effective analytics solutions
    • Role of analytics in improving organizational performance
  • Master of Science in Information Technology:
    • Designing effective IT solutions
    • Role of IT in improving organizational performance
  • Master of Science in Innovation and User Experience:
    • UX Process Framework: Able to use the UX-driven innovation paradigm to develop appropriate processes for designing competitive products and services.
    • UX Research Framework: Able to apply UX research to assess the efficacy of technological products/services and identify opportunities for improvement.
      • Cross-functional: Able to discuss key issues related to working across the boundaries between technical and business disciplines.
      • Strategic Thinking: Able to generate practical, unique, and usable business insights that create a long-term competitive advantage.
  • Master of Science in Management
    • Cross-functional:  able to discuss key issues related to working across the boundaries between technical and business disciplines.
  • Master of Science in Operations and Supply Chain Analytics
    • Operations and Organizational Excellence: Able to identify the role of operations in improving organizational performance and how operations is linked with other functions.
    • Designing and Improving Operations: Able to use appropriate tools and analysis methods to design and improve processes and systems.

PhD in Business Administration

  • Analytical/Methodological Skills: Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and analytical/methodological skills of their areas of specialization
  • Original Research: Engage in and conduct original research in their chosen area of specialization
  • Communicate Research: Communicate the results of their research in a clear and concise manner
  • Teaching: Prepare to be able to teach college-level courses in their area of concentration (for those students who expect to enter teaching careers)

STEM Designations

WHAT IS STEM?

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math and is a designation given to programs and degrees in those fields of study.

WHAT IS STEM DESIGNATION?

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) are important skills relevant to the economic growth of the United States and its overall competitiveness in the global market. Because the United States has seen a decline of qualified STEM workers over the past several decades, the country has allowed institutions to assign STEM designation to educational programs meeting specific criteria.

WHAT DOES STEM DESIGNATION MEAN FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Enrolling in and successfully completing a STEM designated degree program may allow international students to remain in the United States for an extended period of time to help with the demand for STEM professionals. 

Traditionally international students who enter the United States on an F-1 visa were eligible for up to twelve months of OPT (optional practical training). Students who graduate from a STEM designated degree program may be allowed to extend their stay in the US pending offer of employment from an e-verify employer. Find out more information.  

For additional information on OPT and CPT please contact our International Student and Scholars Office. 

WHICH BUSINESS SCHOOL PROGRAMS ARE STEM DESIGNATED?

News

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Sharing Personal Finance Expertise

Faculty in the News

An Assistant Professor of Marketing in the WPI Business School, Farnoush Reshadi’s research focuses on how consumers make financial and health decisions.

Her expertise has been featured in USA Today and Wallet Hub bringing national attention to her work and WPI. 

Media Coverage

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Supply-Chain.net
Circular and resilient logistics for the supply chain of tomorrow

Joseph Sarkis, professor of management in The Business School, was interviewed about the potential for and challenges associated with improved circularity and sustainability in global supply chains for an article in the French website Supply-Chain.net. Sarkis also spoke about research efforts he helped lead since 2022 as holder of the Chaire d’Excellence TEC-LOGd (Transport, Technology, Circular Economy and Sustainable Supply Chains) at the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France.

TheStreet
Coca-Cola drops exclusive soda LTO

What happens when a product you enjoy goes away? Often it generates “nostalgic brand love,” says Purvi Shah, associate professor of marketing in The Business School. Her research on brand deletion is cited in an article in TheStreet on a return of Sprite Cherry that’s tapping into consumers’ nostalgia.

TheStreet
Discontinued Mountain Dew flavor returns exclusively at Walmart

An article exploring a recent decision to bring back Mountain Dew White Out soda cited research conducted by Purvi Shah, associate professor in The Business School. Shah studies brand deletion and the public backlash and brand nostalgia those decisions can sometimes generate.

Worcester Business Journal
Six college startups win $14K at WooTank pitch competition

Robotics engineering student Jelaleddin Gylychmuhammedov represented the university and his team’s startup, BrailleBox, at WooTank, a regional intercollegiate pitch competition. The student startup, which receives mentorship and other support from the university's i3 Lab, has developed an adaptive learning tool that seeks to help more visually impaired students learn Braille and empower teachers leading Braille instruction.