Integrative & Global Studies

WPI's Department of Integrative & Global Studies (DIGS) is a unique academic department that functions as a gateway for students and faculty to connect with and make a difference in communities around the world.

As part of The Global School at WPI, the department serves three vital components of WPI’s project-based learning model. The Great Problems Seminar  gives students and faculty the opportunity to combine disciplinary lenses to explore holistic approaches to global problem solving. The Interactive Qualifying Project is a distinctive interdisciplinary project experience that challenges students to examine the impact of science and technology on society to address social issues and human needs. The Global Projects Program is WPI’s signature study- and work-away program.

Building on WPI’s distinctive interdisciplinary, project-based approach to education, a Community Climate Adaptation (CCA) Master’s program—a joint program between the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and DIGS—offers students training to support communities and organizations as they adapt to the impacts of a changing climate around the globe.  Students also have the opportunity to pursue Individually Designed Interdisciplinary Majors that are approved, supported, and overseen through the department.

Through DIGS, new research and academic programs will continue to emerge and develop through a dedication to interdisciplinary research with real-world impacts.