School of Engineering

Theory. Practice. Impact.

At WPI, students are involved in engineering projects and research from the very beginning. Our pioneering project-based learning approach means our undergraduate and graduate students learn in the classroom and then can immediately apply their skills to solve real-world problems.

Students work alongside our world-renowned faculty, many of whom bring invaluable industry experience to their work. WPI graduates become proficient and agile engineers able to adapt to a constantly changing global environment. They’re prepared to collaborate with peers across disciplines—from engineering to the arts and sciences to business—to develop innovative and effective solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

This groundbreaking approach establishes a foundation for career success and life satisfaction.

Students working together on a project at WPI

Education

The School of Engineering gives students opportunities to solve real-world problems through team-based projects, immersive research experiences, rigorous independent study, and close student/faculty mentorship.

Engineering Departments and Programs

WPI Plan

Project-based Learning

Grand Challenges Scholars Program

Network of Global Project Centers

Professor Eric Young talking with a student in a chemical engineering lab

Research

Our well-funded research projects showcase the breadth and depth of the engineering advances at WPI. A research-with-purpose mindset across the university applies many perspectives and collaborations to meet the biggest challenges we face.

Interdisciplinary Groups

Metal Processing Institute

PracticePoint

Center for Wireless Information Network Studies

Center for Advanced Research in Drying

Alumni & Students

With a devotion to life-long learning and a commitment to make the planet better, WPI’s students and alumni produce boundary-pushing results with the widest impact. They approach their work with a careful balance of improving technology and humanity.

Insider Mark Bray ’21

Stephen Rusckowski ’79, Leading Quest Diagnostics Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

Three Degrees of Theory and Practice: Jessica Rosewitz

Yatao Liu ’08 (PhD), Supporting the Global Front Lines

Got Potholes? This Student Team Has a Solution

News

SEE MORE NEWS

WPI PhD candidate Heather LeClerc (foreground) and WPI PhD student David Kenney work together to seal and prepare the reactor used to produce bio-oil from toxic sludge.

WPI Researchers Aim to Turn Toxic Sewage Sludge into Renewable Energy

May 03, 2021

Composite image of teaching professors who have been promoted.

WPI Announces 13 Promotions for Teaching Faculty

April 28, 2021

WPI students (from left) Mia Buccowich, Andy Strauss and Brian Fay with Texas student Payton Heiberger; prosthetic prototype (far right).

WPI Undergrads Create Partial Hand Prosthetic for Texas Student

April 20, 2021

WPI researchers pour molten metal into a preheated investment casting mold.

WPI Helps U.S. Military Optimize Mobile Manufacturing Labs

April 07, 2021

Researchers Expanding Development of Oxygen Sensor for Babies to also Monitor COVID-19 Patients

An interdisciplinary group of researchers at WPI is expanding their previous work to develop a small wireless mobile sensor that will measure a baby’s blood oxygen levels to also create a similar sensor that can act as early detection device for COVID-19 infections.

Learn more

Researcher Leads $2.4 Million Project to Manufacture Low-Cost, Fast-Charging Lithium Ion Car Batteries

WPI will lead a team of industry and university researchers in a $2.4 million project to manufacture cheaper, faster-charging lithium ion car batteries. The researchers will reduce the cost and charging time of lithium ion car batteries by building on previous research to manufacture battery electrodes with a solvent-free approach.

Learn more

Chemical Engineers: “Why Not Make Waste Work for Us?”

Two WPI chemical engineering research projects investigating sustainability and waste reduction received nearly $540,000 stemming from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 2026 Idea Machine competition. The work will explore finding applications for nitrogen-rich waste products and converting marine plastics into ship fuel.

Learn more

Jennifer D.

Sophomore, BS in Mechanical Engineering

A sophomore varsity swim team member and mechanical engineering major discovering the power of teamwork in the pool, in the classroom, and in life.

Jordan J

PhD, Biomedical Engineering

Jordan's work with value creation in his biomedical engineering research taught him to apply his scientific breakthroughs in a way that makes a positive impact on humanity.

Reisya I.

MS, Materials Science and Engineering

Learning about other cultures has only enhanced Reisya’s experience as a Fulbright Scholar studying materials science and engineering at WPI.

Sean H.

Senior, BS in Mechanical Engineering & MS in Manufacturing Engineering

An undergraduate rises to the top of his Air Force ROTC detachment all while earning his bachelors and masters degrees at the same time.

#3

Best Colleges in Massachusetts by Salary Potential

PayScale (2019)

Top 25

STEM colleges

Forbes (2018)

140%

increase in research funding from FY16-20

Top 50

best colleges for engineering in America
Niche (2021)

Media Coverage

SEE ALL MEDIA COVERAGE

The Boston Globe

At WPI, the task was to fashion a hand prosthetic for a student in need. They built more than that

Boston Globe columnist Thomas Farragher wrote a column about WPI robotics engineering professor Marko Popovik and undergraduates Mia Buccowich ’22, Andy Strauss ’23 and Brian Fay ’22 helping to develop a partial hand prosthetic for University of Houston student Payton Heiberger. “Working with them in the lab and coordinating with students of my own age has been amazing,” Heiberger said of her experience working with the WPI team.

The New York Times

The Robot Surgeon Will See You Now

The New York Times article highlights some of Prof. Greg Fischer’s work. “Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute are developing ways for machines to carefully guide surgeons’ hands as they perform particular tasks.”