Engaging Locally and Globally for a More Just, Ethical, and Thriving World
Urgent global challenges require the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) practitioners to collaborate for a better world. This calls for education in inclusive globally minded approaches informed by the social sciences, humanities, and arts.
The Global School responds to that need—as only WPI can.
Working in partnership with communities, The Global School empowers and inspires students to become civically engaged, compassionate and globally aware individuals.
Rigorous academic preparation in the Department of Integrative and Global Studies–from the Great Problems Seminar in the first year and immersive field work through the Global Projects Program to our innovative graduate programs–gives students the critical knowledge, collaborative mindset, and methodological tools they need to advance progressive global research and meaningful community partnerships.
MS in Science and Technology for Innovation in Global Development
The global MS in science and technology for innovation gives students the opportunity to explore and apply knowledge in design thinking, global technology and development, and technological and scientific innovation to create real change with and within communities. Working collaboratively, student teams, faculty, and community partners identify and work to implement sustainable solutions that promote resilience and change that makes a positive difference for people.
Project Work in the Global School
The Global School rests on a foundation of extraordinary project work conducted over the past half century and is bolstered with WPI's academic offerings and The Global School's intensive, field-based research approach. To prepare for meaningful careers where they can make real change in the world, students, faculty, and community partners collaborate on team-based, interdisciplinary projects that address real issues in more than 50 communities from the local Worcester region to as far away as Australia. This approach of co-creation transforms lives with ethical and sustainable solutions.
Students work with the university's Global Experience Office to ensure they are fully prepared for their global projects.
Great Problems Seminar Celebrates 15 Years
WPI's Great Problems Seminar (GPS) immerses first-year students in university-level research for complex global challenges. This signature program recently marked 15 years of preparing students for developing ethical global solutions, and it also has a new director.
Research in The Global School
Every student at WPI participates in The Global School research throughout their years here and particularly with their work in the Global Projects Program. The Global School crosses all disciplines to create a network of rich research opportunities and results that foster community-based action. Drawing on deep area knowledge and concern for social justice, our interdisciplinary research, in collaboration with governments, NGOs, and other global organizations, uses design thinking to develop solutions that support community needs and aspirations.
The Student and Alumni Perspective
The Global School's Interdisciplinary Work
For more than five decades, WPI has been a globally focused university where the drive to use technology and innovation for societal good is prominent in everything we do. Whether it is an interdisciplinary research center that aims to improve public safety across the globe, a new regionally focused academic program, or a global partnership, The Global School's work supports and augments work across the university.