Responsible for the overall quality of teaching, scholarship, and research at WPI, the Office of the Provost is the nerve center for academic oversight, support, and resource operations.

In collaboration with the university’s deans and professional staff, the provost works to assure the continued excellence of WPI’s premier undergraduate program, the relevance of our graduate research enterprise, and to attract, recruit, and retain outstanding faculty.

Academics are at the heart of what we do

A message from Bruce Bursten, PhD
Provost and Senior Vice President

On behalf of the academic enterprise at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, I am pleased to welcome you to our special institution—the third-oldest technology-centered university in the United States. Academics are at the heart of what we do at WPI. Our distinctive, world-class educational opportunities, passionate and brilliant faculty, and cutting-edge research programs provide superb preparation for our highly-motivated students and fuel a discovery engine that generates new ideas and solutions to serve our nation and the world.

Research at WPI

WPI faculty and students are engaged in conducting research at the far reaches of discovery—and always with a purpose. Passionate about their disciplines and their students, our faculty are remarkable in their commitment, even when it comes to encouraging children to reach for STEM. Every year, faculty step up to enthrall throngs of children and families at TouchTomorrow, our festival of science, technology, and robots.

Research

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Projects and their impact

Both in and outside the classroom at WPI, students are immersed in projects that apply their growing knowledge to real-world challenges. In the process, they become better problems solvers, communicators, and leaders. WPI’s Global Projects Program immerses students in communities as close as our home city of Worcester and at more than 40 other locations worldwide. Students work in teams with a faculty advisor and are accountable to a project sponsor on a specific problem that connects science or technology with social issues and human needs.

Project-based Learning

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Annual graduate research celebration

Graduate students at WPI are part of a large and thriving research community. The Graduate Research Innovation Exchange is a two-part annual research poster celebration highlighting the breadth, diversity, and quality of graduate research at WPI.