Worcester Polytechnic Institute

United States of America

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is one of the nation’s earliest technological private universities which was established in the year 1865 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The campus sits on Boynton Hill, Boston apart from the adjacent neighborhood, which includes restaurants and stores on Highland Street.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has over 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees.Worcester Polytechnic Institute is divided in 14 academic departments with over 6500 students in the campus.

WPI founding motto in 1865 — Theory and Practice — continues to underline their academic programs. The WPI Bioengineering Institute is a significant contributor to Worcester's growing biotechnology industry. Significant research in other fields such as metallic, untethered health care, fuel cells, the learning sciences, applied mathematics and fire protection currently help establish WPI as an important, specialized research university.

WPI's faculty works with students in a number of research areas, including biotechnology, fuel cells, information security, surface metrology, materials processing, and nanotechnology. Graduate research programs include robotics, materials science, cybersecurity, and learning sciences and technology.

WPI's undergraduate schedule is also unusual compared to most universities. Instead of a normal semester, WPI has 7-week terms, labeled A through D, with optional E Terms 1 and 2 in the summer. It is normal to take three courses during each term, which allows students to complete a year's worth of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, etc. in only one semester. PI's project-based curriculum makes it unique by requiring undergraduate students to complete a Sufficiency in the Liberal Arts (or a Technical Sufficiency for liberal arts majors), an Interactive Qualifying Project to study the social effects of technology with students from other disciplines, and a Major Qualifying Project within their own discipline. At WPI, the opportunity to complete significant project work off campus is an integral element of an academic program that emphasizes the practical application of knowledge to meaningful technical and societal problems. Through the Global Projects Program, over 60% of WPI students complete at least one of their required projects at an off-campus Project Center.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has over 6,500 students and 478 academic staff, and the student to faculty ratio is 13:1. The acceptance rate is 49%.

Notable Alumni: Paul Allaire (Previous CEO of Xerox), Lawrence C. Jones (Vermont Attorney General), Todd Akin (Former member U.S. House of Representatives)