Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Colleges You May Like

• Boston University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Northeastern University
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Tufts University

From the College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) believes in the power of its students to make an impact. They may want to be on the first Mars mission, find alternative energy sources, or work on cancer research. To prepare them for leadership and achievement after college, students do much more than study science and technology in the classroom and lab. They complete projects on campus and around the globe where they connect what they have learned in the classroom with pressing real-life challenges, from human health and the environment to business and engineering as well as the arts and humanities. Students grow personally, professionally, and intellectually as they discover how to apply their talents and turn ideas into tangible solutions.

WPI’s aim is to educate students broadly so they can achieve greatly. Though WPI has a more than a 140-year history, the curriculum, like its students, is both innovative and practical. Small classes, a flexible curriculum, and one-on-one interaction with professors at the top of their field make learning at WPI an experience unlike any other.

WPI has been widely recognized for its academic program. WPI was the only technological university out of sixteen national Leadership Institutions selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities to serve as models of outstanding practices in liberal education. WPI is consistently ranked among the top national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In the National Survey of Student Engagement, WPI ranked number one for student-faculty interactions, which is a measure of the quality and quantity of time faculty members spend with undergraduates.

More than thirty-five areas of study in engineering, science, business management, and the liberal arts allow many academic options, from molecular biology to music. Exciting new interdisciplinary programs are driven by real-world demand, such as interactive media and game development, robotics engineering, and environmental studies and engineering. The school also offers preprofessional programs and a five-year B.S./M.S. program.

With so many offerings, it is not surprising that more than 40 percent of students change their major at least once. At WPI, a comprehensive academic advising program and a wide array of academic support services help students make the right choices and reach their goals.

WPI students have received some of the nation’s highest academic honors: the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, the National Institute of Health Research Scholarship, the Fulbright Scholarship, the Goldwater Scholarship, the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, and the Society of Women Engineers Award.

WPI is a member of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, through which WPI students may register for courses at other colleges within the consortium and may take advantage of a wide range of cultural programming offered by consortium members. A consortium shuttle provides free transportation between campuses.

WPI has twenty varsity (NCAA Division III) athletics teams and thirty-four club and intramural sports. WPI won the Worcester Cup for the three of the last five years for the highest overall winning percentage in all sports in Worcester County. There are eleven fraternities and three sororities, fifteen music or theater ensembles, and dozens of academic clubs, international organizations, religious groups, and other organizations. There are more than 200 student clubs and activities.

With its beautiful architecture, grassy quad, and ivy-covered walls, WPI has a traditional New England campus. Students stop and chat with their friends and professors on tree-lined paths, play pool between classes at the Campus Center, or get a coffee with friends. They study in the sun by the fountain in Reunion Plaza, go cosmic bowling, stop and smell the roses in the formal English garden behind Higgins House, or see a student play at the new Little Theatre.

Home to twelve other colleges and universities and more than 35,000 college students, Worcester is a great college town. Late-night diners, clubs, museums, concert venues, and theaters are right down the hill from WPI in Worcester’s vibrant downtown. Boston is less than an hour away by commuter rail, and there are great skiing and snowboarding at nearby Wachusett Mountain. Worcester is centrally located, with easy access to Providence, New York City, the Berkshires, the White Mountains, and Cape Cod.

WPI offers the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts degrees. Degree programs are offered in twenty areas of engineering and science: actuarial mathematics, aerospace engineering, biochemistry, biology and biotechnology, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, environmental engineering, environmental science, fire protection engineering, industrial engineering, interactive media and game development, manufacturing engineering, mathematical sciences, mechanical engineering, physics, and robotics engineering.

In addition, there are seventeen areas of management and the liberal arts: business/management; economics; environmental studies; history; humanities and arts; international studies; literature; management; management engineering; management information systems; music; philosophy and religion; professional writing; psychology/psychological science; society, technology, and policy; system dynamics; and theater.

Three new interdisciplinary majors have been added to the curriculum: interactive media and game development, environmental engineering, and robotics engineering, which is the first undergraduate program in robotics in the nation. WPI offers several preprofessional programs, including dentistry, law, medicine, and veterinary medicine. Students may also design their own majors by combining courses offered in various WPI departments. Undergraduates who wish to continue their studies toward a master’s degree at WPI may enroll in a combined, continuous B.S./M.S. program.

Students take the equivalent of three courses (as either traditional courses or project work) during each of four 7-week terms (two in the fall and two in the spring). At WPI, learning is about more than just theories and ideas. Students learn how to put ideas into practice through the project-enriched curriculum. WPI undergraduates complete two projects before graduation: one directly related to their major and one working with a team of students to solve a problem at the intersection of society and technology–helping to bring electricity to remote villages in Thailand or studying the bioethics of cloning, for example. Students gain valuable professional skills, a talent for team work, and the confidence to dive right in no matter what the challenge.

WPI’s academic program encourages collaboration, not competition. Students work closely together in project-oriented classes. Learning how to work in teams prepares students to achieve results and become leaders in life after college, no matter what path they take.

Top-tier employers seek out WPI graduates for their real-world experience and ability to work collaboratively. With a placement rate of more than 90 percent, students are recruited by leading organizations such as Pfizer, General Electric, Fidelity Investments, and IBM. Each year, WPI graduates are accepted at many prestigious graduate schools, including MIT, Yale, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and Tufts University Medical School.WPI graduates’ starting salaries are higher than those of many other college graduates, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. In addition, WPI was recently recognized by the Boston Globe for having the third highest average starting salaries in New England and the twelfth highest of all universities in the nation.

WPI has sent more engineering and science students abroad than any other university as part of its hands-on, project-enriched curriculum. About half of WPI students complete projects outside the United States and two-thirds do projects off campus. With WPI’s Global Perspective Program, students experience the challenge of solving real-world problems with their fellow students and immerse themselves in another culture. Students complete projects on campus or at any of the more than twenty project centers located on five continents around the globe, including Thailand, Australia, South Africa, Costa Rica, and the U.S. Recent project sponsors include NASA Johnson Space Center, Johnson & Johnson, Morgan Stanley, Environmental Protection Agency, and UNESCO. Through their seven-week project experience, students learn valuable professional skills, including communication, teamwork, and problem solving.

Among the many teaching, research, and project facilities available to undergraduates at WPI are a 71,000-square-foot campus center and a new Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park, which is a state-of-the-art 130,000-square-foot facility at the life sciences-based campus that houses research in regenerative medicine, molecular nanotechnology, biosensors, plant systems, tissue engineering, and untethered health care. A new $11-million Undergraduate Life Sciences Laboratory Center at WPI is scheduled to open in February 2009. The center will become WPI’s main facility for undergraduate teaching and research in biology and biotechnology, biomedical engineering, chemistry and biochemistry, and chemical engineering. WPI’s other state-of-the-art research facilities include two atomic-force microscopes, medical imaging laboratories, a fire science laboratory, a new team-based chemistry lab, a laser holography lab, a computer music lab, a satellite navigation lab, thirty multimedia classrooms and lecture halls, and a research library with thousands of electronic journals, books, databases, and nearly 300,000 volumes.

The university also has an exceptional computer and networking infrastructure. The facilities include nearly 600 computers in open-access, 24/7 labs; powerful UNIX workstations; a Web-based student information system; a high-speed data network that reaches every building and residence hall; and extensive roaming wireless access. WPI is one of only 208 universities nationwide in the Internet2 (the next-generation Internet) and is one of only six institutions in New England with a node on the Access Grid, a worldwide high-speed multimedia conferencing network.

In addition to these existing facilities, a state-of-the-art apartment-style residence hall, with over 200 beds, opened in fall 2008. The building features recreation and fitness space, technology suites on the each floor, meeting rooms on the ground floor for group projects, and wireless access.

Plans are also under way for a new athletic, recreation, and wellness complex.

For 2008–09, full-time tuition was $35,850. Room and board charges were $10,880.

For families with established financial need, aid, including financial aid packages, on-campus jobs, and loan programs, is available. In addition, all applicants are considered for merit scholarships. More information is available from WPI’s Office of Financial Aid (http://www.wpi.edu/+finaid).

Besides being passionate about teaching, WPI’s 314 full- and part-time faculty members are committed researchers and scholars with world-class credentials. They are leading contributors to the fields of nanotechnology, cryptography, fuel cells, and more. Eleven members of the current faculty are Fulbright Scholars, and more than 40 are fellows of top national and international societies. Since 1994, 17 WPI professors have won the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, which is its most prestigious award for young faculty members. WPI has a 13:1 student-faculty ratio. According to U.S. News & World Report, faculty resources, which include salary, class size, and student-faculty ratio, rank thirtieth among national universities.

Through the Student Government Association, the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Association, and the International Student Council, students self-govern and develop their own social programs. WPI prides itself on being a caring community that respects the contributions of individuals, appreciates the diversity of the student body, and emphasizes the importance of cooperation and teamwork.

Applicants for admission must have completed 4 years of English, 4 years of mathematics (including precalculus), and 2 years of lab science. Admission requirements include a school transcript, SAT or ACT scores or alternative materials through WPI’s Flex Path, recommendations from a science or math teacher and a counselor, and a personal essay. For international students whose first language is not English, a TOEFL or IELTS score is required.

The university has high standards for applicants but also looks for more than just outstanding academic performance. WPI takes care to admit students who will likely thrive at the university. They tend to be creative and curious; like to work in teams to get things done; are comfortable making their own decisions and setting their own courses; love math and science but feel just as passionate about literature, music, movies, and the arts; prefer to be leaders, not followers; and are ready to make a positive impact on the world around them.

Students are encouraged to visit the WPI campus to learn more about the university, see its facilities, and hear firsthand about the WPI experience from students and faculty members. WPI is open most school holidays and offers a wide range of options for tours, group information sessions, open houses, personal interviews, and Saturday visits. Details and schedules may be obtained from the Web site of the Office of Admissions.

The deadline for early action round 1 is November 10, with notification by December 20. The deadline for early action round 2 is January 1, with notification by February 10. The regular decision deadline is February 1, with notification by April 1. For transfer admissions, the priority deadline is April 15; students are notified of admission decisions on a rolling basis.

To schedule a visit or request more information, students should contact: