The student-faculty ratio at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is 13:1, and the school has 63.7 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Worcester Polytechnic Institute include: Mechanical Engineering; Computer Science; Chemical Engineering; Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering; and Electrical and Electronics Engineering. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 96 percent.
Faculty & classes
Faculty
Student-faculty ratio
13:1
Total faculty
420 full time
88 part time
Minority
17% full time
8% part time
International
12% full time
13% part time
Full-time faculty with Ph.D or terminal degree
89%
Classes taught by graduate assistants
0%
Full-time faculty gender distribution
Part-time faculty gender distribution
Class Size
Class sizes
Classes with fewer than 20 students63.7%
20-4925.7%
50 or more10.5%
Requirements
General education/core curriculum required
No
Coursework required for graduation
Humanities
Mathematics
Sciences (biological or physical)
Social science
Graduation & retention
Freshmen Retention
Average first-year student retention rate
96%
International Student Retention
International student retention rate
96%
Graduation Rates
6-year graduation rate of students who received a Pell grant
88%
6-year graduation rate of students who received a subsidized Stafford loan
85%
6-year graduation rate of students who did not receive a Pell grant or subsidized Stafford loan
89%
6-year graduation rate of international students
92%
Degrees Awarded (July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018)
Post-bachelor's certificates
35
Post-master's certificates
-
Doctoral degrees - research/scholarship
65
Doctoral degrees - professional practice
-
Doctoral degrees - other
-
2017-2018 Graduates Employed Full-time
Employed as entrepreneur
0.3%
Employed in temporary/contract work
-
Postgraduate internship/fellowship
2.7%
Graduates reporting salaries
64%
Graduates reporting bonuses
15%
2017-2018 Graduates Employed Part-time
Employed as entrepreneur
-
Employed in temporary/contract work
-
Postgraduate internship/fellowship
-
Graduates reporting salaries
-
Graduates reporting bonuses
-
2017-2018 Graduates Other
Enrolled in a volunteer service program
0.4%
Enlisted in the military
1.3%
Enrolled in continuing education
19.2%
Attended a graduate education program
5.1%
Attended a graduate engineering program
13.5%
Attended medical school
0.4%
Attended a graduate nursing program
0%
Graduate schools most often attended by recent graduates
Boston University
Brandeis University
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Cornell University
Seeking continuing education
0.2%
Not seeking employment
0.4%
No information provided by graduate
7.8%
Prominent Alumni
School's most prominent alumni
Dean Kamen '73: Serial Entrepreneur; founded FIRST Robotics to inspire students in science and technology, Michelle Gass 90: CEO, Kohls Department Stores, Inc., Paul Ventimiglia 12: Three-time BattleBots World Champion
Majors
General Information
Credits apply to multiple majors
-
Five Most Popular Majors
Five most popular majors for 2018 graduates
Mechanical Engineering 22%
Computer Science 14%
Chemical Engineering 11%
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 9%
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 9%
Alumni Starting Salaries by Major
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$66,500
Biology$46,500
Biotechnology$45,500
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
Management Information Systems (MIS)$77,900
Engineering
Electrical Engineering (EE)$77,100
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering$74,500
Mechanical Engineering (ME)$71,500
Industrial Engineering (IE)$71,200
Chemical Engineering$70,100
Mathematics and Statistics
Applied Mathematics$70,700
Mathematics$65,000
Physical Sciences
Physics$70,600
Chemistry$59,400
Majors Offered at This School
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other
Business/Commerce, General
Management Information Systems, General
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
Technical and Scientific Communication
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
Computer Science
Computer Software and Media Applications, Other
Engineering
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering, General
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Humanities/Humanistic Studies
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other
Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics and Statistics, Other
Mathematics, General
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
Science, Technology and Society
Sustainability Studies
Physical Sciences
Chemistry, General
Physics, General
Social Sciences
Economics, General
International Relations and Affairs
Visual and Performing Arts
Game and Interactive Media Design
Minors
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
Mathematics and Computer Science
Sustainability Studies
Systems Science and Theory
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
Mathematics and Statistics
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
Business/Commerce, General
Management Information Systems, General
Engineering
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical/Space Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering
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Physical Sciences
Chemistry, General
Physics, General
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
Computer Science
Computer Software and Media Applications, Other
Social Sciences
Economics, General
International Relations and Affairs
Academic programs
Academic Programs
Degrees offered
Bachelor's, Post-bachelor's certificate, Master's, Doctorate - research/scholarship
Combined-degree programs
5-year BS/MS Program in Industrial Mathematics
5-year BS/MS Program in Financial Mathematics
5-year BS/MS Program in Fire Protection Engineering
Student participation in special study options
Independent study
Teacher certificate program
Accelerated program
Study abroad
Student-designed major
Student participation in special academic programs
Senior capstone or culminating academic experience100%
Undergraduate research/creative projects100%
Qualified undergraduate students may take graduate-level classes
Yes
Pre-professional programs
Pre-law, pre-dentistry, pre-medicine, pre-veterinary science
Cooperative education programs
Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social/Behavioral Science
Teacher certification is offered in
Middle/junior high, secondary
Subject areas offering education certification
-
Counseling services offered
academic
birth control
career
minority student
military
older student
personal
psychological
religious
veteran student
international students
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Honors college 2018 enrollment
-
Honors program 2018 enrollment
-
Online bachelor's degree program offered
No
Percentage of bachelor's degree programs that are available online
-
Individual online courses offered for bachelor's degree credit
Yes
Domestic Study Away
Semester/term-away programs
-
Student exchange programs offered with
-
Percent of 2018 graduates participating in domestic student exchange programs
-
Study Abroad
Countries where study abroad opportunities are available
Albania
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Brazil
China
Costa Rica
Denmark
Ecuador
France
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2018 graduates participating in study abroad programs
-
Consortia
Consortia
Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts
Veterans
Institution is G.I. Bill certified
Yes
Institution participates in Yellow Ribbon Program
Yes
