The Business School at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) finished No. 42 on Poets&Quants’ 2025 ranking of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs in the U.S. In our three methodological categories, it finished No. 51 in Admission Standards, No. 28 in Career Outcomes, and No. 44 in Academic Experience (based solely on our alumni survey).
The B-school’s acceptance rate for the fall 2024 incoming class was 44.2%, and its six-year graduation rate is 90%.
In career data, 83% of Class of 2024 graduates and 72% of Class of 2023 grads completed at least one business-specific internship before graduation. Some 90.9% of 2024 grads found jobs within three months, compared to 92.3% of 2023 grads.
Average salary for the most recent graduates was $92,518, one of the highest among ranked programs. The top employers included Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, MITRE Corporation, and UMass Chan Medical School.
CURRICULUM
Students at The WPI Business School can choose from five majors including Business, Industrial Engineering, Management Engineering, Financial Technology, and Management Information Systems. Recent course additions such as “Business Applications of Machine Learning” and “Introduction to Prescriptive Analytics” highlight the business and technology-focused education at The Business School. Projects are the core of the WPI curriculum. Many courses require students to apply their knowledge from classes and labs to real-world situations.
WPI’s Business School stands out for its project-based, globally engaged curriculum that integrates business and technology to develop adaptive, entrepreneurial leaders. With a 150-year history of technological advancement, WPI operates at the intersection of business, engineering, and innovation, ensuring that students graduate with both technical expertise and strategic business skills.
WPI emphasizes real-world application through team-based projects, interdisciplinary collaboration, and hands-on problem-solving. The school’s STEM-certified business programs provide students with a strong analytical foundation while preparing them to apply technology-driven business solutions to complex global challenges.
“Project work helps students become better collaborators, critical thinkers, public speakers, and communicators — vital to success at WPI and the skills that distinguish WPI graduates throughout their careers,” Laurie Stokes, associate director of Business Programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, told us.
MAJOR QUALIFYING PROJECT
The WPI Business School students all take part in the Major Qualifying Project, a team-based design or research project that culminates their undergraduate education. Student teams, representing all WPI academic departments, present their project results to faculty advisors and external sponsors in the spring.
The goal of the Major Qualifying Project is for students to apply the theories and concepts learned in their business courses to solve a specific problem in the real world. And because the project is required by all undergraduates, every student at The Business School graduates with experiential learning experience. Many alumni surveyed highlighted the Major Qualifying Project as a “signature experience” during their time at The Business School and credit the experience as beneficial to their careers today.
“Through my Major Qualifying Project, I was able to get hands-on experience working for MilliporeSigma that gave me invaluable skills,” one alumni told us. “With these skills I’ve been able to apply them to my current job in a different field.”
“I had the opportunity to work with Pacific Can in Beijing to improve their drying process,” another alumni said. “I was able to work side by side with their engineers, and present to the company’s leadership team. This real world business experience I believe helped distinguish myself from other candidates in interviews, and helped prepare me for the current analysis work I do at Grubhub.”
Students can choose from more than 50 project centers across six different continents. To ensure equal opportunity, WPI offers a Global Scholarship up to $5,000 to study abroad at one of their international project centers.
While many universities have study abroad programs for their students, WPI’s dedication to ensuring equal opportunity for all of its students is certainly something that makes The WPI Business School stand out.
RECENT INNOVATIONS
To keep pace with industry advancements, WPI has introduced several new STEM-certified business degrees. The Information Systems and Technologies (IST) major, launched in AY 2024-25, replaced the Management Information Systems degree, offering students expertise in AI, machine learning, web-based applications, and systems design. Students can customize their studies by choosing concentrations in Analytics and AI, FinTech, User Experience, or a General Technical track.
In AY 2023-24, WPI introduced the Financial Technology (FinTech) major, providing students with an interdisciplinary curriculum blending finance, mathematics, data analytics, and computer science. FinTech students can specialize in Financial Analytics, Financial Technologies, Financial Mathematics, or General FinTech, preparing them to drive technological innovation in the financial industry.
The Management Engineering (MGE) degree was updated for AY 2022-23 and is now STEM-certified. This degree combines business competencies with technical expertise, preparing students for leadership roles in engineering-driven organizations. Many MGE graduates are recruited into leadership development programs, which fast-track them into high-level positions at leading firms.
ALUMNI SAY
“I completed capstones for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees and feel that both were instrumental in furthering my understanding of the material I learned throughout my time at WPI. In particular, interfacing with real stakeholders in industry was very beneficial in helping me develop skills I use in my job today.”
“The experience was very important in getting to work with other students in my major & collaborating with external partners to develop business requirement, come up with solution designs, & implement the solution design. This has prepared me extremely well for my current role & taught me valuable soft skills for the workplace.”
“WPI’s business programs integrate technology and innovation, making graduates well-equipped for data-driven decision-making.”
“I conducted a social science project in Korce, Albania that helped develop my soft skills in interviewing and working with people.”
