Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Rankings

Data year Earned doctorates Full-time graduate students Total R&D expenditures
Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked
2023 163 65 459 248 59.3 602 203 78.1 914
2022 193 58.3 457 184 73.3 680 201 78 900
2021 192 57.6 447 173 75.3 691 264 55.3 583 208 77.4 908
2020 198 56.6 450 183 74.1 697 214 77 916
2019 195 56.9 447 153 78.4 696 280 53 589 219 76.4 914
2018 187 56.9 428 178 74.9 698 230 75.1 911
2017 218 49.3 425 180 74 684 279 52 575 226 75.2 898
2016 248 43 430 178 74.8 697 216 76.2 896
2015 220 49 426 189 73.1 693 277 52 570 217 76.2 898
2014 248 41.9 422 196 71.9 688 227 74.8 889
2013 194 65.5 555
NOTES:
  • 1. See TableBuilder for the prior year data.
  • 2. Blank white cells indicate data not available, not applicable, or institution not eligible for survey.
  • 3. Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

Data

Number of earned doctorates, by major field of study of recipients: 2023–14
Fields 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
All fields 88 68 62 54 60 66 46 35 42 31
  Science and engineering 79 64 59 51 56 64 44 35 41 31
    Science 39 26 35 18 22 15 14 18 12 7
      Life science 9 2 8 6 3 3 1 3 4 3
        Biological sciences 9 2 6 6 3 3 1 3 4 3
        Health sciences . . 2 . . . . . . .
      Physical sciences and earth sciences 4 4 8 4 3 2 1 4 3 2
        Chemistry 1 2 2 . 3 1 . 3 2 .
        Physics and astronomy 3 2 6 4 . 1 1 1 1 2
      Mathematics and computer sciences 23 19 17 8 16 10 11 11 5 2
        Computer sciences 17 15 14 6 10 7 6 7 5 1
        Mathematics 6 4 3 2 6 3 5 4 . 1
      Psychology and social sciences 3 1 2 . . . 1 . . .
        Economics . . . . . . 1 . . .
        Other social sciences 3 1 2 . . . . . . .
    Engineering 40 38 24 33 34 49 30 17 29 24
      Aeronautical/astronautical engineering . 1 1 2 1 3 . 1 1 .
      Biological/biomedical sciences 3 3 4 6 2 5 2 3 4 3
      Chemical engineering 3 3 1 5 2 4 4 2 1 1
      Civil engineering 3 1 . 2 . 3 3 2 3 1
      Electrical engineering 4 8 4 3 5 10 8 3 8 7
      Industrial engineering 1 1 2 1 3 2 . . . 2
      Materials/metallurgical engineering 13 10 3 4 10 8 7 4 1 4
      Mechanical engineering 4 3 3 3 4 6 2 . 5 1
      Other engineering 9 8 6 7 7 8 4 2 6 5
  Non-science and engineering 9 4 3 3 4 2 2 . 1 .
    Education 2 1 . . 3 2 . . 1 .
      Education research 2 1 . . 3 2 . . . .
      Teaching fields . . . . . . . . 1 .
    Humanities . . 1 . . . . . . .
      Other humanities and arts . . 1 . . . . . . .
    Other 7 3 2 3 1 . 2 . . .
      Business management/administration 6 3 2 1 1 . 2 . . .
      Communication . . . 1 . . . . . .
      Fields not elsewhere classified (nec) 1 . . 1 . . . . . .

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Part-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health receiving primary support from federal sources, by field: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by type and primary source of support: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Postdoctorates in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Federally supported science, engineering, and health postdoctorates, by field: 2022–13

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Total R&D expenditures, by field: 2023–14
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
. 66,353 56,904 48,702 43,092 39,878 33,067 33,368 37,822 36,130 29,929
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 1,864 688 484 97 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 4,180 3,303 2,881 3,044 2,017 1,984 2,290 3,006 3,135 2,723
. 787 576 766 732 494 633 735 537 698 478
. 2,166 1,585 1,008 670 510 441 1,731 2,072 1,194 610
. 684 1,294 1,419 2,252 1,599 1,669 1,529 1,369 1,594 1,705
. 4,292 3,046 2,496 2,236 2,024 3,182 3,065 2,692 2,402 2,358
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 20,941 18,938 14,243 10,747 11,327 9,252 9,040 12,454 12,122 5,200
. 24,118 22,013 20,142 18,191 16,793 10,860 10,307 10,142 10,135 9,184
. 3,170 3,538 2,188 2,104 1,791 2,049 1,873 1,214 827 562
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 3,170 3,538 2,188 2,104 1,791 2,049 1,873 1,214 827 562
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 3,402 3,090 1,880 1,404 1,253 1,684 1,374 1,365 1,082 1,555
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 1,824 1,854 1,515 1,760 1,457 453 407 669 1,210 1,166
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 1,824 1,854 1,515 1,760 1,457 453 407 669 1,210 1,166
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 10,974 10,044 10,707 10,150 7,301 3,578 3,694 4,140 4,924 4,605
. 4,748 3,487 3,852 2,773 4,991 3,096 2,959 2,754 2,092 1,296
. 2,443 1,964 2,239 1,351 3,269 1,061 617 765 1,077 609
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 2,305 1,523 1,613 1,422 1,722 2,035 2,342 1,989 1,015 687
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 4,315 3,377 1,452 1,143 2,056 1,590 1,706 2,901 2,220 3,385
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 1,856 2,169 885 369 698 388 615 687 688 627
. 648 0 5 311 1,129 641 686 360 0 0
. 745 247 148 97 52 244 102 41 76 188
. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
. 1,066 961 414 366 177 317 303 1,813 1,456 2,570
. 3,006 2,084 3,811 3,980 3,058 3,456 2,965 2,649 2,630 4,286

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Total R&D expenditures, by source of funds and R&D field: 2023
(Dollars in thousands)
Field All R&D expenditures Federal government State and local government Institution funds Business Nonprofit organizations All other sources
  All R&D fields 66,353 37,736 2,141 20,202 4,072 1,380 822
    Science 24,118 15,522 8 7,406 432 522 228
      Computer and information sciences 10,974 8,476 0 2,094 110 191 103
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Life sciences 3,170 1,519 0 1,147 210 228 66
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 3,170 1,519 0 1,147 210 228 66
        Health sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Life sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mathematics and statistics 3,402 1,947 0 1,450 0 5 0
      Physical sciences 4,748 2,787 0 1,815 112 34 0
        Astronomy and astrophysics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Chemistry 2,305 1,408 0 751 112 34 0
        Materials science 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Physics 2,443 1,379 0 1,064 0 0 0
        Physical sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Psychology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Social sciences 1,824 793 8 900 0 64 59
        Anthropology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Economics 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Political science and government 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Social sciences nec 1,824 793 8 900 0 64 59
      Sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 37,920 20,579 1,981 10,420 3,640 718 582
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 1,864 1,180 0 664 0 20 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 3,006 1,022 0 1,366 92 514 12
      Chemical engineering 4,180 1,975 255 1,618 211 101 20
      Civil engineering 787 289 0 467 0 0 31
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 4,292 1,461 1,000 1,416 223 68 124
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 20,941 13,224 663 4,473 2,171 15 395
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 684 0 0 0 684 0 0
      Engineering nec 2,166 1,428 63 416 259 0 0
    Non-S&E 4,315 1,635 152 2,376 0 140 12
      Business management and business administration 1,856 769 94 936 0 57 0
      Communication and communications technologies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Education 648 306 58 272 0 0 12
      Humanities 745 0 0 664 0 81 0
      Law 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Social work 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Visual and performing arts 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Non-S&E nec 1,066 560 0 504 0 2 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Federally funded R&D expenditures, by federal agency: 2023–14
(Dollars in thousands)
Source of funds 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014
Federal Agencies 37,736 34,004 30,166 26,074 22,964 18,635 19,566 25,976 26,327 19,643
  DOD 10,249 9,100 8,391 6,870 5,945 3,824 4,500 9,382 11,048 6,510
  DOE 3,200 3,184 2,733 1,706 1,177 676 885 1,312 1,596 1,084
  HHS 5,543 4,566 4,175 4,317 4,692 4,902 3,919 3,795 2,786 2,182
  NASA 577 598 348 169 407 277 186 125 103 88
  NSF 13,042 11,976 10,889 10,551 8,082 7,307 7,748 7,804 7,619 7,047
  USDA 324 318 301 185 261 282 39 49 5 82
  Other 4,801 4,262 3,329 2,276 2,400 1,367 2,289 3,509 3,170 2,650

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Headcount of R&D personnel: 2023–17 [temporarily discontinued]
Year
2023 . . . .
2022 . . . .
2021 . . . .
2020 . . . .
2019 801 183 618 .
2018 715 125 590 .
2017 692 111 581 .

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field: 2023–14
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space 2023 2021 2019 2017 2015
  All research space 168 143 133 127 130
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 29 20 20 22 31
    Computer and information sciences 12 9 9 8 6
    Engineering 101 84 80 78 75
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Health sciences 9 15 1 0 0
    Mathematics and statistics 3 4 7 3 3
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 12 8 14 14 13
    Psychology 2 1 1 1 1
    Social sciences 1 2 2 2 1
    Other 0 0 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

New construction of science and engineering research space, by field and time of construction: 2025–16
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021
  All research space . . 21,000 . . 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences . . 800 . . 0
    Computer and information sciences . . 6,150 . . 0
    Engineering . . 12,250 . . 0
    Social sciences . . 1,800 . . 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

Costs for repair and renovation of science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field and time of repair and renovation: 2025–16
(Dollars in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017
  All research space 0 5,732 11,686 5,978 619
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Computer and information sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 0 5,732 10,357 4,263 619
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Health sciences 0 0 886 858 0
    Mathematics and statistics 0 0 0 0 0
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 0 0 443 858 0
    Psychology 0 0 0 0 0
    Social sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Other 0 0 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities