Student Services

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Facilities and Services

Academic and Research Computing

Higgins Labs, https://www.wpi.edu/research/resources/support/academic-research-computing

  • Instructor-led scientific and engineering software applications training 
  • Data management and access to cloud collaboration space
  • Numerous high performance computational resources available for student research projects
  • Large-format poster printing located in Higgins Labs
  • Enterprise level rapid prototyping/3D printing located in Higgins Labs

Bookstore

The bookstore, located on the second floor of the Rubin Campus Center, is open during the school year 9am-5pm Monday through Thursday, 9am-4pm Friday, and 10am-3pm Saturday.  Textbooks may be purchased in the store or online at wpi.bncollege.com.

For more information, please call (508) 831-5247, email bookstore@wpi.edu, or visit online at wpi.bncollege.com

Center for Well Being

WPI’s Center for Well-Being (CWB) is a hub for cross-functional campus efforts aimed at improving student, community, and campus well-being through evidence-based practices, coordinated initiatives, the support of student and faculty research, and strategic visioning. The WPI CWB is located in Daniels Hall Room 102 / The Morgan Wedge. The CWB offers a beautiful, supportive, safe oasis of calm and peace, with community spaces ideal for a wellness break and cup of tea, quiet spaces for meditation, prayer or reflection, and gathering spaces for group programming. More information about the WPI CWB can be found here: https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/health-wellness/center-for-well-being. 

Class Cancelation

When all classes are canceled (severe weather during the midday period, forecast to last through evening) cancelation will be broadcast on radio stations WTAG, WSRS, WAAF, WFTQ, WKOX and WBZ. Information will also be posted on the university website and on the cancelation hot line at 508-831-5744.

Collaboration and Learning Resources 

Collaboration and learning are supported through specialized software and applications, technology-enhanced spaces, and equipment loans.

  • Learning Management Software: Canvas course websites
  • Tools: Office 365 (email/calendar/contact, task, document management), Microsoft Teams for video/audio and chat
  • Web-conferencing: Zoom allows remote participants to conduct meetings in real-time in a web-based environment from any location with a web-enabled device and a high speed Internet connection
  • Tech Suites: Technology-enhanced meeting spaces with wireless screen-sharing designed for student project group use
  • Learning Spaces: Active learning classrooms, electronic classrooms, and electronically enabled conference rooms
  • Equipment Loans: Laptops, digital cameras, audio recorders, hard drives, projectors, etc.

Computer Labs

Over 700 public computers are available across campus for student use. Many are located in open access labs within academic buildings and throughout the Gordon Library. Public computer labs offer a consistent user interface and software profile. Specialty labs for students include:

  • Multimedia Lab and Shuster Digital Scholarship Lab enabling high-end digital editing, scanning, and GIS are available in the Gordon Library
  • Maker space, prototyping and recording labs are housed in the Innovation Studio
  • Design Studio offers powerful workstations for CAD/FEA/FEM projects and coursework in Higgins Labs

Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies

The Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies is the principal advocate for graduate programs across all disciplines at WPI. Graduate students needing assistance with academic issues should reach out to the Dean’s Office. The Dean and the Office of Graduate Studies coordinate the annual graduate student orientations, the Graduate Research Innovation Exchange (GRIE), the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition, and other major events for graduate students. The Dean and Office of Graduate Studies also organizes graduate student professional development programming, including the Student Training and Readiness Series (STARS), provides student success support to all graduate students, and the Dean serves as an advisor to the Graduate Student Government.

Dean of Students

The Dean of Students’ office staff is available for in-person or Zoom meetings with students enrolled in all programs to assist with any out-of-the-classroom concerns that may arise. Staff members are available between 8:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. Appointments outside of these hours can be ­arranged by calling 508-831-5201.

Gordon Library

The George C. Gordon Library is open over one hundred hours each week during the academic year. The library provides resources and innovative services to support the curriculum and research needs of the WPI community.

Information resources: The library’s collections include over 200,000 electronic journals, over 1.3 million academic ebooks, and several hundred research databases. 180,000 books, music CDs, DVDs and other media, and bestsellers and newspapers are also available for educational and recreational purposes. The library catalog, electronic journal and book collections, specialized research databases, course-specific information, and many other resources are available from the library’s website (http://library.wpi.edu). The website features powerful search options and links to digital resources and services. Access to WPI users who are off-campus is available by logging into resources by following instructions available at:  https://www.wpi.edu/library/research/research-off-campus.   Students can also request any materials not held in Gordon Library through the interlibrary loan service. Requested journal articles can often be delivered electronically within a day or less.  WPI students also have access to the collections of other academic libraries within Central Massachusetts with the library’s membership in the Academic and Research Collaborative (ARC).

Research services:  The staff of Gordon Library offers many services that support graduate students. Librarians can meet with students either as individuals or in groups for research consultations. Meetings can be scheduled via the library’s website, or by emailing library@wpi.edu, and librarians are available to meet with remote learners via video conferencing software. Librarians also support graduate students in their roles as teaching assistants by providing library instruction and orientation sessions.

Archives: The staff of Archives and Special Collections works with students to access historical resources relating to WPI and the region. The library’s Archives and Special Collections department includes the historic records and artifacts of the university, rare books, manuscripts, and artwork including major holdings of Charles Dickens’s life and works; and a growing archive that documents WPI’s history of invention and innovation in education and industry.

WPI dissertations and theses:  The library manages Digital WPI (https://digital.wpi.edu), a digital collection that includes all WPI dissertations and theses since 2002. To support student authors, the library offers detailed information and support on submitting your theses and dissertations. All theses and dissertations through 2004 are available to review or borrow from the library’s print collections, and the library also offers online access to Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global, the world’s most complete collection of dissertations and theses from around the world.

The library building:  The library’s four floors contain a wide variety of individual and group study spaces. On the main entrance floor, Gordon Library information services, the Academic Technology Center, and the (IT) Technology Service Desk are conveniently co-located; the adjacent Class of 1970 Library Café offers food and beverages. Tech Suites – private offices seating six - are located on the first (lower) and main floors; they can be reserved online for student group use. Additional quiet and group study spaces are located throughout the building. Special exhibits including work by WPI artists are offered regularly in the library’s galleries, and WPI authors are regularly invited to talk about their work in the library’s WPI Writers event series.

Computing: In addition to WPI’s wireless network and computers in the Tech Suites, the library offers over 80 public-use computers; those in the Multimedia Lab on the first (lower) floor offer specialized multimedia and GIS software.  Laptops may also be borrowed from the IT Service Desk.

For more information: please visit the library website at http://library.wpi.edu .

Graduate And Professional Studies 

Graduate students and professionals continuing their education are an integral part of WPI’s vibrant student population studying in fields across science, engineering, and business. PhD, master's, and certificate programs are offered both on campus and online. To learn more about graduate programs, how to apply, and requirements in science and engineering, visit Graduate Admissions. To learn more about business, visit the WPI Business School.

Graduate students benefit from WPI's intimate size, strategic location, and a community of researchers with open labs, doors, and minds.

At WPI you will have many opportunities to work in teams, receive personalized mentoring from experts in their fields, and engage in multidisciplinary research projects that solve important problems. You'll be encouraged to break new ground to advance your field through discovery or create something useful and marketable. WPI provides a comprehensive education and development programs to provide its graduates with a foundation for success in both industry and academia.

Heebner Career Development Center

The Heebner Career Development Center (CDC) at WPI empowers graduate students to evaluate their developing interests, explore opportunities, make connections, and forge professional pathways in concert with their intersectionality. Throughout the year the CDC hosts a wide variety of events—including workshops, resume critiques, and mock interviews, and networking events—to help students build career competencies necessary for a competitive career advantage. Online career resources specific for graduate students are available 24/7 via Handshake. Graduate students and alumni can attend drop-ins and workshops, as well as request in-person or virtual appointments through Handshake. The CDC is available for lifetime service and support to alumni, free of charge.

Housing

Most graduate students live in rooms or apartments in residential areas near the campus. A limited amount of on-campus housing may be available for single graduate students. Family housing is not available on campus. 

The Residential Services Office, 508-831-5645, provides information regarding both on-campus and off-campus housing. Resources related to off-campus accommodations can be found here.

Information Technology Services

WPI Information Technology Services offers a wide range of information technology resources to the WPI community to support teaching, learning, research and student life. 

Access

The WPI computer account acts as the graduate student’s WPI virtual identity while the student is actively registered. Usage is governed by the Acceptable Use Policy. The account provides access to many technology resources including:

Network 
  • Wired and wireless network available in all academic buildings, residence halls, and participating Greek houses
  • High speed Internet connectivity including connection to Internet2
  • Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides secure remote access to WPI on-campus information technology resources
  • Information Security monitors the WPI network and provides data malware protection 
University Systems
  • University services, such as email, learning management system, eProjects, website, software applications, remote desktop, databases, etc. are enabled by System Operations and Web Development teams.
  • Workday, and related data systems, enable administrative departments to run the critical business functions of the University. They provide students and faculty access to student registration, advising, and financial information. They also enable students to update their biographical information, set proxy, and check grades.
Software

Students can access numerous software applications including academic courseware:

  • in public computer labs
  • via remote services
  • via network download for some applications
  • discounted purchase via online store
Printing Services

The Gordon Library Information Commons Print Center is available to meet students’ scanning and printing needs. Printers are also located throughout the Gordon Library as well as within some computer labs. For additional printing services listed below see Technology Support and Instruction:

  • Large-format poster printing 
  • Rapid prototyping/3D printing

Located in Boynton Hall, lower level. Telephone 508-831-5842 or -5571.
Hours (Monday through Friday)
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m

  • Offset printing
  • Photocopying (including color)
  • Binding of reports
  • Laminating
  • Print from disc, electronically sent files or hard copy
Technology Support and Instruction

Technology Service Desk

Gordon Library, Main Floor; (508) 831-5888; its@wpi.edu; https://hub.wpi.edu

  • In-person or remote technology support provided
  • Requests for assistance can be submitted via phone, email or web
  • IT Service, Software, and Knowledge Catalog provides answers to common issues
Academic Technology Center

Fuller Labs, Room 117; (508) 831-5220; atc@wpi.edu 

  • In-person technology support on audio-visual equipment loaned out for multi-media projects and campus events sponsored by WPI student organizations
  • Large-format poster printing

International Graduate Student Services

The Office of International Students and Scholars is located at WPI’s International House at 28 Trowbridge Road. The office provides information and assistance on immigration and other regulatory matters, information on cultural and social programs and services, as well as general counseling.

With international students from many different countries, WPI is the embodiment of the diversity that characterizes the United States. The International House serves as a venue for a variety of programs throughout the year, such as coffee hours, movies, Midnight Breakfast, lectures and other social and cultural activities. The House, which provides wireless access to the network, has several facilities available to students and scholars and student groups interested in international issues, including:

  • International Seminar Room for discussion groups and meetings 
  • International Resources Room with cross-cultural material, travel information and computer access
  • Lounge for students and visitors to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee or a game of backgammon
  • A guest room for temporary housing 

Office of International Students and Scholars: 508-831-6030. 

Internship Resources

The Heebner Career Development Center can assist graduate students develop a strategic approach to the job search process. There are many opportunities to connect with employers throughout the year, workshops on how to find employment, as well as internship postings and events in Handshake. The registration process for internships, however, is done through the Office of Graduate Studies.  

For more information visit wpi.edu/+CDC. To contact the Heebner Career Development Center, call 508-831-5260, email cdc@wpi.edu, or visit us in Unity Hall, 5th Floor.

Mail Services

Located in the Campus Center, first floor.

Student Mail Room 508-831-5317,

Incoming/Receiving 508-831-5523,

Mail Processing 508-831-5317.

  • Package pick-up
  • Stamps sold
  • Letters and packages weighed, metered
  • Discounted Express Mail
  • Fax services
  • Limited number of mailboxes available

Office of Accessibility Services

The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) coordinates accommodation services to assist students with documented physical, learning, sensory, psychological, and developmental disabilities during their time at WPI.

OAS strives to foster an environment that supports and encourages self-advocacy, independence, and personal growth. OAS currently works with students throughout the year to support accommodation services covering all aspects of academic and campus life. Please contact the office by calling 508-831-4908, emailing accessibilityservices@wpi.edu, or visiting their website at Wpi.edu/+accessibility.

 

Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Multicultural Education (ODIME)

The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) houses several identity centers which are designed to foster an inclusive campus community which respects, honors, and celebrates diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in all of its dimensions; including but not limited to differences of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, socioeconomic status, ability, nationality/citizenship, and other identities. ODIME is located at 20 Schussler Road, OASIS (offering acceptance, support, and inclusion to students) House provides a place for students to relax, socialize, and host gatherings. It offers comfortable areas for students to study as well as conference rooms, a computer lab, and indoor and outdoor event spaces. More information about ODIME can be found here: https://www.wpi.edu/offices/diversity.

Sports and Recreation

The university provides a varied program of sports and recreation. Graduate students usually enter teams in several intramural sports and may participate in certain intercollegiate club sports as well as on-campus musical or theater groups.

The Sports and Recreation Center presents an opportunity for the whole WPI community to be more active and practice healthier lifestyles.

The Sports and Recreation facilities includes a two-story fitness center with cardio equipment and free weights, a four-court gymnasium, a competition pool, dance studios, a three-lane jogging track, racquetball and squash courts. Graduate students frequently join faculty groups for noontime jogging, aerobics and basketball.

A wide variety of entertainment is brought to the campus, ranging from small informal groups to popular entertainers in the 3,500-seat Harrington Auditorium. A series of films is shown in Perreault Hall, and chamber concerts are presented in the Baronial Hall of Higgins House.

The normal social activities of a medium-sized city are readily accessible, many within easy walking distance. Other activities of interest to students are offered by the many colleges in the Worcester Consortium.

Sports & Recreation Center

The WPI Sports & Recreation Center is a 140,000 square foot state-of-the art, recreational, educational, and wellness friendly facility.  It contains a four-court gymnasium, a competition pool, a two-story fitness center with cardio equipment and free weights, a three-lane jogging track, racquetball and squash courts, dance studios, day use lockers, and physical education, recreation, and athletic offices.

Recreational equipment (basketball, racquets, soccer balls etc.) is available at the Control Desk located on 3rd floor of the Sports and Recreation Center. Graduate students may also participate in intramural sports and club sports. Graduate students also frequently join faculty groups for noontime jogging, yoga, pickleball, soccer, and basketball.

The Sports and Recreation Center presents an opportunity for the whole WPI community to be active and practice a healthy lifestyle. 

For more information log on to the Sports & Recreation Center website or get updates via twitter and instagram.

Student Development and Counseling Center

The Student Development & Counseling Center (SDCC) provides free and confidential counseling, guidance, and support––or just someone to talk to––24/7. From individual and group counseling to crisis intervention to proactive prevention, education, and outreach programs, the SDCC team is dedicated to supporting the personal, social, and academic success and well-being of students. Consultation and referral services are also available to the WPI community. To make an appointment, please call 508-831-5540, or schedule an appointment online. More information on the SDCC can be found online at https://www.wpi.edu/offices/student-development-counseling-center.

Student Health Center

In addition to purchasing health insurance, graduate students may also make use of WPI’s Student Health Center. By choosing this option, you can have a doctor at the Center serve as your primary care physician. You may also then use the center on a walk-in basis during its normal hours (weekdays 8:00am to 5:00pm). You can learn more about WPI’s Student Health Center at www.wpi.edu/+Health.

Student ID Cards

The WPI ID is also a student’s library card and is used in many departments for lab access as well.

Students may also deposit money on their cards for use in the WPI dining locations at a 10% discount. The ID Office is located in East Hall and managed by Residential Services Office.  For specific questions related to ID Office visit the website.

WPI Police

Personal safety information, security practices at WPI and the University’s crime statistic information can be obtained by visiting the campus police Website. Students can also obtain a copy of the University’s “Right To Know” brochure by contacting the WPI Police Department at 508-831-5433.

Graduate students are entitled to parking permits for an annual fee, however the fee may be waived for those in RA or TA positions. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking is also available on the city streets surrounding the campus. Be sure to obey parking signs, as enforcement in Worcester is strict. The city’s winter parking regulations are available on the WPI police website, as well.

Decals may be obtained at the WPI Police Department located at Founders Hall in the Lower Level. WPI Police also has prepared a brochure on parking regulations that is available on-site or online at https://www.wpi.edu/offices/police/parking-traffic.

Writing Center

Located in Salisbury Labs 233, the Writing Center is here to help WPI students improve their written, oral, and visual communication. Their trained writing tutors provide peer tutoring for individuals and teams on any type of communication project, including course papers, presentations, thesis/dissertations, and job-related documents. Tutors can help you at any stage of your composing process--when you're still in early stages of brainstorming and finding direction; when you're in the middle stages of drafting ideas and organizing paragraphs; or when you're in the late stages of your writing, polishing your prose for maximum clarity. In-person and online appointments are available. Please visit https://www.wpi.edu/student-experience/resources/writing-center for more information.