Data Science | Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Data Science | Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Data Science
Data Ignites Our World.
WPI offers degree programs at the undergraduate level (BS) and
STEM designated
degree programs at the graduate level in Data Science (MS, MS Online, and Ph.D.).
The Data Science Program
prepares WPI students
with the skills to understand, apply, and develop models, algorithms and statistical techniques to gather datasets, draw new insights from that data, and formulate appropriate action plans.
With its long history of research in
big data management, artificial intelligence, statistics, and visual analytics
, WPI is one of a handful of universities ready to prepare graduates for the challenges of this rapidly expanding field. This interdisciplinary program brings together a trifecta of faculty mentors from computer science, mathematics, and business. Combined with our community of student scholars from all over the world, we have a team of
visionary leaders, scholars, and teachers
prepared to contribute important insights that will change the way we live, how we work, and our interaction with the world around us.
Data Scientists are in high demand. With plenty of opportunity, we ask: What will you do with your Data Science degree?
Technological advances in devices, software, networking, and other technologies have given rise to digital data rich in variety, volume, velocity, and complexity.
Elke Rundensteiner
Founding Head, Data Science Program
CONTACT
Location:
Unity Hall
Office Location:
3rd Floor, Room 366
Phone:
508-831-6220
datascience@wpi.edu
Professional & Career Development Offerings
2021871 NRT-HDR: Data-Driven Sustainable Engineering for a Circular Economy
NRT Research Traineeship | Circular Economy & Data Analytics Engineering Research for Sustainability
CEDAR seeks to transform the next generation of technical leaders equipped with DS techniques and methods ready to solve critical engineering and science problems plaguing our society by replacing Linear Economy with a sustainable Circular Economy.
Learn More about NSF NRT CEDAR
Women in Data Science (WiDS)
WiDS Central Massachusetts Annual Conference & Global Datathon Competition
Women in Data Science (WiDS) Central Massachusetts is an independent event hosted at WPI as part of the annual WiDS Worldwide conference, the WiDS Datathon, and an estimated 200 WiDS Regional Events worldwide.  Everyone is invited to attend the WiDS conference and WiDS Datathon Workshop events which feature outstanding women doing outstanding work.
This one-day technical conference provides an opportunity to hear about the latest data science-related research and applications in a number of domains, and to connect with others in the field.
Learn more about WiDS Central Mass
NSF Research Experience for Undergraduate Students
Data Science REU Summer Program
The Data Science Program at WPI, sponsored by the
National Science Foundation
, offers a 10-week, all-expenses paid Research Experience in Data Science for undergraduate students. The WPI Data Science program has successfully operated this site since 2016 and offers students from geographically diverse institutions around the country access to vibrant scientific research projects and undergraduate mentorship.
Learn more about the DS REU Program
Highlights and Achievements
Projects and Awards
One More Time!
Elke Rundensteiner to Receive Another Prestigious IEEE Test-of-Time Award for Groundbreaking Visual Data Analytics Work
September 2024 | For the second straight year, pioneering work in data visualization and visual analytics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received attention with a major IEEE award.
Elke Rundensteiner
, the William Smith Dean’s Professor in Computer Science and Founding Head of WPI’s Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Program, will receive the 1999 VIS Test-of-Time Award at the upcoming Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Visualization Conference for work done 25 years ago resulting in a publication co-authored with graduate student Ying-Huey Fua and the late computer science professor Matthew O. Ward.
Read more about this exciting achievement!
Kyumin Lee
WPI Researchers Awarded $2 Million Grant to Use Science to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
August 2024 |For
Kyumin Lee
, professor of computer science, and
Renata Konrad
, a professor in The Business School at WPI, the new grant represents an evolution of
work they started in 2020
to use a mix of artificial intelligence, physical tools, and supply chain, financial, and social media data to deter illegal wildlife trade.
Read more about this impactful research!
From left, Pegah Emdad, Gavin Butts, and Jethro Lee
Students Solve Real-World Problems with Summer AI Research
August 2024 | How do you build a future workforce of data science and artificial intelligence leaders? At WPI, one approach is to immerse undergraduates in an intense summer program—the Applied Artificial Intelligence for Advanced Applications research experience.
With a three-year grant of $461,597 for a
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
site from the
National Science Foundation
, WPI launched this 10-week research-intensive program in June 2024.
Click hear to read more and learn about the REU Site!
WPI’s new artificial intelligence master’s program to focus on ethics, innovation
Elke Rundensteiner,
The William Smith Dean’s Professor in Computer Scienc
e and founding head of WPI’s new master’s degree program in AI, spoke with Spectrum News 1 about the university’s unique depth of expertise in the field and its aim to satisfy high demand for AI-related jobs.
Read the full article
Elke Rundensteiner Receives the Prestigious IEEE Test-of-Time Award for Groundbreaking Visual Data Analytics Work
Elke Rundensteiner
, the William Smith Dean’s Professor in Computer Science and Founding Head of WPI’s Data Science Program, recently received the
InfoVis 20-Year Test-of-Time Award
from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for her pioneering work on data visualization and visual analytics in 2003.
Read more about this achievement!
Power and Risks of Using AI in Healthcare Applications
April 17. 2023
Worcester Business Journal
Diagnosing AI: Healthcare community excited, wary of artificial intelligence
by Isabel Tehan
Read the full article
Researchers Develop Novel Technology to Screen Voice Recordings for Depression
April 26, 2022
Elke Rundensteiner and Colleagues Use Deep Learning to Tackle Mental Health Ailments
Read the full article
$2.8 Million to Help Soldiers Suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury
September 24, 2018
The project, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), aims to use “smartphone biomarkers” and machine learning to create an early warning system for soldiers and veterans who may be suffering from traumatic brain injuries and infectious diseases.
Learn more about DARPA
WPI MQP Team Partners with the NFL
Predicting NFL Player Performance
Students analyzed whether data collected during the league’s main scouting event could accurately predict how wide receivers performed during real games
Read more in the WPI Journal
Student Spotlight
Meet Our DS Students
Artur Lima ’27
BS in Data Science
Artur works to explore different ways to use and develop technology through project work and competition participation, with support from mentoring professors.
[...]
Karen Bonilla, PhD
PhD in Data Science
Karen seeks to expand her knowledge in data and learning sciences through her research and coursework.
[...]
Will Zawada ’26
BS in Data Science, minors in Math and Spanish
Will applies his experiences from project-based learning to many facets of his STEM education while also expanding his foreign language skills.
[...]
Luz Joseph ’26
BS in Data Science, MS in Business Analytics
Luz grows personally and professionally through her involvement on campus and while tackling academic hands-on projects.
[...]
Nixon Showalter ’26
BS in Computer Science and Data Science
Nixon thrives in WPI’s community-focused environment through group project work and from inspiring professors. He not only gets involved with student activities but also gives back to the community.
[...]
Esther Mao ’26
BS in Data Science and Policy Studies
Esther develops skills both inside and outside the classroom through interdisciplinary projects and on-campus clubs.
[...]
Aidan Henbest ’26
BS in Data Science, minor in Mathematics
Aidan discovered the many ways he can use his education in data science to partake in impactful project work.
[...]
Alumni Success Story
Manasi Vartak '10
Manasi Vartak '10 founded Verta to help companies build AI-enabled products faster than ever.
Read More in the WPI Journal
Data Science Alumni
Yao-Chun Hsieh, Software Engineer at Wayfair
DS 501 taught by Professor Paffenroth is one of the best courses I have taken at WPI.
The curriculum is flexible and provides students the opportunity to grow their skills based on their interest or their ideal job.
You also learn ways of communicating with your teammates, dealing with conflicts, and schedule/time management skills. All of this helped me to fit into the real world quickly and smoothly.
Yang Tao, Retail marketing team, strategy & operation analyst, contractor for Google
During my course of study, I could choose different classes in areas like AI, machine learning, Big Data, and business intelligence. I learned database (sql), data processing and analysis (python), data reporting (tableau). Each course benefited me during my job hunting, as I talked about my projects in the different courses to match different roles and job descriptions. Through my graduate qualifying project (capstone), I also learned new techniques/methods/software to solve data related problems, while improving my public speaking and communication skills.
Alexander Shoop, Software Engineer at DataRobot
The Data Science graduate program has taught me the necessary fundamentals of machine learning and pragmatic data science projects through teamwork. Personally, it has also allowed me to use my creative talent, especially with regards to presentations and video demonstrations.
I would absolutely recommend the Data Science program (undergraduate, graduate, and PhD) to any of my friends and colleagues!
The program emphasizes team collaboration and working towards having a diverse skill set to handle any kind of data science scenario.
Mukund Khandelwal, Quantitative Associate at Wells Fargo
The overall graduate experience involved collaborating with students coming from different academic and cultural backgrounds. Through this experience, I learned how a problem could be approached from multiple angles and solved effectively.
Chen Liang, Data Scientist at Burning Glass
This program starts from a fundamental base and keeps upgrading the difficulty, which made me comfortable and built up my confidence and enhanced my skills—and ultimately made me ready to walk into my new job. It has provided such a great way to not only get our hands dirty real quick, but allows us to innovate.
Rosemarie Day, Senior Engineer in Applied Data Science at Collins Aerospace
I greatly enjoyed the GQP, which connected me with a company and a project that I could interact with and develop while finishing my degree. The project work allowed me to grow my skills in more of a corporate environment while still in school. This provided me with insights into how a data science team works outside of the classroom, what expectations would be set, and also allowed me to work alongside both other students and industry professionals.
Xiao-Qun Wang, Software Development Engineer at Amazon
I learned the data eco-system from both academic and industrial perspective in the Data Science program. The graduate qualifying project (capstone) gave me  exposure in industry. It not only helped me to learn the foundation of industrial core tech, but also how to build good relationships both with the company and other developers.
Chenjie Jiang, Data Scientist at Burning Glass
The high flexibility for course selections gave me a strong background in data science, engineering, and business. I can create my own learning path, based on my career plan. The program also offers interesting colloquium and conversations. WPI is a good place if someone wants to dive into the data science world.
Alumni success story
Digging Deep
To aid a fragile planet, alumni trio uses AI to improve scrap metal recycling in the face of growing demand.
Read more in the WPI Journal
WPI Data Science
Latest Program News and Highlights
Announcements
See More Announcements
From Classroom to the Commonwealth: WPI Graduate Students Land Roles at Mass. Tech Agency After Project Success
August 05, 2025
[Data Science]
2025 Arts & Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows Announced
May 13, 2025
[School of Arts & Sciences]
Computer Science Professor Lane Harrison to Join 11-school Research Collaboration on AI tools for Intelligence Professionals
January 31, 2025
[Marketing Communications]
2024 Arts & Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows Announced
May 08, 2024
[School of Arts & Sciences]
University News
See More News
WPI Study IDs Age- and Sex-Based Patterns in Brain Anatomy to Predict Alzheimer’s
March 05, 2026
Celebrating A Decade of Data Science at WPI
September 30, 2025
LISTEN:
00:00 |
08:58
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Students Explore Careers in Sustainability Through Mentorship Program
March 27, 2025
LISTEN:
00:00 |
08:38
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WPI Researcher Receives National Science Foundation Grant to Study How Humans Interact With Artificial Intelligence
October 08, 2024
LISTEN:
00:00 |
03:14
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Advance with the BS/MS Dual Degree Program
Fast-track your education and career with the BS/MS program by earning a dual degree―an accelerated academic pathway to both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Saving both time and money while building advanced knowledge and skills could help you stand out in today’s competitive job market.
Discover more about the BS/MS program
and your options to earn a BS/MS dual degree at the links below.
FAQs about the BS/MS program
BS/MS program academic catalog information
Facts & Figures
#20
best online master’s in data science
Fortune (2024)
#15
best career placement
The Princeton Review (2026)
#84
best national university
U.S. News & World Report (2026)
Donor Profile
Fellowships Honor Professor Ed Ma’s Legacy
Donors, in conjunction with the Ma family, enthusiastically support the Yi Hua (Ed) and Maria Ma Graduate PhD Fellowship in Chemical Engineering. The late Yi Hua Ma was a professor and department chair of chemical engineering.
Read more in the WPI Journal
Department of Computer Science
Department of Mathematical Sciences
The School of Business
Artificial Intelligence Program
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