Humanities & Arts Requirement | Worcester Polytechnic Institute

An important part of the WPI Plan, the distinctive Humanities & Arts (HUA) Requirement teaches you to transcend barriers, understand thoughts and connections, and comprehend how the history of the world matters to your present and future life. By understanding yourself and the diversity and creativity of human experience, you will be a more well-rounded scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, innovator, leader—you get the idea.

In addition to the many options for HUA coursework and co-curricular activities, the HUA Requirement is your chance to embrace art, theatre, music, and other forms of creative expression. Explore themes of complexity, diversity, and the richness of human experience by examining art/architecture, history, languages, literature, philosophy, or religion. There’s also the option to complete the HUA Requirement at select off-campus project center locations through the Global Projects Program.

No matter how you choose to explore the Humanities & Arts here at WPI, you will acquire broad-based skills that complement and enhance the technical side of your WPI education and gain an individual perspective, one that will allow you to see the world and solve its problems through a lens that is uniquely your own.

Get Off Campus and Into the World

We believe that creating global change is an invaluable part of a WPI education, which is why beginning with the Class of 2022, all students will receive an up to $5,000 scholarship to participate in a global experience. Take your Humanities & Arts Requirement one-step further and immerse yourself in the arts and culture of London, Germany, or Morocco—we can’t wait to see where your experience will take you.

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Robbie Oleynick plays the vibraphone with a blue, purple, and pink soundwave projected on the wall behind him.

Finding the Hidden Symphony in Science

WPI students are encouraged to pursue their passions in all fields, a task that may seem daunting, but the finished product is always worth it.

See how Robbie Oleynick '24 has managed to craft a double helix of engineering and music, making for a college experience that's as unique as, well, his own DNA.

"I can’t imagine myself doing anything similar at any other university."

From the University Magazine

Safe Space

Celena Dopart ’12 brings humanity to human space flight.

Rread more in the WPI Journal

Transformed by, and Grateful for, the WPI Plan

Nancy and Mike Abrams ’77 continue their generous philanthropic legacy by supporting capital projects

Media Coverage

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The Gatepost

FSU and WPI partner on transfer agreements and accelerated master’s programs

A new agreement will allow pre-engineering students at Framingham State to transfer into WPI's School of Engineering to complete a bachelor's degree in engineering if they meet minimum academic requirements. The partnership also provides opportunities for students to join accelerated master's degree programs in data science, medicinal chemistry, and neuroscience.

Nantucket Current

WPI Students Evaluating Nantucket Community Pool Usage

As part of their Interactive Qualifying Project, four students at WPI's Nantucket Project Center are conducting a survey about usage of the Nantucket Community Pool. The project, in partnership with the Nantucket Community School, is one of 89 projects that WPI students have conducted at the project center since 2008 in collaboration with local organizations and town officials. “These projects have covered a wide variety of topics in areas such as energy conservation, museum studies, parks and recreation, coastal erosion, parking, sustainable agriculture, affordable housing, facilities management, light pollution, and town trees," said Nantucket Project Center Director Dominic Golding.

Additional Publications: The Inquirer and Mirror

Nantucket Current

Town Pilots New Streetlights On Main Street To Combat Light Pollution

Nantucket is working in partnership with four WPI students and the non-profit Nantucket Lights on a project to reduce light pollution. As part of the students’ Interactive Qualifying Project, the students will take feedback from residents on new LED streetlights and potential future lighting decisions as part of the town's adoption of an outdoor lighting by-law.

Additional Publications: The Inquirer and Mirror

Waste Management Review

JSS project uncovers the importance of recycling education

An article in Australia's Waste Management Review highlighted the work of WPI students during their Interactive Qualifying Project at the Melbourne Project Center. The students helped Jesuit Social Services' Ecological Justice Hub to support local recycling solutions by designing a plastic recycling assembly line to collect, sort, and recycle bottle caps and turn them into new products. In March, the student team was honored for its work as winners of the Forum on Education Abroad's Award for Academic Achievement Abroad.