 Degree InformationGeneral RequirementsThe master's degree generally requires a minimum of one academic year of study, the engineer's degree two years, and the doctoral degree three or more years beyond a baccalaureate degree in the same field. ResidencyAll MIT graduate degree programs have residency requirements, which reflect academic terms (excluding summer). Minimum residency requirements are:
ThesisAll degree requirements include completion of an acceptable thesis prepared in residence at MIT, unless special permission is granted for part of the thesis work to be accomplished elsewhere. Engineer's DegreeIn the School of Engineering, students may be awarded the engineer's degree. This program provides a higher level of professional competence than is required by the program leading to the master's degree, but less emphasis is placed on creative research than in the doctoral program. Doctoral DegreesA doctoral degree requires the satisfactory completion of an approved program of advanced study and original research of high quality. The Ph.D. and Sc.D. degrees are awarded, interchangeably, by all departments in the schools of engineering and science (except biology) and in the fields of medical engineering and medical physics. The Ph.D. degree is awarded in the fields of architecture, biology, economics, linguistics, management, operations research, philosophy, political science, brain and cognitive sciences, history and social study of science and technology, media arts and sciences, and urban studies and planning. Admission to MIT for the master's degree does not necessarily imply an automatic commitment by MIT beyond that level of study. A few departments require a doctoral candidate to take a "minor" program outside the principal field. Language requirements vary, and some departments require a thorough knowledge of one relevant foreign language or a reading knowledge of two. Cross registrationA graduate student may take courses in any MIT department. Many students choose electives from the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences or take such courses at Harvard University. Cross registration for courses may normally be arranged at Wellesley College and, for some special areas of study, at Boston University, Brandeis University, Tufts University, or the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Students may cross register at Harvard during the spring and fall terms only, but not for thesis work. Students may register for thesis work at Woods Hole if they have been admitted to one of the joint MIT/Woods Hole programs. The MIT registrar handles cross registration arrangements. |