MIT
Reports to the President 1994-95
The Joint Program of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers doctoral degrees in oceanography
and applied ocean science and engineering. Graduate study encompasses
virtually all of the basic sciences as they apply to the marine environment:
physics, chemistry, geology, geophysics, and biology. Students who choose
applied ocean science and engineering may concentrate in the major fields
(civil, environmental, mechanical, and electrical), materials science, or
oceanographic engineering. More than 160 scientists/faculty from the two
institutions participate in the Joint Program.
Since all the faculty involved in the Joint Program are members of an academic
department at MIT, their individual accomplishments and awards are reported
through those departments. These include Courses I, II, VI, VII, XII and
XIII.
There were 206 applicants to the Joint Program for 1995-96, about the same as
last year. We continue to maintain our high acceptance statistics: 68 percent
of all applicants offered admission accepted, giving us the cream of the crop
as our entering class. Women comprise 33 percent of the entering class, and
two of the new students are minorities.
Enrollment in the Joint Program increased slightly this year from 144 to 150
students. The projected enrollment estimate for September 1995 is 159
students, with 17 in Chemical Oceanography, 33 in Marine Geology and
Geophysics, 36 in Biological Oceanography, 38 in Applied Ocean Science and
Engineering, and 35 in Physical Oceanography.
The Joint Program graduated 24 students in 1994-95; of these, 16 received the
doctorate, five received the master's degree, one received the engineer's
degree, and two received both the master's and engineer's degree. The
breakdown by discipline is as follows: Chemical Oceanography (two); Biological
Oceanography (four); Marine Geology and Geophysics (one); Physical Oceanography
(ten); and Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (seven).
In the fall of 1994, the Provost designated a group of MIT faculty to form an
Internal Review Committee. The purpose was to conduct a general review as
well as to consider some of the following issues: level of MIT faculty
involvement in the Program, distribution of students between the Cambridge area
versus that of Woods Hole, the effectiveness of the microwave link as an
educational tool, and the overall administration of the Program at MIT.
In general the Committee expressed overall satisfaction with the Joint Program.
Their main recommendation involved the structure of the Joint Program
administration at MIT, which they felt would benefit from strengthening the
role of the Director.
The Committee found that the two institutions remain dedicated to the goals
originally set forth to maintain and foster this unique and unusual joint
effort in education.
On June 30, I completed my seven-year term as MIT Director of the Joint
Program, which was an extremely rich experience. Prof. Marcia McNutt
(Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences) has been appointed as
the new Director, with enthusiastic support from all involved.
Sallie W. Chisholm
MIT
Reports to the President 1994-95