Admission to the MIT CDO Program

Admission for Non-MIT Students

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The CDO program does not offer a PhD degree at this time. However, the CDO master's degree program is a natural adjunct to many MIT doctoral programs in engineering and science. Students interested in admission to the CDO program in conjunction with an MIT departmental PhD program should contact us directly at cdo_info@mit.edu .

Requirements
Deadline
Application Fee
Application Process
Contact Information
*NEW: GRE/IELTS/TOEFLRequirements
Financial Support / Fellowships
Non-Discrimination Policy

Requirements

Although there are no formal academic requirements for admission, prospective students should have a strong foundation in a core disciplinary area such as engineering, materials science, physics, or mathematics. The program is very technical, and as such, we expect all applicants to have a firm foundation in and understanding of linear algebra and multivariable calculus.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for fall term admission to the CDO program is January 10 for the following September. The deadline for September 2009 admission is January 10, 2009. The CDO program does not offer spring term admission. Students are notified via email of admissions decisions by early March.

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Application Fee

The MIT graduate application fee is $70. The fee is a mandatory requirement set by the Institute, and the CDO program does not grant fee waivers. The application fee can be paid by personal check, money order, MasterCard or Visa.

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Application Process

All applicants are expected to use the MIT online application. If there are extenuating circumstances necessitating the use of a paper application, please contact the CDO administrator.

Online Application

In order to apply to the program online, students must first create a user account with the ApplyWeb system. Once the account has been established, students can begin the online application process.

Students should apply directly to the CDO graduate program. To do so, follow the general MIT Graduate Admissions Procedure, and indicate "Computation for Design and Optimization" in the area on the application designated for "Department."

All applications to the CDO program must include the following:

• Three letters of recommendation
• Certified academic transcripts ordered from your undergraduate institution (transcript copies are not accepted)
• Completed Record of Subject Section
• A statement of objectives (limit essay to one page)
• GRE General Test Score (Department Code: 1699)
• TOEFL Test Score (Department Code: 69)

Receipt of your application will be acknowledged via email by the CDO Admissions Coordinator. If you do not hear from the program within two weeks of application submission, please send email to cdo_info@mit.edu.

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Admissions Contact Information

All admissions-related documents should be mailed directly to:

CDO Admissions Coordinator
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 35-329
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Email: cdo_info@mit.edu

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*GRE / IELTS / TOEFL Requirements

 

GRE

All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Aptitude Test. The advanced subject test is recommended but not required.

The MIT code for submitting GRE score reports is 3514.

CDO English Language Proficiency Requirement and IELTS

Beginning with applications for Fall 2009 admission, the CDO program strongly encourages international applicants from non-English speaking countries to take the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) instead of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The IELTS exam measures one's ability to communicate in English in four major skill areas: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. IELTS test results are strongly preferred, though TOEFL test scores will also be accepted. A minimum IELTS score of 7 will be required for Fall 2009 admission to the CDO program. For more information about the IELTS, and to find out where and how to take the exam, please visit the IELTS web site.

TOEFL

For international applicants from non-English speaking countries who choose to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) instead of the IELTS, the CDO program requires a minimum score of 600 (250 computer-based, 100 internet-based). Applications with TOEFL scores lower than the requirement will not be considered. A TOEFL waiver may be considered under special circumstances. However, a waiver cannot be granted prior to the submission and review of the application.

The MIT code for submitting TOEFL score reports is 3514.

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Financial Support / Fellowships

CDO students may:

• Be self-supported and perhaps finish in 12-18 months
• Obtain RA support and finish in 18+ months
• Apply for a Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) Fellowship

A number of fellowships are available for the CDO Master's Degree Program: the Singapore government sponsors these fellowships as part of the Computational Engineering (CE) Program in the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA). An SMA fellowship pays all tuition expenses, provides a stipend, and requires the student to undertake a dual degree program that includes both the CDO Master of Science degree at MIT, and a Master of Science degree at the National University in Singapore (NUS). Details of the dual degree program can be found on the SMA Computational Engineering program web site.

For more information on financial support, email us at cdo_info@mit.edu.

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Nondiscrimination Policy

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