Committee on the Undergraduate Program

Letter from the Chair of CUP to Advisors Regarding Exploratory Subjects for Sophomores

September 2007

Dear Colleague,

I am writing to remind you, in your capacity as an undergraduate advisor, of the Exploratory Subject option available to sophomores. Since Fall 2003, the Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP) has sponsored a five-year experiment under which sophomores could designate one subject as Exploratory in each of their fall and spring semesters. An Exploratory subject is one in which the student may either accept the grade awarded or change the subject to Listener status after the end of the term. Under the terms of the CUP experiment, any subject at MIT — including an Institute or department requirement — may be designated Exploratory. This special designation is intended to ease the transition into the sophomore year and encourage students to explore new intellectual areas.

Students may designate the Exploratory option from Registration Day through Add Date using a special form that can be accessed through this link. Students who choose to drop the subject completely may do so until Drop Date. After Drop Date and until Registration Day of the succeeding semester, students may request a change in the status of an Exploratory subject from credit to Listener.

I hope that you will discuss this option with your sophomore advisees in planning for the fall term. More detailed information about the CUP experiment is available in Section 8 of the Academic Guide.

Thank you and best regards,

Dennis Freeman
Chair of the Committee on the Undergraduate Program and
Professor of Electrical Engineering

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Committee on the Undergraduate Program 2007-08

The Committee on the Undergraduate Program exercises oversight responsibility for the undergraduate academic program, including the freshman year and interdepartmental programs, giving special attention to long-term directions. This committee is responsible for encouraging experimental innovation in undergraduate educational policy. The committee exercises authority to approve and supervise limited educational experiments. More details on the responsibilities of the CUP can be found at the website for the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty.

Dennis Freeman, Chair (2008)
Associate Chair of the Faculty* (Melissa Nobles)
Chancellor Designate Representative (John Fernandez)
Dean for Undergraduate Education* (Daniel E. Hastings)
Dean for Undergraduate Education Designate* (Diana Henderson)
John Belcher (2008-Spring only)
Herbert Einstein (2008)
Meg Jacobs (2010)
Timothy Jamison (2007)
Laura Schulz (2010-on leave Spring 2008)
Bernhardt Trout (2009)
Roy Welsch (2009)

Staff to the Committee
Anna Frazer, Executive Officer
Patricia Fernandes, staff to CUP

Students:
Rebecca S. Adams, '09 (Fall only)
Yi Cai, '08
Kristina Cibor, '11
Reginald Edwards, '08
Martin Holmes, '08
Emilienne Repak, '08 (Fall only)

*Ex officio

Committee on the Undergraduate Program Subcommittees
Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement

Committee on the Undergraduate Program Experiments (see Rules and Regulations of the Faculty for explaination)
Sophomore Exploratory Subject Experiment (AY2004-AY2008)
Spring 2007 project-based Communication Intensive (CI) Subjects

Reports of the Committee on the Undergraduate Program
Review of Pass/No Record Grading and the Sophomore Exploratory Subject, January 2008 (PDF)
Report on Alternative Freshman Programs, April 2005 (PDF)
Report to the Faculty on Advising and Mentoring of Undergraduates, March 2005
Report of the Educational Design Project, August 1999
Mentoring Undergraduates at MIT, May 2001
Report on Freshmen Pass/No Record Grading and Advanced Placement Policy, October 2000
The First Year at MIT: Principles and Priorities, November 1999
Baker Foundation Guideline
Final Report of the CUP Subcommittee on Freshman Advising, May 14, 1997 (PDF)
Final Report of the CUP Subcommittee on Freshman Advising, November 1998 (PDF)

Other MIT Initiatives Related to Undergraduate Education
The Presidential Task Force on Student Life and Learning, 1998
The Presidential Task Force on the Undergraduate Educational Commons

Policies and Procedures
Process for New Undergraduate Degree Programs