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Graduate Dual Degrees
in Planning and Architecture
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Graduate Dual Degrees in Planning and Architecture
What are the procedures for becoming a dual degree student
if you are already enrolled in either Department?
What degree combinations are possible?
What constitutes an acceptable program?
Who is eligible for the program?
Must students compete with all others applying for
admission?
How does the dual degree program relate to the degree
requirements of the two departments?
In which department does a dual degree student register?
What are the arrangements for theses?
What about financial aid?
SUMMARY -- DUAL DEGREE APPLICATIONS
Graduate Dual Degrees in Planning and Architecture
Information
for Students already enrolled in the School of Architecture
and Planning
The School of Architecture and Planning offers students the
opportunity to pursue concurrently graduate degrees in the Department of
Architecture and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, based on
an approved program of study.
Students may write a single thesis for both degrees and complete
their studies in less time than it would ordinarily take if they worked
toward the degrees separately.
The
Dual Degree Program is monitored by The Dual Degree Committee, composed
of faculty representatives from both departments. The committee deals only with dual
degrees in the two departments, involving MCP, MARCH, and SMARCHS degree
programs. Members of the committee include faculty and degree
administrators of the two departments.
The
function of the committee is to advise students prior to application; to
review the proposed program for dual study; to evaluate students record
of performance and capability to successfully complete the proposed
program; to recommend students to admissions committees of respective
programs; and to review and monitor students progress.
What are the procedures for becoming a dual degree student if you are
already enrolled in either Department?
1.
Students prepare a written program proposal and a new application for
admission to the degree program to which they are applying in the
Department of Urban Studies and Planning or the Department of
Architecture. Students should
also request that their original admissions applications be forwarded to
the dual degree committee to be included in their folder. Applications and requirements should be
obtained from the department to which you are applying. These should be submitted to Charlotte
Liu Room 10-485, by January 3rd.
2. The Dual Degree Committee reviews the program proposals and application.
The Committee makes one of three findings: not recommended
(student’s application rejected; no appeal); recommended
(student’s application forwarded to the appropriate admissions
committee with recommendation to accept); or special circumstances
(forwarded to admissions committee for review with no prejudice, along
with a note explaining special circumstances.) Decisions from the Dual Degree
Committee are announced on or about February 15th.
3. The applications and program proposals are then reviewed by the
appropriate admissions committee of the Department of Urban Studies and
Planning or the Department of Architecture. In reviewing dual degree
applications, degree committees may take into consideration whether the
applicant is comparable to other students who have been admitted to the
degree program, and other factors. Decisions from the Departmental
Committees are sent out on or about April 3rd.
This process is designed to ensure that the program of study represents a
meaningful educational path and that the quality of dual degree
candidates remains high. Not
all dual degree applications will be approved--only those which
demonstrate a formulated educational program, and the capability to
pursue it.
What degree combinations are possible?
Within
the School
of Architecture and
Planning, the status is open to students wishing to pursue either Master
of City Planning/Master of Architecture or Master of City Planning/Master
of Science in Architecture Studies. Students may begin their programs in
either department. Students who wish to apply for a second Master’s
degree in a department other than DUSP or Architecture should consult the
graduate advisor in their own department.
What constitutes an acceptable program?
The
Dual Degree Committee looks for several points in judging the adequacy of
a proposed program:
1. What is the student’s eventual career objective? Would (s)he be aided by having formal credentials in both
fields?
2. Will the program lead to special competence and skills in a particular
area, or would it simply mean acquiring a loose collection of experiences
in many different subjects?
3. Area there intellectual advantages to pursuing the two degrees
simultaneously, or could the same or better effect be attained by studying
the two fields sequentially?
4. Does the student evidence the ability — judged in terms of prior
accomplishments, record to date at MIT, participation in program
activities — etc., to integrate the educational experiences so that
they are useful for future professional work?
5. Is the program able to be done in the time the student proposes to
devote to studies?
6. Does the proposed program match our educational resources?
The student proposal should speak to each of these issues.
Who is eligible for the program?
A
student must apply by January 15th before beginning the last full year of
graduate study on the first degree. This means that MCP and S.M.Arch.S. students must
apply during their first year at MIT.
Second year students of these programs are not eligible to apply
to the Dual Degree Program. M.Arch. students (planning a normal 3 1/2 year
program) must apply during or before their second year. The program is also open to any
applicant to the school, who would need to submit two applications and be
accepted to both departments. Students
who are admitted simultaneously to two degree programs should immediately
fill out a petition and submit a program statement in the application for
dual degree status.
Must students compete with all others applying for admission?
The
first requisite is being admitted as a graduate student in the initial
department. Applications for this
are handled in the normal way. In
being accepted for dual degrees, a special admission quota applies. MIT degree students do not compete for
the small number of regularly available places in degree programs of the
Department Architecture and the Department of Urban Studies and
Planning. However, degree
committees may take into consideration whether the applicant is
comparable to other students who have been admitted to the degree
program, and other factors.
Non-MIT dual degree students must be admitted from the general
pool
How does the dual degree program relate to the degree requirements of
the two departments?
Students
will be expected to complete the coursework and core requirements of each
of the two departments. Immediately
upon being accepted into the MCP program, a student must begin the core
courses in September of the second year.
The core courses must have been successfully completed before a
student can register for thesis.
Subjects
that carry joint numbers may be counted only towards work in one
department or the other. For
example, M.Arch. students
must complete the studio sequence and the required number of subjects in
each of the other mandatory areas.
MCP and S.M.Arch.S. students
must fulfill the respective core and other program requirements. The Institute policy as of March 1980
states that a student who is a candidate for the simultaneous award of
two masters degrees and submitting one thesis must satisfy completely the
minimum requirements for both departments separately -- example:
164 M.Arch. 66 S.M.Arch.S.;
126 MCP (without thesis). (In
certain circumstances, a student may petition to reduce the number of
credits for one degree or the other.
Please consult with department administrators.)
In
order to be eligible for the simultaneous award of two maser’s
degrees, a student is required to file a petition with the Registrar,
approved by both departments, at least two terms prior to graduation,
stating the expected program in both departments. Students are expected
to file this petition in their home department administrator immediately
upon acceptance into the Dual Degree Program. For further information on
the format of this petition, consult Architecture or DUSP Administrators
Department.
In
which department does a dual degree student register?
For
SMARCHS students accepted into the MCP program, the student registers in
Architecture for the first and second year, DUSP the third year. For MCP students accepted into the
SMARCHS program, the student registers in DUSP the first year,
Architecture the second year, and DUSP the third year. The student must be registered for a
minimum of two full semesters beyond what would have been necessary to
get the first degree. M.Arch. students register for three and a half years
in Architecture, or less as it is reduced by advanced standing; followed
by at least two full semesters registered in DUSP. MCP students accepted into the MArch program will register in Architecture from
their second year on.
What are the arrangements for theses?
Dual degree students must complete a thesis that is
acceptable to both departments.
All dual degree students must register for thesis prep and Thesis
in DUSP and the thesis process will be governed by administrative
procedures in DUSP. However, thesis topics must be approved by a
faculty thesis advisor from each department and at least one faculty
member from each department must be represented on the thesis
committee. The faculty thesis
advisor from each department must sign the completed thesis (two
signatures).
What about financial aid?
Financial
aid relating to MCP and SMARCHS students will be the responsibility of
the “home” (first) department for the first two years of
study, the other (second) department the last year of study. No aid is
guaranteed. Financial aid involving MArch
students will be determined by the department in which the student is
registered.
SUMMARY -- DUAL DEGREE APPLICATIONS
Students
wishing to apply for the dual degree should submit the following
application materials by January 3rd:
1. Statement. Write a brief statement of how the two degrees
relate to career plans, why having both degrees is essential to your
work. We are aware that your plans may change; nevertheless, we are
looking for your current program objectives. Describe:
×
Why the pursuit of two degrees
simultaneously, rather than sequentially, is critical.
×
Issues or questions which you wish to
pursue and how you see them relating to each other. What do you intend to draw from each of
the two degree programs? What is
your likely thesis area and what kind of a project can
you imagine doing?
×
Work or field experiences you have had
which may demonstrate abilities in both fields.
×
Which faculty members in the two
departments you would expect to work most closely with? With which have you already
worked?
2. Study Plan. In a table by semester, indicate what
courses you intend to take in each of the two degree programs to complete
the requirements of these programs.
Be sure to include all core classes for each degree, required
distribution of “g” and “h” subjects, thesis prep
and thesis. Total the
credits. You should have this
table reviewed by the program administrator of the degree program to
which you are applying.
3. Letters. At least 2 letters of reference must be
included from your advisor(s) or instructors at MIT.
4. Prior
application. Have this
forwarded from your home department to the Dual Degree Committee
(Charlotte Liu) for inclusion in your folder for Dual Degree admissions.
Members
of the Dual Degree Committee are available to discuss program proposals
in draft form and to suggest improvements.
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