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In this section:
Academics at MIT are often problem-focused, tend to merge inquiry
with instruction, and are always intensive. Environmental issues
are problem-rich, require ongoing and rigorous investigation, and
comprise a complex and intriguing research area. Environmentally-oriented
students at MIT develop a capacity for careful analysis, diagnosis,
and response to problems, skills they can use to help society develop
in a more environmentally sustainable manner.
A wide array of undergraduate and graduate academic programs blend
coursework with research in the environmental arena at MIT. In addition,
all members of the MIT community – including students, faculty
and staff who are not immersed in environmental issues – can
take advantage of opportunities across the curriculum to increase
their environmental literacy. For example, students whose degree
programs are not explicitly environmental can supplement their programs
by choosing among the numerous classes at MIT with strong environmental
themes.
Coursework, research, choosing a major, fulfilling requirement -
completing your undergraduate degree can seem like a puzzle with
many pieces. The most important piece in that puzzle is you. Studying
the environment at MIT - identifying the right combination of classes,
degree programs, advisors, and research - means actively and persistently
pursuing your own environmental interests. Opportunities abound:
you can choose an environmentally-themed major or minor, add electives
or fulfill course requirements with environmental classes, and find
or create an environmental UROP.
First-year students can focus their initial studies on the environment
through a Freshman
Advising Seminar (such as Professor Steinfeld's "Improving
MIT's Environmental Performance" seminar, 5.A16)or by participating
in the innovative Terrascope
program.
First Year
New to MIT? Wondering what your first year as an MIT student
might be like? The Academic
Resource Center at MIT provides support to first year students
in a number of ways. For example, first year undergraduate students
may participate in freshman
advising seminars, which include weekly meetings during the
fall semester with a peer group and a faculty advisor.
The Terrascope
program provides a special opportunity for environmentally-oriented
freshmen. Terrascope engages first year undergraduates in a two-subject
sequence in designing solutions to complex earth systems problems.
Majors
While it is possible to add an environmental facet to just about
any major at MIT, the following degree programs are explicitly
environmental. Comprehensive information about MIT majors is available
in the online MIT
bulletin.
SB = Bachelor of Science
Minors
Students can also supplement their MIT education with the following
environmental minors. A complete list of all MIT minors is available
in the online MIT
bulletin.
UROP
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) demonstrates
the close tie between research and education at MIT. UROPs bring
undergraduate students into research partnerships with faculty
members at MIT for one or more semesters. Students receive either
monetary payment or academic credit for UROP projects. Over 80%
of MIT undergraduates pursue at least one UROP at some point in
their education. UROPs may be found through the UROP
Program, academic departments,
or individual faculty.
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Students of the environment investigate complex, interconnected
systems. At MIT, graduate-level environmental studies combine depth
of disciplinary knowledge with the opportunity and resources to
build multidisciplinary understanding of these systems. This area
of research and education at MIT is complex both methodologically
- combining multiple perspectives - and topically - including subjects
from climate change to ecosystem function to automobile engine redesign.
In all cases, students pursuing advanced programs in the environment
experience MIT's characteristic commitment to investigating both
problems and solutions.
A few examples from three quite different disciplines demonstrate
the many pathways to an advanced MIT degree focused on the environment.
The Department
of Urban Studies and Planning (Course 11) offers a Master's
degree in City Planning that students may focus on environmental
policy and planning.
The Department
of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (Course 12)
offers advanced degrees in geosystems
as well as in earth and planetary, atmospheric, and ocean sciences.
The Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Course 1) offers advanced
study in environmental
chemistry, environmental biology, or environmental engineering.
Students may pursue these themes individually, or combine them
for an integrated course of study.
In addition to degree options within MIT departments, the Institute
supports several other specifically multidisciplinary
programs through which graduate students may develop their environmental
interests. For example, many students pursuing master's degrees
in Technology
and Policy or doctoral degrees in Technology,
Management and Policy in the Engineering
Systems Division tailor unique sets of course and thesis work
to fit their needs as future environmental professionals.
Once admitted to a graduate program, students may combine their
studies with research opportunities available in multidisciplinary
laboratories and centers across the Institute.
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Environment and sustainability are rich and fertile areas of research.
Several fellowship programs hosted by MIT recognize the outstanding
environmental scholarship of some of MIT's top students and provide
opportunities for young scholars to pursue their research in greater
depth. These fellowships create valuable multidisciplinary forums
for networking and creative discussion that enrich fellows' intellectual
and cultural perspectives. Perhaps more importantly, interaction
among environmental fellows enhances their ability to bridge traditional
boundaries, both disciplinary and cultural. These skills are critical
to effectively understand and respond to the complexity of environmental
challenges, both today and in the future.
Wallenberg
The Wallenberg
Post-Doctoral Fellowships at MIT support research experiences
at MIT for young Swedish scholars. Outstanding scientists, engineers,
and policymakers conduct research, engage in fellowship activities,
and participate in the vibrant intellectual community at MIT and
in the Cambridge-Boston area.
Martin
The Martin
Family Society of Fellows for Sustainability honors excellent
MIT graduate students whose work focuses on environmental and sustainability
issues. Martin Fellows and alumni represent a wide diversity of
disciplinary perspectives and research interests, ranging from atmospheric
chemistry to transportation policy. Fellows engage in seminars and
discussions throughout the academic year of their fellowship, and
alumni are always invited to participate in these activities.
Linden
The Linden
Earth System Fellowships at MIT will support the education and
training of the next generation of multidisciplinary researchers
as they help develop the scientific perspectives that will inform
perceptions about the future of our planet and the role that people
and societies can play in that future.
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