Political Science was formally established in 1955, within what was then the Department of Economics and Social Science, as part of a broad effort to develop research and training at MIT in the social sciences. The nucleus of a Political Science faculty had already been formed within the Center for International Studies, a pioneering, interdisciplinary research center working on American foreign policy and security issues, economic and political development in the Third World,Communist societies, and international communication. By 1958, a Ph.D. in political science had been authorized. Political Science became an independent department in 1965, offering an undergraduate major and a Master's degree as well as the Ph.D.
Because of the Department's history, its faculty focused initially on international issues. While preserving its strengths in international politics, particularly in the area of security, the Department has more recently grown in three main directions. First, a large number of faculty members now specialize in American politics. Second, the Department has developed considerable strength in political economy, both comparative and international. And third, it has extended its coverage of comparative politics by adding faculty members specializing in Europe, Japan, the Middle East, South Asia, and Latin America.
The net result of this evolution is a broadly based Department that nevertheless retains the features that have given it distinctiveness and strength within the discipline: (1) high quality graduate training which emphasizes research and encourages apprenticeship relations with faculty members; (2) excellence in international relations and in comparative politics, now including an American dimension; (3) an orientation toward issues of public policy, both domestic and international; and (4) an ability to interact with scientists, engineers, and other social scientists at MIT on issues involving both politics and technology. The Department's emphasis on research is reflected in the many affiliations which members of the faculty maintain with centers and major research programs at MIT, Harvard, and elsewhere in Boston and around the world.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The current enrollment of 10,090 students consists of 5,832 graduate students and 4,258 undergraduates. Organized into five academic Schools - Architecture and Planning, Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Engineering, Management, and Science - the Institute enjoys a reputation for excellence based on its strong tradition of research and graduate education in the social sciences as well as the natural sciences and engineering.
The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences reflects the great diversity of MIT. In a university whose activities center around science and technology, the School represents the main fields of the liberal arts. There is an ambitious program in undergraduate education which includes majors in most fields of the humanities and social sciences.
Excellent graduate programs exist in economics, linguistics, philosophy and political science. Because these programs admit relatively small numbers of students, most teaching is conducted in a seminar format. The esprit de corps is strong and there is a marked emphasis on developing new fields of inquiry. Both students and faculty take advantage of the opportunity to develop associations with such bodies as the Center for International Studies; the Program in Science, Technology, and Society; the Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development; the Industrial Performance Center; the Energy Laboratory; and the Whitaker College of Health Sciences, Technology, and Management, as well as with various research centers at Harvard.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. The Institute does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other Institute administered programs and activities, but may favor U.S. citizens or residents in admissions and financial aid.*
The Vice President for Human Resources is designated as the Institute's Equal Opportunity Officer and Title IX Coordinator. Inquiries concerning the Institute's policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Laura Avakian, Vice President for Human Resources, Room E19-291, 617-253-6512, or to Philip Lima, Coordinator of Staff Diversity Initiatives, Room E19-215, 617-253-1594. Inquiries about the laws and about compliance may also be directed to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, US Department of Education.
*The ROTC programs located on the MIT campus are operated under Department of Defense policies and regulations, and do not comply fully with MIT's policy of nondiscrimination with regard to sexual orientation. On the recommendation of the Faculty, MIT is working to develop a modified on-campus ROTC program open to all MIT students.