Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Summary

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private, coeducational research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on theoretical, applied, and interdisciplinary scientific and technological research. Although based upon European models of an institute of technology, MIT’s founding philosophy of “learning by doing” made it an early pioneer in the use of laboratory instruction, undergraduate research, and progressive architectural styles. As a federally funded research and development center during World War II, MIT scientists developed defense-related technologies that would later become integral to computers, radar, and inertial guidance. After the war, MIT continued to have a high profile throughout the Space Race and Cold War and its reputation expanded beyond its core competencies in science and engineering into the social sciences including economics, linguistics, political science, and management. MIT’s endowment and annual research expenditures are among the largest of any American university. MIT graduates and faculty are noted for their technical acumen (63 Nobel Laureates and 29 MacArthur Fellows as of October 2006), entrepreneurial spirit (a 1997 report claimed that the aggregated revenues of companies founded by MIT affiliates would make it the twenty-fourth largest economy in the world), and irreverence (the popular practice of constructing elaborate pranks, or hacking, often has anti-authoritarian overtones). Construction of the first MIT buildings was completed in Boston’s Back Bay in 1866 and MIT would be known as “Boston Tech.” The expansion and reforms thus cemented MIT’s academic reputation on the eve of World War II by attracting scientists and researchers who would later make significant contributions in the Radiation Laboratory, Instrumentation Laboratory, and other defense-related research programs. Bush was appointed head of the enormous Office of Scientific Research and Development and directed funding to only a select group of universities, including MIT. However, by the late 1960s and early 1970s, intense protests by student and faculty activists (an era now known as “the troubles”) against the Vietnam War and MIT’s defense research required that the MIT administration spin classified and defense-related research off into what would become the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and Lincoln Laboratory. In 1998, MIT became the first major research university to acknowledge the existence of a systematic bias against female faculty in its School of Science and supported efforts toward corrective measures; In the late 1980s and early 1990s, many American politicians and business leaders accused MIT and other universities of contributing to a declining economy by transferring taxpayer-funded research and technology to international — especially Japanese — firms that were competing with struggling American businesses. While the Ivy League institutions settled, MIT contested the charges on the grounds that the practice was not anticompetitive because it ensured the availability of aid for the greatest number of students and ultimately prevailed when the Justice Department dropped the case in 1994. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a number of student deaths resulted in considerable media attention to MIT’s culture and student life. The 2000 suicide of MIT undergraduate Elizabeth Shin drew attention to suicides at MIT and created a controversy over whether MIT had an unusually high suicide rate. MIT has five schools (Science, Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Management, and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) and one college (Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology), but no schools of law or medicine. MIT is governed by a 78-member board of trustees known as the MIT Corporation which approve the budget, degrees, and faculty appointments as well as electing the President. MIT’s endowment and other financial assets are managed through a subsidiary MIT Investment Management Company (MITIMCo). However, faculty committees assert substantial control over many areas of MIT’s curriculum, research, student life, and administrative affairs. MIT students use a combination of the department’s course number and the number assigned to the class number to identify their subjects; Essentially all classes are held on main campus, although MIT owns or leases a number of research facilities throughout Cambridge and the greater Boston area. MIT enrolls more graduate students, (approximately 6,000 annually) than undergraduates (approximately 4,000). Undergraduate tuition is $33,400 and graduate tuition is $33,600 although 64% of undergraduates receive need-based financial aid and 87% of graduate students are supported by MIT fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching assistantships. Although the difficulty of MIT coursework has been characterized as “drinking from a fire hose,” the failure rate and freshmen retention rate at MIT are similar to other large research universities. Sloan and Thomas Alva Edison lead President Compton to establish an Office of Corporate Relations and an Industrial Liaison Program in the 1930 and 1940s that now allows over 600 companies to license research and consult with MIT faculty and researchers. As several MIT leaders served as Presidential scientific advisers since 1940, MIT established a Washington Office in 1991 to continue to lobby for research funding and national science policy. MIT has both a friendly rivalry with Harvard University as well as a substantial number of research collaborations such as the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Broad Institute, Center for Ultracold Atoms, and Harvard-MIT Data Center. MIT has a long-standing cross-registration program with Wellesley College and an undergraduate exchange program with the University of Cambridge known as the Cambridge-MIT Institute. MIT has a limited cross-registration programs with Boston University, Brandeis University, Tufts University, Massachusetts College of Art, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. MIT maintains substantial research and faculty ties with independent research organizations in the Boston-area like the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as well as international research and educational collaborations through the Singapore-MIT Alliance, MIT-Zargoza International Logistics Program, and MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) program. MIT students, faculty, and staff are involved in over 50 educational outreach and public service programs through the MIT Museum, Edgerton Center, and MIT Public Service Center. Programs like MITES and the Research Science Institute are summer programs targeted towards minority and high school students to encourage them to pursue science and engineering in college. The National Research Council, in a 1995 study ranking research universities in the US, ranked MIT #1 in “reputation” and #4 in “citations and faculty awards.” The Lombardi Program on Measuring University Performance has identified MIT as one of the top five national research universities since it began ranking in 2000. MIT has more top-ranked graduate programs than any other school in the 2007 USNWR survey, including programs in computer science, economics, engineering, mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry. In the 2006 academic year, MIT faculty and researchers disclosed 523 inventions, filed 321 patent applications, received 121 patents, and earned $42.3 million in royalties. In the domain of computer science, MIT faculty and researchers made fundamental contributions to cybernetics, artificial intelligence, computer languages, and public-key cryptography. In 1969, MIT began the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) to enable undergraduates to collaborate directly with faculty members and researchers. Building upon MIT’s leadership in the “open source movement”, Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab started the One Laptop per Child initiative to expand computer education and connectivity to children worldwide. MIT has over 380 recognized student activity groups, including a campus radio station, student-run ambulance, and The Tech student newspaper. MIT students are represented by various student government organizations, the largest being the Undergraduate Association and Graduate Student Council. These organizations represent the interests of their respective student bodies to the MIT faculty and administration and can nominate students to various administration committees that determine Institute policy. MIT’s student athletics program offers 41 varsity-level sports, the largest program in the nation. MIT guarantees four-year, dormitory housing for all undergraduates and provides live-in graduate student tutors and faculty housemasters who have the dual role of both helping students and monitoring them for medical or mental health problems. MIT also has six graduate student dormitories, which house about one-third of the graduate student population. Approximately one-half of MIT male undergraduates and one-third of female undergraduates are affiliated with one of MIT’s 36 fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs). The term “hacker” and much of hacker culture originated at MIT, starting with the TMRC and MIT AI Lab in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 2005, MIT and Caltech students became involved in a cross-country “hacking war” – the latest installment involved the theft of Caltech’s cannon. Many MIT students and graduates wear an MIT class ring, which is large, heavy, distinctive, and recognizable from a distance. The undergraduate-ring design varies slightly from year to year to reflect the unique character of the MIT experience for that class but always features a three-piece design, with the MIT seal and the class year each appearing on a separate face, flanking a large rectangular bezel bearing an image of a beaver. MIT alumni have also led other prominent institutions of higher education, including the University of California system, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University, Tufts University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Purdue University and the London Business School. Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke, Ph.D XIV ‘79 Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, BS IV ‘76 Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Sc.D XVI ‘63 “During Vest’s presidency, MIT appointed its first woman department head in the School of Science, its first two minority department heads in the School of Engineering, and its first five women vice presidents.” Academics OpenCourseWare • Biology • Chemistry • Economics • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science • Mathematics • Physics • Sloan School of Management Research Laboratories • Broad Institute • Center for Theoretical Physics • Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory • Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems • Lincoln Laboratory • McGovern Institute for Brain Research • Media Lab • Picower Institute for Learning and Memory • Plasma Science and Fusion Center • Research Laboratory of Electronics Culture History of MIT • Student life • MIT in popular culture • Alumni • Faculty • Presidents • Institute Professor • Athena • Brass Rat • Hacks • The Tech Buildings Architecture of MIT • Chapel • Green Building • Infinite Corridor • Kresge Auditorium • MIT Museum • Stata Center • Wiesner building • Graduate Residences • Undergraduate Residences • Fraternities and Sororities

Summary content courtesy of Wikipedia.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Academics

There’s never a reason to feel alone in your studies either, since there are academic support services like Learning Center, Pre-Admission Summer Program, Study Skills Assistance, Tutoring and Writing Center. Moreover, when any student is looking for some counseling or other types of support, Alcohol/Substance Abuse Counseling, Campus Ministries/Chaplain, Career Counseling, Employment Service, Financial Aid Counseling, Freshman Orientation Program, Health Services, On-Campus Daycare, Personal Counseling and Placement Service can help. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is unique in its study options. Specifically, the university has a Cross-Registration, Internships, ROTC, Air Force, ROTC, Army, ROTC, Navy, Study Abroad and Teacher Certification. The university has disability services as well, so be sure to inquire about them if needed.

The following are the types of degrees and majors offered at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

School of Visual and Performing Arts:

Music – General

Physical Sciences:

Chemistry, Geology, Physics

Foreign Language and Literature:

Foreign Language & Literature – General, Linguistics

Communications & Journalism:

Mass Communications/Media Studies

Biological and Biomedical Sciences:

Biology

History:

History – General

Mathematics:

Mathematics – General

Social Sciences:

Anthropology, Economics, Political Science/Government

Multiple or Interdisciplinary:

Mathematics/Computer Science, technology & society

English Language and Literature:

Creative Writing, English Language & Literature – General

Computer Science:

Computer Science

Popular majors:

thirty-two percent engineering, seventeen percent computer and information sciences, ten percent biology, nine percent business per marketing, nine percent physical sciences, eight percent mathematics

Business, Management, & Marketing:

Business – General

Philosphy and Religion:

Philosophy

Are you an international student? The Fall application deadline for international students is the 1st of January. Moreover, for international students, the application fee is 65.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Admissions

This school requires an application fee consisting of sixty-five dollars regular application fee, sixty-five dollars out-of-state application fee, sixty-five dollars online application fee and point zero . Transfer student are not ignored. For one thing, there were two hundred and thirty-one total number of transfer students who applied and eleven total number of transfer students who were admitted. Admission policy is currently Percent applicants admitted: 14%. Remember that this can change at any time.

It is also very important to submit financial aid applications as quickly as possible, and make sure they are in by the 1st of February. Regardless of which application you submit, this school will notify you by the 25th of March. If you are a transfer student, you will be notified of your acceptance by the 15th of May. SAT and ACT score reports are due the 15th of February and For all student applicants, the Fall application deadline is the 1st of January. Will you make it in time? Make sure to know when all the due dates and deadlines take place. The regular application is due the 1st of January. the SAT subject section score is due the 15th of February.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Athletics

The Engineers are a member of NCAA. The following sports can be found here:

• Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Baseball
• Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Basketball
• Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Cross_country
• Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Football
• Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Golf
• Men’s Club and Women’s Club Handball
• Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural, Women’s Intramural and Men’s Club Soccer
• Women’s NCAA Division III, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural and Women’s Intramural Softball
• Men’s Intramural, Women’s Intramural, Men’s Club and Women’s Club Table_tennis
• Men’s Intercollegiate and Women’s Intercollegiate Track_and_field
• Men’s NCAA Division III and Women’s NCAA Division III Track_indoor
• Men’s NCAA Division III and Women’s NCAA Division III Track_outdoor
• Men’s NCAA Division III, Women’s NCAA Division III, Men’s Intercollegiate, Women’s Intercollegiate, Men’s Intramural, Women’s Intramural, Men’s Club and Women’s Club Volleyball
• Men’s NCAA Division III and Men’s Intercollegiate Wrestling

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Financial Aid

Financial aid distribution is at eighty-one percent scholarships per grants and nineteen percent loans per jobs. Financial aid forms are Business/farm supplement, CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, FAFSA, Noncustodial (divorced/separated) Parents Statement, Noncustodial PROFILE and Other: Parents’ complete federal income tax returns from prior year.. Financial aid for students is readily accessible at this school.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Students

The school’s size is approximately four thousand and fifty-three degree-seeking undergrads, nine hundred and ninety-six first-time degree-seeking freshmen and six thousand, one hundred and forty graduate enrollment. Further, the student body consists of eleven percent in-state students, eighty-nine percent out-of-state students, forty-seven percent women, fifty-three percent men, two percent american indian per alaskan native, twenty-four percent asian per pacific islander, six percent black per non-hispanic, ten percent hispanic, thirty-nine percent white per non-hispanic, nine percent non-resident alien, ten percent race per ethnicity unreported, ninety-seven percent in top 10th of graduating class, one hundred percent in top quarter of graduating class and one hundred percent in top half of graduating class. Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. Further, it is part of an Urban setting, Small city (50,000 – 249,999) and Residential campus. The university is a Private, University, Four-year, Coed, where 14 percent of the applicants were admitted, Regionally accredited and College Board member.

Incidentally, the school is located One mile from Boston.Again, the university has many unique facilites such as research library with collections of historical scientific books, manuscripts, instruments, art works; museum of science and technology; visual arts center; laboratories for artificial intelligence and computer science, energy and environment, information and decision systems, manufacturing and productivity, nuclear science, microsystems technology; magnet laboratory; media laboratory. This school features the Urban setting, Small city (50,000 – 249,999) and Residential campus.