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Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
How do I obtain an application?
Visit the MIT Graduate Admissions website. You may apply online through CollegeNet, our online application provider, or download the application. We ask that you only fill out one format—either hardcopy or online. The MIT Graduate Admissions Office strongly encourages applicants to use the online application.
What are the application requirements?
The following items must be submitted before an application will be evaluated:
• the MIT application form and fee
• statement of objectives
• one official transcript from each college/university you have attended
• three letters of recommendation
• GRE General Test score
• if your first language is not English, a TOEFL or IELTS test score
You will be asked to enclose all supporting materials in the application, i.e., one copy of your official transcript(s), statement of objectives, and three evaluation letters. Evaluations should come from those who are best able to appraise your academic performance and potential including a letter from your faculty advisor if you have one.
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering must receive all application materials no later than January 2 for SM/PhD and March 1 for MEng September matriculation. Applicants interested in an interdisciplinary program (e.g., PPST, TPP, LFM, ESD) should also check with that particular program for additional requirements.
Is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) mandatory?
The GRE General Test is required for all applicants for admission to the Department. Only the general portion of the GRE is considered. Test scores should be sent directly to MIT from ETS. Photocopies of GRE scores will not be accepted. Official GRE scores should be sent by the testing service to this Department. GRE scores are valid for 5 years.
Is the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Languate Testing System (IELTS) mandatory
for all international applicants?
International applicants whose first language is not English (this includes applicants currently enrolled in U.S. institutions) must present evidence of their ability to carry on their studies in English. Such applicants must take the TOEFL or IELTS. The TOEFL/IELTS requirement will be waived (1) if you have received instruction in English in primary and secondary school or (2) if you have been in the U.S. for 3 years and will have received a degree from an American institution before entering MIT.
A minimum TOEFL score of 577 (233 for the computer-based test, 90 for the internet-based test) or 6.0 for the IELTS is required. Official TOEFL/IELTS scores must be sent by the testing service to this Department before the application will be acted on. Lack of an official score may hurt your chance of admission. Photocopies of TOEFL/IELTS scores will not be accepted. TOEFL scores are valid for 2 year.
It is anticipated that TOEFL will no longer be accepted by DMSE as proof of English Language proficiency after the 2009–2010 admissions application cycle.
What department and school code should I indicate
for GRE and TOEFL or IELTS test score reports?
The institution code for MIT is R3514.
GRE department code: 1403
TOEFL department code: 69
Can the application fee ($70) be waived or deferred?
No action will be taken on your application until the fee is paid. We understand the expense of applying to graduate programs; however, the application fee cannot be waived or deferred except in the case of minority US citizen applicants. In all other cases, MIT will not allow us to consider an application unless accompanied by the application fee. If you are a minority US citizen, you may write a letter explaining why you are unable to pay this fee; please submit the letter with your application.
What are the application deadlines?
January 2, 2009 for SM/PhD September matriculation. The M.Eng. application deadline is March 1, 2009.
Deadlines are the same for US and international applicants.
How will I know that you have received all of my application
materials?
You will be notified by email when we receive your application. You will receive a final confirmation once all materials have been received (recommendation letters, transcripts, test scores).
What is the review process timetable?
We receive about 425 applications for S.M./Ph.D. September matriculation and about 70 applications for M.Eng. September matriculation. Our Admissions Committee reviews applicants throughout February and early March. S.M./Ph.D. applicants are typically notified in writing by early March. M.Eng. applicants are typically notified in writing by late March.
Can you give me an idea of my chances for admission,
based on GRE scores or Class Rank, for example?
We can make no preliminary evaluation based on one or two qualifications. The Admissions Committee carefully reviews the entire application (recommendations, essay, grades, test scores, previous research experience, etc.) in making its decisions.
I am an undergraduate chemistry major. Do I have a chance
of being admitted?
Many of our admitted students have an undergraduate background in materials science and engineering; the remaining students have training in fields such as biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, electrical engineering or mechanical engineering.
Does the Department admit its own S.B. students to the
graduate program?
Yes, we consider our own undergraduates for admission to
all of our graduate programs.
Would it help my chances to send my application directly
to a specific faculty member?
Admission decisions are made by a department committee composed of about six faculty members. The decision is based on overall qualifications, independent of research interest. If you try to bypass the regular admissions route, you risk having your application misplaced.
What kind of funding is available to support students
in the program?
S.M./Ph.D. students are generally supported by a variety of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships during their time at MIT. These appointments pay tuition, a competitive stipend, and health insurance. Students are encouraged to seek outside fellowships to help finance their graduate studies. Quite a few of our domestic students are supported by NSF, NDSEG, Hertz, and Whitaker fellowships, as well as other government and corporate sources. Some international students are supported by their government or a scholarship agency (e.g., Samsung scholarship, ILJU, Royal Thai government).
M.Eng. students can apply for Fellowship support through the Singapore-MIT Alliance program.
Should I contact faculty members
to try to secure a Research Assistantship before I've been
admitted?
Students who wish to contact faculty regarding financial aid and thesis supervision are advised to await the results of the admission process. A few Research Assistantships have been made available in the past to international students but there is no guarantee there will be a sufficient number of these available in the future; therefore, you are encouraged to find independent support for your intended studies in our Department. If offered admission you are not automatically guaranteed financial support, although we will try to do the best we can with whatever resources are available.
Is it possible to take
courses on a part-time basis?
The only option for part-time enrollment is Special Student
Status, which implies enrollment without intention to attain
a degree. The application form, which must be submitted
for each term of enrollment, is available from the MIT Graduate
Admissions Office. Approval of a special student application
is made by the departmental Admissions Chair, based on the
qualifications and preparedness of the applicant for the
intended course. Courses are offered during the day and
generally meet 2-3 times per week.
How long does it take to earn the doctoral degree in
the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT?
Graduate students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
at MIT normally take between 4 1/2 - 5 years to earn the Ph.D.
I already have a master’s degree, so can I apply classes
from my M.S. toward the Ph.D?
MIT has a qualifying procedure for the doctoral degree, so, even though you
have already earned a master of science degree at another institution, if
you receive admission here, you would be admitted as a master of science degree
student with the option to bypass the master's degree and go directly into
the doctoral program provided that you successfully pass the qualification
procedure.
The rules for exercising the by-pass option are that the student must take
subjects 3.20,
3.21, 3.22, and 3.23 for academic credit and must take the written portion
of the General Examination after two academic semesters. Those who receive
a Pass on the written portion of the General Exam become "doctoral registrants"and
then begin the Qualifying Procedure and need not complete the S.M. degree.
Note: Students admitted in this category who do not take the written portion
of the General Exam after two academic semesters lose the “option to
by-pass” the SM and must earn the Master’s Degree before taking
the Written General Exam.
Some students admitted in this category may choose to complete
the S.M. before working on their doctoral degree's
thesis research. Such students may still take the written
portion of the General Exam after two terms and, having
passed it, begin the Qualifying Procedure.
Students applying to the PPST or Archaeological Materials interdepartmental doctoral program should review their program’s qualification procedure.
Can I visit the Department?
Admitted students are encouraged to visit on one of our two weekend-long visits (arrive Thursday early evening and depart Sunday morning) in March to become acquainted with the department, with MIT as a whole, and with Boston and Cambridge. Food and lodging are supplied as is a major part of the airfare for students currently in North America.
What kind of graduate programs does your department
offer?
The department offers doctoral degrees in the following
graduate programs:
Bio- and Polymeric Materials Academic Program
Electronic, Photonic, and Magnetic Materials Academic Program
Emerging, Fundamental, and Computational Materials Science
Academic Program
Structural and Environmental Materials Academic Program.
The department also offers programs for
Master of Science and
Master of Engineering.
Are other interdepartmental programs available?
The MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering participates in several
interdepartmental programs. Each program has a point of contact as listed
below. Admission procedures vary; please contact these offices to obtain information
and instructions.
I applied last year and was not accepted. Will the Admissions
Committee either reevaluate my application this year or accept a new application?
We appreciate your desire to reapply as a graduate student. We have a standard policy of not reviewing applications of students who were previously denied admission unless there is a significant change in the student's record or status. Generally, new letters of recommendation or new GRE scores are not considered to be significant enough to reopen the application. Significant changes usually consist of a year or more of work or educational experience since the last application. Those who are involved in a doctoral program are not admitted. If you do decide to reapply, please submit a brief statement in your supplemental materials or statement of purpose.
I am currently in a Ph.D.
program at another university and would like to transfer to
MIT's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Is that
possible?
We regret that you are not eligible to apply to the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT because you
are already enrolled in a Ph.D. Program elsewhere. We welcome
applications from those who have completed or are completing
the B.S. or M.S. degree. Those who are involved in a doctoral
program presently or have received a doctorate are not admitted.
What is the difference between the M.Eng. and the S.M?
The DMSE Master of Engineering
Program is a 12-month project-related degree program. The
degree has a set of core classes that make up the majority
of the curriculum. Students may fill certain elective classes
with those of their own choice. Please contact Professor
Carl Thompson for more information about the M.Eng.
program.
The DMSE Master of Science
Degree normally takes two-years to complete and is a research-related
degree program. There are requirements to fulfill a certain
number of DMSE classes, some of which must comprise
a coherent program in a specific area of study. Students
in this program choose most of the classes themselves because
the classes are related to the student's specific thesis
area.
Do I need to complete the "Record of Subjects Taken"
in the MIT Graduate Application?
No, the Admissions Committee does not receive a copy of this section, so
there is no need for you to complete it.
What are recent career paths alumni from the graduate programs have taken?
Academia Recent alumni of the graduate programs have academic careers as professors or postdoctoral fellows/researchers in several universities/research centers including: Tufts University, Northeastern University, California Institute of Technology, Stanford, Case Western Reserve University, ESPCI CNRS (Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), University of Oxford, and MIT.
Industry Industry careers of our recents alumni include industry positions at: 3M, Accenture, A123 Systems, Applied Materials, Dow Corning, Draper Labs, Cambridge Energy Research Associates, General Electric, Intel, Johnson Electric Group, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, KaZaK Composites, Kiva Systems Inc., Laboratoire Matiere Molle et Chimie charge de recherche CNRS, Omni-Guide Communications; RTI International, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Sandia National Laboratory, Teradyne Connector Systems, Texas Instruments, Transform Pharmaceutical Inc, the US Food & Drug Administration
Some alumni are pursuing careers in government, consulting, or law: BlueCross BlueShield Association, Choate Hall & Stewart, DJS Consulting Group, LZT investment, McKinsey.
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