When applying to graduate school at MIT, you are applying to a specific department. It’s important that you indicate on the application the degree and program that you wish to pursue. Your application is then evaluated by the appropriate department, and you are notified of the result. Even if your objective is to enter an interdepartmental program, you must still apply through one of the participating departments. All graduate students must have a primary affiliation with and be registered in a single department.

DMSE offers two graduate degrees: Master of Science (SM) and Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Science (PhD/ScD).

Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs

DMSE graduate students can pursue three interdepartmental programs involving academic training and requirements outside the department: Archaeology and Archaeological Materials, Program in Polymers and Soft Matter, Technology and Policy Program, and Computational Science and Engineering.

How and When to Apply

In your application, you will provide the following information:

  • Research field(s) of interest
  • Personal information
  • Names and emails of three recommendation writers (Notify them by Oct 1; instructions are emailed after you submit. Deadline: Dec 1)
  • Scanned college transcripts
  • Official TOEFL/IELTS scores (international applicants)
  • Application fee of $90
  • List of awards, fellowships, and honors
  • List of publications (published or in progress)
  • List of presentations at scientific conferences or similar events
  • Research experience
  • Teaching and relevant work experience (internships)
  • Other experience (military, volunteering, travel.)
  • Responses to short answer essay questions:
    • Why do you want to study material science and engineering? [150 words]
    • Why are you a good fit for DMSE at MIT? [100 words]
    • How does earning a graduate degree fit with your professional life goals? [150 words]
    • Optional: Explain any extenuating circumstances [100 words]

Applications for the September admission to the SM or PhD program must be submitted using the online application portal by 23:59 EST December 1. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible and are responsible for ensuring that all admissions credentials are submitted on time. Your application will not be reviewed until all materials have been received.

Other Application Information

IELTS/TOEFL Exam

For applicants whose primary language is not English, your IELTS or TOEFL exam scores are required.

Submit IELTS (min. score: 7) or TOEFL (iBT: 100, PBT: 600)
Send scores electronically to MIT (code: 3514), DMSE dept. code: 69

Exam Requirement Waiver

Some students may qualify for a waiver of the IELTS/TOEFL requirement. The IELTS/TOEFL requirement will be automatically waived once you submit which of the following criteria you meet:

  • Attended elementary or secondary school where English was the primary language of instruction
  • Earned (or will earn) a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction
  • Lived in the U.S. for 3+ years and earned a degree from a U.S. institution before enrolling at MIT

The Office of Graduate Education offers fee waivers for US citizens and US permanent residents who demonstrate financial hardship, are current or former members of the United States Armed Forces, or who have participated in special fellowship programs, including MIT-sponsored diversity programs (e.g., MIT Summer Research Program, CONVERGE). 

We don’t want the MIT application fee to be a barrier to admission, yet we cannot provide application fee waivers to everyone who requests one. DMSE has a limited number of waivers available for applicants who do not qualify for a waiver from the Office of Graduate Education (OGE).

Eligibility for a Fee Waiver

To qualify for a waiver, you must have a nearly complete application, including the following:

  • All required sections completed
  • An unofficial transcript uploaded
  • Recommendation letters requested from recommenders
  • An undergraduate GPA of 3.9 or higher

Waivers are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Requests will not be considered after November 15.

Instructions

Fill out the DMSE Application Fee Waiver Request Form: Use the button below to access the form. Please make sure:

  • The name you enter on the form matches the name on your DMSE application.
  • All sections in the form are completed.
  • You submit the form only during the graduate application period, from September 1 to November 15.

Review Process

Please allow five business days for a response. DMSE will review all requests, and you will be notified by email if your request is approved or denied. Approved waivers will be applied automatically to your application profile. Incomplete requests will not be reviewed.

Important Notes

  • Do not submit your graduate application until you receive a decision on your fee waiver request. A waiver cannot be applied retroactively to an already submitted application.
  • If the application deadline arrives without a response from DMSE, you will need to submit your application with the fee.

For questions about fee waivers or admissions requirements, please email dmse-admissions@mit.edu.

  • Early September: Applications opens
  • December 1: Appliction deadline
  • Dec-Feb: Application review
  • January: Faculty interviews
  • Late Jan-Early Feb: Admission decisions released
  • Late Feb-Early March: Visit days for admitted students
  • April 15: Decision deadline for admitted students

Many questions are answered in this section. Before contacting MIT DMSE Graduate Academic Office concerning graduate admissions (dmse-admissions@mit.edu), please review the questions below.

Effective the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, the department will not accept GRE scores as supplementary material.

You can check the status of your application and the receipt of supplemental materials in the online admissions portal. We do not provide application updates via email.

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.

Yes, while 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.

Yes, we consider our own undergraduates for admission to all of our graduate programs.

Admission decisions are made by a departmental committee. We ask that you not contact faculty directly. Please direct all admission related inquiries to dmse-admissions@mit.edu.

Students should wait for official admission to DMSE before contacting faculty regarding research assistantships and thesis supervision.

A number of funding opportunities are available for graduates students at DMSE. These appointments pay tuition, a competitive stipend, and health insurance. Students are encouraged to apply for outside fellowships to help finance their graduate studies. Some 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) Kwanjeong Scholarship, Canadian NSERC.

The DMSE graduate program requires on-campus attendance at classes that are offered during the day and generally meet 2-3 times per week. Please refer to the MIT Office of Graduate Admissions for information about special student admissions and MIT advanced study program.

DMSE graduate students normally take about 5 years to earn the PhD.

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. Some students admitted in this category may choose to complete another master’s degree in DMSE before working on their doctoral  program. 

Specific questions about transfer credits and other matters can be discussed with the Academic Office after admissions letters have been sent.

Students applying to the PPSM or Archaeological Materials interdepartmental doctoral program should review those programs’ qualification procedure.

Prospective applicants are welcome to visit MIT. You can arrange a tour of the campus through the MIT Admissions Office. 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 part of the airfare.

The criteria for admissions is the same. The Admissions Committee does not make a distinction in the application evaluation process.

On rare occasions, deferral requests are approved for one year. Approved deferrals will only be for admission and not for any departmental financial aid award a student received upon admission. Applicants must contact the department to ask about a deferral before February 1.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Graduate Academic Office
Building 6, Room 107
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
dmse-admissions@mit.edu