Applying to Graduate School at MIT

DMSE is following MIT's admissions guidelines for applicants whose academic careers were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact our office, dmse-admissions@mit.edu with questions.

When applying to graduate school at MIT, you are applying to a specific department. It is 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. Please note—even if your objective is to enter an interdepartmental program, you must still apply through one of the participating departments.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers two graduate degrees: Master of Science (S.M.) and Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Science (Ph.D./Sc.D.)

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering participates in:

  • The Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM)
  • Technology and Policy Program (TPP)
  • Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS)
  • Computational Science and Engineering (CSE)

Applications for September admission to the S.M. or Ph.D. program must be submitted by December 1. DMSE's graduate programs (S.M. and Ph.D./Sc.D.) all begin in the fall semester. There is no spring or summer admission.

The Council of Graduate Schools offers helpful resources and information for students seeking graduate study.

The Office of Graduate Education (OGE) is pleased to offer 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). Please use this link to find more information.

COVID-19 policy for admissions

In response to the challenges of teaching, learning, and assessing academic performance during the global COVID-19 pandemic, MIT has adopted the following principle: MIT’s admissions committees and offices for graduate and professional schools will take the significant disruptions of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 into account when reviewing students’ transcripts and other admissions materials as part of their regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant.
In particular, as we review applications now and in the future, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/No Record (or Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail) and other grading options during the unprecedented period of COVID-19 disruptions, whether those decisions were made by institutions or by individual students. We also expect that the individual experiences of applicants will richly inform applications and, as such, they will be considered with the entirety of a student’s record.
Ultimately, even in these challenging times, our goal remains to form graduate student cohorts that are collectively excellent and composed of outstanding individuals who will challenge and support one another.
Questions or concerns about this statement should be directed to the academic department or program to which the prospective student has applied.