Grad Student Resources
Questions about procedures for your thesis proposal? Want to learn more about student organizations and opportunities to get involved in the Department and the Institute? Looking for information on a professional society? Resources for graduate student life can be found here.
Departmental Committee on Graduate Studies (DCGS)
The Departmental Committee on Graduate Studies (DCGS) consists of both student and faculty representatives, and deals with activities in the department regarding with the graduate curriculum, graduate studies, milestones, and academic classes in DMSE. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Academic milestones – (TAE, quals, defenses)
- 3.998 Doctoral Thesis Update and Plan-to-Finish Meetings
- Hear Graduate Students Continuity Comments/Concerns (from DCGS reps)
- New subject proposals
- DMSE Class Grading Systems
- Core Classes structure
- TAE Procedures
- Reporting on Teaching and Learning Workshops (better ways to teach the core classes and electives)
- Orientation
- Virtual academic continuity (particularly during covid)
- Choosing an advisor/visa issues/funding discussions (does not have the final say here but aids in recommendations and discussions)
- Building community between graduate students and faculty in DMSE
Spring 2023 Meeting Dates:
- Thursday, February 23
- Thursday, March 9
- Thursday, March 23
For each year of grad students, one of the DCGS members is assigned as a Faculty Class Representative, as follows:
- 1st year grad students: Geoff Beach and Alfredo Alexander-Katz
- 2nd year students: Cem Tasan and Frances Ross
- 3rd and 4th year students: Rafael Jaramillo
- 5th and later year: Rafael Jaramillo
Students can interact with the Faculty Class Rep in two ways. Each semester the Faculty Class Rep and the DCGS Student Reps will hold meetings in which students can express general ideas or thoughts. The Class Rep is also a resource to call on (email, meeting) with questions that are not covered by interactions with an academic advisor. The Class Rep can give advice or can transmit concerns to the rest of DCGS. (Note that the Faculty Class Reps are “Mandatory Reporters”.) Students are also welcome and encouraged to consult with any of MIT’s other resources.
Departmental Organizations
- Graduate Materials Council (GMC)
- Womxn of Materials Science (WXOMS)
- Resources of Easing Friction and Stress (REFS)
Professional Societies
- ACerS: The American Ceramics Society
- ASM: The American Society of Materials
- ECS: Electrochemical Society
- MRS: Materials Research Society
- SAMPE: The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering
- Society for Biomaterials
- TMS: The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
Housing Resources
General MIT Grad Student Resources
Lab Safety
All MIT personnel must complete Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) training. Information about DMSE's requirements are found on the lab safety page. Further information can be found on the MIT EHS and the Center for Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) sites.