There are standard processes by which committees – comprised of faculty from all five Schools and students – review proposals for new and revised subjects and degrees, in so doing accumulating and sharing best practices and improving MIT's curricula. At the undergraduate level, the primary committees involved are the Committee on Curricula (CoC) and the Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP), and the CUP's permanent subcommittees: the Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement (SOCR) and the Subcommittee on the Humanities Requirement (SHR). At the graduate level, the primary committee involved is the Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP). This page provides detailed guidelines for these processes.
This overview provides general information about the process and sequence of steps involved in establishing a new undergraduate SB degree program. This page may be downloaded as a PDF here. For information on proposing a new undergraduate minor, please visit the Committee on Curricula site.
Consistent with the guidelines for approval of new undergraduate degree programs, which were voted into place by the MIT Faculty in May 2003, the review of a new undergraduate degree program is a multi-committee process. The primary committees involved are the Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement (SOCR), the Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP), and the Committee on Curricula (CoC). Following review and approval by these committees, the Faculty Policy Committee (FPC) reviews new undergraduate degree proposals and determines whether they are ready to be presented and voted on at an Institute Faculty Meeting.
Prior to completing the Proposal Form, please write to new_degree@mit.edu for additional guidance and instruction.
Preliminary drafts are encouraged, particularly for proposals involving interdisciplinary and joint programs or proposals that raise questions concerning Rules and Regulations of the Faculty and/or other existing policies governing the undergraduate program. Draft proposals can be saved in MIT's Program Management system and shared with faculty committee staff for consultation. Proposals should not be submitted in final form until they have been vetted by the appropriate School and departmental curriculum committees.
On the proposal form, you will be asked to provide the following:
1. Basic information about the degree program
2. A description of the curriculum
3. Answers to specific questions that pertain to each review committee's area of responsibility
The form also explains the requirements concerning letters of support that must accompany the proposal.
The degree program approval process is iterative and somewhat fluid so that, with agreement among the reviewing committees, some discussions and considerations may move forward simultaneously. Proposals are not normally approved by SOCR, CUP, CoC, and FPC at the same meeting at which they are initially presented and discussed. Instead, the proposals may be discussed across several meetings both in the presence of the proposers and in committee. The committees may also refer specific elements of a proposal to other entities for consideration and feedback.
Each committee focuses on different aspects of the proposal. In completing this form, please note that some sections are required by all review committees and others by some smaller set:
Proposals for a new degree type or for a new degree program that couples an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree follow a different review sequence. In these cases, the CUP and FPC reviews precede the CoC review. In the case of a combined undergraduate/graduate program, the Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP) must also indicate its approval.
The chart that follows illustrates the process and timeline for the review of new undergraduate degree programs.
Step | Process | Review Body | Typical Timeline |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Approval of program of communication-intensive subjects in the major (CI-Ms) | Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement (SOCR) | October / November |
2. | Approval of the administration and governance of the program, including advising | Committee on the Undergraduate Program (CUP) | Follows SOCR approval, normally in November / December. |
3. | Approval of the proposed curriculum | Committee on Curricula (CoC) | Follows CUP approval, normally in December / IAP. |
4. | Approval for presentation to the Faculty | Faculty Policy Committee (FPC) | Follows CoC approval. |
5. | Presentation and vote by the Faculty | MIT Faculty | Meets on the third Wednesday of the month during the academic year.1 Motions to establish new degree programs are presented and held over to the next month for a vote. Programs must have Faculty approval before May to be offered in the following academic year.2 |
6. | New degree types only: Forwarded to the MIT Executive Committee and Corporation for final approvals | MIT Executive Committee and Corporation | The Executive Committee meets once a month during the academic year. The Corporation meets quarterly (September, December, March, May). |
1 September through May, excluding January.
2 Approval requires a majority vote, with a minimum of 30 faculty members in attendance and voting.
E-mail: new_degree@mit.edu
Phone: (617) 253-1706
Visit this site for individual committee and staff contacts.
The first section of the degree chart must summarize the General Institute Requirements (GIRs). Any items in the departmental program that also fulfill a GIR must be expressly identified here. Below is a sample GIR section from Course 9.
General Institute Requirements (GIRs) | Subjects |
---|---|
Science Requirement | 6 |
Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Requirement [three subjects can be satisfied by 9.00 and two other HASS subjects in the Departmental Program] | 8 |
Restricted Electives in Science and Technology (REST) Requirement [one subject can be satisfied by 9.01 in the Departmental Program] | 2 |
Laboratory Requirement [can be satisfied by a laboratory in the Departmental Program] | 1 |
Total GIR Subjects Required for SB Degree | 17 |
Communication Requirement | |
The program includes a Communication Requirement of 4 subjects: 2 subjects designated as Communication Intensive in Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CI-H); and 2 subjects designated as Communication Intensive in the Major (CI-M). |
Departmental requirements follow immediately after the GIR summary; they must be introduced by the following statement, formatted as shown:
Departmental Program
Subject names are followed by credit units and by prerequisites, if any (corequisites in italics).
This section of the degree chart must clearly identify the structure of the program and the options within it. If the program is divided into subsections, each subsection heading should be highlighted in bold and should show the units of coursework that must be completed for that subsection. Express units as a range where appropriate. Examples:
Required Subjects 36
[List subjects after subheading]
Restricted Electives 21-24
[List subjects after subheading]
In listing subjects on a degree chart for committee review, each subject must show a number, title, total units of credit, GIR at¬tribute (if applicable), and prerequisites and corequisites (if applicable). The following guidelines also apply:
Sample subject entries:
Number | Title |
---|---|
2.009 | The Product Engineering Process, 12, CI-M; 2.001, 2.003J, 2.005; 2.670*; senior standing or permission of instructor |
3.053J | Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Biomechanics, 12; 18.03*, Biology (GIR), 2.370* |
4.605 | Introduction to the Theory and History of Architecture, 12, HASS-A |
5.12 | Organic Chemistry I, 12, REST; Chemistry (GIR) |
8.13 | Experimental Physics I, 18, LAB, CI-M; 8.04 |
8.223 | Classical Mechanics II, 6; Physics I (GIR), Calculus II (GIR) |
18.03 | Differential Equations, 12, REST; Calculus II (GIR) |
18.062J | Mathematics for Computer Science, 12, REST; Calculus I (GIR) |
21H.931 | Seminar in Historical Methods, 12, CI-M, HASS-H |
24.900 | Introduction to Linguistics, 12, HASS-S, CI-H |
Choices between subjects may be designated in any of several ways. The most common are:
As a choice between subjects, for example:
12.110 Sedimentary Geology, 12; 12.001
or
12.119 Analytical Techniques for Studying Environmental and Geologic Samples, 12, LAB
As a choice from a list, for example:
Select one of the following:
3.016 Mathematical Methods for Materials Scientists and Engineers, 12; Calculus II (GIR)
18.03 Differential Equations, 12; Calculus II (GIR)
18.034 Differential Equations, 12; Calculus II (GIR)
As a statement with a list of numbers, for example:
To satisfy the requirement that students take two CI-M subjects, students must take 24.260 and one of the following: 24.120, 24,201, 24.221, 24.231, 24.251, or 24.263.
As a statement that identifies requirements by area, for example:
Three additional subjects as specified in one of the following concentrations: Finance, Information Technologies, Marketing Science, Operations Research.
At the end of the departmental requirements, the chart must indicate the units of credit that also satisfy the GIRs, which are subtracted from the total number of units in the program, and the units of credit for Unrestricted Electives (minimum of 48 required). Each program must then summarize the total units in the program, which should be expressed in a range if appropriate. The minimum number of “units beyond” is 180; the maximum allowed is 198.
Departmental Program units that also satisfy the GIRs (36)
Unrestricted Electives 48
Total Units Beyond the GIRs Required for the SB Degree 183-198
No subject can be counted both as part of the 17-subject GIRs
and as part of the 183-198 units beyone the GIRs. Every subject
in the student's departmental program will count toward one
or the other, but not both.
If the asterisk is used to denote alternate prerequisites in the degree chart, the following must appear:
Notes
*Alternate prerequisites are listed in the subject description.
Other notes about the program may be inserted at the discretion of the department and/or the Committee on Curricula.
Roadmaps may include up to 8.5 subjects per year. A maximum of 12 units of required coursework may be available only during IAP, but programs must provide contingencies to ensure that a student’s program is not disrupted by circumstances beyond his or her control.
Six-unit subjects are counted as half-subjects; subjects of 9–15 units are counted as one subject; 18-unit subjects count as 1.5 subjects; and subjects of 21–24 units count as two subjects. The roadmaps must show at least 48 units of unrestricted electives, 12 of which should fall in the freshman year. Program requirements must include 180 (minimum) to 198 (maximum) units beyond the GIRs.
A sample layout for a typical roadmap can be found here; GIR subjects are highlighted in red. Roadmaps must be provided for first-term sophomores, second-term sophomores, and first-term juniors.
Information on preparing undergraduate level subject proposals is being developed.
This overview provides general information and instructions for academic units interested in establishing a new graduate degree program. All proposals will be reviewed first by the Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP).
The chart that follows illustrates the process and timeline for the review of new graduate degree programs.
Step | Process | Review Body | Typical Timeline |
---|---|---|---|
1. |
Approval of the proposed structure, curriculum, administration, and governance of the program |
Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP) |
October / November |
2. |
Approval for presentation to the Faculty |
Faculty Policy Committee (FPC) Academic Council |
Follows CGP approval, normally in December / February. Academic Council typically follows FPC approval. |
3. |
Presentation and vote by the Faculty |
MIT Faculty |
Meets on the third Wednesday of the month during the academic year.1 Motions to establish new degree programs are presented and held over to the next month for a vote. Programs must have Faculty approval2 by March to admit students during the following academic year. |
4. |
New degree types only: Forwarded to the MIT Executive Committee and Corporation for final approvals |
MIT Executive Committee MIT Corporation |
The Executive Committee meets once a month during the academic year. The Corporation meets quarterly (September, December, March, June). |
1 September through May, excluding January.
2 Approval requires a majority vote, with a minimum of 30 faculty members in attendance and voting.
This section of the degree chart must clearly identify the structure of the program and the options within it. If the program is divided into subsections, each subsection heading should be clearly identified and should show the units of coursework that must be completed for that subsection. Express units as a range where appropriate. Examples:
Required Subjects 36
[List subjects after subheading]
Restricted Electives 21-24
[List subjects after subheading]
The following guidelines apply when listing subjects on a degree chart:
Choices between subjects may be designated in any of several ways. The most common are:
4.021 Introduction to Architecture Design
or
4.02A Introduction to Architecture Design Intensive
Select one of the following:
3.016 Mathematical Methods for Materials Scientists and Engineers
18.03 Differential Equations
18.034 Differential Equations
To satisfy the requirement that students take two elective subjects, students must take 24.260 and one of the following: 24.120, 24,201, 24.221, 24.231, 24.251, or 24.263.
This overview provides general information and instructions for academic units interested in proposing major revisions to an existing graduate degree program. All proposals will be reviewed first by the Committee on Graduate Programs (CGP).
Locate the degree program in the list of all programs:
Information on preparing graduate level subject proposals is being developed.