Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Verified overview
“Mind and Hand” is the thought-provoking motto of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known also as MIT. This motto enigmatically encapsulates this famous institution’s mission to advance knowledge in science, technology and areas of scholarship that can help to make the world a better place. At its founding in 1861, MIT was initially a small community of problem-solvers and science lovers eager to bring their knowledge to bear on the world. Today, MIT has evolved into an educational behemoth, with some 1,000 faculty members and more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students. MIT is an independent, coeducational, privately endowed university organized into five schools (architecture and planning; engineering; humanities, arts, and social sciences; management; science) and one college (computing). Yet the principle of educational innovation remains at the core of MIT’s educational philosophy. MIT researchers are at the forefront of developments in artificial intelligence, climate adaptation, HIV, cancer, and poverty alleviation, while in the past MIT research has fuelled scientific breakthroughs such as the development of radar, the invention of magnetic core memory and the concept of the expanding universe. Science and technology are not the only strings to MIT’s bow, however. Approximately 20 percent of MIT undergraduates join a sports team, and with 33 varsity sports MIT boasts one of the broadest intercollegiate athletic programs in the world. A vibrant arts culture also permeates college life. There are 12 museums and galleries on campus, with the MIT Museum drawing nearly 125,000 visitors each year. Students participate in more than 60 music, theatre, writing and dance groups, and faculty members of MIT even include Pulitzer Prize winners and Guggenheim fellows. MIT is set in 168 acres of grounds that extend for more than a mile along the Cambridge side of the Charles River basin. The campus features stunning landmarks designed by the likes of architects Alvar Aalto, Frank Gehry, and Steven Hollin, as well as buildings in a range of architectural styles, from neoclassical to modernist and brutalist. At its edges, the campus merges with various Cambridge neighborhoods, including Kendall Square which is one of the most innovative square miles on the planet. The close association of industry and research has helped MIT alumni go on to launch more than 30,000 active companies, creating 4.6 million jobs and generating roughly $1.9 trillion in annual revenue. No wonder then that a nation of MIT graduates would be equivalent to the 10th-largest economy in the world.
Admissions and application
Home Admissions + Aid Admissions + Aid Intensely curious and driven to explore, the people of MIT value rigorous analytical thinking, ingenuity, hands-on problem solving, and big new ideas. In our undergraduate, graduate, and professional admissions, we seek applicants whose strengths, interests, and values are a good match for MIT. Undergraduate Admissions & Aid All prospective undergraduate students apply through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions , regardless of their intended program of study. On the undergraduate admissions site, you can learn more about our application process and read student blogs about life at MIT.
- Each department has its own application website and admissions requirements.
Programs and academic structure
In its civic technoscience aspects, this wider research also involves launching a community-guided underground safety mapping project— a new collaboration between Anthropology and Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences to study small local earthquakes and their potential health implications— supported by the ESI Climate Justice Program and the Center for Coalfield Justice . Her essay on unequal inaccuracies in pulse oximeters in Boston Review prompted the first clinical study of the problem using hospital data , now part of worldwide calls to create fairer “wearable” devices. Teaching 21A.00 Introduction to Anthropology: Comparing Human Cultures Through the comparative study of different cultures, anthropology explores fundamental questions about what it means to be human. 21A.319J/STS.330J History and Anthropology of Medicine and Biology Explores recent historical and anthropological approaches to the study of medicine and biology.
Accreditation and recognition
Candidate accreditation
Research profile
337,955 indexed works, 61,493,633 citations, h-index 2229
- Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies
- Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions
- High-Energy Particle Collisions Research
- Photonic and Optical Devices
- Astro and Planetary Science
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
Student life
Home Campus Life Campus Life MIT’s collaborative, hands-on, curiosity-driven ethos extends across our campus — and beyond. All the elements are here to cultivate students’ personal and intellectual growth, fostering the whole student. Our community is a playground for opportunity in the heart of a global innovation hub . Just 364.4 smoots (plus or minus one ear) across the Charles River from Boston — one of the best cities in the world for students — our 168-acre riverside campus brims with daring artists , talented athletes , and a club for just about anything.