Academics at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

are organized into 6 divisions containing 32 academic departments or faculties along with many interdisciplinary, affiliated, and intercollegiate research and degree programs. The Schools of Engineering, Science, Sloan School of Management, Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Architecture and Urban Planning, and the Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology.

School of Science

The School of Science is composed of 6 academic departments and grants S.B., S.M., and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

or Sc.D degrees. The current dean of engineering is Professor Marc A. Kastner. With approximately 300 faculty members, 1200 graduate students, 1000 undergraduate majors, the school is the second largest at MIT. 16 faculty members and 16 alumni of the school have won

Nobel Prizes The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

Biology

The Department of Biology (Course VII) began as a department of natural history in 1871.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Course IX) began as the Department of Psychology in 1964.

Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry (Course V) was one of the original departments when MIT opened in 1865.

Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

The Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (Course XII or EAPS) traces its origins to the establishment of MIT by the eminent

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

William Barton Rogers William Barton Rogers (December 7, 1804 – May 30, 1882) was an American geologist, physicist, and educator at the College of William & Mary from 1828 to 1835 and at the University of Virginia from 1835 to 1853. In 1861, Rogers founded the Mass ...

in 1861. Before distinguishing himself as the University's founder and first president, Rogers was a professor of natural

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. He also served as State Geologist of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, which explains why

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

courses have been taught at MIT for more than a century. In 1983, EAPS was formed through the merger of two MIT departments: the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, which grew out of the first geology courses, and the Department of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, which had its roots in the meteorology courses that first emerged at MIT in 1941. Today, the department seeks to understand the fundamental workings of natural systems by examining physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring across a vast spectrum of time and space. Their highly integrated research requires direct observation as well as modeling, and the department thrives on interdisciplinary ventures that open new avenues of exploration.

Mathematics

The Department of Mathematics (Course XVIII)

Physics

The Department of Physics (Course VIII)

School of Engineering

The MIT School of Engineering is one of the five schools of the

, located in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States. Generally considered having one of the best engineering programs in the worl

https://web.archive.org/web/20071019222331/http://www.coe.berkeley.edu/newsroom/rankings_archive.htm

the school has 8 academic departments and 1 interdisciplinary division and grants S.B., Master of Engineering, M.Eng., S.M., an engineer's degree, and

or Sc.D degrees. The current dean of engineering is Professor Subra Suresh. The school is the largest at MIT as measured by undergraduate and graduate enrollments and faculty members.

Aeronautics and Astronautics

The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (Course XVI) was founded as a program within the Mechanical Engineering department in 1926 and became an independent department in 1939.

Biological Engineering

The Department of Biological Engineering (Course XX) was founded as a division in 1998 and became an independent department in 2005.

Chemical Engineering

The Department of Chemical Engineering (Course X) was founded as a combined course of mechanical engineering and industrial chemistry in 1888 and became an independent department in 1920.

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Course I) offered classes in civil engineering since MIT's 1865 opening and was subject to repeated mergers with the departments of sanitary engineering and structural engineering before adopting its current name and organization in 1992.

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Course VI) is the largest department in the School of Engineering. Electrical engineering was originally taught within the Department of Physics, but a new degree program was offered in 1882, and the department became independent in 1902.

Engineering Systems Division

The Engineering Systems Division was an interdisciplinary division within the School of Engineering, but was superseded b
IDSS

Materials Science and Engineering

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Course III) can be traced back to a Department of Geology and Mining established at MIT's 1865 opening which later grew to encompass mining and metallurgy until the modern name was adopted in 1974.

Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (Course II) was one of the original MIT departments. In 2004, the department adsorbed the Department of Ocean Engineering (Course XIII) which is now the Center for Ocean Engineering.

Nuclear Science and Engineering

The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (Course XXII) was established in 1958, making it one of the oldest programs of its kind in the nation.

School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (MIT SHASS) has 13 departments, department-level programs, and faculties granting S.B., S.M., and

degrees. The current dean is professor of political science

Melissa Nobles Melissa Nobles (born May 13, 1963) is an American political scientist and academic administrator. She is currently Chancellor and Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She previous ...

. The school teaches every MIT undergraduate — a total of about 4,500 students, each of whom takes a minimum of 8 humanities, arts, and social sciences classes, nearly 25% of their total class time. With approximately 180 faculty members, 337 graduate students, 130 undergraduate majors, 161 undergraduate minors, the school is the fourth largest at MIT. 3 Nobel Laureates, 8 MacArthur Fellows, and 5 Pulitzer Prize winners are on the faculty.

Anthropology

The Anthropology program

Comparative Media Studies / Writing

The Comparative Media Studies and Writing program

Economics

The Department of Economics

Global Studies and Languages

The Global Studies and Languages program

History

The History faculty

Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics

Literature

The Literature faculty

Music

The Music program

Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy

Political Science

The Department of Political Science

Science, Technology, and Society

The Program in Science, Technology, and Society

Theater Arts

The Theatre Arts program

Women's Studies

The Women's and Gender Studies program

School of Architecture and Planning

The School of Architecture and Planning consists of 2 departments and grants S.B., S.M., and

degrees. The current dean of architecture and planning is Professor

Adèle Naudé Santos Adèle Naudé Santos is a South African born American architect and urban designer focused on low-income housing, campus architecture, and socially conscious design. She is principal architect of Santos Prescott and Associates, based in San Franci ...

Architecture

The Department of Architecture

Urban Studies and Planning

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) Founded in 1933, DUSP has four specialization areas: City Design and Development; Environmental Policy; Housing, Community and Economic Development; and the International Development Group. There are also three cross-cutting areas of study: Transportation Planning and Policy, Urban Information Systems (UIS) and Regional Planning. DUSP offers a two-year Master in City Planning (MCP) degree and a PhD in Urban and Regional Studies or Urban and Regional Planning. Under special circumstances, admission may be granted to candidates seeking a one-year Master of Science (SM) degree. DUSP also offer a Bachelor of Science (SB) in Planning, a five-year SB/MCP, and minors in Public Policy and in Urban Studies and Planning.

Media Laboratory

The Media Laboratory

Sloan School of Management

The Sloan School of Management has one department (Management) and grants the S.B., S.M., and Ph.D.

Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology

The Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology grants several degrees.

References

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