mit meng thesis

Thesis Proposal

Criteria for success.

A thesis proposal should allow your audience to understand the topic of your project, the goals of the work, and the expected timeline to completion. To be successful, a thesis proposal should:

• follow departmental guidelines for thesis proposal content, structure, and formatting.
• provide necessary background for understanding the work that you propose.
• answer the Heilmeier questions to concretely explain what you are trying to do and how you will achieve it.
• include a timeline for the expected remaining work in the thesis, including tasks and dates of completion.

Structure Diagram

As with all communication projects, the right length for a thesis proposal is “however long it takes to convey your message effectively.” While the goal should be effectiveness rather than length, a general rule of thumb is to consider 8-12 pages for an MEng or SM proposal and 10-20 pages for a PhD proposal.

The main components of a thesis proposal are:

• title and abstract,
• introduction that motivates the proposed work,
• related and/or preliminary work, and
• proposed future work, including a timeline to complete that work.

There should also be a references section that contains all necessary citations. The following diagrams provide examples of potential thesis proposal organizations and their relative size. Note that the section headings as well as the size and ordering of the sections may be flexible.

Always be sure to follow the most up-to-date department guidelines.

MEng/SM Proposal

For MEng thesis proposals, the MIT EECS guidelines for MEng thesis proposals suggest that these documents should be between 1500-2500 words.

For SM proposals, the MIT EECS guidelines for SM and PhD thesis proposals indicate that the research plan should also include a list of principal equipment and facilities needs and the places which will supply these needs.

PhD Proposal

For a PhD thesis proposal, it is important to think about how the work that will go into your thesis ties together. What is the main idea that your work supports?

A thesis proposal serves as a contract between you and your thesis committee. The document should demonstrate the feasibility and merit of your proposed project and clearly define the work you will have to accomplish to complete your degree. This assures your committee that you have agreed to an acceptable level of research and protects you against future attempts to increase your workload. For this reason, it is advisable to have a thesis proposal written and signed relatively early in the degree process.

Thesis proposals also provide an opportunity for you to sharpen your research by stepping back and looking at the big picture. By carefully planning your research, you will focus on the most important questions and the most effective ways to answer them.

Analyze Your Audience

The primary audience of your thesis proposal is your thesis committee (for SM and MEng students, the committee is simply your advisor), who will serve multiple roles: they are coaches who support your success and gatekeepers who ensure that degrees are only granted for sufficient quality of work. In their role as coaches, committee members want to know that your project is feasible and worth pursuing and that you are prepared to undertake it. In their role as gatekeepers, committee members want to see that your project showcases mastery of a subject and solves an important and novel problem.

In the future, other students may also read your proposal as a reference to build on your work or use it as a model for their own. Therefore, your proposal should include both a concrete description of your work and the necessary background to understand the topic.

Answer the Heilmeier Questions

Before you start writing your thesis, consider the main motivations of the work and your approach. One great way to start brainstorming for your thesis proposal is to answer the Heilmeier questions for your own work.

In the 1970’s, the director of DARPA (George Heilmeier) developed a list of questions, known as the Heilmeier Catechism , to produce and select productive research proposals. To outline the content of your proposal, start by answering the following questions:

• What problem needs solving? What are you trying to do?
• How is it done today? What are the limitations of the current practice?
• What is new in your approach and why do you think it can succeed?
• Assuming you are successful, what difference does it make? Who cares and why?
• How much time/money/risk will it take?
• How will you (periodically) measure success?

You have many available resources for answering the Heilmeier questions. Start with your research advisor; they can point you to the most relevant literature, help identify productive research directions, and refine your plan for feasibility and scope. Other group members as well as past papers and theses from your group may also be able to help.

Emphasize your contribution

A thesis proposal should emphasize the problem and proposed work. Try to spend about 25% of your proposal on background and 75% on what you propose to do and a timeline to completion.

Include a timeline for completion

A timeline is a required component of almost any project proposal and should show that you have thought through the overall project goals and how to achieve them in accomplishable steps. The timeline should be granular enough to be meaningful (typically, a few months at a time) but not so granular to be vulnerable to small perturbations. Your timeline should allow your advisor or another evaluator to determine credibility, feasibility, and worthiness of the project steps.

Demonstrate creativity while maintaining credibility

In any research proposal, there is a tradeoff between risk/reward, and credibility. Low risk projects, like obvious, simple extensions of previous work, tend to be very credible; it’s clear that you can do them. They also tend to be low reward. Projects that are very ambitious and have huge rewards tend to be unbelievable and impossible for a single grad student. A successful proposal involves balancing the two: find a problem that you can probably solve that demonstrates creativity, initiative, and understanding.

Include details and preliminary results in your plan

Thesis proposals should do more than merely promise to “investigate” something.  Your proposal must describe how you plan to accomplish your goals, why you think those approaches will be successful, and why you believe these approaches have been overlooked or unsuccessful before. Initial experiments, calculations, or simulations can be crucial to convincing the proposal readers that your project will be successful.

MIT EECS affiliates can make an appointment with an EECS Comm Lab Fellow to get feedback on their proposal at any stage.

Resources and Annotated Examples

Meng thesis proposal example 1.

Thesis proposal submitted by MIT EECS MEng student 1 MB

MEng thesis proposal example 2

Thesis proposal submitted by MIT EECS MEng student 2 MB

Disclaimer: This text is exactly copied from the MEng Thesis guide on the mit.edu website. The purpose of this page is simply to consolidate 29 different pages into a single page.

Last Updated: September 4, 2017.

1. Introduction: What is the MEng Thesis?

The thesis requirement gives students an opportunity to develop and demonstrate their ability to carry out and document a reasonably comprehensive project requiring considerable initiative, creative thought, and a good deal of individual responsibility, and it is the most important part of the MEng degree. The thesis may be a design project, an analytical paper, or experimental work of a technical nature. The scope of the MEng thesis may vary, but for a student taking classes and/or working as a Research or Teaching Assistant, the thesis usually takes between one and one and a half years, so that starting it as an undergraduate is vital for finishing MEng in a single graduate year, and advisable even if you're willing to take a year and a half to finish MEng. The thesis should be completed in no more than three graduate terms, not including summers. Students are expected to begin work on their thesis no later than the beginning of their graduate program, and to work on it every term until it is completed. Deciding to take classes first and do the thesis later does not work and is not acceptable.

MEng theses normally involve one or more of the following:

• Design of a system followed by construction, test, and evaluation;
• Formulation of an analytical or computational model of a system or process, simulation of the model, and comparison with actual data;
• simulate a real system (e.g. Artificial Intelligence);
• aid in a diagnostic procedure;
• provide sophisticated, real-time analysis of measured data;
• develop and analyze a theory or theorem which is an abstraction or idealization of an actual process or system;
• apply some of the standard methods (of communication theory or control theory, for example) to aid in understanding of a process or system.
• Experimental study of physical phenomena.

Ordinarily the thesis is an individual effort; however, group projects are possible if the work of the individuals can be evaluated separately. Separate thesis documents must be submitted.

The research supervisor is found and the project is normally begun during the senior year or the summer after it, and completed during the graduate year. Work may be begun while the student is an undergraduate (for pay or for credit as UROP or SuperUROP), but the bulk of the thesis work should be done and registered for under 6.ThM while the student is classified as a graduate student. Unless you are in the VI-A Program, you must do your research at M.I.T., not at a summer or part-time job for which you received pay. Students may use a thesis topic which suggested itself during their summer jobs, but they must have an M.I.T. supervisor and do their work at M.I.T. or one of the M.I.T.-affiliated research labs (Draper, Lincoln, MGH/Harvard Medical, etc.).

2. Administration and Registration: How to Get More Information

The MEng Thesis is administered by Anne Hunter, the Administrator of Course VI Undergraduate and M.Eng. Programs. Questions about thesis policies and procedures should be addressed to her. The MIT Archives part of the MIT Libraries is in charge of thesis for MIT, and has a document about MIT theses.

Units and Registration: The M.Eng. thesis requirement calls for a minimum of 24 units of 6.ThM. Students normally register for 12 units of thesis each graduate term, and are expected to make some progress on their project each term. No matter how many units of 6.ThM a student registers for over several terms, no more than 24 units of 6.ThM credit will be awarded. 6.ThM is not affected by the Add Date. It may be added or dropped up to the Drop Date. However Anne Hunter's approval is required, not that of your supervisor. Unit adjustments can be made up to the last day of classes at the Course VI Undergraduate Office.

Students must be registered for thesis in the term in which they complete their thesis in order to receive a final grade. Students who fail to complete their theses on time must therefore register for at least one additional unit of thesis during the subsequent term. Graduate students cannot be on light load or pay by the unit. However there is a proration system whereby students can pay a prorated amount of tuition if they finish their theses during the first few weeks of a term, if they register for the term immediately preceding or following it.

Summer Tuition Subsidy: Graduate students who register only for thesis and/or RAship (6.991) for a summer session will receive a full tuition subsidy if they are registered for the preceeding or subsequent term.

3. Off-Campus Theses

Thesis research is usually carried out in laboratories operated by M.I.T. and located on-campus. There are some exceptions to this general rule which do not require explicit approval:

Students in the 6A MEng Thesis Program who are doing their theses at their 6A company, and those doing research at MIT Lincoln Lab or the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory need only arrange for the Company Letters to be received with their proposals and final documents . Students doing research at the Joint Program with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Whitehead, The Broad Institute, or the Harvard Teaching Hospitals are also excepted.

All such theses must have an M.I.T. faculty or approved research staff supervisor as well as a supervisor at the off-campus location.

Students not covered by the cases listed above must request permission of the Department Undergraduate Officer to pursue thesis research off-campus, and it is unlikely to be granted. Under no circumstances will projects undertaken at a company be approved as M.Eng. theses after the fact.

4. Classified Research and Copyright

M.I.T.'s rules require that copies of all graduate theses shall be deposited in the Institute Library where they are available to the public. Consequently no student is permitted to embark on a thesis project which might be classified by the government as 'Confidential' or 'Secret' for reasons of national security, or 'Company Confidential'' by a company for proprietary reasons. Theses done in classified areas of VI-A companies, Lincoln Lab or Draper must be reviewed by the government to confirm that they are unclassified. A statement must be attached to the proposal when it is submitted indicating that in the best judgment of the student and the supervisor the thesis will be unclassified. A sample statement is attached. (See Section 25 .)

Patent and copyright: If while a graduate student, the student has received any financial support for the thesis in the form of wages, salary, stipend, RAship, or grant from M.I.T. administered funds, the thesis is copyrighted to M.I.T. Otherwise, the student may copyright the thesis. [For more information consult the MIT thesis specifications .] Students may consult their thesis supervisor or the MIT Technology Licensing Office and the Office of General Counsel .

It is occasionally necessary for theses to be placed on hold briefly while they are checked for classified information or while patents are being filed.

5. Thesis 6A MEng Thesis

VI-A students use their final six-month work assignment to do their thesis research. This is an M.Eng. thesis registered for as 6.ThM and subject to M.Eng. thesis policies, not those for the S.M. or Ph.D. theses. VI-A students must find an M.I.T. supervisor before their graduate VI-A assignment begins, and settle proprietary issues before they begin work on their thesis project. Students should make every effort to arrange their thesis project, find a supervisor and submit a proposal and agreement letter in the spring of their senior year. If difficulties are encountered, seek assistance from the VI-A staff and company faculty advisor.

6. The MEng Thesis Proposal

It is very important that the Thesis Proposal be started as soon as a supervisor has agreed to work with you on a thesis. It's best to look very hard and find a great project during your senior year, and submit the proposal then.  Do NOT wait until the week before the proposal deadline (the end of the first term of grad registration) to start writing it. Only when a proposal has been submitted to the Undergraduate Office do you officially have a thesis and a supervisor. Students must submit a thesis proposal for Department approval before undertaking the major work of the thesis.

MEng students are expected to register for and make progress on their thesis in each of their graduate terms.  The proposal should be submitted at the end of the senior year or during the summer, and no later than the first term of registration as a grad student.

Failure to meet the proposal deadline will result in the permanent grade of "U" for Unsatisfactory Progress in 6.ThM, and an academic warning will be sent.

The proposal must be well-written and substantial (around ten pages, double-spaced, including references) and must be accompanied by a Thesis Proposal Cover Sheet . Students may consult the EECS Communication Lab for assistance with the writing. 6A students must also submit a proposal accompanied by a company agreement letter .

It is understood that theses will evolve after the proposal is submitted, but if they change topic, or if the supervisor(s) change, a new proposal must be submitted right away.

7. Thesis Grades: The Grade of J or the Grade of U

The grade of U (Unsatisfactory progress) in 6.ThM will be given if the thesis proposal is not submitted by the end of the first term of thesis registration, which is normally the student's first term in the MEng program, or if the thesis supervisor informs the Undergraduate Office that he or she wishes to give a student that grade due to unsatisfactory progress. The final grade in 6.ThM is a letter grade, not Pass/Fail. No Incompletes (I's) will be given in thesis. A grade for 6.ThM is required from a thesis supervisor by the Undergraduate Office ONLY at thesis completion. Unless a supervisor informs us otherwise, the grade of J will be given until thesis completion as long as an approved and current proposal is on file. For thesis registration, IAP is part of the Fall Term and no IAP thesis registration is usually necessary.

8. When to Start

Start thinking about your thesis research project as early as possible, e.g., by developing research expertise through UROPs. Be alert to interesting problems that come to your attention in class, personal contacts, or through the technical literature. By doing several UROPs early on you will learn about research areas that do NOT interest you, which is invaluable.

Undergraduates planning to continue for the MEng should get involved in a research group (through UROP, initially) as early as the sophomore or junior year. It is particularly important for students interested in continuing for the Ph.D. to gain exposure and experience in research. (Being involved in a research group long-term is the best way to improve chances for funding as a Research Assistant for the MEng, although of course there are no guarantees.) Some faculty feel that there is a long period of apprenticeship during which the student's training requires more effort than is returned by the student's labor. Only after this period does the 'payback' begin. It is in that 'payback' period that most supervisors expect to find the student's M.Eng. thesis work.

It is vital to have a thesis supervisor by the time you switch to graduate status, or very shortly thereafter. You are expected to register for thesis each term in MEng, make significant progress, and submit a proposal no later than the end of your first graduate term. Failure to submit a proposal after more than one term may result in removal from the MEng program.

9. The First Step: Finding a Supervisor and Topic

It's not as difficult to find a thesis as many students think. It's a lot like finding any research project. See https://www.eecs.mit.edu/academics-admissions/undergraduate-programs/opp... . For one thing, an M.Eng. thesis supervisor need not be a Course VI faculty member. Students thinking about continuing directly into the Course VI Ph.D. program will find it strongly to their advantage to establish an early research relationship with EECS labs and faculty. However, any School of Engineering or Science faculty member (including the Media Lab) and most Department-affiliated senior research staff members may supervise an M.Eng. thesis. Use the Faculty and Advisor listing to look for supervisors. If you wish to be supervised by a faculty member outside the School of Engineering or Science, or by a staff member not listed in the Research Supervisor list, you may request permission. Consult Anne Hunter.

Find a project which is of direct and intense interest to you and which will give you a maximum opportunity not only to learn about the subject being investigated, but also about proper methods of technical investigation. If you are already a graduate student in the M.Eng. program, you will want to avoid projects so remote from your current training that acquiring the necessary background will cause excessive delay.

10. More Ways to Find a Thesis

Each student is entirely responsible for finding a thesis topic and supervisor. While many people will be willing to help you, the final responsibility is yours alone.

Even if you haven't been involved in a research group where you can do your thesis, it still isn't that hard to find a thesis. If you already have a very specific topic in mind, you may have to be flexible and talk to many faculty and staff to find one interested in supervising you, so start early.

• You may have done a project in a laboratory subject which you wish to extend, or you may have done well in a subject which needs a lab or lecture demo developed. If so, talk to the appropriate faculty or staff members.
• Scan the technical journals.
• Network! Talk to your faculty advisor and any others you know for leads, and to develop and define your technical interest. Ask Ph.D. students to recommend faculty.
• Browse the Research Supervisors list, MEng Thesis Research Opportunities in CSAIL , and Recent M.Eng. Thesis Projects , look at research group websites and then talk to members of research groups.
• Attend the many colloquia and seminars held by research labs and the Department. Every Fall each Graduate Area has an Open House -- be sure to attend those that might interest you.
• Narrow your scope to one or two specific research areas, and see faculty and staff in those areas. Skim their recent papers, then ask them what projects they need done, and who else might have suitable research available in the same area.
• Look at recent EECS theses in MIT DSpace . You will often find definite suggestions in such theses for additional work that needs to be done. If you get stuck, go back to your academic advisor and talk things out again, choosing a different field with new people to contact.

As soon as you have reached a meeting of minds with a supervisor, start work on a thesis proposal to get your topic defined and formalized.

11. Working on the Thesis and Avoiding Delay

Many students fail to graduate on time because their theses are not complete. Some delays are inevitable, but there are ways to minimize them.

• 1. Unavailable Parts. Special parts which have to be ordered can cause delays of weeks or months. Try to find alternate sources, other ways of coping, and do legwork rather than passively waiting for parts to arrive. Do other aspects of the thesis, like writing, if waiting is unavoidable.
• 2. Waiting for Other People to do Their Part. PhD students and faculty can operate on a different time-scale than MEng students. Next term can be almost as good as next week. Try to anticipate and work around these problems, avoiding projects that are excessively interwoven with theses that can't really be started until somebody else makes something work. Think flexibly about altering your project to avoid this, but NOT by enlarging it to include other people's projects! Bear in mind that some faculty are more accustomed to extensive two-year research masters theses, not the two to three term MEng thesis projects.
• 3. The Incredible Expanding Thesis. Your project will evolve as you progress. But that should not mean that it gets bigger and more inclusive. Negotiate diplomatically.
• 4. The Alienated Supervisor. Students often think a supervisor has lost patience with the student and the project when it is nothing personal, just the press of other commitments. Do not react to this situation by disappearing. Keep working and keep your supervisor aware of your efforts and progress. They like to know what is going on, and they hate feeling that you've disappeared. Be visible and send updates even if there's no response.  Failure to communicate is one of the major problems -- be mature!

5. Writing Delays. Students can be frustrated when they hand their supervisors a chapter or two of write-up, which it took them a few hours to write, and find that it takes the supervisor several days or even weeks to read, correct and return it. Other students find it impossible to start writing. Don't wait until you are finished designing, programming, testing, debugging, etc., to start writing. Go to the Barker Engineering Library and read theses similar to yours for good ideas about presentation, tone, etc. Develop a detailed outline with lots of notes, a list of figures, a reasonable format (there's no single correct format), bibliography. Draft an introduction and first chapter. Listen carefully to your supervisor's suggestions for revision. Don't wait until it is 90% written to show it to your supervisor. Take at least the first chapter to the EECS CommunicationLab   or the Writing and Communication Center for analysis and assistance.

Lack of Discipline and Time Management Skills. Working on a thesis may be different from anything you've done while at MIT; for four years you may have had nothing but short, specific and discrete tasks due at short-term intervals. With the thesis there is a final deadline, a term or more away. This requires a different kind of self-discipline. MAKE A SCHEDULE. Write out a detailed, ordered list of tasks that have to be done, allowing for the inevitable delays and other commitments, and aiming not for the final deadline, but for a week or so earlier. Set specific short-term deadlines and be a hard taskmaster. If you find your hours, days and weeks melting away to no effect, take early action. Note that supervisors will expect a first draft of the thesis document well in advance of the deadline.

Use the MIT Barker Library . Barker is eager to help thesis students at every stage of the thesis project. The library can help students to approach topics, to perform on-line searches, and to assist with indexes, abstracts, and citations.

• Funding and Special Equipment. If you need special computer accounts or equipment for your thesis, ask your thesis supervisor. If your work is for a sponsored research project or an academic subject, there are funds which should pay for necessary equipment. The use of Department laboratory kits is discouraged. The Department has little or no funding available for general thesis support.
• If You Just Can't Finish. If you're going to miss the deadline, not by hours or days, but by weeks or months, sit down with your supervisor and agree on what exactly has to be done. Get off the degree list, arrange for housing for extra time, and keep going. It is very difficult to complete a thesis long distance or while working. Students who are sure they have only a few weeks of work left end up graduating several terms later. A few walk away with only the thesis remaining, let that thesis get "old and cold," and get their degrees years later, if at all. Don't let this happen to you!

12. Thesis Completion

The thesis write-up is considered a major part of the thesis project. The report should include a clear statement of the problem and why it is of interest or importance, a description of the history and background literature on the subject, a statement of the author's work and observations, a discussion of the author's findings in relation to those of predecessors, the author's conclusions and suggestions for further work. Extensive data, code, or mathematical derivations should be in appendices rather than in the body of the report. Specific bibliographic citations should be included whenever reference is made to documents or other communications. It must be well written, clearly organized, and contain no stylistic or grammatical errors. Supervisors are encouraged to require early drafts, to provide criticism of the writing as well as the technical content, to require re-writes, and to insist that the final document conform to accepted standards of technical writing. The final grade should be based in part on the writing quality of the thesis. The Writing and Communication Center and the EECS Communication Lab offers free consultation on writing issues.

Deadlines and Extensions

This academic year's deadlines are listed on the front page of this document. Note that the Department's final thesis deadlines are much LATER than the Institute's deadlines. Going past the Institute's Deadline to the Department's Deadline is NOT considered an extension and does NOT require any permission. The Institute Deadline means nothing to Course VI students. Do NOT call us or email to check the deadline: Trust us!

Here's Why: The Department Deadline is later than the Institute one because the Institute allows ten days after its deadline for supervisors to read and grade theses. We know from experience that by the time they are ready to sign theses, supervisors know the grade. Therefore our deadline for theses is also the deadline for final grades to be submitted to the Undergraduate Office. Students must bring to us the completed grade sheet with the final copies of the thesis.

The Department's thesis deadline means that students who hand in theses after that date are not guaranteed that their final thesis grade will be posted in time for them to graduate that term. Students who hand in a thesis late may be able to graduate at Commencement but not have their names in the Commencement Book.

Students who fail to graduate because their thesis wasn't submitted in time will have to register for the following term, get on that term's degree list, and graduate at the end of it. No extensions of that guarantee beyond the final Department Deadline (as listed on the front of this guide) are possible. No thesis supervisor is empowered to extend the deadline. Since there are no extensions, there are no forms to be filled out to get an extension.

Students should NOT give up at the deadline, but should hand in their theses as fast as possible. You may hand in your thesis on any weekday during business hours, at any time of the year. Students who miss the deadline but are very close to finishing should email Anne Hunter on the morning AFTER the Final Thesis Deadline, so we can reassure you and encourage you to keep working, knowing we're pulling for you. Please eliminate calls to the Undergraduate Office to inquire about extensions, especially ON or BEFORE the deadline. We save all of our strength and sympathy for those who actually miss the deadline, so that we just don't want to deal with people trying to get extensions on or before the deadline.

Supervisor's Signature and Final Grade

Try not to wait until the afternoon of the deadline to submit your thesis. Make sure well in advance that your supervisor will be here when you need his or her signature; no thesis can be accepted without a supervisor's original signature on the title pages. The Department signature (Christopher J. Terman) will be furnished automatically later. Be sure to pick up a grade sheet from the Undergraduate Office before you hand in your thesis. Have your supervisor fill out the grade sheet at the same time that he or she signs your thesis. Remember that your final thesis grade must be handed in with your thesis. In emergencies we will accept phoned-in or emailed grades from supervisors as long as the grade sheet is sent promptly.

Copies, Binders, Labels and Clips

Submit only two (2) copies of your thesis. They must both be on acid free paper. The title page (see samples in Section 27 and Section 28 ) must bear your and your thesis supervisor's original signatures as well as the signature of the VI-A company thesis supervisor if VI-A thesis. The Departmental signature will be provided later. It is customary to give your thesis supervisor at least one copy when you finish.

The copies must be submitted in temporary binders consisting of two pieces of cardboard and binder clips, pictured right. (Note the placement of the binder clip at the upper left of the document including the covers). These are available free for recycled ones in a cabinet outside the Preservation Services Section of the Libraries (14N-0513), and new at CopyTech. Do not hole-punch or bind your thesis in any other way. On the front cover of each binder, tape a label containing your name.

The Thesis Receipt/Grade Sheet and the Degree List

Before you come to the Course VI Undergraduate Office to submit your thesis, use the checklist to be sure you're ready. You must bring the grade sheet/thesis receipt form with you when you hand in your thesis. Do not trust anyone else to hand carry the grade sheet or let it be sent in the Institute mail. At that time your name will be checked against the Degree List. If you intend to graduate in that term and you're not on that list (which is maintained by the Registrar) you can add yourself . If you've followed these instructions successfully, your thesis will be accepted, and your thesis receipt/grade sheet will be stamped with an official Department stamp. Keep your receipt; it is your evidence that you did turn in a thesis.

Put Your Thesis in MIT's DSpace Thesis Collection

Putting your thesis on DSpace is now required, as it preserves your research at MIT and makes it available to the world on line. Follow the Document Services Instructions to do this and bring the email acknowledgement when you submit your thesis. In the case of patent or is classified, please let us know the problem.

The Department's Exit Survey Receipt

Please complete the department's survey completely, so that we can consider student feedback and experience in our programs. Bring the survey receipt with you when you submit your thesis.

13. Other Documents: MIT's Specifications for Thesis Preparation, etc

The Institute publishes an online document, Specifications for Thesis Preparation outlining detailed rules for theses. Be careful when using it to distinguish between the more stringent requirements for Ph.D. theses and those for the M.Eng. thesis. We also recommend The Mayfield Handbook if you're looking for a technical style book, and consulting with the EECS Communication Lab for writing assistance.

14. Writing an Abstract

You must include an abstract on its own page, right after your title page, which includes your thesis title, your name, your thesis supervisor, the degree and the date (see Sample Abstract ). Those students who found it difficult to get their thesis title short enough should have no difficulty writing an abstract. Start by writing out a full title, with all the adjectives and phrases you cut from the title. Describe your methods or procedures in a couple of sentences, and your conclusions or results in another sentence or two. It should be no longer than 150 words. It may be helpful to refer back to your Thesis Proposal.

15. Word Processors, Printers, and Paper

• Wordprocessing. Students generally wordprocess their theses themselves, rather than having someone prepare them. Most theses go through many draft versions, with minor and major revisions. Supervisors won't accept handwritten material at any stage. Please note that the "Course VI" thesis templates online are NOT official or correct, especially for the title page. Check to be sure that your title page is exactly like the one in section 26 or section 27 . And DO BACKUPS!
• Printers. CopyTech has a thesis printer that uses acid-free paper. Whatever printer you plan to use, don't wait until just hours before the deadline, when you haven't slept in a week, to find an alternative. Have a contingency plan ready.
• Double-sided Printing. Theses should generally be doubled-sided, including all prefatory material, but single-sided will be accepted.
• Paper. The two original copies that you submit must be on acid-free paper. [Acid-free paper is often indicated by an infinity symbol.] There are thesis printers that use this kind of paper.
• Type. Font size should be between ten and twelve, and the bulk of the paper should not be single-spaced, although peripheral parts like the abstract, title page, acknowledgments, and appendices should be single-spaced. All print must be dark black (not gray or any other color).
• Margins. There must be at least one-inch margins on the top and bottom and both sides, with all text, charts, photographs, and code INSIDE the margins. This includes appendices of code (try using a copier to reduce material to make it fit). Lack of control over your formatter (TEX or LATEX, for example) is NOT an excuse for failure to adhere to these rules. Find assistance from on-line consultants, friends, or SIPB . For pages of code, remember that there are good quality photocopiers available that will reduce your code so that it fits within the margins.
• Format. While no specific format is required, it is important to structure your paper clearly and logically. Use the Mayfield Guide or your favorite guide to technical writing.
• Corrections. Do not use correction fluid; hand corrections and labels are never permitted.
• Figures. Charts, tables, and graphs should be capable of being photocopied clearly, and may not be hand-labeled. No material may be taped or glued to pages. Color figures are permitted, but must make sense when photocopied in black and white. (Please check).
• Supplementary Media. You may submit supplementary media with your thesis, but the written part must make sense by itself.

16. Title Page, Copyright, and Patenting

Make your title page look EXACTLY like the sample one in section 26 of this guide. Use the name "Christopher J. Terman" for the third signature, precisely as shown. Check that the title page is as shown, as online templates are incorrect. If you own the copyright, copyright your thesis by placing a copyright notice on the title page, with your name and the year, as shown on the sample in section 26 . The author must, as a condition of the degree, grant nonexclusive permission to the Institute to reproduce and distribute publicly copies of the thesis. A statement to this effect must appear on the title page. (See the sample title page in section 26 .) You must submit correct title pages. If MIT holds the copyright, grant it to MIT and omit the permissions sentence.

6-A students must have an extra line on the thesis title page for their company thesis supervisor's name and signature, (See section 27 ) and MIT holds the copyright on all 6-A theses.

If you hold the copyright and wish to register your copyright (certainly a good idea if you're planning to use your thesis for commercial purposes), contact the Intellectual Property Office for assistance. Use the date on which you will graduate or your degree will be conferred, consulting the MIT Academic Calendar .

Thesis Holds : Under some circumstances you can arrange for a brief delay of the official publication of your thesis in the MIT Libraries. This is good for patent issues and getting security clearance permission.

17. Deadlines and Extensions

Here's Why: The Department Deadline is later than the Institute one because the Institute allows ten days after its deadline for supervisors to read and grade theses. We know from experience that by the time they are ready to sign theses, supervisors know the grade. Students must bring to us the completed grade sheet with the final copy of the thesis.

The Department's thesis deadline means that students who hand in theses after that date are not guaranteed that their final thesis grade will be posted in time for them to graduate that term. Students who hand in a thesis late may be able to graduate at Commencement but not have their names in the Commencement Book. Students who fail to graduate because their thesis wasn't submitted in time will have to register for the following term, get on that term's degree list, and graduate at the end of it. No extensions of that guarantee beyond the final Department Deadline (as listed on the front of this guide) are possible. No thesis supervisor is empowered to extend the deadline. Since there are no extensions, there are no forms to be filled out to get an extension.

Students should NOT give up at the deadline, but should hand in their theses as fast as possible. You may hand in your thesis on any weekday during business hours, at any time of the year. Students who miss the deadline but are very close to finishing should email Anne Hunter ( [email protected] ) on the morning AFTER the Final Thesis Deadline, so we can reassure you and encourage you to keep working, knowing we're pulling for you. Please eliminate calls to the Undergraduate Office to inquire about extensions, especially ON or BEFORE the deadline. We save all of our strength and sympathy for those who actually miss the deadline, so that we just don't want to deal with people trying to get extensions on or before the deadline.

18. Supervisor's Signature and Final Grade

Try not to wait until the afternoon of the deadline to submit your thesis. Make sure well in advance that your supervisor will be here when you need his or her signature; no thesis can be accepted without the student's and supervisor's original signature on the title pages. The Department signature (Christopher J. Terman) will be furnished automatically later. Be sure to pick up a grade sheet from the Undergraduate Office before you hand in your thesis. Have your supervisor fill out the grade sheet at the same time that he or she signs your thesis. Remember that your final thesis grade must be handed in with your thesis. In emergencies we will accept phoned-in or emailed grades from supervisors as long as the grade sheet is sent promptly.

19. Copies, Binders, Labels and Clips

Submit only two (2) copies of your thesis. They must both be on acid free paper. The title page (see samples in Section 26 and Section 27 ) must bear your and your thesis supervisor's original signatures as well as the signature of the VI-A company thesis supervisor if VI-A thesis. The Departmental signature will be provided later. In addition to the two copies submitted to 38-476, it is customary to give your thesis supervisor at least one copy when you finish.

The copies must be submitted in temporary binders consisting of two pieces of cardboard and binder clips, pictured right. (Note the placement of the binder clip at the upper left of the document including the covers). These are available free (recycled) at MIT Archives, and new at CopyTech. Do not hole-punch or bind your thesis in any other way. On the front cover of each binder, tape a label containing your name.

20. The Thesis Receipt/Grade Sheet and the Degree List

Before you come to the Course VI Undergraduate Office to submit your thesis, use the checklist to be sure you're ready. You must bring two copies of the grade sheet/thesis receipt form with you when you hand in your thesis. Do not trust anyone else to hand carry the grade sheet or let it be sent in the Institute mail. At that time your name will be checked against the Degree List. [If you intend to graduate in that term and you're not on that list (which is maintained by the Registrar) you will need to add yourself at http://student.mit.edu . If you've followed these instructions successfully, your thesis will be accepted, and your thesis receipt/grade sheet will be stamped with an official Department stamp. Keep your receipt; it is your evidence that you did turn in a thesis in case our office burns down.

21. Put Your Thesis in MIT's DSpace Thesis Collection

To facilitate electronic access to the research done by Course VI students, we are requiring that students deposit their thesis in DSpace , MIT's long-term digital storage facility (you'll need to have a DSpace account for the link to work). When you have done this, you will receive a receipt via email. Please print this receipt and bring it with you when you submit your thesis.

21a. Course VI Exit Survey

We are eager to receive your feedback about your experiences in Course VI to improve our programs. We will use this information only in the aggregate without student names or identifiers. So please be entirely honest. When you have completed the survey, please bring your survey receipt with your thesis and other materials to 38-476.

22. Thesis Prizes

The thesis supervisors nominate theses for thesis awards that carry cash prizes. The supervisor nominates by sending an additional copy of the thesis, with a nominating letter detailing how the thesis is superior, to the Thesis Prize Committee Chairs for the year. These chairs will be announced to the supervisors in late April. Theses which were submitted earlier, for the previous September and February degree dates, may be considered for prizes in the following spring. Questions from supervisors (not students) about prizes should be referred to the appropriate faculty member, when announced. Students cannot nominate their own theses. Prizes are awarded at a Department party.

23. Masterworks: The Oral Presentation

Each spring the Department holds a special thesis poster event, called MasterWorks, where masters students make presentations of their research to interested Department faculty, students, and guests. We will be in touch with all M.Eng. students at the proper time. Prizes will be given for the best presentations. Here are tips for preparing a poster: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters .

If for any reason participation in Masterworks is not possible, students are still required to make an oral presentation of their thesis project. This valuable part of your thesis generally consists of a twenty-minute presentation with a five-minute discussion period with the supervisor and at least one other faculty or staff member. Your supervisor will arrange your presentation. 6A students completing thesis research at work usually arrange the oral presentation with their company supervisor, even if the final document is not completed there.

Supervisors are responsible for arranging oral presentations. While this presentation is not a 'thesis defense', the supervisor may include the quality of the thesis presentation when assigning the final grade.

Hints for Oral Presentations: https://homes.cs.washington.edu/~mernst/advice/giving-talk.html

24. 6A/non-6A Thesis Proposal Agreement Letter

Sample 6A Thesis Proposal Agreement Letter Dr. Christopher J. Terman Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Room 38-476, M.I.T. Cambridge, MA 02139

Subject: Master of Engineering Thesis of [Student]

Dear Dr. Terman:

The attached Thesis Proposal Form entitled [Thesis Title] describes a research study that [Student] will carry out as an MIT VI-A student using, at least in part, the facilities of [Company]. [Student] intends to prepare a thesis based on this VI-A assignment to be submitted as one of the requirements for the Masters of Engineering degree. We understand that, if such a report is to be acceptable to MIT, faculty regulations require that:

• The written presentation of the work must be approved by a member of the MIT staff who can have full access (during the course of study and in confidence) to the pertinent background, methods of investigation and results.
• Research studies and thesis topics involving subject matter (including data, results, or methods) subject to restriction for reasons of either proprietary interest or national security are unacceptable as the basis for a thesis.
• The actual thesis document becomes the permanent property of MIT, and will be placed in the MIT Library within one month of the date of submission.
• For the thesis to be accepted, [Student], as copyright owner must give MIT the right to reproduce and to distribute publicly the thesis. If the student has assigned the copyright to [Company], [Company] agrees that MIT shall have the nonexclusive right to reproduce, publish and distribute the thesis.

We believe the proposed research can be carried out and an acceptable thesis prepared under these conditions. We understand that the thesis will not be accepted by MIT unless accompanied by a letter from an authorized official of [Company] confirming that the thesis is within the approved scope, and does not contain details objectionable to [Company]. A copy of the thesis will be submitted by [Student] to [Company] sufficiently in advance of the date of submission to permit review.

We also understand that except as noted above, and provided that [Student] is not associated with any government or other sponsored project at M.I.T. in the field of the research study and does not make significant use of M.I.T. funds or facilities, all rights in the results of the research including any inventions or software developed by [Student] in the course of this research study and thesis preparation, belong either to [Student] or [Company] as his or her assignee. (Direct Company Supervisor [signature])

Sample Non-VI-A Company Thesis Proposal Agreement Letter Dr. Christopher J. Terman Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Room 38-476, M.I.T. Cambridge, MA 02139

The attached Thesis Proposal Form entitled [Thesis Title] describes a research study that [Student] will carry out at least in part, at the facilities of [Company]. [Student] intends to prepare a thesis based on this work to be submitted as one of the requirements for the Masters of Engineering degree. We understand that, if such a report is to be acceptable to MIT, faculty regulations require that:

We believe the proposed research can be carried out and an acceptable thesis prepared under these conditions. A copy of the thesis will be submitted by [Student] to [Company] sufficiently in advance of the date of submission to permit review.

25. Thesis Release Letter

General Thesis Release Letter and Classification Review Letter (formerly Appendix B)

Dr. Christopher J. Terman Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Room 38-476, M.I.T. Cambridge, MA 02139

I have reviewed the attached thesis of [Student] on behalf of [Company]. The thesis is within the scope of the thesis proposal as previously approved and does not contain any material that is objectionable to [Company]. It is also approved for its technical content.

It is understood that the actual thesis document will be the permanent property of M.I.T. and will be placed in the M.I.T. Library within one month after the date of submission. [Company] agrees that M.I.T. shall have the nonexclusive right to reproduce, publish, and distribute the thesis.

(Authorized Official of Company)

26. Sample Abstract

Sample Abstract (formerly Appendix C)

A Stratigraphic Model Editor by Stephen P. Gildea Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

May 16, 1986 In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

ABSTRACT The stratigraphic model editor provides a convenient and efficient tool for geophysicists manipulating the complex models used in ray tracing and other forward modeling techniques. The editor allows the user to build a model of the earth on a Symbolics Lisp Machine screen using the mouse. The earth models manipulated by the program represent a two-dimensional slice of the earth, typically extending three or four miles down and having 10 to 50 layers. The layers need not be flat, but can contain features such as reefs and salt domes. These models are important in exploration geophysics. The editor generates data files representing this model that can be used as input to a ray-tracing program. The description of the file format is written in a high-level declarative language, so that the editor can be easily modified to support other formats.

27. Sample Title Page for Student Holding Copyright

Sample Title Page for Student Holding Copyright (formerly titled Appendix D)

PDF Version

28. Sample VI-A Title Page with Copyright to MIT

Sample VI-A Title Page with Copyright to MIT (formerly titled Appendix E)

29. Checklist for Handing in a Thesis

Read over this checklist before you hand in two identical copies of your thesis at the Undergraduate Office, 38-476

• Are your margins at least one inch on top and bottom and both sides? If your thesis is two-sided it must be two-sided throughout the document, including the prefatory pages. Odd-numbered pages should be on the right, even-numbered pages on the left.
• Does your title page look exactly like the sample title pages? Check the copyright and the sentence right after it that starts "The author hereby...". Use the date/month of your degree (June, February or September), NOT the month you're submitting it.
• Only one title page and one abstract page are required for each thesis copy. The abstract must look a lot like the one here . It should be page two, right after your title page, and must be on its own page.
• There must be a Table of Contents, and if there are any figures, a List of Figures. There must be a properly formatted bibliography.
• Make sure that there is only one continuous sequence with the title page counting as page 1. This includes all appendices, etc. Check that all of your pages are included, in the right order. It's easy and extremely common to miss a few pages deep in the middle of the document. Count all the way through it. Make sure you have printed your two final copies on acid-free paper. There is a 'thesis' printer at CopyTech that provides this paper automatically. Are your submission copies properly covered in cardboard, held together only with clips, with the front covers clearly labeled? [ Copies, Binders, Labels, and Clips ] Have you and your supervisor signed the title page of the submission copies? These must be original, not digital, signatures. The third signature (Dr. Terman's) will be provided later. [See Section 26 ] If it's a 6A thesis, has your company thesis supervisor also signed the title page and do you have your release letter? [See Section 28 ]
• Grade Sheet: Have you and your supervisor completed your thesis grade sheet/receipt form ? ( Also available in the Course VI Undergraduate Office) [See Section 20 ]. Be sure to bring in two copies of the thesis grade sheet if you want a receipt, so that we can stamp your copy. We do not provide thesis receipts otherwise.
• Receipt from DSpace
• Receipt from Exit Survey
• Two copies of the Thesis

Advanced Manufacturing and Design Innovation @ MIT

Overview of the Degree:

The MEng degree combines in-depth, group-based graduate subjects and a project-based thesis experience at leading companies to accelerate students' engineering and leadership skills. The program provides a Launchpad for graduates to become innovative future leaders in established manufacturing firms and new entrepreneurial ventures. This approach leads to what our alumni has termed “compressed” or “formalized” experience, and gives our graduates a blend of theory and practice in that uniquely prepares them for this most demanding field.

 The curriculum includes subjects in manufacturing processes and process control, factory systems and supply chains, business fundamentals and the product development process.  Several subjects include hands-on labs and most of which have significant project components.  Outside of the formal classroom there are numerous activities including interactions with industry leaders, manufacturing entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.  Finally, there is an 8-month long “Group Project in Industry”, where as part of a team, each student works with a local manufacturing company on a problem of immediate value to the company, and that will also lead to the MEng thesis. 

This synergistic combination of MIT's eminent-engineering curriculum with pragmatic time in industry enables you to graduate in just 12 months fully prepared to be both an effective and innovative leader in the field.

For students who prefer online learning, a blended online/onsite degree path allows for a Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters credential to be redeemed for course credit. The MicroMasters PoM online credential may be redeemed for 48 academic units (equivalent to 1/3 of the typical degree program.) The credential requires learners to successfully pass 8 verified online courses and 4 final exams. After the credential is earned, you may apply to the MEng degree program and if accepted, redeem the PoM courses as credit. This blend of online and onsite learning allows you to begin learning online at your own pace and spend only 8 months on campus to complete your degree. 

For more information about the MicroMasters Principles of Manufacturing Program, please visit  https://micromasters.mit.edu/pom/

Graduates have already moved into a variety of careers in manufacturing that range from semiconductor process engineering, new product introduction, and factory management to supply chain design and implementation. Several graduates have struck out on their own to provide consulting services, and some have gone on to earn PhDs and become management and engineering faculty.

Early on, our industrial partners have identified our graduates as “different.” This difference is identified as outstanding team players, quick learners, and determined problem solvers. Here are specific examples of what recent graduates have achieved:

• Developing disruptive manufacturing technologies for the emerging field of soft-lithography
• Optimizing space utilization and supporting continuous improvement activities for an international logistics corporation
• Applying operations management techniques to the production of offshore oil rig platforms to problems of inventory management plant layout and workload balancing
• Designing consumer electronic products, from concept to production to market
• Coordinating a multi-billion dollar factory conversion in the semiconductor industry, and introducing rigorous planning methods for this purpose
• Serving as a sales manager for an aluminum company with customers in the auto and consumer electronics industries
• Working in teams with managers and engineers to develop a new distribution structure for a major home furnishing manufacturer

The Master of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing and Design (MEng) degree from MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering prepares you for leadership positions in the multidisciplinary profession of manufacturing and gives you the tools to grow in this dynamic field.

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6-9 Master of Engineering

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences offer a joint curriculum leading to a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Computation and Cognition that focuses on the emerging field of computational and engineering approaches to brain science, cognition and machine intelligence. This program is only open to Computation and Cognition (6-9) majors at MIT.

The Master of Engineering in Computation and Cognition is a five to five-and-a-half year program in which Course 6-9 students earn a bachelors and master's degree. Students may earn the degree concurrently or sequentially with their undergraduate degree. Students will meet all degree requirements for the 6-9 major and complete an additional 90 units including 24 units of thesis work.  The MEng compresses the coursework necessary for a four-year bachelor's and a two-year master's degree into ten or eleven semesters. Students begin fulfilling MEng requirements in their latter semesters as undergraduates.

The curriculum provides flexibility to accommodate students with a wide diversity of interests in this area—from biologically-inspired approaches to artificial intelligence, to reverse engineering circuits in the brain. This joint master’s program prepares students for careers that include advanced applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as further graduate study in systems and cognitive neuroscience. Students in the program are full members of both departments, with one academic advisor from each department.

Admissions Criteria:

• A technical GPA 4.25 or better (letter grades in 6-9 courses and any other courses in 6, 8, or 18)
• Completion of 9 subjects (or 102 units) counting toward the 6-9 major
• An overall GPA of 4.0 is required by the end of the term in which students apply
• One UROP or SuperUROP  (The EECS or BCS Office may contact research supervisors for their views on candidates).
• A commitment from a faculty member to supervise their thesis research.
• Students in their Junior or Senior year should submit an online application in November or April.

If you are a 6-9 major meet the criteria above and your research program is adequately developed, you will be admitted into the MEng program.

Apply at the MEng Application Website (available in November and April).

The Master of Engineering degree is awarded only to students who have already received, or who will simultaneously receive, the Bachelor of Science in Computation and Cognition (Course 6-9). Refer to the  undergraduate degree chart  for requirements. 

The graduate component of the MEng program is described below.

Course 6-9P Graduate Requirements

Eecs advanced subjects, bcs advanced subjects, mathematics restricted electives.

Departmental funding for the MEng program is not guaranteed. However, students may apply for funding from two sources: teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Students will have the opportunity to apply for funding before they begin the MEng program. Full-time TA or RA assistantships pay a monthly stipend, full tuition and health insurance. Students with TAships should expect to work approximately 20 hours a week on teaching. Students may request funding as a research assistant from their thesis supervisor, however, RA support for MEng students is not common.

Information regarding teaching assistantships including the application process can be found here .

Students with a full-time TAship or RAship may only register for two 12 unit subjects in addition to 12 units of thesis credit and 12 units of assistantship credit. Students holding a half- TAship or half-RAship may register for an additional class. Because students receive credit for their thesis work as well as TAships and RAships, they are registered for 48 to 60 units each term.

Term limits: MEng students are only eligible for RAships and TAships during their first three regular semesters (summers are excepted) as a graduate student. If a student has been a graduate TA at least once or has unusual circumstances that have delayed progress on the thesis or classes, the student may request one additional term (a fourth term) of support eligibility.  

For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the SFS website .

When is the best term to become a graduate student?

Students in the MEng program have to transition from being an undergraduate to being a graduate student at some point before they graduate. Specifically, they must be registered as a graduate student prior to their last regular semester in the MEng program. 

With a source of graduate funding and sufficient progress with requirements, students will often choose to become a graduate student in the fourth year (eighth term). Not all of the requirements for the undergraduate degree have to be completed in order to become an MEng student. Students must have at least 180 units beyond the GIRs with at least 15 of the GIRs completed to become a graduate student. In order to earn an MEng, students must be a full-time graduate student for at least one regular semester (not counting summer term or IAP) to earn the degree. Some students may opt to become graduate students after the start of the fifth year due to funding or to finish undergraduate requirements. Students typically only have six subjects left to complete for the bachelor's and master's degrees when becoming a graduate student. 

How do Thesis Units work?

Thesis units work differently than for other subjects. Students must register for 12 units of 6.THM in each graduate term until their thesis is submitted. However, only 24 units will affect their grade point average (the thesis receives a letter-grade).

How does the Thesis Proposal work?

Students are encouraged to find the subject of their MEng thesis during their junior or senior year. Often student’s thesis research builds on prior UROP or SuperUROP projects.  Students register for 6.THM during the summer term or fall semester of their graduate year. Students are encouraged to submit a thesis proposal after determining the scope of their research project with their supervisor.  Proposals are due during the first semester of the MEng program and will serve as a point of departure for the thesis work.

What are the Subject Requirements?

 It is necessary to fulfill the requirements of and receive the 6-9 degree along with, or before,  the MEng degree. The MEng requires two BCS advanced subjects, two EECS advanced subjects, two math restricted electives along with the Master's thesis.

How much progress on the MEng is required each term?

MEng students are expected to make  progress on their theses each term and are expected to take at least one class (if needed) each term.  Students are encouraged to take courses and work on the thesis simultaneously, in order to ensure timely completion of the degree.

What are Buckets?

Buckets refer to the categorization of subjects as fulfilling requirements for the students undergraduate or graduate degree.To graduate with MEng students must have 66 units, plus thesis units, in their graduate program.  At the same time they must have completed all of the requirements of the 6-9 undergraduate program.  This means that students will have roughly 474 total units (17 GIRS = 204, 180 units beyond the GIRs, 66 units in the grad program, plus a minimum of 24 thesis units = 474 units).

What are the Support and Enrollment Limits?

MEng students can not have RA and TA support beyond their first three regular terms (not including summer).  Students may petition for one additional term of support if they have served as a TA for one semester or have other extenuating circumstances.  

What are the Academic Requirements for the MEng?

MEng graduate students must maintain a 4.0 GPA and must earn grades that are a B- or better in all courses.  Students must also make continual progress towards their thesis each term. Students who do not meet these requirements may receive warning letters from the Office of the Vice Chancellor and may not be permitted to complete the program.

For more information:

BCS Academic Office Building 46 Room 2005 [email protected]

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For prospective MEng students

The MEng application opens on drop date of each regular semester (fall, spring) and closes on the last day of classes. Admission notifications are typically sent out roughly one month after the application closes.

For current MEng students

Thesis Proposal: The thesis proposal is required for students in the first semester of their MEng, and is due on the last day of classes of that semester.

Thesis: MEng theses are due on dates set by the registrar . The vast majority of students submit their thesis the semester they are graduating; if you plan to submit your thesis early, please contact the EECS Undergraduate Office .

The Undergraduate Office is typically able to grant small extensions to these deadlines for students with exceptional circumstances. All students will receive instructions from the Undergraduate Office on how to submit your proposal or thesis, as well as how to request an extension.

Living the MEng life by Shuli J. '22, MEng '23

same, different, same

October 27, 2022

• in MIT Life ,
• UROP & Other Research

I officially graduated from MIT last year, but I’m still here, doing what we call “MEnging” (em-en-jing). The MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science ⁠ 01 Colloquially known as EECS, pronounced eeks, or more often just as 'Course 6'. offers a 12-to-18 month Master’s of Engineering, only available to MIT EECS undergrads, and with an application that took me and my friends about 20 minutes each to complete. As you might imagine, particularly at a school where about a third of undergrads are EECS majors, it’s a popular option. So this year, me, some of my closest friends, and like half of everyone else I know from the class of 2022 are still here in Cambridge and on campus, taking classes and doing research.

How does it feel? I don’t know. Weird? Normal? Sometimes it feels so normal, walking down the Infinite like I always do, on my way from something or other to something else. And sometimes I walk by EC and can’t recognize any of the people sitting and laughing around the grills, and I remember that I’m older than I used to be. (Aren’t we all :P) Everything is the same and different, all mixed up. I’ve been reflecting on the changes in bits ‘n’ pieces as the semester goes on; this post is my attempt to get them all organized and sorted out.

1. Where I live

I used to live in East Campus, an undergrad dorm, but of course had to move out once I was no longer an undergrad. MIT also has graduate dorms, so I could have moved into one of those. Instead, I chose to move into an off-campus apartment with three of my friends. Honestly, it’s pretty much the same price and distance from campus as most of the grad housing, but I get a bit more control about who I live with and what the facilities are like.

Living in an apartment with 4 people instead of a long hallway with 40 is definitely very different. A lot of things are simpler: splitting up fridge space, figuring out who left their stuff all over the table, deciding how we want to decorate the living room and what kitchen utensils to buy or get rid of. In some ways, there’s more camaraderie, because I’m closer with my roommates, but I also find myself alone in a quiet house a lot more than I used to.

2. Commuting

East Campus was like two minutes away from most of my classes. Now I live a horrifying 15-to-20-minute walk from campus! So far away! …okay, it’s not that far (in fact it’s a distance that many undergrads already live from campus) but it is a big enough change that it’s shifted how I approach leaving the house. I can’t just go home for lunch between classes, so instead I’ve started packing a lunch. It’s kinda fun tucking in an apple and a little treat next to my tupperware of leftovers :3 When I leave for the night day I ain’t coming back, ⁠ 02 Am I dating myself with this reference? Is it now possible to date oneself with Kesha? How time does advance... so I have to actually think about what I’m going need all day before I leave. I learned this the hard way by not checking the weather forecast and getting stuck in the rain on my way home D:

Because my walk is longer now, I’ve also gotten more into biking! I owned a bike for all of undergrad, but I almost never went anywhere that was further than a 15 minute walk away (and even that was embarrassingly rare), so I never really needed to use my bike. Now that biking cuts my daily commute from like 20 to 7 minutes, I’m suddenly a lot more motivated to get out my helmet. The best part is that now that I’m more used to biking, it feels more like something I can just do anytime! I used to walk to my favorite Trader Joe’s across the river, but this weekend I biked it in half the time. It’s kind of awesome to feel like there’s been a physical expansion in what areas of Cambridge are convenient and easy to get to for me.

3. Social life

This is one that hasn’t changed quite as much. A lot of my friends are still in Boston, either because they got jobs here, they’re also MEnging/in grad school, or they haven’t finished undergrad yet. So I still hang out with mostly the same people. But I’ve definitely noticed that I have to be a bit more intentional about it now – we’re all more scattered and spend less time on campus, and so I’m much less likely to run into people by chance than I used to be.

One change that’s really nice is that I go to fun events off-campus more! Honestly, there’s no great reason for this, since most of the fun things I go to are not very much closer to Central Square than they were to East Campus.  But now that the spell of the campus bubble has broken (and, maybe, now that I have a little more time), it just feels easier, and as a result I’ve had some fun adventures. (To be blogged at a later date!)

4. Academic life

I’m still hosed, sort of, but the word doesn’t mean what it used to. Hosed used to mean I have three psets due tomorrow and I’ve only started one, and I’m not sure how I can finish them all and still get enough sleep to stay awake in class. Nowadays hosed means I had to finish a pset so I’m not done grading yet, and all my roommates are playing a board game but I can’t join in. Less grading would still be nice, but I appreciate that these days, getting 8 hours of sleep is never in question.

Oh yeah, and I grade things now, that’s different! The MEng program requires you to meet a certain set of course requirements and complete a thesis, and every semester that you’re registered for a class, you have to pay tuition. However, if you can get a job as a Teaching Assistant for a class or a Research Assistant for a lab, the job will not only pay your tuition but also award you a pretty hefty stipend! So in exchange for dedicating 20 hours a week of my time to 6.1040, ⁠ 03 Software Studio - it's a junior/senior level class focusing on website design. MIT is paying my rent, health insurance, and savings too. It’s a pretty good deal.

Plus, although the grading can suck up (way too much) time, I actually really enjoy working as a TA. I’ve been an LA before — a Lab Assistant aka basically a baby TA — and this is like all the parts of the job I loved plus more: I get to help students at office hours and on the class forum, but I also get to teach recitations and help decide the structure and direction of the class. It’s very cool, and also pretty funny, to be on the other side of the table. I find myself being unhelpful in the way I always hated: “Sorry for the delay, the next pset/the grades/the next pset and the grades will be out soon!” It turns out that on the backend, TAs and professors are just people too, working hard as a team, a little overwhelmed, nagging each other in the chat to get their work done… It definitely gives me a perspective, and a respect, I wish I’d had more of while I was still in undergrad.

Other than TA-ing, I’m taking two classes, which are both pretty unremarkable. And of course, I’m doing research, the main part of my actual degree. To be honest, so far, I’m not exactly sure what to say about the research. I’m working with a PhD student on a pre-existing project, and we have a pretty good sense of the end goal of my work. But even with that level of direction (which not all research projects have), the early stages can still feel like a lot of stumbling around in the dark and trying to come up with ideas. I think (aka I’ve been reassured) that this is appropriate, though, so I’m not letting it bother me toooo much. Hopefully as I continue to work, more clarity will emerge.

5. The future

The MEng can feel a bit like a liminal space sometimes. I’m living a life I’ve never led before, but at the same time, making plans to leave and lead another. To graduate, you need to complete six classes and write your thesis. I was able to get three classes out of the way in undergrad (letting classes carry over is another reason this is a popular program), and I’m taking two right now. So my hope for next semester is to take one more class, write a thesis, and graduate. And then I’ll be done: out in the “real” world, a “real” adult. I signed a job offer two days ago (!), so I guess that means the next year of my life is set. Software engineering in San Francisco… if MEnging feels different now, I know that’s going to be a whole new world.

But for now I’m mostly just taking things day by day and week by week. Doing my research, getting my grading done, trying to remember to make plans with my friends, going to new restaurants and having some fun on the weekends. Although my life has changed and will continue to change dramatically, I think in some ways all the change has let me see that so much stays the same. Just because you’re in high school or college or grad school or your first job you’re not sure you’ll stick with, that doesn’t mean you’re waiting for your life to begin. You’re living it now: one day of your life, every single day. So I’m trying to enjoy each day for what it is, and not wait on what it will be.

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