Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Ranked # 1 in the QS World University Rankings 2012-13, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA is acknowledged as the world’s premier higher ed institution for Science, Engineering and Technology Education and Research

Founded in 1861 by William Barton Rogers, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is internationally acknowledged as the world’s premier advanced higher education institution for science, engineering and technology education and research. The QS World University Rankings 2012-2013 ranks MIT #1 worldwide, ahead of Cambridge and Harvard universities. The 152-year-old institute’s alumni and faculty include 78 Nobel laureates, 53 National Medal of Science winners, 41 MacArthur Fellows and 27 National Medal of Technology and Innovation winners. A research university whose 1,022 faculty are actively engaged in cutting-edge research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA managed $718.2 million (Rs.3,899 crore) in research expenditure last year and has built an impressive $8 billion (Rs.43,437 crore) endowment corpus.

“MIT’s mission statement charges us to ‘advance knowledge,’ and bring it to ‘bear on the world’s great challenges,’ as we educate students in service to humanity. Our faculty, post-docs, students and alumni live out this mission every day — and, remarkably often, they change the world… MIT is a community eager to solve hard problems in service to the nation and the world. Thanks to our students, faculty, staff and 100,000 alumni around the globe, the institute hums with bold ideas and inspired solutions,” says L. Rafael Reif, president of the university, with justifiable pride.

Sited in Cambridge (Boston), which also hosts Harvard University, MIT’s five schools of engineering, science, management, humanities, arts and social sciences, and architecture offer a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes. The institute’s 11,189 students have access to hundreds of state-of-the-art labs conducting breakthrough research and development. Moreover for over a decade, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA OpenCourseWare (OCW) has been making teaching materials used in its undergraduate and graduate courses available on the worldwide web, free of charge. OCW is not a degree-granting or credits-conferring initiative, but a web-based publication of MIT course materials which educators worldwide can use for curriculum development, and self-learners may draw on for self-study or supplementary use. More recently, MITx — the institute’s interactive learning initiative — offers online versions of MIT courses to learners worldwide. MITx is currently being offered on the free-of-charge edX instructional platform, an online education partnership between MIT and Harvard University.

Cambridge. Situated on the eastern seaboard state of Massachusetts, Cambridge (pop. 100,000) combines the attractions of a cosmopolis with the charm of a New England town. Organised around traditional green, tree-lined squares and the grassy banks of the Charles River, and defined by its cobblestone streets and colonial church spires, Cambridge is one of metropolitan Boston’s vital urban centres. Cambridge is a global centre of biotechnology and pharmaceutical corporations, mostly promoted by MIT alumni. Quaint olde world shops, multi-cuisine restaurants, bookstores, cafes, and cavernous music stores line the streets of this academic town. Boston provides an exhilarating academic experience with more than 50 higher ed institutions sited in the area.

Temperatures vary widely with winter temperatures of -17oC to 3oC, and summer between 15o-35oC.

Campus facilities. MIT sprawls cross 168 acres which extend for more than a mile along the Cambridge side of the Charles river basin. The central group of interconnecting buildings was built in 1916. Subsequent growth of the campus witnessed the construction of landmark buildings by leading architects such as Alvar Aalto, I.M. Pei ’40, and Eero Saarinen. Early this century, several new-era edifices were constructed to meet the changing needs of teaching, research, and community. Among them are the Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information, and Intelligence Sciences; Simmons Hall (an undergraduate residence); a Media Lab complex; the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center. Many of these buildings are connected above ground level as well as through an extensive network of underground tunnels, providing protection from harsh east coast winters.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA library system comprises five subject libraries: Barker (engineering), Dewey (economics), Hayden (humanities and science), Lewis (music), and Rotch (arts and architecture) in addition to several specialised libraries and archives. Together they house 5 million items in print and digital formats, including electronic journals and books, images, maps, musical scores, and sound and video recordings.

MIT’s athletics complex of 10 buildings and 26 acres of playing fields is one of the most expansive in the US. The Al ’51 and Barrie Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center features a three-storey natatorium, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool, a separate six-lane, 25-yard instructional pool, myriad fitness rooms, six international squash courts, and a multipurpose activity court. The 20 acres of outdoor fields include nine baseball and softball diamonds, 16 tennis courts and a track complex. The David Flett duPont Athletic Center is equipped with pistol and rifle ranges, fencing and wrestling rooms, squash courts, the Paul Rudovsky ’66 Indoor Golf Range, with additional instructional rooms for dance and the martial arts.

Moreover, students have the choice of enroling in over 450 student clubs and societies which conduct events through the year.

Admission. Admission into Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA is highly competitive. In 2012, of the 18,109 candidates who applied for admission, only 1,135 were admitted. MIT offers need-blind admissions to all, including foreign students.

The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into undergraduate programmes is successful completion of Plus Two (class XII). In addition, all international students should have studied four years of English; mathematics to at least the level of calculus; two or more years of history/social studies; biology; chemistry and physics. Moreover, students must write SAT or ACT, as well as two SAT Subject Tests: one in maths (level 1 or 2), and one in science (physics, chemistry, or biology). Proof of proficiency in English is required and applicants must submit TOEFL scores of 600+. MIT’s application process requires students to create a MyMIT account on www. my.mit.edu The deadline for submitting applications is January 1.

For more information, contact MIT, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Ph: +1 617 253 1000; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www.mit.edu.

Accommodation. Most undergraduates live on campus in one of MIT’s 12 institute houses or 39 fraternities, sororities, and living groups. All first-year students must reside on one of the institute’s on-campus residence halls. Subsequently students may elect to remain on campus or move to a fraternity, sorority, or independent living group.

More than 1,900 single graduate students live in MIT’s five campus houses. Two campus apartment complexes accommodate over 400 students with families. About 80 graduate students live in undergraduate dorms as graduate resident tutors.

Degree programmes. MIT’s five academic schools and 30 departments offer a range of undergrad, post-grad and doctoral programmes (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen