MIT Majors & Minors

MIT is organized into academic departments, or Courses, which are often referred to by their Course numbers or acronyms. These academic departments offer various undergraduate degrees and minors.

When students apply to MIT, they apply to the entire university, not to a specific major or school. All first year students begin MIT with undeclared majors. During freshman year, MIT provides academic fairs, lectures, seminars, and other programs to help students determine which major will best suit them.

At the conclusion of the first year, students are free to choose from any of MIT’s majors, without any additional requirements or admissions procedures.

Students must declare their majors prior to their junior year, though most students do so by the end of freshman year. Data on how many students choose each major is available from the Registrar’s Office. Approximately 15% of our students choose to double-major; they may also choose up to two minors.

Schools, Departments, Divisions, Sections, and Programs

School of Architecture and Planning

• Architecture (Course 4)
• Media Arts and Sciences (MAS)
• Urban Studies and Planning (Course 11)

School of Engineering

• Aeronautics and Astronautics (Course 16)
• Biological Engineering (Course 20)
• Chemical Engineering (Course 10)
• Civil and Environmental Engineering (Course 1)
• Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Course 6)
• Engineering Systems Division (ESD)
• Materials Science and Engineering (Course 3)
• Mechanical Engineering (Course 2)
• Nuclear Science and Engineering (Course 22)
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Anthropology (Course 21A)
• Comparative Media Studies (CMS)
• Economics (Course 14)
• Foreign Languages and Literatures (Course 21F)
• History (Course 21H)
• Humanities (Course 21)
• Linguistics and Philosophy (Course 24)
• Literature (Course 21L)
• Music and Theater Arts (Course 21M)
• Political Science (Course 17)
• Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
• Writing and Humanistic Studies (Course 21W) 

Sloan School of Management

• Management (Course 15)
• School of Science
• Biology (Course 7)
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences (Course 9)
• Chemistry (Course 5)
• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (Course 12)
• Mathematics (Course 18)
• Physics (Course 8)

Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology

• Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST)

MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and Applied Ocean Science and Engineering

Degrees Offered at MIT:

• Bachelor of Science (SB)
• Master of Architecture (MArch)
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• Master in City Planning (MCP)
• Master of Engineering (MEng)
• Master of Finance (MFin)
• Master of Science (SM)
• Engineer (each degree designates the field in which it is awarded)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Doctor of Science (ScD)

Resources for Academic Success

If students are having trouble in class, they can check out MIT’s Learning to Learn web site.  This helps students with general academic and time management questions.  Each department offers tutoring that is unique to the department. If the students are struggling academically they should talk with their advisor first.

The OME offers the TSR Tutorial Services Room as well. All students find out their advisors name in July each year. 

For more information or questions, contact The Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programing call (617) 253-6771, or email .