Master of Science Without Specification (SM Undesignated)
The undesignated Master of Science (SM undesignated) does not have a formal application process and no application stating this program as an initial degree will be considered.
Masters students admitted to the SMArchS, SMBT, SMVisS, or MArch programs may not apply to the SM undesignated as a means of completing a master’s degree in the Department.
Students initially admitted to one of the doctoral programs may petition the director of their discipline group to complete a master’s degree instead of the intended doctoral degree. Approval is dependent upon the special situation and the support of the advisor.
A doctoral student that has been formally notified of unsatisfactory progress in a previous term may be asked to leave the program in a subsequent term should he or she fail to make academic improvement. At this juncture, faculty within the discipline group may offer the student the option of completing a thesis for the undesignated master’s degree. This degree will be a terminal degree within the Department of Architecture.
A student pursuing an undesignated thesis must present a thesis proposal and receive approval from the thesis committee. The thesis committee is composed of two members: a thesis supervisor and a reader. The thesis supervisor must be a permanent faculty member of the discipline area in which the student was admitted as a PhD student. The reader may be any permanent MIT faculty member.
Departmental funding initially promised at the time of admissions to the PhD program cannot be guaranteed towards the completion of the SM undesignated.
