PhD in Building Technology Degree Requirements
It is the student's responsibility to fill out the appropriate section of the Report of Completed BT/PhD Requirements upon completion of the following:
- Qualifying paper
- Dissertation proposal
- Major and minor field coursework
- General exam
- Dissertation defense
- Non-resident research status
- English requirement
This document is submitted to the degree administrator and kept in the student's official departmental file. The degree administrator informs the MIT registrar that the degree requirements have been fulfilled.
The qualifying paper, which often emerges from the Building Technology Seminar (4.481), should demonstrate the student's potential for work at a high standard of scholarship. The paper must be completed and accepted by the dissertation committee before a student can continue to the general examination. Insufficiencies in the qualifying paper may require remedial subject work on the part of the student.
The PhD dissertation is a major work that makes an original scholarly contribution to the field of investigation. Most BT/PhD dissertation research will be a portion of a sponsored research project. The dissertation is the main focus of the doctoral program and the primary indicator of a PhD student's ability to carry out significant independent research. The Building Technology dissertation must result in advances in the state of the art that are worthy of publication in a respected technical journal in the field.
Approval of the dissertation topic is gained through a proposal submitted to the dissertation committee no later than the end of the second term of registration. Once the proposal has been approved, the student may register for Graduate Thesis (4.THG).
Coursework: Major and Minor Fields
Coursework is selected in consultation with the faculty advisor. Though the core group of subjects will be within the department, students are encouraged to take outside subjects. Building Technology Seminar (4.481) is the only specific subject required for the degree and is taken during the student's first term. Typically a student's program will include at least five graduate subjects in the major field and three in the minor field.
The general examination is given after required subject work is completed and the qualifying paper has been accepted (no later than the end of the third regular term of registration). It is meant to show broad and detailed competence in the student's major field of concentration and supporting areas of study. The exam consists of two parts: a one-hour written section followed by a 20-minute oral section in each of four subjects selected from a provided list; and a 25-minute presentation followed by 20 minutes of questioning.
Building Technology faculty as a whole decide if a student's performance is acceptable. In the event that the general examination is not passed, the advisory committee may allow the student to repeat the examination once, or may recommend that the student withdraw from the PhD program.
A dissertation committee of three or more people, generally assembled in the first semester of registration, supervises research and writing of the dissertation. The student's advisor is always a member of the dissertation committee and typically serves as its chair. The chair must be a member of the Building Technology faculty. In special circumstances, one of the three members of the dissertation committee may be selected from outside the Department of Architecture. The student is responsible for arranging meetings with the committee at least once each term.
The completed dissertation must be presented orally in an open meeting of the faculty of the department; at least three faculty members must be present. After the presentation, the dissertation is either accepted or rejected.
The PhD is awarded after two copies of the defended, approved, archival-ready dissertation have been submitted to the Department of Architecture at its headquarters. The copies must be submitted by the Institute deadline for doctoral theses as published in the MIT Academic Calendar. Students must adhere to the Specifications for Thesis Preparation published by the Institute Archives.
Students are expected to carry out thesis research while in residence at the Institute. It is rare that a PhD candidate in BT will need to apply for nonresident status. However, should a student who has completed all requirements except for the dissertation need to continue thesis research in years beyond the awarded funding, he or she may opt to apply for nonresident research status with the permission of the dissertation advisor.
All students whose first language is not English are required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) prior to registration at MIT. Even students who satisfy the Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL) requirement for admission may be required to take specialized subjects in English as a Second Language (ESL), depending on their EET results. These subjects do not count toward the required degree credits but will prove valuable in helping students develop the skills necessary to comfortably write a dissertation.
Quick Links
Academic Calendar
English Evaluation Test (EET)
Institute Catalog
Non-Resident Research Status
Report of Completed BT/PhD Requirements
Specifications for Thesis Preparation
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