Registration

Failure to complete registration by the end of the second week of the term will result in the loss of student status, and for international students, the loss of their visa status. As determined by the Department Committee on Graduate Students, and consistent with the policy of the MIT Registrar, a Course 4 graduate student who has not registered by the Add Date (end of fifth week) of an academic term will not be permitted to register at all in that term.

The Department will disallow access to departmental space and resources and will cancel that student's departmental employment, if any, after the fifth week of the term. No retroactive academic credit or retroactive payment will be awarded for departmental work done in the term in which the student is barred from registration.

All students, graduate and undergraduate, must file a degree application at the start of the term in which they plan to graduate. This is done online at WebSIS. Applications for advanced degrees must be submitted with working thesis titles. The deadline for finalizing the title falls near the end of term. For specifics, consult the Academic Calendar.

Undergraduates must ensure that all General Institute Requirements (GIRs) as well as departmental requirements have been satisfied by the end of the term in which they intend to graduate. The website for graduating students contains a complete checklist and calendar of deadlines. Students who have questions regarding their eligibility to graduate may contact their advisor or the degree administrator.

Petitions are required when:

• a student wants to add or drop a subject after the Institute deadline
• to correct errors in registration after Add Date
• to change an Incomplete to a letter grade after the Add Date deadline (graduate students only)
• Complete an incomplete subject from a prior semester or year (graduate students only)
• Request approval for retroactive actions in unusual circumstances
• to apply for a dual degree

The petition process for graduate students and undergraduate students is different:

• Undergraduate students will need to submit a Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) petition form for all reasons except application for a double major. The application to pursue a double major should be submitted to the Committee on Curricula (COC).
• Graduate students complete the Graduate Student Petition. Completed petitions should be submitted to Headquarters, 7-337, for directions on processing.

As prerequisite for registration, each graduate student who has indicated that English is not his or her first language must take the English Evaluation Test (EET). The EET is a three-hour test consisting of listening, writing, and reading components, supplemented by an individual conference for each student with an ESL staff or faculty member. It is required even if the TOEFL has been taken and passed with an acceptable score.

The Department requires that students take the English subject suggested as a result of the English Evaluation Test (EET) and continue in the English as a Second Language (ESL) series thereafter to completion. Instructors in ESL will be available for consultation on Registration Day — more information,

The English Evaluation Test is a requirement of the Graduate School; it is a diagnostic test and is given before the fall and spring terms. Results will help students, advisors and the Department to assess what skills, if any, are needed to review in order to benefit most fully from MIT. The students and advisors will receive the results via email before Registration Day.

Generally those who score significantly above 600 (250/computer-based; 100/internet-based) on the TOEFL require minimal work in English language writing skills. Those who score in the low 600s usually require additional help in grammar and writing skills.

Students may not defer registration in any English grammar review subject recommended as a result of the EET. Students must enroll in the English subject recommended as a result of the EET, and must complete the sequence of ESL subjects as follows:

• 21G.224, Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation (ELS)
• 21G.219, Workshop in Written Expression (ELS)

OR

• 21G.219, Workshop in Written Expression (ELS)
• 21G.227, Advanced Workshop in Writing for Social Sciences and Architecture (ELS)

Registration in required ESL subjects should be completed by the end of the first year. Registration in 21G.227, the advanced level writing for social scientists and architects subject, should be completed prior to Thesis registration.

Required English subjects do not count for unit credit toward any degree in the Department of Architecture; grades received in English subjects do, however, appear on the students' records.

Consultation with ESL Instructors

Instructors in English as a Second Language will be available for consultation on Registration Day. Instructors are:

• Jane Dunphy, Director 14N-312, (617) 253-3069, dunphy@mit.edu
• A.C. Kemp 14N-228, (617) 253-4747, ackemp@mit.edu
• Eric Grunwald 14N-236, (617) 235-2676, egrunwald@mit.edu

Students may cross-register at Harvard ONLY after registering at MIT. The student goes to MIT's online add/drop application.  In the add section, enter a search term or Harvard subject number in the "Add Harvard Subject" field. Once the dropdown display populates, select the desired subject and proceed with the usual add subject process.

Clicking the "Submit for Approval" button will automatically send the information to Harvard when the instructor will approve. Once the approval is given, the information is sent back to MIT and your advisor will receive notification to approve the add request in the MIT add/drop system. Once the approval is given, the student will need to submit the approved Harvard add to the MIT Registrar the same as for any other add request.

Full-time MIT sophomores, juniors, seniors may not cross-register for classes at the Harvard Business School, Harvard Extension School, or Harvard Law School.

MIT undergraduate students are able to cross-register at Wellesley College during the fall and spring terms only.

Undergraduate students are only allowed to register for one subject per term at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. All subjects are graded pass/fail and cannot be used to fulfill Institute, department or minor requirements.

Cross-Registration Guidelines for Massachusetts College of Art and Design and can be found on the Art, Culture and Technology program's website (forms available there).

Students should submit a proposal to the supervisor that includes:

• A statement of the intellectual goal of the project
• An explanation of the relation of the proposed endeavor to the student’s overall educational goal
• A plan for approaching the intellectual problem 
• A statement of the expected deliverables and their evaluation 
• A statement of the amount of time to be expended in the effort (a timetable of deliverables)

Before registering for an independent study subject, a student must obtain an appropriate subject number from the degree administrator in the department’s headquarters (Room 7-337) using an Independent Study Project Form (save to computer or device before completing form  — file is a fillable PDF). The subject must be added to the student’s registration using the online Add/Drop application.

The following information is required to complete the form:

• Student’s name, department of major, MIT ID number and e-mail address 
• Subject level (graduate or undergraduate) 
• Grading system (grade or pass/fail, to be determined by the supervisor) 
• Credit units to be earned, based on the duration and effort to be expended (generally 6, 9 or 12) 
• A proposal 
• Signature of project supervisor

Pay close attention to your Status of Registration posted on WebSIS after the second week. Notify the degree administrators if you find errors or have questions.

IAP 2022

• Department application due: November 1, 2021
• International Students Internship Date Range: December 18, 2021 to January 28, 2022
• Employer evaluation due: January 28, 2022

Summer 2022

• Department application due: April 12, 2021
• International Students Internship Date Range: May 19-August 19, 2022
• Employer evaluation due: August 20, 2021

• The work must be performed for a minimum of six weeks during the time frame of the summer term, or a minimum of four weeks during the time frame of the January IAP term, between the first year of enrollment and graduation.
• One credit unit is received during the summer term and six credit units are received during the January IAP term upon registration for 4.190, Practical Experience in Architecture. (For undergraduates: 4.090, Practical Experience in Architecture for Undergraduates.)
• 4.190 and 4.090 can be repeated for credit over two summers and one January term. International students must understand that if you have reached your degree unit requirement for your degree program by the end of the term prior to the proposed internship, you are ineligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT). You may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). Please note that you must apply much earlier for OPT — 3-4 months lead time is required.

ALL Students (U.S. Citizens and International Students)

1. Secure a job prior to applying for credit.
2. Complete the Department Practical Experience Internship Application Form and have it approved/signed by your advisor. Your advisor will review your application for appropriateness in relation to your degree program and will be responsible for submitting a final grade at the conclusion of the term.
   • Submit the approved application form by either emailing a scan of the form (with advisor signature) to Tonya Miller or dropping off a printout of the application (with advisor signature) to 7-344A or 7-337 (Architecture main office).
3. Register for 4.190 or 4.090 (UG) (Practical Experience in Architecture) by the registration deadline. One unit of credit will be given with a passing grade for summer and six units of credit for IAP upon receiving a positive evaluation.
   • Summer tuition is charged by the unit. More information on tuition can be found on the Registrar’s website. IAP tuition is considered part of the previous fall tuition.
4. Have your employer complete and return the Practical Experience Internship Employer Evaluation Form directly to Tonya Miller, immediately prior to completion of your internship. You may not provide the evaluation form yourself. The awarding of required academic credit and grade will be largely based on the evaluation from your employer.

Summary of Required Documents

1. Department Application Form signed by your advisor (provide to Department)
2. Employer-provided Department Evaluation Form due after completion of internship (provide to Department)

Additional Required Documents for International Students:

3. Department letter template: IAP / Summer signed by your advisor on letterhead (return a copy of the signed letter to Department and original letter to ISO)
4. Copy of job offer letter — see sample (provide to ISO)
5. Copy of the I-94 admission record and passport identify page that includes expiration information (provide to ISO)

Important updates

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security specifies a date range within which employment can occur for international students. The earliest and latest dates allowed for internships authorized by CPT for 2021 are:

• IAP 2022: December 18, 2021 - January 28, 2022
• Summer 2022: May 19 - August 20, 2022

If you must extend your internship beyond this time frame, you will need to also apply for OPT. Please note that processing time for OPT applications can take as long as 3-4 months, so plan accordingly.

International students must supply ISO with a copy of the job offer letter from the organization or company. It must include specific information as referenced in this sample letter.

Requirements for International Students' Application for CPT

• You must be in legal F-1 visa status for one full academic year before you may participate in Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
• If you have reached your degree unit requirement for your degree program by the end of the term prior to your internship, you are ineligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and must apply for OPT. Please note that you must apply much earlier for OPT — 3-4 months lead time is required.
• If the time frame of your internship extends outside of the parameters of the MIT term (summer or January IAP), you will need to also apply for OPT. You may be able to combine both CPT and OPT in the same summer; check with the MIT International Students Office.
• Make an appointment with Sylvia Hiestand of the International Students Office Advisors (E18-219) at least three weeks prior to the start date of employment and bring with you:
  • Department HQ will provide the ISO-required letter on Departmental letterhead — please work with your advisor to provide the indicated information in the template (IAP or Summer),  You must send the letter back to Paul Pettigrew (IAP) or Tonya Miller (summer) for approval — Note that the advisor does not sign the letter until it has been approved by the Department. Additionally, you must provide the Department with a copy of the signed letter — hard copy or emailed scan. This letter is kept on file in the instance of a government official’s request.
  • A copy of the job offer letter from the organization or company — see sample letter (note that this letter is separate from the letter signed by your advisor referenced above).
  • A copy of the I-94 admission record and passport identity page with expiration information.

It is critical that International students register and receive a grade and credit for 4.190. Failure to do so will mean you have been working in the US illegally.