Thesis
2024 Deadlines
January Thesis-Due to Department First Friday in January
May Thesis-Due to the Department Second Friday in May
Summer Thesis-Last Friday in July or first Friday in August
All students in the MSRED program are required to submit a thesis for the degree. Thesis papers are public. All student theses are posted on the D-Space, MIT's digital repository. Theses are generally available 3-6 months after graduation.
While students normally begin to seriously explore possible thesis topics during the spring semester in the Thesis Prep course, registration for thesis and most of the thesis work is done during the summer term (June and July), or fall semester if a student has chosen to complete the 16-month option.
All students, regardless of when they choose to write their thesis, are required to take a half-semester Thesis Prep Course (11.499) during the spring term that covers topic selection, thesis proposals, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, MIT requirements and deadlines, as well as faculty and industry research interests.
In addition, Thesis Lunch Meetings are held during summer term.As the research activities of the Center have grown, so too have the opportunities for students to do challenging thesis work that integrates what they have learned in the classroom. Students may choose to take part in Center projects or to identify a topic of their own, provided they can find a faculty advisor who has appropriate experience and interest.
If selecting to complete thesis requirement in the fall, please note that the tuition for fall term is higher than summer term.
The additional term may also have implications for your on-campus housing assignment.Summer Fieldwork for International Students
International students have the ability to participate in a summer internship in the US via an internship course elective which can be counted towards their degree requirements.Students who participate in the internship elective would register for the fieldwork course (11.962) during the summer semester and would be required to pay per-unit tuition fees. Thesis is considered full registration and is not subject to reduced tuition.
Students registering only for the internship course in the summer are eligible to pay the reduced, per-unit fee for the summer.
Some Tips on Thesis
"Try to think of topics early in the spring, to avoid a panic attack when you're trying to meet your thesis topic deadline and meet your course requirements at the same time! On the other hand, be aware that your time is limited, and that you should narrow the topic down as much as possible. Select topics where data is readily available."
"Try to identify who your thesis adviser might be, and don't limit yourself to MSRED faculty only- you can approach professors in DUSP, Architecture, Engineering and Economics, Sloan."
"Check out theses from recent years to get an idea of what former students wrote about."