Master of Science in Art Culture and Technology

The Master of Science in Art, Culture and Technology is a studio program within the MIT Program in Art, Culture and Technology. Students challenge traditional genres and push the limits imposed by gallery and museum contexts. Exploring experimental media and expanded definitions of site is encouraged.

Study is organized and directed by a select group of internationally recognized artists. Students learn through project critiques and seminars, complemented by readings and discussion in contemporary theory and criticism.

Central to the curriculum is the potential for links with programs in architecture, urbanism, technology and media studies. Related areas of research include: the dialogue between art and architecture; critical approaches to public art; demarcations between public and private space; anti-monuments and new instruments of collective memory; prosthesis and extended body; nomadic design tactics; new interfaces between visual art and landscape; and performance and sound works.

Admissions Information for SMACT

Candidates compete for the six places available each year in the Department of Architecture's Master of Science in Art, Culture and Technology (SMACT) program. Admission is based on a careful examination of the applicant's previous artistic and academic record, including relevant samples of completed work, a statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. The applicant should demonstrate superior achievement and the ability to initiate and complete independent academic work in the visual arts.

Deadline and Submission

The application deadline is January 3, 2013. All application material must be received by deadline. Late applications will not be reviewed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to be sure that the application is completed and all supporting materials are received at the following address by the deadline.

  • MIT Department of Architecture
  • Attn: Admissions
  • 77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 7-337
  • Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
  • Telephone: (617) 715-4490

Online Application

All applicants must use the Architecture specific online application, which is on the MIT Graduate Admissions website: http://web.mit.edu/admissions/graduate/. The Architecture Graduate Application will be activated in Mid-September, is unique to Architecture, and is not used by any other department.

Once begun, the online application can be completed at any point up until the deadline at midnight. Try not to begin your application the day before. You don't want something to happen at 11 p.m. before the system closes. After submitting the application, applicants will be able to edit their information.

Application Fee

Application to MIT requires a non-refundable fee of $75 USD. You will need to submit a credit card number on the Architecture Graduate Application to process this fee.

Recommendations

All applicants must submit at least three letters of recommendation. Applicants will use the online application system to invite recommenders to submit letters online.

We prefer that letters of recommendation be submitted through the online application system.

Transcripts

A scanned PDF copy of an original transcript (or English translation) from each university should be uploaded in the application. In addition, we require that one official copy of each transcript (with English tranlslation) be sent by January 2 to:
Architecture Graduate Admissions
77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 7-337
Cambridge, MA 02139

Official transcripts must be requested as original documents from your previous schools. Transcripts may be forwarded by the applicant if they are in the original, sealed envelope. Non-English transcripts must be translated into English, and if necessary, signed by a licensed notary and accompanied by the original version.

Statement of Objectives

The applicant's statement of objectives and letters of recommendation are particularly important. Previous academic work and other experiences should demonstrate the applicant's intellectual achievement, motivation, discipline, responsibility, imagination, perception and open mind. Projects and experiences are judged not only on intrinsic merit but also as evidence of the applicant's ability to initiate and follow through on work that is personally meaningful.

English Proficiency Requirement

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit either an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score or a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), regardless of citizenship or residency in the U.S. while attending other educational institutions. No exceptions are made. The admissions committee regards English proficiency as crucial for success in all degree programs. In order to meet the December 15 fall admissions deadline, it is recommended that candidates take the IELTS or TOEFL on the earliest possible date.

Applicants must request that an official copy of their test results be sent directly to MIT by IELTS International or Educational Testing Service. IELTS and TOEFL Scores must be no older than two years as of the date of application. To avoid delays, please use the following codes when having your TOEFL scores sent to MIT:

  • Institutional Code: 3514
  • Department Code: 12

The minimum IELTS score required for SMACT candidates is 7 and the minimum TOEFL score is 600 (250 for computer-based test, 100 for Internet-based test). While either test score is accepted, the IELTS score is preferred.

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 IELTS/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.

Graduate Record Examination

The Graduate Record Examination is not required of SMACT candidates.

Portfolio

The non-returnable digital portfolio on CD or DVD should include evidence of recent creative work, whether personal, academic or professional. Work done collaboratively should be identified as such, and the applicant’s role in the project needs to be clearly defined.

The portfolio must include project documentation, images, or time-based media (or a combination of these) as follows.

  • Project Documentation and/or images
    Submit one multi-page PDF document (maximum 10 pages). Please include captions/descriptions where necessary such as title, artist, year, material, and/or project description for each image.
  • Time-based media
    A maximum of seven minutes of time-based media may be submitted. Video should be submitted as high quality QuickTime .mov files. Audio should be submitted as high quality .mp3 or .aiff files

The portfolio may also include the following optional items, which are considered as secondary material, and will be reviewed if time permits: Writing samples are welcome, but should be limited to five pages and submitted as a PDF. URLs to webpage(s) with additional information about your artistic practice may also be submitted. However these may not be submitted as a substitute for presenting the project documentation, images, or time-based media files on the disk as described above.

Do NOT send slides.

The disk must be labeled with the following information:
ACT Admissions Portfolio
The date
Your name and address
Your email address

Please be aware that all applicant portfolios will be reviewed digitally using computer monitors and digital projectors. Please make sure that all files are able to open on a Mac. Double-check your files to make sure they open before submitting.

Do not send your portfolio directly to ACT.

Please send all materials to:
MIT Department of Architecture
77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 7-337
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Attn: Admissions ACT

Interviews

Although not required, an interview is recommended for applicants to the SMACT program.

Decisions and Notifications

Applicants will be notified by mail of the Department's decision by April 1. Decisions cannot be given by telephone.

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Degree Requirements for SMACT

Residency

The minimum required residency for students enrolled in the SMACT program is two academic years. SMACT students do not register for summer term.

Faculty Advising

A faculty advisor from the Art, Culture and Technology Program is assigned to each SMACT student at matriculation. The advisor will consult on the student's initial plan of study and on each subsequent term's choice of subjects. This individual should be a faculty member with whom the student is in close contact; changes in advisor may be made to make this possible. The advisor monitors the student's progress through completion of the degree.

Subjects and Credit Units

A minimum of 156 units of coursework is required, not including thesis. Of these units, 111 must be H-level graduate credits. Subjects to be taken:

  • 4.390 Art, Culture and Technology Studio is taken each term
  • Four advanced ACT subjects
  • Four elective subjects. One must be an art or architecture history class. One must be in Comparative Media Studies (CMS), Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS), or another theoretically informed graduate level class. The other two electives will be graduate level classes that support the student's research and field of study
  • 4.388, SMACT Thesis Preparation, taken during second term
  • 4.389 SMACT Thesis Tutorial, taken during fourth term
  • 4.THG, Thesis (registration for thesis), taken during fourth term

Art, Culture and Technology Studio

Art, Culture and Technology Studio (4.390) is restricted to SMACT degree students and serves as the center of the curriculum. It is coordinated by an ACT faculty member and involves the participation of all faculty currently advising SMACT candidates. Students are expected to participate in all class meetings and present project development regularly. Attendance at the ACT Lecture Series and other ACT events is expected. Project work is related to the evolving thesis project. Participation in ACT Studio midterm and final reviews is required.

SMACT Thesis

Artistic research, development and execution of projects are central to the studies and culminate in a thesis. The thesis is twofold: a realized project and a written thesis book.

  • First term: students will explore thesis methods and topics
  • Second term: students take 4.388 SMACT Thesis Preparation. Thesis Preparation will develop a proposal for the written thesis. A ten-page thesis proposal is the final project of this class.
  • Third term: students will submit a twenty-page thesis draft, select their thesis committee, and submit a SMACT Thesis Proposal Completion form by the end of their third term. These must be submitted to the ACT administrative offices, for distribution to the ACT faculty.
  • Fourth term: 4.389 SMACT Thesis Tutorial is taken in the fourth term to support the writing of the thesis book. Students will also register for 24 units of thesis (4.THG). The final thesis is the result of this term. Two copies of the signed and approved, archival-ready thesis must be submitted to headquarters of the Department of Architecture by the Institute deadline for master's theses as published in the MIT Academic Calendar. Students must adhere to the Specification for Thesis Preparation published by the Institute Archives.

Thesis Comittee:
The thesis committee is composed of a minimum of two members: a thesis supervisor and a reader. The thesis supervisor must be a permanent faculty member of the Art, Culture and Technology program. The reader may be any permanent MIT faculty member. A third member of the committee (a second reader) is optional and may be from within or outside of the MIT Community.

Policy on Incomplete Subjects

SMACT students may have no more than one incomplete in a required subject when they register for thesis (4.THG). This incomplete can be no more than one term old (received the semester prior to thesis registration).

Students who have incompletes from several subjects or incompletes from earlier terms will be denied registration until those subjects are finished and graded. This policy applies to incompletes in subjects required by the specific degree curriculum or needed for units toward the degree

English Proficiency Requirement

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 International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or 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 units but will prove valuable in helping students develop the skills necessary to comfortably write a thesis.

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