Registration
Continuing Students
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Pre-registration Instructions:
https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/pre-registration
Students pre-register in May for summer and fall and in December for IAP and spring. All continuing students are expected to pre-register online through WebSIS for the upcoming term(s). A student who has not completed pre-registration by the noted deadline on the Registrarís Academic Calendar and registration by the end of the first week of the term will be assessed a late fee. Subjects selected during pre-registration are noted on the studentís online Registration Form approximately one week prior to Registration Day.
Department of Architecture subject offerings and descriptions are available to help students choose courses. The MIT Subject Listing and Schedule which is updated regularly on the Registrarís Office website, provides information on subjects outside of the Department of Architecture.
Registration Day Procedures
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Registration Day is Tuesday, September 8, 2020 (Fall) and Friday, January 29, 2021 (Spring). Student advisor assignments are available on WebSIS, the Registrar’s student information system, under Academic Record / Status of Registration. MIT students register online and may access their registration forms the week prior to Registration Day at https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/registration-information.
The form is populated with the pre-registered subject selections entered by the pre-registration deadline. The digital registration form will need to be approved by the advisor (registration officer) prior to the registration deadline, which is the Friday following Registration Day. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the form is properly submitted by the registration deadline to avoid a late fee. Architecture students must meet with your advisor or registration officer on Registration Day or on another appointed date prior to the registration deadline.
“Awaiting Approval” means subject selection is in progress. At this point, you or your advisor may edit your subject selections. Arrange to meet with your academic advisor (registration officer) on or before Registration Day to discuss your selections.
Once you have met and your advisor has “Approved” the selections on your online form, you will no longer be able to edit your subject selections. You will then receive an email notifying you of your need to complete the registration process by submitting, which requires additional steps only you have access to. Once you have clicked the “Submit” button, your registration is complete. If you are on a “registration hold,” you will NOT be able to submit until the hold is cleared. Fines may be assessed if your registration remains incomplete beyond the registration deadline (September 11, 2020 for Fall and February 5, 2021 for Spring). If you have any questions about the process or the online registration system, please or email RECORDS@MIT.EDU.
Cross Registration
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Full-time MIT sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students may take subjects for credit at Harvard University. No more than half (49%) of the total units for a term may be taken at other institutions. Students who cross-register should not include subjects from other institutions on their MIT Registration forms; there are separate cross-registration process for each institution with which MIT has a cross-registration program.
MIT's deadline for completing cross-registration is Add Date. It is important to be aware of the differing deadlines imposed by the other institutions because they may be earlier than the MIT deadline. The earliest deadline applies. Studentsí MIT academic records will show grades for these subjects. Cross-registered subjects are dropped using the MIT add/drop application (http://web.mit.edu/registrar/reg/add-drop.html). For detailed information about the cross-registration process, visit http://web.mit.edu/registrar/reg/xreg/index.html.
Cross Registration – Harvard University
Students may cross-register at Harvard ONLY after registering at MIT. The student goes to MIT's online add/drop application (https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/registration-informatio...). 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.
Wellesley College
MIT undergraduate students are able to cross-register at Wellesley College during the fall and spring terms only.
https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/registration-informatio...
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
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 are available online at this site.
Independent Study
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As you advance in your program, you may need to explore topics in greater depth on an individual basis. If there is a member of the Architecture faculty willing to supervise such a course of study, you should prepare a proposal and submit it to that faculty member as an independent study. Students who wish to do independent study in a different department must secure a subject number with which to register in that department. 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
Adding and Dropping Subjects
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After a student submits Online Registration, all further requests to add, drop, change units, and change subject registration status are made via the Online Add/Drop application. Email notifications will be sent to instructors (where appropriate) and advisors when a student requests approval for a registration change. Instructors and advisors can approve or deny the request or request a consultation with the student to discuss the change. The student is responsible for the final submittal of all approved changes.
Students will have until until 11:59pm on Add/Drop Date to submit approved changes that are due on each date (the system will not accept submittals after that time). It is strongly recommended that students request approval well ahead of the Add/Drop deadlines so that approvers have time to enter a decision.
See http://web.mit.edu/registrar/reg/add-drop.html for more information. 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.
Petitions
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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.
English Proficiency
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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. For more information,
see: http://web.mit.edu/fll/www/laguages/eet-faq.shtml.
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
Term of Graduation
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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.
Non-Registered Students
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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.
Credit for IAP and Summer Travel/Study/Research
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IAP and Summer Course Work
To receive unit credit, a travel/study program must be organized and led by a member of the Department faculty and approved by the Department Head before the travel occurs. Registration is in the fall term for traveling subjects offered during the summer term, and in the spring term if traveling during IAP. The maximum number of units possible in IAP is 12. Travel/study preceding or following and part of a regular subject (studio or workshop) earns no additional unit credit.
Credit fulfilling any MArch curriculum requirement other than free elective must be approved in advance by the appropriate member of the MArch Program Committee.
NOTE: This policy applies to group travel/study opportunities. It is not meant to afford academic credit for individual/general student travel.
Practical Experience Internship
The Department will academically support practical experience internships for professional, full-time work performed in an architectural, engineering, landscape architecture, or planning office, or directly related to an art, architecture or building technology project. The work must be performed for a minimum of six weeks during the time frame of the summer term between the first year of enrollment and graduation. Students must pre-register and then register for one unit of 4.190, Practical Experience in Architecture, during Summer Session. As of 2016, 4.190 can be repeated for credit (once) over two summers. Please note that if you have reached your degree unit requirement for your degree program by the end of spring term, you are ineligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT). You may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). See Practical Experience Internship information in Graduate Students section.
Summer Registration for MIT Employment for Course 4 Students
Students who plan to receive an RA appointment over the summer must register for subject number 4.299, Summer Research Topics. Download and complete the Summer Registration for MIT Employment form and email to Renée Caso and Doug LeVie prior to the start of the summer term in order to initiate summer payroll. It requires the signature of both the RA supervisor and your registration advisor (email verification is acceptable in lieu of a signature). This form is not needed for summer thesis research if it is being conducted under the supervision of your Course 4 thesis advisor. It is not to be used for a summer internship. Students will receive 3 credit units, which may not be used towards the degree.