Resources

Academic Honesty
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MIT expects that all students come to the Institute for a serious academic purpose and expects them to be responsible individuals who conduct themselves with high standards of honesty and personal conduct.
Cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, and other forms of academic dishonesty are considered serious offenses for which disciplinary penalties can be imposed. These concepts are explained more fully in the Academic Integrity Handbook, http://integrity.mit.edu.
Some academic offenses by students may be handled directly between the faculty member and student, possibly with the assistance of the head of the faculty member's department. As a result of discussion between the faculty member and the student, the faculty member may conclude that the student has, in fact, behaved dishonestly and may wish to take some further direct action. Among the direct actions the faculty member may wish to take are reduced grade, a warning letter, and redo of assignment or exam. The faculty member may also bring the case to the Office of Student Citizenship (OSC) or to the Committee on Discipline (COD) for resolution.
COD Rules and Regulations are available online at http://web.mit.edu/committees/cod. Procedures for dealing with academic misconduct in research and scholarship can be found in the MIT Policies & Procedures at http://mit.edu/policies/10.1.html.
MIT Policy on Harassment
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Harassment of any kind is not acceptable behavior at MIT; it is inconsistent with the commitment to excellence that characterizes MIT’s activities. MIT is committed to creating an environment in which every individual can work, study, and live without being harassed. Harassment may therefore lead to sanctions up to and including termination of employment or student status.
Harassment is any conduct, verbal or physical, on or off campus, that has the intent or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual or group’s educational or professional performance at MIT or that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational, work, or living environment. Some kinds of harassment are prohibited by civil laws or by MIT policies on conflict of interest and nondiscrimination.
Harassment on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or age includes harassment of an individual in terms of a stereotyped group characteristic, or because of that person’s identification with a particular group.
Sexual harassment may take many forms. Sexual assault and requests for sexual favors that affect educational or employment decisions constitute sexual harassment. However, sexual harassment may also consist of unwanted physical contact, requests for sexual favors, visual displays of degrading sexual images, sexually suggestive conduct, or offensive remarks of a sexual nature.
The Institute is committed under this policy to stopping harassment and associated retaliatory behavior. All MIT supervisors have a responsibility to act to stop harassment in the areas under their supervision. Any member of the MIT community who feels harassed is encouraged to seek assistance and resolution of the complaint.
MIT provides a variety of avenues by which an individual who feels harassed may proceed, so that each person may choose an avenue appropriate to his or her particular situation. Institute procedures are intended to protect the rights of both complainant and respondent, to protect privacy, and to prevent supervisory reprisal.
General complaint procedures are described in Section 9.6 Complaint and Grievance Procedures, http://mit.edu/policies/9/9.6.html.
Personal Support and Complaint-Resolution Resources
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In addition to the Department Head, Administrative Officer, and Graduate and Undergraduate Administrators (see Staff and Department Head/Faculty contact lists), the following is a list of support and complaint-resolution resources at MIT and the MIT Department of Architecture.
The resources in italics are confidential
For employees, including faculty and post-doctoral associates and fellows
- Martha Collins, Assistant Dean for Human Resources and Administration, SA+P (mjcoll@mit.edu)
- MIT Human Resources: MIT's Human Resources Officers (HROs) have detailed knowledge of MIT's HR policies and practices, and consult with employees, managers, HR professionals in the DLCs, and AOs. Our HROs advise and train on issues affecting work, job performance, annual reviews, training, hiring practices, leaves of absence, discipline, compensation, harassment or discrimination concerns, layoffs, reorganizations, and conflict resolution. For Architecture — Ben Moorghen, MIT Human Resources Officer (moorgheb@mit 617-253-5885)
- MIT MyLife Services: MyLife Services provides MIT faculty, staff, postdocs — and families — 24/7 access to a network of experts who are available to help with life concerns, including childcare, legal and financial advice, help with personal and professional challenges, and more.
For students
- ask.mit: New! MIT's new initiative, ask.mit, assists students in identifying what support resource(s) at MIT are the most appropriate for their particular questions and concerns.
- CARE Team: The CARE Team (Coordination, Assistance, Response, and Education) is a team of staff members who support all students through challenges they may experience during their time at MIT. A primary function of the CARE Team is to support students during hospitalizations and discharge, and with follow-up care. With student consent, the CARE Team will also work with families of students to support them in supporting their loved ones.
- Dean on Call: Division of Student Life staff able to access a network of responders including MIT Police, MIT Medical, Student Support Services, Residential Life Program staff, and others.
- GradSupport: Staff in the Office of Graduate Education provide advice and counsel on a variety of issues including faculty/student relationships, changing your advisor, conflict negotiation, funding, academic progress, interpersonal concerns, and a student’s rights and responsibilities. They can also help with excused absences and provide clarification about Graduate Policies and Procedures.
- Helping Others: Guidance on what to look for and how to respond when you are concerned about someone else.
- iREFS (Institute-Wide Resources for Easing Friction & Stress): iREFS are graduate students formally trained and certified in conflict management skills. They provide confidential, peer-to-peer support for all graduate students at the Institute and point students to other resources on campus. They also teach conflict management workshops upon request. To meet with an iREF, email irefs-contact@mit.edu. Your request is seen by the iREFS co-chairs who will forward your request to an iREFS member who best meets your preferences.
- Lean on Me: Text hotline for anonymous, real-time support, powered by MIT students.
- Let's Chat: Offers easy access for students to informal, free, confidential 20-minute consultations with counselors from MIT Mental Health and Counseling during the academic year.
- MedLinks: Student liaisons between MIT Medical and undergraduates, to support their health and well-being.
- MIT Emergency Medical Services: MIT EMS is a student-run 24/7 ambulance service for all medical emergencies on the MIT campus and in the surrounding community. Call MIT Police Dispatch at 617-253-1212.
- MIT Medical Urgent Care: Acute-care services for illnesses or injuries that need prompt attention, but aren't likely to result in loss of life or severe impairment.
- MIT Police: Maintains a safe academic environment and offers emergency medical service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dial 100 from any campus phone, or 617-253-1212. For non-emergencies, dial 617-253-2996.
- Peers Ears: Residence-based peer support for undergraduates, via phone and email, to promote mental health and well-being.
- Student Mental Health and Counseling Services at MIT Medical: MIT’s Student Mental Health and Counseling Services works directly with students to understand and solve problems. Visits are confidential and easy to arrange.
- Student Support Services (S3): S3 is a friendly and easily accessible hub of support for MIT students.
- Violence Prevention Response: MIT’s primary on-campus resource for preventing and responding to interpersonal violence, including sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. Hotline available 24 hours a day to support survivors in deciding what to do next.
For faculty
- MIT Faculty Guide — Recognizing and Responding to Students in Distress: This Faculty Guide assists faculty in understanding MIT students, recognizing indicators of student stress, and knowing what specific resources to recommend to students in distress.
For all members of the MIT Community
- Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response Office (IDHR): MIT’s centralized office for students, faculty, and staff with concerns related to discrimination, discriminatory harassment, and bias. IDHR staff support community members who have experienced harm access to: resources on- and off-campus; supportive measures including academic and workplace accommodations; informal/alternative dispute resolution processes including mediation and facilitated dialogue; and the formal complaint process.
- MIT Medical: Central resource for physical and mental health and well-being.
- MIT Anonymous Reporting Hotline: MIT has established an anonymous reporting hotline for whistleblower or other complaints about wrongdoing and violations of Institute policy. The reporting system is hosted and maintained by a third-party vendor called Ethicspoint. Anyone may use the hotline to report a concern about suspected wrongdoing in the MIT community. MIT has a strong non-retaliation policy that applies to anyone who raises a concern in good faith through the anonymous, whistleblower reporting hotline. For questions about the hotline or related material on this website, contact compliance@mit.edu.
- MIT Environmental Health & Safety: A collection of resources specifically intended for asking questions or reporting concerns about safety and health issues or environment, either anonymously or directly.
- MIT IS&T: Report IT security concerns, data incidents (such as a loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of Institute information or systems), DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) violations, or offensive or obnoxious web pages or emails.
- MIT Office of Religious and Spiritual Life: Comprising over 20 chaplains and 40 student groups, the Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life (ORSEL) reflects the diversity of the Institute’s community. The chaplains provide religious, spiritual, and educational programming, as well as confidential counseling and crisis support.
- MIT Ombuds Office: The Ombuds Office is a confidential and independent resource for all members of the MIT community, including students, faculty, employees, alumni, and employees of Lincoln Lab, to constructively manage concerns and conflicts related to your experience at MIT.
- MIT Police: Anonymous Sexual Assault Form: This form is for reporting a sexual assault anonymously to the MIT Police Department. A victim/survivor may complete this form themselves and send it to the MIT Police Department, or a victim/survivor may ask a third party (such as a friend or counselor) to do so.
- MIT Vice President for Research: Report research misconduct, which includes fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in research activities, or deliberate interference, but not include honest error or differences of opinion.
Architecture Shops
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The Architecture Shops provide equipment and software that students and faculty can use to fabricate physical objects from CAD models. The Shops are in the Fab Lab in Building 3 and the Woodshop in Building N51.
Website: http://archshops.mit.edu
Fab Lab: the Fab Lab is located in 3-402, 3-410, and 3-412, and includes three laser cutters, a ZCorp 3D printer, a Dimension ABS printer, a ShopBot CNC router, an Elkom thermoforming machine, an Omax waterjet, a Kuka robotic arm, a Wabeco CNC lathe, an Intelitek desktop milling machine, a vinyl cutter, an electronics workstation, and a model making shop with hand tools and a small selection of manual machines. Laser cutters are available for use by students 24 hours/day following a mandatory safety training session, other resources are available to anyone in the department who has received appropriate training.
Woodshop: the woodshop, located in N51-160, has larger and more powerful equipment primarily oriented towards furniture making. This includes a table saw, a jointer/planer, drill press, band saws, an extensive set of hand tools, and a CR Onsrud 4’ x 8’ CNC router, and a knee mill for precision metalworking. Bench space is also available. Adjacent to the shop is a large outdoor space available year-round for assembly of larger projects and activities such as welding.
Manager: Christopher Dewart
Senior Fabrication Associate: Jennifer O'Brien
Arch_Kiosk List-Serve
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Arch-kiosk is the general Departmental email list for miscellaneous information such as job listings, rentals, conferences and lectures. Members of the community are added automatically, but can opt out at any time. There are several lists that students and faculty use to communicate with discrete groups. You can manage your own MIT list-serves by visiting webmoira.mit.edu. You can learn about MIT list-serves here.
Career Services
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Career Advising & Professional Development (CAPD), located in Room E17-294, advises students on any part of the career development process including career self-assessment, exploring career opportunities, searching for jobs and managing their careers. Undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree students should make appointments with Career Development Specialist Tavi Sookhoo.
The CAPD now allows a select number of appointments to be booked online! Appointments can be made by logging into your CareerBridge account and clicking the link "Make an Appointment" under the heading "I want to..." on the left margin of this page. To find out about additional appointment options please call: (617) 253-4733.
For an overview of MIT's career services and information about specific resources, please visit the CAPD website. Specific resources related to architecture and planning careers are available.
College Fairs and Career Days
September 26
BSA College Fair
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EST)
https://www.architects.org/events/212929/2020/09/26/college-fair-2020
October 3
Chicago Architecture + Design College & Career Day
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (CST)
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=mmw5ikkab&oeidk...
October 10
Philadelphia Architecture + Design College Fair
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EST)
https://tyler.temple.edu/philadelphia-architecture-design-fair
October 16
NOMAS Undergraduate & High School College Fair
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (PST)
https://www.noma.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/NOMA2020-PROPECTUS-20-06...
October 17
Dallas Architecture + Design College Fair
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (CST)
https://www.aiadallas.org/v/event-detail/Architecture-Design-College-Fai...
November 7
New York City Architecture + Design College Fair
TBD
https://www.centerforarchitecture.org/k-12/teen-programs/architecture-co...
Classroom + Conference Reservation
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Reservations
Please request reservations for the rooms and pin-up areas below by visiting http://architecture.mit.edu/rooms (requires certificates). Please click on the room you would to reserve and include the following information: # of people, date, start and end time, and submit the request. You will receive a reply within 1 business day.
SOAP: Stella Room 7-338 — Capacity: 20 at table plus 10 chairs (30 max)
The Stella Room (7-338) is a 'captive' room accessible only through room 7-336, the home of DesignX (neither 7-336 nor the adjacent kitchen room 7-334 are included in Stella Room reservations). The Stella Room is generally used for School of Architecture and Planning meetings and presentations with limited availability for outside use. It takes its name from the artist Frank Stella whose mural ("Loohooloo") adorns its walls.
The Stella Room is permanently equipped with a projection screen, minimal electrical outlets, and MIT Network WIFI. THERE IS NO PROJECTOR or conference telephone.
Use of the Stella Room does not include any administrative or technical support including that from the Department of Architecture and Department of Urban Studies and Planning whose offices are across the hall from 7-336. These are the responsibility of the user.
Before requesting a reservation please carefully review the Stella Room Policies & Procedures document which contains important information on room access, food, cleaning and security.
ARCH: Long Lounge (7-429) — Capacity: 100 with doors open, 49 with doors closed; 100 chairs total
Long Lounge is reserved for all Department lecture series and studios as pin-up, review, and presentation space and other events requiring slide and computer projection, pin up, etc. While it may not be booked on a weekly basis for a specific class, a class that has a special event or speaker for which they need more public space, may reserve it for that event. It is booked through http://architecture.mit.edu/rooms.
- Classes may not schedule on a weekly basis, but may for special events.
- First priority is lecture series during specified lecture times.
- Second priority is studio faculty during studio hours (MW 2-5; TR 1-6; F 2-6); these hours will vary depending on the term), and to be reserved on as-needed. Studios may not be block booked more than 3 weeks in advance.
- Third priority is classes that need pin-up space or to spread out on large tables on an occasional basis.
- All other times the room is scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pinup Spaces
Students who wish to present their projects in pinup spaces need to reserve their spaces by going to http://architecture.mit.edu/rooms. Reserve early. There are nine pinup spaces on the fourth floor of Building 7 and one in Building 3. Here is a map showing those spaces:
Download Map PDF:
Computer Resources
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CRON provides a range of computer hardware and software and facilitates access to other computational resources on campus for both the Department of Architecture and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. CRON can advise users on equipment to purchase, and manages the day-to-day operations of both departments' computing infrastructure.
CRON maintains an environment in which information technology is easily accessible to serve required coursework, independent study, and research. It manages a complex computer network supporting Macintosh, Windows and Linux operating systems.
Software provided includes office productivity suites, two- and three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD), modeling, rendering, animation, video editing, multimedia, image processing, geographic information systems (GIS), statistics, and structural, heat and lighting analysis packages. Where software licenses allow, software is available for installation on student-owned computers without charge.
Hardware includes color and black-and-white laser printers, wide-format plotters, scanners (flatbed, slide and wide-format), digital cameras, portable projectors, fully automated podcast production, and video equipment. Computers are located in studios, classrooms, labs and other areas. Many areas are equipped with plasma screens or overhead projectors. Refer to pages of this web site to learn where equipment is located. During the academic term, computer facilities are available 24 hours a day to students enrolled in either departments' academic programs. In addition to the departments' facilities, all MIT students have access to workstations in Athena clusters located throughout the MIT campus. At list of printing equipment is available here: http://cron-cronlasso-s.mit.edu/cron/p.lasso?t=5:2:0
There is no fee for using the computers in the public areas, but students are charged a subsidized rate for printing, plotting, photocopying and distributed software. A 'Course 4 Facilities Fee' charge appears on students' Bursar's statement each term as does a monthly 'CRON Monthly Plot Fee' for those using plotters. Architecture students' 'Facilities Fee' includes costs for use of the 'Rapid Prototyping Lab'. This Facilities Fee is to offset facilities costs in Architecture and Urban Planning.
The intention behind charging a flat fee is to encourage design education and research that will take advantage of all the technologies available here. Charging one flat fee to your Bursar's account rather than individual billing also makes it administratively simple for both the students and the staff. The Student Facilities Fee policy applies to all Departmental undergraduate majors and all Departmental graduate majors, with the exceptions of SMACT candidates and nonresident PhD students, regardless of whether or not they are currently taking Architecture courses. In addition, non-departmental students enrolled in a class that makes significant use of our Fabrication Lab facilities are charged the fee.
Additionally, a monthly 'CRON Monthly Plot Fee' appears for those using plotters, based on usage.
Further information can be had by visiting the CRON web site:
Faculty: Essential Information
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The Department of Architecture maintains a website where faculty can find information on important dates, policies and procedures, and to download forms. Some areas are password protected.
Preparing a Portfolio
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Students should have up-to-date portfolios. Portfolios are needed to apply for graduate school, for jobs, and for departmental travel awards and prizes. It is in the student's best interest to update his/her portfolio each term.
When preparing a portfolio show your ability to package and present information attractively and concisely: Form is as important as content. Be sure to include only your best work, and organize material logically.
Consider your audience. Are you applying for graduate school? Positions are often won or lost on first impressions. Rearranging your portfolio for an interview sends a clear signal that you are serious about the opportunity.
Rotch Library
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The Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning, housed in an award-winning building by Schwartz/Silver Architects, is one of the nation's premier resources in architecture and planning. The collection offers extensive depth in architecture, building technology, art history, photography, environmental studies, land use, urban design and development, housing and community development, regional planning and development, urban transportation and real estate. Rotch also holds an extensive Geographic Information Collection, including national and international datasets representing census/demographic, elevation, environmental, energy, geology, imagery, land use and land cover, transportation, urban environment, and water data. The GIS Lab is located in Rotch Library and is available for use by the MIT Community.
Also located in Rotch Library is the Aga Khan Documentation Center (AKDC@MIT). The Center supports teaching and research of architecture, urbanism, and visual culture in Muslim societies. Through the acquisition of select personal archives, AKDC is a repository of primary research materials. AKDC is a part of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT and Harvard, established in 1979 by a gift from H.H. the Aga Khan.
The library also holds extensive visual collections, including the Perceptual Form of the City project, the Kidder Smith Collection of American Architecture, and the Aga Khan Visual Archive. Digital visual collections are searchable through MIT’s Dome repository.
The Rotch Limited Access collection contains thousands of rare books and special materials in Art, Architecture, Design, and Urban Planning.
Rotch Library is part of the MIT Libraries system, with over five million items in print and digital formats; including electronic journals and books, images, maps, musical scores, sound and video recordings.
Students are also eligible for borrowing privileges at the Harvard College Libraries and at the Loeb Library at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Access to other libraries is also available through the Boston Library Consortium (BLC). The MIT Community may also access other research collections through MIT‘s Worldcat, including libraries participating in BLC and Borrow Direct cooperative associations of academic and research libraries.
Department Email
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Important information from Architecture headquarters will be posted via e-mail. Therefore, student e-mail address will be automatically added to their degree program mailing list.
New students obtain an e-mail address through the Athena User Account Office, http://web.mit.edu/accounts. Please note that all addresses end with @mit.edu.
The Department has established the following guidelines for use of its e-mail lists. These include degree lists, faculty and staff lists, and other group lists created for academic purposes:
- E-mail within the Department is limited to topics directly related to the academic, administrative, and research work of students, faculty, and staff.
- The “subject” line should be specific enough that recipients may read or delete messages according to their relevance.
- Postings should be of a one-time nature. Ongoing discussions should be moved to a small list of interested individuals that is created for this purpose.
- Personal ads (apartment sublets, personal sales, parties, etc.) are not appropriate for academic lists. Use arch-kiosk instead.
Website Profiles and Projects
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Users must be logged into the site in order to edit their profiles, add projects, or apply to Departmental jobs. Users may log in on the MIT Campus, or from a remote location using the MIT Virtual Private Network, ist.mit.edu › vpn
Fees and Charges
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Course 4 Facilities Fee
Students are charged a subsidized rate for use of the rapid prototyping lab and for printing, plotting, photocopying and distributed software, but there is no fee for using the computers in the public areas. The intention behind charging a flat fee is to encourage design education and research that will take advantage of all the technologies available within the Department. Charging one flat 'Course 4 Facilities Fee' to a student's Bursar's account each term rather than individual billing makes it administratively simple for both the students and the staff. This facilities fee applies to all Departmental undergraduate majors and graduate degree students regardless of whether or not they are currently taking a Course 4 subject. The exceptions include SMACT, non-resident, thesis in absentia, Architecture minors, Design minors, and Visiting Students.
CRON Monthly Plot Fee
CRON will charge a plotting fee based on usage per person. This fee will be assessed on a monthly basis by CRON staff.
Class Materials Fee
Classes that require students to work with substantial materials that are purchased in advance by the instructor, may have an additional materials fee. This fee will be noted in the MIT catalog class description, and on the syllabus distributed to all students the first week of classes.
MIT Registration Fees
https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/tuition-fees/miscellane...