In view of their full time responsibilities on assigned research and corresponding nonacademic salary scales, Institute research staff or employees of Lincoln Laboratory or the Draper Laboratory may not be full time regular graduate students while also employed by MIT, but may, under certain conditions, be granted the status of special graduate student through the Advanced Study Program (ASP).
A research staff appointee or an employee of Lincoln Laboratory or the Draper Laboratory who wishes to pursue an advanced degree must be admitted first as a regular graduate student, and must complete the residency and other requirements of the degree program to which the individual has been admitted. This individual may not continue to hold a research staff appointment, and may not include research work performed while thus employed as part of the thesis for an advanced MIT degree.
Any research staff appointee or employee of Lincoln Laboratory or the Draper Laboratory may, by written permission from the director of the division (or their designate), apply for enrollment as a student in one subject other than thesis per term. This limit applies whether enrollment is as a listener or for academic credit. Acceptance for such enrollment will be granted if the instructor in the subject determines that the individual is qualified to undertake it, and if section size permits. For this type of enrollment, the student is assigned to an academic department , pays tuition whether registered as a listener or for credit, and registers as a special graduate student through the Advanced Study Program (ASP).
