News & Video:

On Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, the Office of Graduate Education welcomed new and continuing graduate students during our Annual Graduate Students of Color Welcome.

GradDiversity’s kick-off event featured a live reading of MIT’s Land Acknowledgement by graduate student Alvin Harvey, AeroAstro, welcome remarks from Institute Community and Equity Officer, John Dozier, a performance of the National Black Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” led by OGE staff member Heather Konar and a spoken-word piece “Intellectual Brother,” written and performed by graduate student Corban Swain, Biological Engineering. Read more

In June 2021, the Office of Graduate Education hosted its 37th cohort of MIT Summer Research Program Interns for what proved to be an “incredible” and “life-changing” summer experience. Over the course of nine weeks, 78 interns studying in 23 departments across five MIT schools were introduced to the MIT culture of mind and hand, engaging in cutting edge research with 70 MIT faculty which culminated in the MSRP Virtual Research Forum. Read more

October 18^{th –} 22^nd, 2021

Register for this year’s Empowerment Conference! See the list below for event descriptions and registration links:
Read more

Since its creation in Fall 2020, the Writing and Communication Center’s (WCC) Writing Together Online program has brought MIT graduate students together for support and structure in their writing goals. 
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The Office of Graduate Education is delighted to announce that Leonard “Leo” Savala, PhD, will join the Office of Graduate Education as Associate Dean on Friday, October 1, 2021. Read more

For the past seven years, the MIT University Center for Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM) has created a robust infrastructure of resources, people, and support. UCEM engages candidates through the entire process of “thinking about a PhD, getting in and doing a PhD, and then exiting the PhD,” says Leslie Kolodziejski, UCEM principal investigator and professor of electrical engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). Over the life of UCEM thus far, 83 scholars have been supported, with 58 scholars currently in the program. Read more at MIT News.

Are you interested in increasing the diversity of the MIT graduate community, leveraging your voice to amplify the needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students at MIT, or contributing to creating equitable and inclusive spaces? 

Join the 2021-2022 Graduate Diversity Ambassador Cohort. Alongside the Office of Graduate Education, Graduate Diversity Ambassadors have the opportunity to engage in the below activities and create a better MIT: 

• Recruit underrepresented/underserved students at national conferences (in-person or virtual)
• Co-lead GradCatalyst webinars designed to help prospective students learn about the fundamentals of graduate school
• Serve as a graduate student mentor for the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) 
• Review Statement of Objectives for prospective students 
• Facilitate Grad Admissions Workshop for visiting scholars 
• Create programming that brings the BIPOC community together 
• And more….

Join us for a GradDiversity Ambassador info session on Wednesday, September 15th at 12:00 PM to learn more and sign up to join our team. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to graddiversity@mit.edu.

Started in 2002, the Graduate Student Life Grants program has been a cornerstone of the development and funding of graduate student co-curricular activities that promote community-building. This past year, we transformed the program, now called the Graduate Student Experience Grants, and expanded to cover more facets of the graduate student experience. 
Read more

In a 2019 fellowships survey sent to all MIT graduate students, 70% of respondents indicated that they planned to apply to a graduate fellowship in the future, and 45% listed financial flexibility as the top motivator for seeking a fellowship (with prestige being the second highest motivator at 23.7%).

Several Office of Graduate Education staff members are currently pursuing or have just finished higher degrees. In addition to everything they do for MIT during regular business hours, these staff members are driven to spend time during evenings and weekends to push the boundaries of their own knowledge and skill. The OGE gives kudos to:

Elaine Chen, Assistant to the Dean
MS in Applied Clinical Nutrition, expected completion December 2022
Gaurav Jashnani, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Support & Advising
PhD in Critical Social/Personality Psychology at the City University of New York, expected completion May 2022
Adj Marshall, Grad Families Administrator
MA in Intercultural Leadership and Management, completed May 2021
Charlie Turner, Fellowship Program Assistant
MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, completed May 2021

Informed by an internal scan of MIT’s resources for student parents, extensive benchmarking of efforts at MIT’s peer institutions, and conversations with stakeholders, the ad hoc Graduate Families Working Group’s report identified the need to centralize support, communication, and outreach to students with children, among other recommendations.  Read more

The Office of Graduate Education (OGE) is excited to announce the 2021 cohort of MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) interns. This year, OGE has the pleasure of hosting 78 diverse, talented research interns for a transformative academic experience.

Through the MSRP curriculum, OGE aims to sharpen student competencies and awareness in the areas of research comprehension and communication; research ethics; research identity; and professional and career exploration. Read more

If you feel that your dissertation research progress has been adversely impacted by COVID-19, and you believe you will need financial support for time beyond your program’s funding package, MIT is committed to ensuring you are funded for the COVID-related delay. Read more

Graduate Women @ MIT present their annual Leadership Conference April 5 – 9, 2021. Check out the great line-up of events all week! Some of the events have limited space, so register today.

• Mon 5th April, 12 PM to 1 PM: Science for Policy: Fireside chat with Dr. Maria Zuber Attend the Leadership Conference Keynote Session to hear directly from Dr. Maria Zuber, the first woman ever to lead a science department at MIT, the first to lead a NASA planetary mission, and the first to co-chair PCAST, on how science and policy can work together to inform decisions that affect society.Register here. Read more

Continuing the conversation from this year’s 47th Annual Martin Luther King Jr Celebration keynote by Ijeoma Oluo, this March OGE GradDiversity and MIT Libraries are hosting a series of guided book discussions of So You Want to Talk About Race. This New York Times bestseller offers a hard-hitting but user-friendly examination of race in America. Oluo’s work focuses primarily on issues of race and identity, feminism, social and mental health, social justice, the arts, and personal essay. Groups of graduate students will join for dinner and dialogue to explore this examination of race in America. Grad student participants received a free copy of the book and an UberEats credit to enjoy dinner during the discussion. Read more

Professors Kristin Bergmann and Larry Susskind listen fully and compassionately to students. Both are deeply invested in crafting inclusive environments — and many students attest to how effective they are in this endeavor. For their thoughtful advising and wholehearted support of students, Bergmann and Susskind have been honored as “Committed to Caring.” Read more at MIT News.

This past October 2020 marked the launch of the Graduate Student Experience Grants (GSEG), a transformed version of the previous Graduate Student Life Grants which began in 2002. These grants have become a cornerstone for development and funding of graduate student co-curricular activities that promote community-building.

The reimagined Graduate Student Experience Grants have expanded to cover more facets of the graduate student experience. The application process now occurs four times during the year: October, January, April, and July. Funding may be requested for a wide array of activities such as department-, lab-, or center-based student events & activities, student-organized conferences or workshops, and innovative projects. Read more

The Office of Graduate Education is delighted to welcome Adj Marshall as our first Program Administrator for Graduate Student Families. In this newly created role beginning February 2021, Adj will serve as the primary point of contact and a central resource for information and support services to graduate students with children. She will work collaboratively with other MIT administrators to help connect student parents with programs, policies, and other resources to help improve their graduate experience and alleviate the stressors related to raising a family while being a student. Read more

“If anything is worth doing, if anything is worth living, you’ve got to take a chance,” said Charles Bolden, a colonel in the US Marine Corps, when describing his fellow astronaut Ronald E. McNair’s approach to life.

McNair earned his PhD in Physics from MIT in 1976, and went on to join the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He became the second African American in space during the 1984 launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where he served as a mission specialist. Read more

Professors Jesse Kroll and Cathy Drennan are enthusiastic, whether students are sharing exciting early experimental results or raising concerns about public speaking. The two have been honored by a student-driven process as “Committed to Caring” for their dedication to students’ well-being and futures and for their ardent advocacy for student needs. Read more on MIT News.

Professors Colette Heald and Gene-Wei Li have been honored as “Committed to Caring” for crafting inclusive laboratory environments, as well as continually empowering their students. A hurdle like the Covid-19 pandemic can easily throw student well-being and research off-kilter. Having such caring advisors can help students persevere amid uncertainty. Read more on MIT News.

Graduate students credit MIT associate professors Anna Mikusheva and Kerri Cahoy for their uplifting and fierce support, which buttresses them during the trials of the PhD process. The faculty members have been honored as “Committed to Caring” (C2C) for their compassion and staunch advocacy for graduate advisees. They steadfastly guide students in developing research capabilities and launching careers. Read more on MIT News.

Since 1999, MIT’s Presidential Fellowship has been one of the most prestigious awards incoming graduate students can receive. The pool of fellowships consist of more than thirty named awards supported by generous philanthropic donations. As a group, they constitute an exclusive opportunity that is celebrated every fall with a semi-formal reception. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Graduate Education reformatted the traditional structure and setting of the reception into a virtual event, and it was sincerely enjoyed by participants despite the unique constraints.

Director of Graduate Fellowships Scott Tirrell provided the opening remarks, introducing Vice Chancellor Ian Waitz and Senior Associate Dean Blanche Staton, all of whom provided insight into how to best utilize MIT’s resources and get the best out of the graduate school experience. Students and administrators were then separated into meet-and-greet style breakout rooms, where broad-ranging topics included research, work experience, and favorite movies. More than 70% of the 90 attendees stayed for most or all of the event.

Exit survey respondents praised the breakout rooms as the star of the show, and 75% said they were interested in attending a similar event in the future. With the uncertainty around the shape of future fellowship receptions, this is very reassuring news. The information gathered will help the Office of Graduate Education improve and build upon previous programming to create events that not only meet expectations, but surpass them, even in a virtual environment.

The new MIT Grant for Graduate Students with Children is a need-blind pilot program for the 2020-2021 academic year, and has just finished its first round of funding. The grant may be used to cover expenses such as child care, health care, and housing. While it does not cover the bulk of child care expenses, the grant is intended to help alleviate some of the financial hardship our student parents face while allowing them budgeting flexibility.

This fall, 72 grants were awarded to graduate students, which will total $172,000 in disbursements by the end of the year. Read more

Amidst the uncertainty and stressors of the dual scourges of Covid-19 and structural racism, a number of MIT professors are forging thoughtful ways to support students’ well-being and scholarly development. Several Committed to Caring honorees shared their approaches for being proactive and including their research groups in decision-making, including Associate Professor Gene-Wei Li, Professor Paola Cappellaro, Professor Cathy Drennan, Professor Colette Heald, Professor Warren Seering, Associate Professor Anna Mikusheva, and Associate Professor Kerri Cahoy. Read more on MIT News.

The OGE is thrilled to welcome new Assistant Dean for GradSupport Gaurav Jashnani to the team this September. Gaurav, a mental health counselor with experience in roles at Columbia and the City University of New York, is excited to aid student development and well-being. His dissertation focuses on experiences of racism and racial justice organizing at the University of Missouri, and he is the co-founder of the Challenging Male Supremacy Project.

The Office of Graduate Education (OGE) is happy to announce the results of our 2020 competitive fellowship selection process, and to provide you with a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s unique structure and procedure.  

The OGE Competitive Fellowships consist of 23 named endowed fellowships available to MIT students who meet specific eligibilities. These eligibilities, while narrow in comparison to our broader catalogue of available fellowships, are also varied in order to reach multiple departments, disciplines, and passions. Read more

Find information and the form for the Graduate Student Short-Term Emergency Fund.

A communication from Maria Zuber, Ian Waitz, and Sharon Casey on May 1 detailed the 2020-21 academic year stipend and health plan rates, as well as support sources for graduate students in need.

Dear students,

As you continue to navigate this extraordinary year, we want to remind you about MIT’s policy on academics and student religious observances. The policy, based on Massachusetts law, allows for students to be granted absences from classes or a deferment on academic work or exams if they fall on the same day as a religious observance in their faith tradition. The policy states:

“Any student who is unable to attend classes or participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day because of his or her religious beliefs is excused from any such activity. The student will be given the opportunity to make up the work that was missed, provided that the makeup work does not create an unreasonable burden upon MIT… Read more

Due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, Emergency Academic Regulations (EAR) are in place. These have resulted in several changes to the spring Academic Calendar.

As the Institute responds to the rapidly evolving situation, OGE has posted updates on our services.

As of September 24, 2018, graduate student petitions for late Adds, Drops or Changes in Grading Status (changes to or from graduate P/D/F, Graded, and Listener Status) have been moved online and these three types of petitions are no longer submitted via the paper Graduate Student General Petition Form. Learn more.

Would you like a little extra help in figuring out the ins and outs of your financial landscape as a grad student?  Here are a few resources:

Workshops

The OGE offers a series of workshops this fall, from “Applying for Graduate Fellowships” (its never too early to think about it!) to “Intro to Investing” and more. Free pizza! RSVPs requested.

iGrad

MIT sponsors a completely free iGrad Financial Literacy platform (offered in collaboration with the MIT Federal Credit Union). It’s customized with videos, articles, games, job board, searchable scholarship database, and interactive modules on a wide range of topics, including emergency-funding, credit card management, identity protection, spending-smarts, etc. and is a great financial literacy tool for students and the MIT community in general. Create your own profile for a tailored experience!

Other online tools

On the OGE website, we’ve added a new Financial Literacy section and have updated the fellowships section, including the “tips” content.  Check it out!

Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of the City of Boston, wrote a warm welcome this month to the international students studying here this fall:

Welcome to Boston!

As a kid growing up in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, I knew many people that had come here from all over the world for greater opportunities. My own parents were immigrants from Ireland who came to Boston for greater economic prosperity.

I am so excited that you have chosen to study in Boston, home to some of the best colleges and universities in the world. You came here because you know Boston is a place where you will have the chance to further your studies, engage with a community of fellow learners, and put yourself on a path toward lifelong success. Read more

As we look back at what we’ve gained and cultivated in the fall semester, we inevitably start to implement resolutions to do things bigger, better, and faster in the year ahead. Grad students, who already regularly question their existence, can get particularly existential when given the explicit opportunity to evaluate the past and coming years. Zoya Bylinskii, a PhD candidate in the MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, uses this opportunity to bust some myths and talk about the resolutions you don’t absolutely need to carry out in order to have a successful PhD. Read more

On November 17 and 18, 2017, the Office of Graduate Education held the twelfth annual Path of Professorship workshop. 47 graduate and 26 post-doctoral women attended the event, learning from 27 prominent female academics and discussing the myriad challenges faced by women on the path to an academic career. Attendees heard a variety of perspectives over two days via panels and workshops; topics ranged from the deeply practical (“What Type of Institution is Right for You?,” “Speeches, Presentations, and Performing”) to the more philosophical (“Finding the Time to Do it All”). Read more

On Oct. 12, Professor Julie Posselt, of the University of Southern California and author of Inside Graduate Admissions: Merit, Diversity, and Faculty Gatekeeping, tailored two powerhouse talks: one to MIT graduate students, and the other to faculty and staff. She shared firsthand observations of graduate admission committees and interviews conducted with faculty from 10 top-ranked doctoral programs in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

The sessions provided a window into the decision makers’ point of view, highlighting how disciplinary norms shape the definition of merit; how professor’s good intentions around diversity often don’t translate into results; and she provided concrete strategies to improve the admissions review process and promote transparency and accountability. Read more

Dear ROTC Community Members,

With the signing by President Donald Trump of a directive banning transgender military recruits on Friday August 25, I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify MIT’s longstanding commitment to both national service and supporting equal opportunity for all our students, including transgender students.

MIT’s tradition of national service is broad, deep, and very much in the present tense. Read more

Dozens of undergraduate students gather each year at the annual MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP) poster session to present the work they have completed over the course of the summer at MIT. This year the poster session featured research from 37 undergraduates from MSRP General, 37 undergraduates from the MSRP Bio and Neuroscience cohort, and six students from the Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems (EBICS) program. These students came from institutions around the country to pursue research and explore departments across MIT.

Marking the conclusion of an immersive research experience, the poster session showed these 80 diverse students that they have at least one thing in common: They can make an impact in their respective research areas by proposing solutions to problems that have never been solved before. Read more and watch the highlight video.

The ODGE is pleased to announce that Gloria Anglón has been promoted to Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, with responsibility for leading our Diversity Initiatives.

Gloria joined our office in September 2015 as Assistant Director of Diversity Initiatives and the MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP). At the time she took that position, Gloria brought more than 10 years of administrative experience in student affairs, having recently served as an Administrative Fellow and Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions and later as the Assistant Director for Diversity and Student Engagement at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). In her role as Assistant Director at MIT, Gloria’s work focused on implementing various diversity initiatives administered by the ODGE, including our CONVERGE and MIT Summer Research Programs.  Read more

Every year, a  team of graduate students, postdocs, and the Office of the Dean for Graduate Education organize a two-day workshop called Path of Professorship (PoP) for MIT’s graduate and postdoctoral women considering careers in academia. PoP is the culmination of over six months of planning and passion for the work and the opportunity to support the community.

Held since 2006, PoP allows attendees to enjoy talks and valuable one-on-one conversations with faculty and peers, transferring knowledge and fostering supportive academic networks. Throughout the process, you get to interact with amazing people—some 30 dynamic and generous faculty members and 70 accomplished and engaging graduate and postdoctoral women. Working with Dean Blanche Staton and administrative assistant Patty Glidden is enough to inspire anyone: Blanche embodies a combination of professionalism, grace, wisdom, and genuine concern for each individual. Each year, it’s a pleasure to watch Blanche proudly introduce former students on stage. Read more at Slice.

Why do we love our grad students?  No only are they some of the most talented and accomplished people we know, but they contribute to our community in so many ways, from student government to cultural organizations and as service volunteers. What’s not to love? To honor our amazing grad students, MIT is very pleased to celebrate Graduate and Professional Students Appreciation Week during April 10 – 14, 2017.

Cynthia Smith, formerly of the Synthetic Neurobiology Group at Media Lab, starts today as ODGE Financial and Administrative Assistant, located in headquarters at 3-138. Prior to MIT, Cynthia worked eight years in the Department of Education at Simmons College, supporting office operations and faculty members. She is very excited to become part of the team. Please welcome Cynthia to the ODGE!

That awkward moment in a presentation where someone asks a really weird question. A student in class who poses an off-the-wall idea while you are presenting. Fear of what a committee member may ask in your thesis defense. Wondering how to define leadership. This improv workshop will help develop skills to respond to such situations and will also explore aspects of responding to the unexpected that come up when giving a talk.

This improv comedy exercises aims to develop a comfort with engaging others. These activities will also connect to aspects of effective leadership. Participants should expect to participate in improv comedy exercises with attendees. 20 Student Limit; Open to graduate students. Advanced Registration is requested via CareerBridge (sign-in required). This workshop is sponsored by the Graduate Student Council and MIT Global Education and Career Development (GECD). Workshop is facilitated by Jake Livengood at GECD. (If registration limit has been met, please email Jake Livengood to be added to the wait list at livngood@mit.edu). The workshop will be on Monday, January 23 from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm at E25 – 117. Lunch will be provided at noon.

Join the MIT Office of Digital Learning for two days of feasting on learning: national thought-leaders, MIT innovators, student hackers, food, fun, and more. Experience the catalyzing power behind initiatives which transform the way we look at education and revolutionize how we teach and learn. The festival is FREE, but registration is required at all events. Chancellor Barnhart will make the opening remarks and Satya Nitta of IBM Watson will give the Keynote address. The schedule includes practice teaching sessions with the Teaching & Learning Lab and a hackathon! Registration opens early January, 2017. Click here to register and get more information on schedule, dates, and locations. If you want to showcase your teaching & learning projects with a table or poster in the Learning Expo or are interested in participating in the hackathon, please email festival-learning-2017@mit.edu. Other inquiries/questions also welcome.

Every Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., the Chaplains at MIT invite all members of the MIT community into the Chapel for an interdenominational gathering to reflect, pray and meditate. The service, known as Tuesdays in the Chapel, features musical selections and guest speakers of all faiths. Each gathering is followed by coffee, donuts and conversation next door in W11. The theme for Spring 2017 is “How do I find balance and joy in the midst of change?” The spring schedule starts on February 14.

Spiritual but not religiously oriented, the gatherings feature different perspectives from the community and center around a broad theme. “Tuesdays in the Chapel offers people the opportunity — at the beginning of the day, early in the week — to reflect and pause,” says Robert Randolph, former Chaplain to the Institute, who has founded the weekly gathering in September 2009. “One of the things I’m aware of, having been here for a long time, is that MIT people do not pause very often, so this is an institutionalized way to do that.” Read more

Are you interested in developing professional skills that can amplify your impact in today’s high technology environments? If so, then consider investing in your future by completing the new IAP series on leadership development. Join the inaugural series of workshops designed specifically for MIT graduate students who are interested in “making a positive difference” in their chosen fields. Grounded in leadership research but experiential and engaging in delivery, these workshops will build practical skills that apply to engineering and technology environments. Students are welcome to attend some or all of these workshops. Those who attend the entire series will receive a certificate of completion from the Gordon-MIT Engineering Program. The workshop is limited to 60 participants. Advanced registration is required and contact amyshea@mit.edu to enroll. Visit the workshop website to see the schedule and get more information about the program.

The workshop instructor is David Niño. This series is sponsored by the Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program in collaboration with the Office of the Dean of Graduate Education, Graduate Women at MIT, and the Graduate Student Council.

ELS is an intensive workshop for international teaching assistants. It covers special problems in teaching when English is a second language and the USA a second culture. Practice sessions are videotaped for feedback. There are individualized programs to meet different needs. The workshop is limited to 14 students, and graduate TAs have priority.  No listeners. The instructor for the workshop is A.C. Kemp. The workshop is scheduled to run during IAP from January 23 to January 27, 2017, 4 pm to 6 pm at 14N – 225. Students are expected to attend all sessions. Questions? Email ackemp@mit.edu.

The registration for the MIT European Career Fair (ECF) 2017 is now open. This career fair will take place Saturday, February 25 in the MIT Johnson Track (W4) and provides opportunities to connect with European recruiters in the research, finance and technology sectors. You can find summer internships – entry levels and advanced advanced levels. Register now so that you can browse the job list and the recruiters can schedule meetings and interviews with you on MIT campus.  Early access jobs will be listed on January 15. Contact support_ecf2017@mit.edu for questions.