Announcing the Committee on Exploring Master’s-Only Programs

Dear members of the MIT community,

As you may have seen in President Kornbluth's recent video, MIT is examining whether expanding our educational offerings will serve to advance our mission and generate additional revenue.

Today we are pleased to announce the formation of a new committee, the Committee on Exploring Master’s-Only Programs, designed to help MIT evaluate the academic objectives, benefits, and criteria that should inform a potential increase in the number of such programs. During budget discussions last fall, several departments expressed an interest in expanding access to the Institute’s unique “mens et manus” education and advancing the reach of their respective fields. The new committee responds to requests for guidance on assessing whether new master’s offerings will meet the educational and financial objectives of departments, the schools and college, and on the conditions required for supporting them.

The committee began meeting this spring and is making good progress. It has launched a departmental survey to learn more about the current landscape of MIT master’s-only programs and the level of interest in creating new ones. The committee’s report to us, which is due on October 30, 2026, will include recommendations for:

• Academic criteria to consider when establishing new disciplinary or multidisciplinary master’s programs;
• Financial and operational considerations departments should account for when developing new programs;
• Implementation issues and downstream impacts to be aware of, such as strains new programs can place on existing Institute resources, facilities, and services; and
• Guidance on implementation approaches, including the use of pilots to learn about impacts from scaling new offerings.

We are grateful to Professor Troy Van Voorhis and Executive Vice President and Treasurer Glen Shor for agreeing to co-chair the committee, and to the full committee for dedicating their expertise and time to this important work. The group’s charge and full membership are below.

We know the committee is eager to hear your questions and suggestions. Please reach out to them by emailing masterscommittee_questions@mit.edu.

Sincerely,

Anantha P. Chandrakasan
Provost

Melissa Nobles
Chancellor

Charge to the Committee on Exploring Master’s-Only Programs

MIT currently offers a variety of master’s-only degree programs. During budget discussions last fall, several departments expressed an interest in expanding access to the Institute’s unique brand of “mens et manus” education and advancing the reach of their respective fields. In response to requests for guidance on how to thoroughly assess whether new graduate degree offerings will meet both the educational and financial objectives of departments, the schools and college, and the Institute, the provost and chancellor are forming the Committee on Exploring Master’s-Only Programs.

The committee will be responsible for:

• Cataloging the Institute’s existing master’s-only programs
• Assessing the level of interest in creating new programs
• Suggesting academic criteria necessary to inform the establishment of new disciplinary or multidisciplinary programs, including:
  • Articulating the objectives and benefits for the departments, schools, Institute, and students as well as the program’s broader public purpose
  • Aligning with existing criteria for new degree program approvals
• Advising on operational and financial considerations, including:
  • The market segment, competitive landscape, and the number of students expected in these degree programs
  • The establishment of tuition rates
  • Access to external financial support for students including loans to pay tuition and living expenses
  • Departmental or school costs to support the program
  • Allocation of tuition revenue between departmental/school and central budgets
• Identifying other potential implementation issues and impacts, including:
  • Availability of housing, classroom, and other learning spaces
  • Robustness of career development, course advising, networking, event programming, and other student experience services
  • Capacity of the existing student support network to handle an influx of new students (e.g., MIT Health, Office of Graduate Education)
• Advising on implementation approaches, including:
  • Any use of pilots or other sequencing mechanisms to learn about impacts from scaling new programs
  • Protocols for collecting data about new and existing programs

The committee will report to the provost and the chancellor. To complete its work, it should consult with the deans of the schools and college, department heads, faculty governance, interested faculty, and relevant administrative offices.

The committee is asked to submit its report by October 30, 2026.

Committee Membership

Glen Shor, Executive Vice President and Treasurer, committee co-chair

Troy Van Voorhis, Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry, committee co-chair

David Atkin, Barton L. Weller (1940) Professor of Economics

Paul Blainey, Professor, Department of Biological Engineering

Bevin P. Engelward, Associate Chair of the Faculty and Professor of Biological Engineering

Bill Garrett, Senior Associate Dean and Chief Administrative Officer, MIT Sloan School of Management

Michel X. Goemans, Department Head and RSA Professor of Mathematics

Katie Hammer, Vice President for Finance

John Hart, Class of 1922 Professor and Department Head, Mechanical Engineering

Ali Jadbabaie, Department Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering; JR East Professor of Engineering; Core faculty, IDSS

Laura L. Kiessling, Novartis Professor of Chemistry

Wojciech Matusik, Cadence Design Systems Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

John Ochsendorf, Associate Dean for Research, School of Architecture and Planning and Class of 1942 Professor, Architecture and Civil and Environmental Engineering

Nelson P. Repenning, Professor of System Dynamics and Organization Studies, MIT Sloan School of Management

Mary Ellen Sinkus, Assistant Provost for Administration and Finance, Office of the Provost

Denzil Streete, Senior Associate Dean and Director, Graduate Education

Carl V. Thompson, Stavros V. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Kim Haberlin, Chief of Staff, Office of the Executive Vice President and Treasurer, staff to the committee