Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Required: YES
MCP Minimum Score: NONE
PhD Minimum Score: Score minimum is 308 combined verbal and quantitative,
with 5.0 Analytical Writing.
Reporting codes: 3514 (MIT), Please type in "Urban Studies" to find code 2205
on the ETS website
Applicants must request that official scores be sent directly to DUSP by the
Educational Testing Service (ETS) and submit a scanned copy as part of the
online application. We suggest ordering your scores as early as possible in
order to have them delivered to us on time. Applicants who take the test after
December 10th will not be considered for admission.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Required: For applicants whose native language is not English, even if they
have attended school in the United States. No exceptions are made for this
requirement. Permanent residents or US Citizens do not need to take the TOEFL
exam. If you need clarification on the policy, please see FAQs.
MCP & PhD Minimum Score: 600 (paper-based), 100 (internet-based).
Reporting codes: 3514 (MIT), 97 (DUSP)
The Admissions Committee regards English proficiency as an important
criterion for success in all degree programs. Applicants must request that
offical results be sent directly to MIT by the Educational Testing Service (ETS)
and submit a scanned copy along with their online application. Applicants who
take the test after December 10th will not be considered for admission. Upon
arrival, students must take an English diagnostic test, regardless of whether
they have attended English-speaking schools or have studied previously in
English-speaking countries.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is also accepted
with a minimum score of 7. See TOEFL information for more details on the
requirement. Applicants who are tested after December 31st will not be
considered for admission.
Since its founding 80 years ago, the Department of Urban Studies and Planning
at MIT has consistently been rated the premier planning school in the world. We
are home to the largest urban planning faculty in the United States and enjoy
the advantage of operating within the context of MIT’s culture of innovation and
interdisciplinary knowledge creation. We see as our mission to educate students
while advancing theory and practice in areas of scholarship that will best serve
the nation and the world in the twenty-first century.
We are committed to generating and disseminating knowledge, and to working
with communities, governments, and industry to bring this knowledge to bear on
the world's most pressing challenges. We provide our students with an education
that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with
active engagement in the practice of place-making.
Our goal is to apply advanced analysis and design to understand and solve
pressing urban and environmental problems. To this end, the department fosters a
culture of learning by doing, while also supporting the development of
influential theories in the areas of urban planning and design, economic
development, and environmental policymaking. By complementing more traditional
seminars with studios, workshops, and practica, our faculty, students, and
researchers are able to translate path-breaking ideas into practical and
enduring solutions.