Preparing for MIT: Academic foundations

This section will focus on academic preparation for first-year applicants—in other words, all domestic and international students who are finishing up high school. We have separate recommendations for transfer students, veterans of the U.S. military, and applicants who took an extended break from conventional education.

An MIT education combines deeply analytic thinking with creative hands-on work to prepare students to solve the toughest problems in the world. Building a strong academic foundation before you come to MIT contributes to your own development, shows us that you’re ready to do the work, and helps you make the most of the Institute when you’re here. 

We aim to make sure that every student we admit will thrive in MIT’s classes, beginning with the General Institute Requirements, or GIRs. The GIRs are classes that students take once they’re at MIT to develop a broad base of knowledge across STEM and liberal arts disciplines⁠01 More specifically, the GIRs consist of a <a href="https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-exploration/general-institute-requirements-girs/science-core/">Science Core</a>; the <a href="https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-exploration/general-institute-requirements-girs/humanities-arts-and-social-sciences-hass-requirement/">Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) Requirement</a>; and the <a href="https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-exploration/general-institute-requirements-girs/communication-requirement/">Communication Requirement</a>. and lay the groundwork to build expertise in their chosen field(s) of study.

There are many different curricula across schools and school systems around the world, and we use your application to learn about your personal academic context. As such, it’s difficult for us to provide clear-cut rules that are useful for all applicants. However, we’ve found some patterns of preparation that hold true more often than not, so here are some recommendations for students in an American curriculum as well as students in other curricula around the world.

For students in an American curriculum

If you’re attending a secondary school⁠02 In other words, a school that comes immediately before beginning a Bachelor's degree program or equivalent. that offers an American curriculum,⁠03 Because there is no standardized American curriculum, this guidance is aimed at students attending high school in U.S. states and territories, or students outside of the U.S. who have access to coursework modeled after curricula available in American high schools. then we look at three main categories of coursework to evaluate whether you’re well-prepared—and well-matched—for academics at MIT: 

• Math, including calculus, the analytic foundation of the MIT education⁠04 All other quantitative fields of study at MIT—from our universally required physics and chemistry courses, to even introductory courses in economics and management science—depend on a mastery of the basic principles of calculus as a tool of problem solving. That is why all of our students, regardless of major, must take (or receive credit for) both <a href="https://catalog.mit.edu/search/?search=18.01">single-variable calculus (18.01)</a> and <a href="https://catalog.mit.edu/search/?search=18.02">multivariable calculus (18.02)</a>.
• Science, including physics, chemistry, and/or biology
• Some challenging courses in the humanities, arts, and social sciences

Calculus

We find that students are much more likely to succeed at MIT academically when they have taken math classes throughout high school,⁠05 For many students, a math sequence might include courses like geometry, algebra I and II, trigonometry, and/or pre-calculus, which are designed to lay the groundwork for a calculus course that teaches the concepts of single-variable calculus. However, we know course titles, tracking sequences, and so on may vary from school to school. What matters is that you are prepared to take, and do well in, a class that covers at least the fundamentals of calculus before the end of high school. including at least some exposure to the foundations of calculus⁠06 By this we mean any class that teaches the core concepts and skills of calculus, such as differentiation and integration. While some students may be able to enroll in a class called "Calculus," the classes available to you might be called "A Level Mathematics," "Higher Level Mathematics," "Pure Mathematics," or something else entirely. by the time they graduate. These cumulative skills and knowledge better prepare students to succeed in 18.01: Single Variable Calculus, the most fundamental level of math taught at MIT.

In this video, members of our math faculty explain why calculus is so foundational to the MIT education:    

If your high school doesn’t offer a calculus class, we recommend some options to supplement your education and demonstrate your preparation here.

Science

Most students who are well-prepared for MIT will have taken at least some physics, chemistry, and/or biology by the end of high school, which builds a foundation for our Science Core.⁠07 While at MIT, all students are required to take (or get credit for) two semesters of calculus-based physics (classical mechanics as well as electricity and magnetism), one semester of chemistry, and one semester of biology. The Science Core equips every MIT student with general abilities to solve scientific problems across fields, regardless of their major. We recommend that you take at least introductory coursework across all three subjects, if available,⁠08 We have found that it's possible to succeed at MIT academically without prior exposure to these fields if students have analytical strength and study skills. Additionally, we know that in some schools and curricula—for example, the International Baccalaureate— students may be limited on how many science courses they can take across fields. For these reasons, we don't have specific science course requirements. In general, though, more challenging and quantitative classes will better prepare you for an MIT education. because you will be better set up for success in the corresponding GIRs.

As with calculus, if your school doesn’t offer courses in these areas, we recommend some options to supplement your education and demonstrate your preparation here.

Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS)

In order to prepare for our HASS Requirement,⁠09 While at MIT, all students are required to take a minimum of eight classes and select a <a href="https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/academic-requirements/hass-requirement/hass-concentrations#:~:text=HASS%20CONCENTRATIONS%20AT%20MIT">Concentration</a> in HASS fields. Also, every degree program has a <a href="https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/academic-requirements/communication-requirement">Communication Requirement</a> to develop speaking, writing, and presentation skills relevant to that field or discipline. Our <a href="https://registrar.mit.edu/registration-academics/academic-requirements/communication-requirement/pace-planning/first-year">First-year Essay Evaluation</a> and the <a href="https://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/">Writing and Communication Center</a> help students from all backgrounds hone their skills. we recommend that you pursue at least some challenging courses in areas like English, history, economics, music, and/or foreign languages…among many other options. 

There are no specific high school courses in these fields that we require. However, students who take few or no challenging courses in these areas may not be well-prepared—or well-matched—for the MIT education, given the extent and rigor of our HASS Requirement.

For students not in an American curriculum

If you’re attending a secondary school⁠10 In other words, a school that comes immediately before beginning a Bachelor's degree program or equivalent. that follows another curriculum, particularly abroad, you may not have classes available to you with names like calculus, physics, biology, or chemistry—or, for that matter, history, economics, music, and so on. Don’t worry: our admissions officers are well-trained in evaluating curricula from the 190+ countries outside of the United States. 

When we read your application, we’ll still be focused on making sure that you are academically ready for the GIRs.⁠11 In other words, we need to make sure you are ready to begin working on the <a href="https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-exploration/general-institute-requirements-girs/science-core/">Science Core</a> and <a href="https://firstyear.mit.edu/academics-exploration/general-institute-requirements-girs/humanities-arts-and-social-sciences-hass-requirement/">HASS Requirement</a> as soon as you arrive. We do this through your coursework, your performance on standardized exams and English proficiency tests, as well as any other relevant national or international academic assessments and achievements that give us confidence in your preparation. In general, you should be taking the most challenging math and science courses available at your school, and you should demonstrate proficiency in English,⁠12 For students who have been using English for fewer than 5 years, do not speak English in school, or do not have English classes available, we strongly recommend providing the results of <a href="https://mitadmissions.org/apply/firstyear/tests-scores/#:~:text=at%20no%20cost.-,For%20non%2Dnative%20English%20speakers,-For%20non%2Dnative">an English proficiency exam</a>. the language of instruction at MIT. If you would like to better prepare yourself for college in the United States through the supplemental study of math, science, and English, we recommend the resources here.