Skip to content ↓

Life and culture: Arts & music

More than half of all undergraduates take part in arts and music classes each year. Our campus features more than 3,500 noted works of contemporary art, is home to a state-of-the-art black box performing arts theater, and our music education ranges from conservatory-level training to ensembles and classes that you can join even if you’re just a beginner.

MIT is full of opportunities to showcase your artistic creativity, both in and out of classes. Some of the many ways you can explore the arts include the Open Documentary Lab, the Center for Art, Science & Technology, and cross-registration with Massachusetts College of Art, just to name a few.

The arts have always been an essential part of the MIT culture and a cross-disciplinary curriculum exists in all five schools at MIT.  Here are a few things we think are just great:

  • The List Visual Arts Center, explores challenging contemporary art in all media.
  • The MIT Symphony Orchestra is open to all students who would like to audition. Students can participate for credit, too.
  • The Arts Scholars Program hosts monthly excursions and workshops for any student interested in the diverse array of arts available at MIT and in Boston.
  • The MIT program in Art, Culture and Technology is a critical studies and production-based laboratory offering an undergraduate minor and concentration, plus a variety of introductory courses for all MIT students.

With over 25 majors, minors, and degree programs; hands-on classes; makerspaces; and 100+ concerts and exhibitions open to the public each year, there are more ways than ever for you to express yourself through the arts here.