Master of Engineering in Computation and Cognition

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The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences offer a joint curriculum leading to a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Computation and Cognition that focuses on the emerging field of computational and engineering approaches to brain science, cognition and machine intelligence.

This program is only open to Computation and Cognition (6-9) majors at MIT and is best suited for students who wish to work towards a master’s degree but do not intend enroll in a doctoral program in a related field.

The curriculum provides flexibility to accommodate students with a wide diversity of interests in this area, from biologically-inspired approaches to artificial intelligence, to reverse engineering circuits in the brain. This joint master’s program prepares students for careers that include advanced applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as further graduate study in systems and cognitive neuroscience. Students in the program are full members of both departments.

The Master of Engineering in Computation and Cognition is a five- to five-and-a-half-year program in which Course 6-9 students earn a bachelors and master's degree. Students may earn the degree concurrently or sequentially with their undergraduate degree. Students will meet all degree requirements for the 6-9 major and complete an additional 90 units including 24 units of thesis work.  The MEng compresses the coursework necessary for a four-year bachelor's and a two-year master's degree into ten or eleven semesters. Students begin fulfilling MEng requirements in their latter semesters as undergraduates.

Admission Requirements

If you are a 6-9 major and your research program is adequately developed, you will be admitted into the MEng program if you meet these criteria:

  • A technical GPA 4.25 or better (letter grades in 6-9 courses and any other courses in 6, 8, or 18)
  • Completion of 9 subjects (or 102 units) counting toward the 6-9 major
  • An overall GPA of 4.0 is required by the end of the term in which students apply
  • One UROP or SuperUROP  (The EECS or BCS Office may contact research supervisors for their views on candidates).
  • A commitment from a faculty member to supervise their thesis research. Note: Non-MIT faculty such as postdocs, faculty at other universities and Institute research scientists can serve as co-advisors upon approval from the BCS Director of Education, but a MIT faculty advisor will still be needed. Purely engineering thesis projects will not be accepted.

Students in their junior year or first semester of senior year should submit an application in November or April. The application deadline is the last day of classes for that semester according to the MIT Academic Calendar. Decisions are typically sent out 2-3 weeks after the grade deadline as those grades will be considered in the application review process.

MEng Application Website (available in November and April; see application for deadline)

Degree Chart

The Master of Engineering degree is awarded only to students who have already received, or who will simultaneously receive, the Bachelor of Science in Computation and Cognition (Course 6-9). Refer to the undergraduate degree chart for requirements. 

The current degree chart for the 6-9 MEng can be found here.

 

Funding

Departmental funding for the MEng program is not guaranteed. However, students may apply for funding from two sources: teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Students will have the opportunity to apply for funding before they begin the MEng program. Full-time TA or RA assistantships pay a monthly stipend, full tuition and health insurance. Students with TAships should expect to work approximately 20 hours a week on teaching. Students may request funding as a research assistant from their thesis supervisor, however, RA support for MEng students can be difficult to secure and advanced planning with research advisors is recommended.

Information regarding teaching assistantships in Course 6 including the application process can be found here. BCS does not typically have teaching assistantships to offer to MEng students.

Students with a full-time TAship or RAship may only register for two 12 unit subjects in addition to 12 units of thesis credit. Students holding a half TAship or half RAship may register for an additional class. Because students receive credit for their thesis work as well as TAships and RAships, they are registered for 48 to 60 units each term.

MEng students are only eligible for RAships and TAships during their first three regular semesters (summers are excepted) as a graduate student. If a student has been a graduate TA at least once or has unusual circumstances that have delayed progress on the thesis or classes, the student may request one additional term (a fourth term) of support eligibility.  

For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the SFS website.