The MIT-Wellesley double degree program enables a Wellesley student who is accepted to the program to earn a B.A. degree from Wellesley and an S.B. degree from MIT over the course of five years. This opportunity is not viable for most students due to the highly competitive nature of MIT transfer admissions as well as the challenges of earning two degrees in five years from highly rigorous institutions.
A double degree candidate must fulfill the requirements for a degree at both institutions. Interested Wellesley students must first apply at Wellesley to be a candidate for the double degree program. If accepted by the Wellesley committee, they then apply to MIT through the transfer process in the spring semester of the sophomore year. Students may only major in the MIT courses (i.e. departments) listed in the FAQ.
If accepted by MIT, a student defers their admission and enrolls at MIT after the completion of their junior year at Wellesley. During the junior "bridge" year, while still a “Wellesley student,” they will be assigned major advisors at both institutions in order to plan a program to advance toward both degrees. During the fourth and fifth years, the student is enrolled at MIT. Our existing Wellesley/MIT Exchange permits cross registration throughout the five-year period; the exchange enables a student to integrate the two study programs thoroughly.
Students should be aware of the financial aid implications of this program, because during the fourth and fifth years, double-degree candidates are governed by MIT’s financial aid policy. (See FAQ.)
Initial Preparation
MIT COURSES: All students exploring the double-degree program should familiarize themselves with the MIT Bulletin at http://web.mit.edu/catalog/index.html, which contains explanatory sections for every MIT department.
SCIENCE CORE: All fields at MIT require completion of a sequence in calculus equivalent to Wellesley's MATH 115, 116, and 205; a physics sequence equivalent to Wellesley PHYS 107 and 108, as well as other requirements. Beginning these Wellesley courses early in a student’s Wellesley career is a good means of learning about these areas of study and testing their level of interest and achievement.
MIT and WELLESLEY DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: A candidate must understand that the program requires the completion of degree requirements at both institutions. However, certain course work at one school may be accepted in fulfillment of requirements at the other. See the FAQ for details.
Application Procedure
Interested students should:
- take appropriate math and science courses each semester
- consider taking one of Wellesley's introductory engineering courses or a similar course at MIT
- become familiar with prospective departments at MIT by talking with faculty members there and possibly taking at least one course at MIT
- review the transfer admission application on the MIT Admission web page
- complete the Application for Wellesley Support and submit that to Class Dean Alison Black by January 8 of the sophomore year
- if supported by Wellesley, complete and submit the transfer application to MIT Admission by their stated deadline (usually mid-February)
Wellesley Support
Wellesley will indicate to MIT its support for the candidacy of an applicant appropriate for this program. A student appropriate for support has a grade point average of at least 3.5, no grade below a B in math or sciences courses, strong SAT II scores in math and science fields, and has taken at least one course at MIT in their area of proposed study by the end of the fall of the sophomore year. Students should submit the Application for Wellesley Support in January of their sophomore year. The application includes an essay about the student’s interest in this program, a proposed plan to complete both majors at Wellesley and MIT, a plan for the student's future in engineering (e.g. graduate school, work right away after college, or as grounding for some other career); and most importantly a compelling essay on why they want to do the double degree program (for example, rather than a four year science or math major at Wellesley).
If the student receives Wellesley support, they apply to MIT in their sophomore year through their spring transfer admission process . A student should allow ample time for obtaining letters of recommendation, including at least one from an MIT faculty member (if possible).
If admitted to MIT, a student defers admission to MIT by one year, then works with their major advisors on plans for a transitional third year at Wellesley (taking courses at MIT as appropriate), and then enrolls at MIT during the fourth and fifth year (taking courses at Wellesley as appropriate). Both degrees will be awarded at the end of the five years of study.
For further information about the MIT transfer admission process, contact Jeremy Weprich, MIT Transfer Admissions, jweprich@mit.edu
Please see this FAQ for answers to some common questions about the double degree program with MIT.