Master of Architecture (MArch) Thesis Deadlines

We will use this time to go over the important thesis formatting required for publication by the library. This is always the final step that your book must pass to be accepted by the department and be cleared for graduation.

You will not be approved on the degree list without your thesis book meeting library publication standards.

To make this session productive, please upload your front matter (title page, committee page, and abstract page) via the Airtable form, here (Fall 2025 Airtable form).

Templates for all frontmatter pages, along with the main body, are available on this website, here: https://archthesis.mit.edu/templates/

Materials will need to be uploaded to the shared Dropbox folder (this will be sent directly to each of you.)

If a Pamphlet is chosen, you will be asked to provide the following:

1. Your degree(s), thesis title, thesis committee, 250- to 300-word (max!) abstract, and image captions, and image(s) (2 images max).
2. You will be provided with an InDesign template to complete, and will be asked to upload the packaged file to your Dropbox folder by the due date specified. More information can be found here.

If a Website is chosen, you will be asked to provide the following:

1. A text document (Word, Pages, txt, or rtf), including Thesis Title (exact formatting), Name(s) as you would like it/them displayed on the thesis website (i.e. Jim or James), Committee (advisor and readers indicated), and abstract (200-500 words).

2. Media 5 – 10 images (JPEG or PNG), each file as compressed as possible, Thesis PNG ‘icon’ or ‘logo’ (i.e. a ‘cut out’ image without a background, maximum dimension 250px for main page), Audio recording (MP3) of you reading your thesis statement.

The dates below have been provided based on the pamphlet decision, since that has been the norm for the past several years. However, just because these have already been provided does not mean we expect this – we’re just going by what we already know and can provide to you. Decisions and dates for a website will need to be recreated from scratch.

Load-In (details below from Lord Jim):

• The “All clear” to start bringing your materials over will probably be after 2pm (may be as late as 5pm!).
• MIT ID card will allow you to swipe your way through the main doors to E14 at any hour and use any E14 elevator card reader. There is a freight elevator by the loading dock at the rear of the 1^st floor.
• A representative sample only of Long Lounge model bases will be brought over by truck. These will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in E14 6^th floor. If you have some special requirement or need for a particular shape or size base, then contact Lord Jim well in advance & mark which plinth you would like his team to bring to the Media Lab for you.
• If you have a large, heavy model that would be best transported by truck, please contact Lord Jim well in advance. Jim will let you know when they will need to pick it up from the thesis studios to transport it to the Media Lab – please have it ready well in advance so you don’t keep his team waiting.
• Anything that we transport will be returned by truck after load out.
• PLEASE NOTE: OUR TRANSPORTATION OF YOUR MODEL IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. WE WILL NOT BE REPSONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS.  We will make every effort to move your work carefully, but these are movers, not art conservators.
• The E14-670 catering kitchen will be used as a storage area for your materials. Do not block the circulation path or the rear door of the freight elevator.

Review Day

Invited internal and external critics will be joining the 50 minute presentations for each student. Roughly 4-7 critics are assigned per panel, depending on overall availability per timeslot. There are 10 minutes for transition time. An Architecture staff member will be timing, providing cues to indicate when 20 minutes have gone by, when 5 minutes are left, and then when time is up.

Coffee is available first thing in the morning, and throughout the day until mid-afternoon. Lunch is provided, as well as appetizers & wine for the celebration afterward. Special requests (within reason) from the cohort will be accomodated as best as we can.

Load Out

From Lord Jim: ALL MATERIALS MUST BE REMOVED FROM E14 BY 8:00AM ON Friday, December 19, 2025. We are under a lot of pressure to return these rooms promptly to a clean and empty condition.  YOUR COOPERATION IS EXPECTED AND APPRECIATED.

When accessing the Thesis Submission Portal, please be sure you are choosing the “Single Sign On” option for Airtable, and then using your MIT email address for logging in.

Your final thesis book must be reviewed and approved by your thesis advisor(s) (not your reader) before you submit the full book to the department. Include the signature page with your full book submission. The signature page can be found on the Formatting/Specs/Submission page.

Your front matter, and then the full book will be reviewed by Architecture Student Services Staff for the purpose of making certain the document is in compliance with MIT archive requirements. You will be contacted quickly if adjustments are needed. Please do not email separately.

All theses must be cleared by each department (multiple departments for dual degrees) and submitted to the Institute.

Dual degree candidates must abide by their home department’s deadlines and protocols (for example, Architecture cannot accept digital copies of the thesis with signatures).

We will use this time to go over the important thesis formatting required for publication by the library. This is always the final step that your book must pass to be accepted by the department and be cleared for graduation.

You will not be approved on the degree list without your thesis book meeting library publication standards.

To make this session productive, please upload your front matter (title page, committee page, and abstract page) via the Airtable form, here (Spring 2026 Airtable form).

Templates for all frontmatter pages, along with the main body, are available on this website, here: https://archthesis.mit.edu/templates/

When accessing the Thesis Submission Portal, please be sure you are choosing the “Single Sign On” option for Airtable, and then using your MIT email address for logging in.

Your final thesis book must be reviewed and approved by your thesis advisor(s) (not your reader) before you submit the full book to the department. Include the signature page with your full book submission. The signature page can be found on the Formatting/Specs/Submission page.

Your front matter, and then the full book will be reviewed by Architecture Student Services Staff for the purpose of making certain the document is in compliance with MIT archive requirements. You will be contacted quickly if adjustments are needed. Please do not email separately.

All theses must be cleared by each department (multiple departments for dual degrees) and submitted to the Institute.

Dual degree candidates must abide by their home department’s deadlines and protocols (for example, Architecture cannot accept digital copies of the thesis with signatures).

Remove all belongings from 7-303 and studios 3-415, 5-414, 7-403, 7-404, and 7-434. Anything remaining will be discarded or recycled.  In order to allow for maintenance, classes, and research in the studios over IAP and the summer, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE STORAGE FOR YOUR BELONGINGS.  EVERYTHING MUST BE REMOVED.

***You need to be out in advance of the deadline.*** 

Please do not leave ANYTHING behind.  Clean out your locker, return your library books, and dispose of drawings and models according to the Trash and Recycling Guidelines sent out in an email from Lord Jim.  Please sweep the floor under your desk.  Again, anything remaining after the deadline will be disposed of without further warning and without regard to any posted notes.

As in previous semesters, there will be a $75 fee imposed if staff must clean up for you.  Cleanup and disposal costs at MIT are significant and this fee can help support these efforts if we must clean up for you — but we do not rely on the fees.  We will be pleased to find the studios empty and in broom clean condition with no need for further accountability.  Please do your part.