Master of Science in Building Technology (SMBT)

Special instructions for SMBT Thesis Students

A normal SMBT course load for a term is not more than 48 credit units. SMBT students are expected to schedule a Content Review directly with their thesis advisor to take place near the end of the final term. At this point, the thesis should be substantially complete; the Content Review marks the point at which the student may turn to production of the final thesis.

Deadlines

Fall Term 2024 Theses Deadlines

No off-cycle SMBT students graduating February 2025

Spring Term 2025 Theses Deadlines

Friday, February 7, 2025

  • Registration deadline
  • Degree list: Put yourself on the May degree list by applying for a degree
  • For Joint Thesis students only esigned OGE General Petition due to kbertin@mit.edu
    • Please note the Institute requires joint thesis writers to graduate on the same degree list (September, February, or June). So, if joint thesis writers decide to unjoin their thesis, each writer must submit a wholly separate thesis to the Institute.
    • It is filled out by one student (but includes both students’ information), then is esigned by the thesis advisor(s) as “Academic Advisor,” then comes to Kateri as “Graduate Administrator,” and it includes a pdf attachment with a 1- or 2-page proposal (see https://archthesis.mit.edu/joint for guidelines).

Week 2 of term: International Students Only

  • Earliest date to begin OPT authorization process
  • It is important to plan ahead as processing times for F-1 Post-Completion OPT, by application with USCIS, can take on average 90 days for USCIS to process.  J-1 Academic Training requires that a student secure a training position/job that begins within 30 days of degree completion in order to apply for AT authorization.

Friday, March 7, 2025: Add Date

Monday, March 24–Friday, March 28, 2025: Spring Break

Friday, April 11, 2025

  • Last date to change thesis title via WebSIS
  • You must return to the online site of your application and add or make a change to your thesis title by this deadline. The title on your final thesis must be an exact match of the one you submit on your Application for Degree. If you add your title after this date, you will be charged a late fee.
  • 12:30pm: Thesis Book Formatting Review Session/Q&A: https://mit.zoom.us/j/94846821611
    • 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: https://airtable.com/appnSev9XOOU8eIsM/shrZkZfhK5RvI7nfJ

Friday, April 18, 2025: 5pm deadline for committee conflicts for 5/14 emailed to thaynes@mit.edu

Tuesday, April 22, 2025: Drop Date

Friday, April 25, 2025: 5pm 5/14 schedule draft emailed out

Monday, April 28, 2025–Friday, May 2, 2025

  • Review pamphlet proof. This for typos only: this will not be a time to switch images or content.
  • Monday, April 28, 2025: front matter of thesis department thesis deadline via the Department Thesis Submission Tool
    • (choose “Single Sign On” and log in with your MIT email address)
    • Note: Your final thesis book must be reviewed and approved by thesis advisor(s) before submission to the department portal
    • If you are having difficulty when logged into Office 365 or Sharepoint under a different log in, try clearing your cache on your browser so that you can log in to the form with your MIT Kerberos account
    • This is for the purpose of making certain the document is in compliance with MIT archive requirements. You will be contacted quickly via the portal if adjustments are needed. Please do not email separately
    • 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)
  • Monday, May 5, 2025: SA+P is putting together a slideshow representing your time at MIT. It will be shown in Kresge Auditorium to the ceremony guests prior to your procession inside. We ask that you create 1 – 3 slides that include any, or all, of the following:
    • Images from your work (please include a caption and your name)
    • Pictures that exemplify your life at MIT – spending time with friends, extracurriculars, internships, community service, etc.
    • Acknowledgements – thank your loved ones, faculty, friends
    • Please create your slides in PowerPoint and save them with your full name and department. For example: orta_monica_arch. Then upload your slides to dropbox. Submit your slides by May 5th. We cannot wait to celebrate your achievements!

Friday, May 9, 2025 – final thesis document due

  • All theses must be cleared by each department (multiple departments for dual degrees) and submitted to the Institute.
  • If a thesis is not approved by this point, the student will not be approved for the May degree list.
  • Department deadline to submit final thesis document via the Department Thesis Submission Tool
    • (choose “Single Sign On” and log in with your MIT email address)
    • Note: Your final thesis book must be reviewed and approved by thesis advisor(s) before submission to the department portal
    • If you are having difficulty when logged into Office 365 or Sharepoint under a different log in, try clearing your cache on your browser so that you can log in to the form with your MIT Kerberos account
    • This is for the purpose of making certain the document is in compliance with MIT archive requirements. You will be contacted quickly via the portal if adjustments are needed. Please do not email separately
    • 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)

Wednesday, May 14, 2025: Final Reviews

  • With invited external critics

Last week of May 2025

  • Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 4–6pm – Architecture Department’s End of Year Celebration / Awards Ceremony on Walker Lawn
  • Thursday, May 29, 2025
    • Spring 2025 Thesis students’ degree award date
    • 11am–12:30pm, SA+P Advanced Degree Ceremony in Kresge Auditorium
    • 3–4:30pm, OneMIT Ceremony on Killian Court for all graduates
    • More details, as they become available, will be posted on https://commencement.mit.edu/
    • If you plan to attend the ceremony, you should RSVP at degreeapp.mit.edu. Information about accessing your tickets will be sent out in mid-May. Note, you will receive 4 tickets to the SA+P Ceremony and 4 tickets to the OneMIT ceremony, should you choose to attend both. This year, Masters cords will be distributed at the procession check-in. PhD students will receive their hood on stage as part of the ceremony. I will follow up with additional procession and ceremony-specific details in the coming weeks.

Approved summer extension

If your thesis advisor(s) approve a summer extension, you would still present in May, but your thesis committee would decide whether that presentation is more of a meeting to discuss your progress or if it will be open to the public and/or have external critics, as we do not have public reviews/external critics over the summer. Some thesis committees request their students to present (usually via Zoom) their final work over the summer, and if this is what is decided, it would be up to the student + thesis committee to schedule. Some thesis committees may just ask the student to submit the final book to be reviewed and graded when it’s complete, without a final presentation of the work.

See Applying for an Extension in the registration section of your handbook: https://architecture.mit.edu/registration and the Extension Agreement.

  • Monday, June 2, 2025: Summer registration for 4.THG
  • Friday, August 1, 2025: 9am department thesis deadline via the Department Thesis Submission Tool
  • Around Friday, August 8, 2025: All theses must be cleared by each department (multiple departments for dual degrees) and submitted to the Institute. If a thesis is not approved by this point, the student will not be approved for the September degree list.
  • Around Wednesday, 9/17, 2025: Degree award date

SMBT Thesis Contacts