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We strive to recruit a diverse class of students to the Technology and Policy Program. Applicants should be interested in combining mastery of a specific technological domain (energy, environment, computation, transportation, aerospace, etc.) with deep understanding of the application of social science methods (economics, political science, management, law, etc.) to policy formulation and analysis.
The program prepares graduates for professional careers at the interface of science, technology, and policy, including in industry, government, academia, regulatory agencies or consulting. Graduates also leave the program prepared for PhD work, such as the IDSS PhD in Social and Engineering Systems.
What does the TPP Admissions team look for in an application?
Applicants to the Technology and Policy Program are expected to have the background to excel in graduate-level subjects in engineering, data analysis, statistics, economics, political science, and management, as well as to complete a research thesis that contributes to the field of technology policy. In addition to an appropriate academic background most successful candidates also have acquired one or more years of work experience following completion of their undergraduate degree. Again, these elements are not required for admission, but are common skills and experiences for most admitted students.
Academic Excellence
We evaluate each applicant individually, consider the opportunities that each prospective student has had to demonstrate their intellectual capabilities. In this context, we consider university coursework, research experience, and standardized test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). (NOTE: For the 2025 Admissions Cycle, the GRE General Test is optional.) We pay particular attention to recent evidence of academic performance and achievements in areas directly relevant to technology and policy.
Interest in Technology Policy
We evaluate prospective students’ interest in technology and policy through their prior experience and their statement of objectives. Practical experience in understanding how technology issues are approached in real-world contexts is important to students’ success in the program. Generally, successful applicants have previous work or internship experience in government, nonprofit, or industry sectors. We are particularly interested in hearing about the goals and career plans of applicants through their statement of objectives, and how TPP will fulfill their objectives.
Capacity for Technology Policy Leadership
We seek students who are prepared to work for the good of a larger community. Leadership experience is interpreted broadly – we would like to hear through your statement of objectives how you have influenced and inspired the people around you. We are especially interested in candidates who can be effective in motivating concern about issues, catalyzing coalitions to effect change, and managing implementation of new policies.
Collaboration, Culture, and Community
TPP is committed to providing our students “with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community” (MIT Mission). TPP students originate from all over the nation and the world and bring with them a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, interests, and experiences, which is critical to the educational objectives of TPP. TPP promotes team-centered learning to leverage these differences in fostering learning, critical thinking, intellectual growth, creativity, and innovation.
Our students’ success improves with their exposure to many viewpoints and their ability to trust peers to provide both support and critique. Moreover, the experience of studying and working in a broad, heterogeneous cohort at MIT prepares our students to work effectively in the world outside MIT: it opens their minds and attunes them both to the variety of strengths and the variety of concerns of others.
We aim for all students to feel connected, engaged, and to come into contact with peers of differing backgrounds and to experience them as colleagues with valuable ideas and insights.
It is through this experience of the richness and heterogeneity of interests, strengths, viewpoints and concerns of their fellow students that our students become open-minded intellectuals and innovators, primed to pursue the MIT mission of the betterment of humankind.
