The MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing seeks the broadest range of applicants from around the world. Our students come from backgrounds across the art and science spectrum and include recent undergraduates as well as writers, teachers, scientists, engineers, journalists, artists, and science enthusiasts. Applicants do not necessarily need to have science degrees, bench science experience, or published journalism clips, though any of those things may bolster an application. They do need to have sharp writing skills, a proven desire to hone their science communication abilities, and a clear vision of how our program fits into their future career goals.

Application requirements are outlined below. Our program offers generous financial aid to accepted applicants. Please do not let sticker prices deter you from applying. Application fee waivers are available under certain circumstances. Please direct questions about the application process to sciwrite-www@mit.edu.We also hold one fall information session each year. Recordings of past sessions are currently available on our YouTube channel. If you’re interested in attending our next information session, look out for announcements on our News and Events page.

Application Dates and Deadlines

The MIT Application for Graduate Admission is available after September 1 of the year before prospective admission at apply.mit.edu/apply. Applications and ALL application materials are due the following January 15th. The admissions committee makes its decision by April 1. The GPSW does not admit students in the spring term, nor do we accept part-time or distance learning students. GRE Scores are optional.

Applications Must Include:

1. The MIT Application for Graduate Admission
2. The $90 Application Fee
   Students may request a graduate application fee waiver if eligible. If you are eligible for a fee waiver, you will be able to submit a fee waiver request after completing the certification page of your application. If you are not eligible for a fee waiver from OGE, you may email us at sciwrite-www@mit.edu to request a departmental fee waiver, which we will accommodate if we are able to. Please note that fee waivers cannot be applied retroactively and must be requested prior to application submission. The deadline to request a fee waiver from GPSW is December 15, 2025.
3. Transcripts
   Transcripts of previous academic studies, including study abroad, should be uploaded to the online application. For the application, these transcripts may be unofficial.  However, admitted applicants will be required to send official copies of their transcripts.
4. Three to Five Letters of Recommendation
   The best letters of recommendation come from those who can evaluate a candidate’s writing and analytical abilities as well as their likelihood to prosper within the literary and scientific environment of our program. These letters are only accepted electronically as part of the online application.
5. A Resume or Curriculum Vitae
   This should be uploaded as a PDF file.
6. A Statement of Objectives
   Please tell us why you want to do graduate work in science writing at MIT. Prepare your statement of objectives and goals in whatever form clearly presents your views. Let us know about your particular interests, be they experimental, theoretical, or issue-oriented, and show how your background and MIT’s program support these interests. You should set forth the issues and problems you wish to address. Explain your longer-term professional goals and objectives. The admissions committee will welcome any factors you wish to bring to its attention concerning your academic and work experience to date.
7. Graduate Application Supplement
   This 500 to 1,500-word statement or essay addresses an applicant’s ability to confront scientific and technical complexity in their writing. You might tell the admissions committee about your experience as a bench scientist or how you’ve addressed comparable complexity through writing in non-scientific fields. You might discuss your reading habits or interests insofar as they bear on your relationship to science and technology. You may take any approach that leaves the admissions committee better able to evaluate your ability to clearly write about science for a lay reader. If there is a video or audio component of your portfolio, please include the video in the application portfolio or provide a link to YouTube or Dropbox in the portfolio.
8. Thesis Ideas
   We require applicants to briefly describe two early tentative ideas for a thesis. Admitted students are not required to research these ideas for their actual thesis, but we would like to get an idea of your interests and how you would approach a project of that length and scope. More information about the thesis requirement is available here.
9. Writing Samples
   Writing samples should best represent the applicant’s ability to write about science for a general audience. Samples should showcase an ability to transform research or scientific ideas into a well-structured story, to explain technical concepts clearly to a general reader, and to keep readers engaged with the story from beginning to end. We do not have strict word limits for these, but strongly prefer that writing samples are between 1,500 words and 10,000 words. Writing samples can be work done for school, work that has been professionally published, personal writing, or work written specifically for this application. If the context is not clear, we ask that the applicant provide a few words of explanation; if the work has benefited from an editor’s or teacher’s hand, or represents a collaboration, we ask that the applicant indicates this.

International applicants must satisfy all the same criteria as U.S. citizens. Applicants whose first language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS, or the Duolingo English Test (DET). Find reporting instructions and admissions policies regarding these standardized tests here. Applicants can be exempted from the English Language Proficiency requirement based on posted criteria. If you do not meet the criteria but still wish for your English Language Proficiency requirement to be waived, write to us at sciwrite-www@mit.edu.  

For the purposes of Optional Practical Training for international students, this program IS considered STEM.

If you have any questions about the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing application or application process, please contact sciwrite-www@mit.edu.