MIT Advanced Study Program (ASP)

Each semester 30-to-40 Fellows come to MIT to take classes and participate in a world-renowned learning community. Fellows are talented individuals who have the drive and focus to succeed in a complex and rapidly changing world. They come to MIT to gain the knowledge and skills needed to advance their careers and bring innovative ideas and practices to their employers. They are admitted based on their academic and professional background and recommendations that attest to their ability to benefit from MIT-level work. About half are full-time students; others take one or two courses per semester. The cultural mix is rich: more than half of the students come from abroad and 65 percent work in engineering and technical fields.

ASP Fellows are enrolled MIT graduate students with full privileges, whether they stay one semester or several. They plan their own academic experience that may include courses from more than 30 disciplines, from Aeronautics and Astronautics to Urban Studies and Planning. Some students also arrange research opportunities with faculty in their field. Fellows earn grades, MIT credit, and an ASP certificate by completing their program. Full-time Fellows who complete two semesters become MIT alumni. A rolling admission process facilitates planning. Prospective Fellows, who may apply up to nine months before the fall or spring semester begins, are typically notified of acceptance within two weeks after receipt of a complete application.

The MIT campus brings together exceptional students, faculty, and visiting experts who share their work in classes, public lectures, conferences, and events each year. Students benefit from world-class laboratories, multimedia classrooms, renowned libraries, and online resources. ASP Fellows gather at lunch seminars and dinners to share experiences and build a lifelong community of peers. Full-time Fellows also have office facilities on campus. During breaks, students can relax in informal gathering spaces on campus or use sports facilities including an ice skating rink and sailing on the Charles River. Fellows may join student organizations from the Anime Club to the MIT Symphony Orchestra. Students also enjoy cultural, sports, and intellectual events in Cambridge and Boston.

ASP, established in 1958, has admitted Fellows from more than 500 organizations in over 75 countries. Recent Fellows have come from Analog Devices, Inc., Biogen, Citibank N.A., Children’s Hospital Medical Center/Boston, Cypress Semiconductor, East Japan Railway Company, NASA, Intel, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lucent Technologies, Nokia Research Center/Boston, Nortel Networks, Raytheon, U.S. Air Force, and Verizon.