The MIT thesis template in LaTeX

The latex template.

The current MIT thesis template was developed in 2023, using up-to-date LaTeX coding, to meet the current formatting requirements of the MIT Libraries. The title and abstract pages are automatically laid out from information provided by the user. This template includes options to use a variety of fonts, and it is compatible with either pdfTeX or unicode engines such as luaLaTeX. When using LaTeX formats dated November 2022 or later, the resulting pdf file meets the PDF/A-2b archivability standard. A standard TeX Live installation includes all other packages required by the template.

  • Download The most current LaTeX files for this template are distributed through the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN): https://ctan.org/pkg/mitthesis
  • Documentation Documentation for the template in pdf format Documentation: here . -->
  • Gallery of fonts Sample theses in the font sets defined by the template. Gallery of fonts: here . -->
  • Sample title pages Sample title pages for various combinations of authors and degrees. Sample title pages: are here . -->
  • Overleaf The template is also in Overleaf.com's template gallery. Overleaf.com: , here .--> Learn more about Overleaf at MIT .

This template was written by John Lienhard at the request of the MIT Libraries.

Specifications for MIT theses

The formatting requirements for MIT theses are set by the MIT Libraries, as described at this url: http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/thesis-specs/ . Questions regarding these specifications should be directed to [email protected] .

The original LaTeX 2.09 template was written by Stephen Gildea in the late 1980s (also in CTAN, here ). That template was edited by many later students, leading to the files archived here.

LaTeX has changed greatly since the original MIT thesis template was written. LaTeX 2.09 was replaced by LaTeX2e in 1994. New engines were developed, particularly pdfTeX during the 1990s and Unicode-aware engines in the decades that followed. Many packages and fonts were developed to accompany the original platform, particularly after 2000; and major updates to the LaTeX kernel began in 2018. Over the years, the MIT Libraries have changed the required format several times, especially as electronic thesis submission has become the norm. The original template served MIT well; but by the early 2020s, it was substantially out of date. That situation motivated the creation of this new template.

Browse Course Material

Course info, instructors.

  • Prof. Michael Short
  • Jane Kokernak
  • Christine Sherratt

Departments

  • Nuclear Science and Engineering

As Taught In

  • Nuclear Engineering
  • Academic Writing

Learning Resource Types

Undergraduate thesis tutorial, guides, templates and tools, style guides and templates.

MIT Libraries Thesis Preparation Styles and Requirements

Templates for NSE S.B. Thesis Cover Page and Abstract Page (PDF)

Editable theses for use as templates:

  • S. B. Thesis in Microsoft Word Format (DOC - 27MB) Professor Short’s S. B. thesis, 2005. Use this as a template if you choose to use MSWord.
  • PhD Thesis in LyX Format (ZIP - 45MB) (The ZIP file contains: 8 .aux files, 1 .bak file, 2 .bbl files, 1 .bib file, 1 .cls file, 1 .layout file, 2 .lof files, 16 .lyx files, 1 .lyx~ file, 2 .performance monitor files, 1 .sty file, 17 .tex files, 3 text document files, 2 .toc files, 2 .pdf files, 135 .jpeg files, 128 .png files.) Professor Short’s PhD thesis, from 2010. Use this as a template for LyX, and export it to LaTeX if you so desire. MIT style files are included.

Sample Work from Prior 22.THT Students

Prospectuses are courtesy of the students, used with permission; theses are © MIT.

STUDENTS PROSPECTUS THESIS
Nicolas Lopez (Courtesy of Nicolas Lopez. Used with permission.)
Minh Dinh (Courtesy of Minh Dinh. Used with permission.)
MIT student (Courtesy of MIT student. Used with permission.)

Useful Technical Writing Tools

  • Beall’s List of “potential, possible, or probable” predatory open-access publishers 2015 Be wary of using journals on this list in your research. However, don’t assume that mere presence on this list constitutes a disreputable journal. Beall’s List is a self-maintained site, and there is some debate about its objectiveness and accuracy. See “ Beyond Beall’s List: Better understanding predatory publishers ” and “Ethics and Access 1: The Sad Case of Jeffrey Beall” (PDF)  for critiques. A case of a publisher being added and later removed after protest is described in Beall’s own blog post and the corresponding publisher’s notice . Let’s just say that you should consider your sources very carefully, and look for your own warning signs of low quality, predatory publishing practices, or something not sounding right.
  • LyX Use this graphical front-end to LaTeX as a happy compromise between Word’s ease of use and LaTeX’s robustness.
  • LaTeX Tutorial A site to easily help you learn LaTeX for scientific writing.
  • ShareLaTeX Use this collaborative, cloud-based LaTeX editor to work on your documents in real-time with your advisor.
  • JabRef A lightweight BiBTeX reference manager that integrates seamlessly with LaTeX and LyX.
  • Mendeley A tool to organize and annotate PDFs and export citations.
  • Zotero A tool to find, organize, and cite bibliographic references.

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A LaTeX template for an MIT thesis

This class provides a LaTeX template for an MIT thesis or dissertation formatted according to the requirements of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries (as posted in 2023): https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/thesis-specs/ This template is appropriate for an MIT thesis or MIT dissertation of any type. This template works with either pdfLaTeX or unicode engines such as LuaLaTeX. The bibliography can be prepared with either biblatex (default) or natbib/bibtex. The class is based on current LaTeX distributions, ideally 11/2022 or later, but compatible with distributions back to 2020. This template replaces the older version of mitthesis.cls, which was first composed in the 1980s.

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MIT unofficial thesis template from overleaf, updated for 2023

bkettle/mit-thesis-template

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2023 mit thesis template.

A very slight variant on the normal unofficial template in Overleaf , but updated to reflect two changes to the title page formatting as of 2023:

  • Copyright now belongs to the student in all cases, with a mandatory permission statement granting MIT a license.
  • Signature lines are no longer required since thesis submission is electronic; instead, the MIT libraries page

I attempted to follow the guidelines on the MIT libraries formatting guide but may have made a mistake. In particular, I had to shrink some text sizes to make things fit nicely with the new requirements. It doesn't say that this is not allowed, but I'm not sure. Also, the changes are a bit hacky. Feel free to make them better (and submit a PR? or make your own version).

In any case, I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this template. Please verify that your thesis adheres to the MIT libraries guidelines.

Happy writing!

Sample Title Page

Contributors 3

  • Who’s Teaching What
  • Subject Updates
  • MEng program
  • Opportunities
  • Minor in Computer Science
  • Resources for Current Students
  • Program objectives and accreditation
  • Graduate program requirements
  • Admission process
  • Degree programs
  • Graduate research
  • EECS Graduate Funding
  • Resources for current students
  • Student profiles
  • Instructors
  • DEI data and documents
  • Recruitment and outreach
  • Community and resources
  • Get involved / self-education
  • Rising Stars in EECS
  • Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP)
  • MIT Summer Research Program (MSRP)
  • Sloan-MIT University Center for Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM)
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Artificial Intelligence + Decision-making
  • AI and Society
  • AI for Healthcare and Life Sciences
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
  • Biological and Medical Devices and Systems
  • Communications Systems
  • Computational Biology
  • Computational Fabrication and Manufacturing
  • Computer Architecture
  • Educational Technology
  • Electronic, Magnetic, Optical and Quantum Materials and Devices
  • Graphics and Vision
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Information Science and Systems
  • Integrated Circuits and Systems
  • Nanoscale Materials, Devices, and Systems
  • Natural Language and Speech Processing
  • Optics + Photonics
  • Optimization and Game Theory
  • Programming Languages and Software Engineering
  • Quantum Computing, Communication, and Sensing
  • Security and Cryptography
  • Signal Processing
  • Systems and Networking
  • Systems Theory, Control, and Autonomy
  • Theory of Computation
  • Departmental History
  • Departmental Organization
  • Visiting Committee
  • Undergraduate programs
  • MEng Thesis
  • Past Terms' Subject Updates and WTW
  • Subject numbering
  • FAQ about Fall 2024 Changes
  • 2022 Curriculum Transition
  • 6-1: Electrical Science and Engineering
  • 6-2: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
  • 6-3: Computer Science and Engineering
  • 6-4: Artificial Intelligence and Decision Making
  • 6-5: Electrical Engineering with Computing
  • 6-7: Computer Science and Molecular Biology
  • 6-9: Computation and Cognition
  • 11-6: Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science
  • 6-14: Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science
  • Requirements
  • Application, Acceptance, and Deferral
  • Thesis Proposal
  • UROP and SuperUROP
  • Study Abroad
  • USAGE Members, 2023-24
  • 6-A Industrial Program
  • Degree Audits and Departmental Petitions
  • Space on Campus
  • Resources for International Students
  • Resources for Incoming Double Majors
  • Resources for Advisors
  • Graduate Admissions FAQs
  • Graduate Admissions Information Letter
  • What faculty members are looking for in a grad school statement of objectives.
  • Conditions of Appointment as a Teaching Assistant or Fellow
  • RA Appointments
  • Fellowship Appointments
  • Materials and Forms for Graduate Students
  • Subject Updates Fall 2024
  • Subject Updates Spring 2024
  • Subject Updates Fall 2023
  • Subject Updates Spring 2023
  • Subject Updates Fall 2022
  • Subject Updates Spring 2022
  • Subject Updates Fall 2021

Your MEng thesis describes the original research that you contributed to your MEng project. Though the document itself is not due until the end of your MEng, you should be working towards your thesis each semester that you are a registered MEng student. You can read more about what comprises a thesis at the Office of Graduate Education’s website .

Getting Help with Your Thesis

Throughout your MEng, you should be in continual conversation with your thesis research advisor about your progress as well as the thesis itself. For additional support, consider some of the following resources:

  • Writing and Communication Center
  • EECS Communication Lab
  • Phoebe Ayers , the EECS Librarian, for help with research
  • Additional workshops hosted by OGE

If you are struggling to make progress on your thesis, you are also welcome to meet with someone in the EECS Undergraduate Office .

All graduate theses are required to be submitted to Institute Library where they are available to the public. Theses classified by the government as ‘Confidential’ or ‘Secret’ for reasons of national security, or ‘Company Confidential” by a company for proprietary reasons will not be accepted. Theses completed in classified sections of 6-A companies, Lincoln Laboratory or Draper Lab must be deemed unclassified by the government. If you are working with one of these companies, be sure to discuss thesis copyright with your research advisor early in your MEng.

Formatting and Submission

MIT Libraries maintains formatting guidelines for all MIT theses. It’s especially important to make sure your title page and abstract look exactly like the examples shown there. Many students start by using the Unofficial Thesis template , but remember to double-check against the official formatting guidelines. Check out the Thesis Checklist from the Libraries to help keep on track.   Submit your title page information . This is important for ProQuest selections and for speeding up thesis processing for the MIT Libraries.

For EECS MEng theses

  • Make sure to include your SB degree information (see the title page example ), even if you’re getting SB and MEng concurrently. Include double major, if applicable (e.g. “S.B. Computer Science and Engineering and Mathematics”).
  • The department is “the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science”
  • The degree is “Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science” unless you are part of the 6-7 MEng program, in which case it’s “Master of Engineering in Computer Science and Molecular Biology” or the 6-14 program which is “Master of Engineering in Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science”. (Note, in all cases, “Master” not “Masters”)
  • The degree date for this term is September 2024 no matter what month you submit your thesis. The only possible degree date months are May, September, and February.
  • The author hereby grants to MIT a nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to exercise any and all rights under copyright, including to reproduce, preserve, distribute and publicly display copies of the thesis, or release the thesis under an open-access license.
  • The name/title for the “Accepted by” line on the title page is “Katrina LaCurts, Chair, Master of Engineering Thesis Committee”

For the electronic submission, your title page should include no signatures ; not even your own, and no lines for signatures . When you are ready to submit your thesis, you can do so here ; the deadline for submission is set by the registrar each semester (see here ). 6-A students must also submit a thesis release letter that matches this template . These letters should be sent to [email protected] .

Thesis Holds

Under certain circumstances – most commonly for issues related to patents or security clearances – you can arrange for a brief delay of the official publication of your thesis in the MIT Libraries. Please see The Office of Graduate Education’s page for more information.

Guidelines for the use of ChatGPT when writing your EECS thesis (MEng, SM, PhD)

ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that assists with the composition of text, such as text found in emails, essays, and code. Text is also found in the thesis that is required as one deliverable of an advanced degree in EECS. The EECS Department views a “thesis” as a compilation of the contributions made to the field by the author, or a discussion of the knowledge acquired in answering the research questions. The student is the authority of the material contained or described in the thesis and is the sole author. The EECS Department expects the author of the thesis to compose original drafts of the text to convey accurately and completely the work accomplished for the advanced degree in EECS. Once a final draft of the thesis is obtained, ChatGPT may be used to improve the grammar or to provide a manner of proofreading of the draft. The EECS Department does not allow the use of ChatGPT to compose text starting from bulleted text or from an arrangement of phrases. If ChatGPT is implemented in the creation of a final thesis, that is submitted to DSpace for archival storage, the EECS Department requests that the use of ChatGPT to be acknowledged, or referenced, in the submitted thesis manuscript. (Effective April 20, 2023)

The MIT thesis template in LaTeX

The latex template.

The current MIT thesis template was developed in 2023, using up-to-date LaTeX coding, to meet the current formatting requirements of the MIT Libraries. The title and abstract pages are automatically laid out from information provided by the user. This template includes options to use a variety of fonts, and it is compatible with either pdfTeX or unicode engines such as luaLaTeX. When using LaTeX formats dated November 2022 or later, the resulting pdf file meets the PDF/A-2b archivability standard. A standard TeX Live installation includes all other packages required by the template.

  • Download The most current LaTeX files for this template are distributed through the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN): https://ctan.org/pkg/mitthesis
  • Documentation Documentation for the template in pdf format Documentation: here . -->
  • Gallery of fonts Sample theses in the font sets defined by the template. Gallery of fonts: here . -->
  • Sample title pages Sample title pages for various combinations of authors and degrees. Sample title pages: are here . -->
  • Overleaf The template is also in Overleaf.com's template gallery. Overleaf.com: , here .--> Learn more about Overleaf at MIT .

This template was written by John Lienhard at the request of the MIT Libraries.

Specifications for MIT theses

The formatting requirements for MIT theses are set by the MIT Libraries, as described at this url: http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/thesis-specs/ . Questions regarding these specifications should be directed to [email protected] .

The original LaTeX 2.09 template was written by Stephen Gildea in the late 1980s (also in CTAN, here ). That template was edited by many later students, leading to the files archived here.

LaTeX has changed greatly since the original MIT thesis template was written. LaTeX 2.09 was replaced by LaTeX2e in 1994. New engines were developed, particularly pdfTeX during the 1990s and Unicode-aware engines in the decades that followed. Many packages and fonts were developed to accompany the original platform, particularly after 2000; and major updates to the LaTeX kernel began in 2018. Over the years, the MIT Libraries have changed the required format several times, especially as electronic thesis submission has become the norm. The original template served MIT well; but by the early 2020s, it was substantially out of date. That situation motivated the creation of this new template.

mit thesis template

Formatting, Specifications, Copyright and Submission

Thesis checklist.

  • Department Checklist for Thesis Submittal

Required Signature Form

     Fill in your name & signature, then send to your advisor(s) to fill in their name & signature, which acts as their approval of your thesis. Signature form must be submitted along with your completed thesis document to the department by the department due date. 

  • Signature Form

Thesis Committee

  • Thesis Committee Guidelines
  • Title page, abstract and committee page templates

Writing and Communications Center

The WCC at MIT ( Writing and Communication Center ) offers free one-on-one professional advice from communication experts. The WCC is staffed completely by MIT lecturers. All have advanced degrees. All are experienced college classroom teachers of communication. All are published scholars and writers. Not counting the WCC’s director’s years (he started the WCC in 1982), the WCC lecturers have a combined 133 years’ worth of teaching here at MIT (ranging from 4 to 24 years).

The WCC works with students (undergraduate and graduate), post-docs, faculty, and staff — the WCC no longer meets with alumni or spouses/partners.). The WCC helps you strategize about all types of academic and professional writing as well as about all aspects of oral presentations (including practicing classroom presentations & conference talks as well as designing slides).

No matter what department or discipline you are in , the WCC helps you think your way more deeply into your topic, helps you see new implications in your data, research, and ideas. The WCC also helps with all English as Second Language issues, from writing and grammar to pronunciation and conversation practice.

Writing and Communication Center offers a number of programs to the wide community of MIT undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and staff, which include:

  • Individual Consultations on oral, visual, and written projects
  • Workshops on various aspects of academic writing
  • Writing Together Online program

Departmental Writing Support

We also have in house writing support for you, to help you with thesis writing support.  Marilyn Levine , our  Writing Consultant is available by appointment. She is an incredible department resource for everyone, and is available for workshops, advice, one on one student meetings, and more. Her contact info is [email protected] .

Formatting and Specifications

  • Implementing the formatting and specifications saves a lot of time while your final thesis submission is being reviewed. The majority of students go through an average of 3-4 formatting revisions before their thesis book is approved as archive ready, and received by the department for final submission to the library.
  • A thesis is a research paper , and must reflect the formatting specifications as such. Creative and stylistic formatting have their limits; all published theses must ultimately hold to the formatting requirements in order to ensure the document is accessible to all readers (observing ADA compliance regulations.)

Notes: While submissions must be a single, continuous page, you may switch between portrait and landscape orientation.

There is no institute-wide style guideline, as different disciplines adhere to their own. MIT Architecture does not prescribe a specific documentation style but recommends you confer with your thesis advisor in addition to adhering to the institute-wide specifications for each style: https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/thesis-specs/

1. Thesis Checklist

Download the Department’s Thesis Checklist to review your final document for archival acceptability. Take note that there is one addition to the checklist required by the Department ; page 2 (placed between the title and the abstract pages) must list your thesis/dissertation committee . It should have the academic titles of your advisors and readers as they are listed in the MIT Bulletin — see TEMPLATE .

2. Committee Chair Information for Title Page

  • Leslie K. Norford Professor of Building Technology Chair of Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
  • Leslie K. Norford Professor of Building Technology Chair of the Department Committee on Graduate Students

3. MIT Libraries Specifications for Thesis Preparation

  • Specifications
  • Review for information on obtaining correct research permissions, copyright, supplemental material and research data, accessibility features, holds, and more.
  • MIT Thesis FAQ

4. Pay special attention to:

  • General Policies
  • Copyrighting your thesis
  • Statement required on all title pages: 
  • “ The author hereby grants to MIT a nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to exercise any and all rights under copyright, including to reproduce, preserve, distribute and publicly display copies of the thesis, or release the thesis under an open-access license.”
  • Using previously published materials
  • Thesis title — Make sure your final thesis title matches the Institute record by checking in  WebSIS  under “Online Degree Application”.
  • Proper wording on title, abstract and committee pages — see  TEMPLATES  (includes templates by degree, template for joint theses and template for dual degree theses).
  • Pagination  — The title page is always considered to be page 1, and every page must be included in the count regardless of whether a number is physically printed on a page.  Make sure the page numbers in your Table of Contents are accurate  (see tip in “Check Table of Contents Links” below)..
  • Typeface & Size  —  Main body of text , including appendices and front matter should be no smaller than 11-point and not be script or italic (although italics may be used for short quotations or to highlight variables in equations).
  • Image captions, endnotes, footnotes, sidenotes, table text, page numbers  can be no smaller than 10-point — this includes text  inside  images. This is important for accessibility reasons  (an option for text that is too small inside an image is to  supply an alt tag  (this assumes program of thesis creation to be Microsoft Word; other programs likely provide this option).
  • It is easy to overlook the font size of text  within  images. This text can be no smaller than 10-point (per bullet above, see  supply an alt tag )..
  • Check Table of Contents Links — Make sure you have links in your table of contents that go to the correct location in your document. It is easy to make structural changes to your document and forget to revisit your Table of Contents links for accuracy. Microsoft Word has a  Table of Contents tool  that allows you to link TOC entries directly to the appropriate content in the document; it is a great tool to use as if your content moves during the editing of your document, Word automatically updates your links in your TOC). 

Copyright and Thesis

Scholarly publishing’s  theses and copyright  page.

This page covers the following:

  • Fair use and your thesis
  • Copyright term and the public domain
  • MIT license agreements
  • Copyright for images and figures

MIT libraries’  Using Copyrighted Content  page.

  • Fair use for your thesis: Two questions to determine fair use
  • MIT license agreements that may allow reuse
  • Copyright Clearance Center
  • Obtaining permission for use

FINAL Thesis Submission

→ Signatures are not required on the title page. They ARE required on the  SEPARATE SIGNATURE FORM .

On or before department thesis deadlines:

  • Upload the final document to the Department’s  Thesis Submission Tool  for a  final formatting review  (choose “Single Sign On” and login with your MIT email address).
  • If final formatting revisions are not complete by the Institute Deadline for Thesis submission,  you will be removed from the degree list.

This is for the purpose of making certain the document is in compliance with MIT archive requirements. You will be contacted quickly if adjustments are needed and when the document has been approved. Before submitting your document ensure that:

  • you make a final pass through your thesis document based on the  formatting/specifications  information;
  • your advisor has seen and approved your final version that you are uploading to the Department’s  Thesis Submission website . No further changes can be accommodated;
  • you don’t forget the additional  committee page  required by the Department of Architecture which is placed between your title and abstract pages (this page is not necessary if you only have a thesis advisor and no readers). Consult the Department’s  Faculty page  in the MIT catalog for proper academic titles for MIT instructors.

After submitting your document, ensure that you have  submitted your Thesis Information to the Library . There you must complete the the online form (Ensure that your thesis title is an exact match with what is listed on your  (approved!) title page  (click on “Online Degree Application”).

  • Please complete the full form, including copyright info, thesis supervisor, and more.
  • Dual degree students: list your PRIMARY department in the main fields of the form, and include the information for the secondary department and thesis supervisor in the NOTES section of this form.
  • All grad students may also choose to OPT-IN to send your thesis to Pro-Quest.
  • The Library WILL NOT publish theses that are formatted incorrectly, have incorrect copyright statements, or missing or incorrect table of content information. We don’t go through this process because we want to, it’s in order to ensure your thesis is publishable per Library standards. 

A note from an alum: While there are multiple reasons to write your thesis in a word document (including making citations easier, table of contents easier, and more), many of you will choose to format it in InDesign instead. If you do, please ensure you  package  your InDesign file before you graduate. If you are using a student Adobe license, when you graduate your student license will be revoked. An unpackaged InDesign file will mean your entire thesis document will become a jumble of words and images. Should you want to access your thesis again in the future (maybe to print? maybe because the Library has noticed an error and requires you to correct it before publishing your thesis to D-Space), you will have to reformat the entire document again.  

MIT Thesis FAQ: Thesis Checklist

  • New Degree Candidates
  • Thesis Checklist
  • Creating an Accessible Thesis
  • Saving Your Thesis as a PDF/A-1
  • Student Frequently Asked Questions
  • Access and Availability Questions

If these apply to you and your research, plan to do these early in your research and writing process!

o  If you have received appropriate permissions to conduct research that will need review by an external sponsor or collaborator outside of MIT, it is crucial that you ask for the review before your thesis is in final form and has been accepted by your supervisor and certified by your department.
o   to reuse copyrighted material in your thesis for use that goes beyond fair use.
o  Talk with your supervisor about any plans to pursue a patent that is related to previously unpublished research in your thesis. to see if a hold will need to be placed on your thesis. before graduation day.
o Work with your supervisor to determine where data from your research should be managed and made accessible. Review the section of the Thesis Specifications, and for advice.
o Review the Supplemental material and research data section early in your thesis writing process to determine the best way to include supplemental materials with your thesis. Talk to your supervisor!
o Review the and from the Registrar's office.

Preparing your thesis for submission

o  your title page and abstract page correctly (remember there should be no signature page in your final thesis document - your department may require a separate signature page).
o  Include the correct statement and any necessary on your title page.
o  Optional: Select and apply the appropriate .
o 
o  Be sure to consistently follow the rules of your chosen citation style. Remember to confer with your department on appropriate styles.
o  Confirm that you have the .
o  Apply appropriate accessibility features and metadata into your thesis document.
o  If relevant, your thesis document must include information about any that you are submitting along with your thesis. Contact the MIT Libraries if you plan to submit supplementary information.
o  Properly convert your thesis to .
o  Ensure that your files have no encryption or other security measures applied.
o  Properly according to the Specifications.
o  If relevant, supplemental audio and video files as required.

At time of submission

o  Submit one electronic copy of your thesis in to your department or program.
o 

Submit your information to the MIT Libraries.

o  Choose to or opt-out of ProQuest license and publication (not applicable to undergraduate theses).

o  Include the same copyright and license information that is on your thesis title page.

o  If relevant, .

Quick links

  • Thesis Specifications
  • Distinctive Collections
  • Scholarly Publishing@MIT
  • About DSpace@MIT
  • Dissertation/Theses
  • Official Overleaf Thesis Template

Have questions?

Contact us at [email protected] .

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  • Last Updated: Aug 1, 2024 11:10 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.mit.edu/mit-thesis-faq

mit thesis template

Thesis Specifications

The Process

You must select a thesis advisor. You should begin this process early in the second semester (for both 11-month + 16-month students)

You should arrange to meet with your thesis advisor on a regular basis. You should take the iniative to arrange this. Plan to meet at a minimum of 3-4 times during the semester (more is better!)

Your thesis advisor will sign off on your thesis and provide your grade to the academic administrator who will then enter it into Websis

The Details

There is a lot of administrative work you need to do related to thesis

You need to apply to graduate and enter your thesis title in Websis: http://student.mit.edu/cgi-docs/student.html (Select ONLINE DEGREE APPLICATION)  More details at the bottom of this page

You need to enter your thesis title and abstract ONLY to the MIT Library: https://thesis-submit.mit.edu NOTE-What  you submit to the Registrar and the Library must match exactly!

Once your advisor has signed off on your thesis, you will submit the thesis with cover page to the academic administrator for formatting review.

Approved theses that are ready for formatting review need to be uploaded to a specificed Dropbox.

Once the thesis meets the required formatting standards, the academic administrator enter your grade and  will submit it to the library on your behalf. (NOte-your grade WILL NOT BE ENTERED until the final paper is delivered)

NOTE: It can take several months before your thesis is publically available on DSPACE

ALL STUDENTS

Once your thesis advisor has approved your thesis, have them send your grade to the academic administrator . 

You will submit your approved thesis via link provided to you and academic administrator will reviewing the formatting. 

You may be required to make formatting edits. Once all adjustments have been made, the academic administrator will send the final copy to the library.

DUAL DEGREE STUDENTS

 Dual Degree Students MUST submit an Online Degree Application for both the degrees being pursued

Dual Degree students will follow the submission process and guidelines outlined by their home department

All Dual Degree students need to submit a signed cover sheet to the CRE, even if their home deparment does not require it

STUDENTS SUBMITTING A JOINT THESIS

Follow all above instructions for Thesis Submissions, AND:

Y ou must complete a petition form, which you can find here: https://oge.mit.edu/gpp/advanced-degrees/thesis/joint-theses/

One form for both students is fine, complete Sections 1 & 2, and sign the form digitally.

Send it to your thesis advisor to complete Section 3 and sign at the bottom digitally.

Send the form along to academic administrator , for her signature and submission to the OGE.  

NOTE: No more then two students can work together on a joint thesis

Students who are submitting a joint thesis must be graduating in the same cohort

THESIS SPECIFICATIONS

Naming Convention-Must be exactly as written below

YourLastName-YourKerberousID-msred-cre-2023- Thesis .pdf (Your Kerberous ID is the first part of your email, not your MIT ID number)

TITLE + ABSTRACT PAGE TEMPLATE

THESIS FORMATTING

Refer to this link to see how to structure and format your thesis

PDF/A Formatting

The library now requires all submitted thesis papers to be in the PDF/A format. This ensures longevity of the file.

Refer to these instructions on creating your PDF/A file

Per the Institute, students who are submitting a thesis are require to complete a COUHES course. MSRED students typically only need to do one of the following:

Social & Behavioral Research Investigator: Applicable to investigations involving psychological processes, motivations, and interactions.

Data or Specimens Only Research: Applicable for research involving previously collected biospecimens or data sets.

See the COUHES website for guidance.

ONLINE DEGREE APPLICATION In order to graduate, you must complete an Online Degree Application.   Completion of the application after the deadline will incure a late fee

Step 1 - Personal Info

Be sure to indicate your MIT ID, MIT Email address, First Name, Last Name, and Previous College Degree

Step 2 - Degree Information

Be sure to select “RED M” as your degree under Step 2 . 

Indicate your Thesis Title – exactly as it will appear on your Thesis Title Page, including any capitalization, dashes, colons, etc.   

The space to enter your degree title is to the right of drop-down “Description” menu for your degree. Clicking the "Enter Thesis Title” button and you will be able to add your thesis title.  

Step 3 - Commencement Plans

If you select “I will Participate in Commencement” - your physical diploma will be held until Commencement. (Note students submitting theses in July and February are eligible to participate in Spring  Commencement.

If you select “I will not attend Commencement. Mail my diploma” - your diploma will be mailed to the address you indicate as your Post-MIT physical address; again, do not list your current MIT address. 

If you select “Graduation plans are unknown” - your physical diploma will be held until you indicate how you would like to receive it, of the three previous options. You may contact the Registrar’s Office at any time with your name, MIT email address, and MIT ID Number to update your choice after the Online Degree Application closes by emailing Marti Ward, who manages Diplomas for the Registrar’s Office at: [email protected] .  

For ALL institute requirements see the LibGuide

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mitthesis – A L a T e X template for an MIT thesis

This class provides a L a T e X template for an MIT thesis or dissertation formatted according to the requirements of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries (as posted in 2023): https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/thesis-specs/

This template is appropriate for an MIT thesis or MIT dissertation of any type.

This template works with either pdf L a T e X or unicode engines such as Lua L a T e X .

The bibliography can be prepared with either biblatex (default) or natbib / bibtex .

The class is based on current L a T e X distributions, ideally 11/2022 or later, but compatible with distributions back to 2020.

This template replaces the older version of mitthesis.cls , which was first composed in the 1980s.

Sources
Documentation
Version1.15 2024-08-31
Licenses
Copyright2024 John Lienhard
Maintainer
Contained in X Live as mitthesis
X as mitthesis
Topics


TeX3



Download the contents of this package in one zip archive (3.9M).

Community Comments

  • 2024-09-02 CTAN update: mitthesis
  • 2024-07-04 CTAN update: mitthesis
  • 2023-07-23 CTAN update: mitthesis

Suggestions

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  • etdipa: Simple, lightweight template for scientific documents

IMAGES

  1. Master's and PhD Thesis Template Developed

    mit thesis template

  2. Sample thesis title for it students

    mit thesis template

  3. Thesis Template Latex

    mit thesis template

  4. Phd thesis cover page template

    mit thesis template

  5. Oxford Thesis Template

    mit thesis template

  6. Dissertation/Thesis Template for Massachusetts Institute of Technology Template

    mit thesis template

VIDEO

  1. How to create thesis template (arabic )

  2. Writing Your PhD Thesis: 8 Things Somebody Needs to Tell You

  3. Free Thesis Proposal PowerPoint Template by GreatPPT

  4. Thesis writing

  5. MIT Maker Portfolio (Accepted EA Class of 2023)

  6. Thesis Writing Notion Template for Masters and PhD Research

COMMENTS

  1. The MIT thesis template in LaTeX

    The current MIT thesis template was developed in 2023, using up-to-date LaTeX coding, to meet the current formatting requirements of the MIT Libraries. The title and abstract pages are automatically laid out from information provided by the user. This template includes options to use a variety of fonts, and it is compatible with either pdfTeX ...

  2. MIT Specifications for Thesis Preparation

    Approved November 2022 for use in the 2022-2023 academic year. Updated March 2023 to incorporate changes to MIT Policies and Procedures 13.1.3 Intellectual Property Not Owned by MIT. View this page as an accessible PDF. Table of Contents Thesis Preparation Checklist General information Timeline for submission and publication Submitting your thesis document to your department Bachelor's ...

  3. MIT Thesis Template

    An online LaTeX editor that's easy to use. No installation, real-time collaboration, version control, hundreds of LaTeX templates, and more.

  4. PDF Specifications for Thesis Preparation (2022-2023)

    Specifications for Thesis Preparation Approved November 2022 for use in the 2022-2023 academic year. Updated March 2023 to incorporate changes to MIT Policies and Procedures 13.1.3 Intellectual Property Not Owned by MIT. Updated September 2023 to bring the holds section in alignment with Graduate Policies and Procedures, and minor edits to title page examples.

  5. Guides, Templates and Tools

    This section provides style guides and templates, sample work from prior students, and links to useful technical writing tools.

  6. mitthesis

    This class provides a LaTeX template for an MIT thesis or dissertation formatted according to the requirements of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries (as posted in 2023): https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/thesis-specs/ This template is appropriate for an MIT thesis or MIT dissertation of any type.

  7. Unofficial MIT Thesis templates for LaTeX

    About the Unofficial LaTeX thesis templates. While there are no official templates available, unofficial LaTeX templates have been created in Overleaf. While every effort is made to keep the Overleaf templates updated, thesis authors should always consult the MIT Libraries Thesis Specifications before submitting their thesis.

  8. bkettle/mit-thesis-template

    2023 MIT Thesis Template A very slight variant on the normal unofficial template in Overleaf, but updated to reflect two changes to the title page formatting as of 2023:

  9. PDF Documentation for the MIT thesis template

    THE MIT THESIS TEMPLATE This template is suitable for MIT theses of all types and at all levels. The title and abstract pages are automatically laid out from information provided by the user. The template includes options to use a variety of fonts, and it is compatible with either pdfTeX or unicode engines such as luaLaTeX. When using LaTeX formats dated November 2022 or later, the resulting ...

  10. MEng Thesis

    Formatting and Submission MIT Libraries maintains formatting guidelines for all MIT theses. It's especially important to make sure your title page and abstract look exactly like the examples shown there. Many students start by using the Unofficial Thesis template, but remember to double-check against the official formatting guidelines.

  11. CTAN: /tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/mitthesis

    MIT-thesis-template/ -- a directory with the files needed to starting writing your thesis MIT-Thesis.tex -- the main latex template file for this class

  12. MIT

    MIT doctoral dissertations and masters theses. Find: Paper and microfiche: Search the library catalog, Search Our Collections. Digital: Search MIT Theses in DSpace. DSpace does NOT contain the complete collection of MIT theses. Use Search Our Collections to search for all MIT theses. Recently submitted: Contact Distinctive Collections if the ...

  13. The MIT thesis template in LaTeX

    The current MIT thesis template was developed in 2023, using up-to-date LaTeX coding, to meet the current formatting requirements of the MIT Libraries. The title and abstract pages are automatically laid out from information provided by the user. This template includes options to use a variety of fonts, and it is compatible with either pdfTeX ...

  14. Templates

    Committee Page Template. Committee page (insert between title and abstract pages; SMBT degrees do not need this committee page) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA. Accessibility.

  15. Formatting, Specifications, Copyright and Submission

    Thesis title — Make sure your final thesis title matches the Institute record by checking in WebSIS under "Online Degree Application". Proper wording on title, abstract and committee pages — see TEMPLATES (includes templates by degree, template for joint theses and template for dual degree theses).

  16. tug.org

    MIT-thesis-template/ -- a directory with the files needed to starting writing your thesis MIT-Thesis.tex -- the main latex template file for this class

  17. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    MIT Libraries is providing Overleaf Professional features for all students, faculty and staff who would like to use a collaborative, online LaTeX editor for their projects. Overleaf Professional features include real-time track changes, unlimited collaborators, and full document history. Overleaf is designed to make the process of writing ...

  18. Thesis Checklist

    o. If relevant, your thesis document must include information about any supplementary materials that you are submitting along with your thesis. Contact the MIT Libraries if you plan to submit supplementary information. o. Properly convert your thesis to PDF/A-1. o. Ensure that your files have no encryption or other security measures applied.

  19. PDF Documentation for the MIT thesis template

    THE MIT THESIS TEMPLATE This template is suitable for MIT theses of all types and at all levels. The title and abstract pages are automatically laid out from information provided by the user. The template includes options to use a variety of fonts, and it is compatible with either pdfTeX or unicode engines such as luaLaTeX.

  20. PDF MIT thesis template

    The thesis uses a systems approach to improve the breadth of ideation and robustness of complexity analy-sis such that sustainability teams (STs) and technical framing teams (TFTs) have a more robust queue of CRPs and options for decarbonization pathways.

  21. MSRED Students Website

    THESIS SPECIFICATIONS Naming Convention-Must be exactly as written below YourLastName-YourKerberousID-msred-cre-2023-Thesis.pdf (Your Kerberous ID is the first part of your email, not your MIT ID number) TEMPLATES TITLE + ABSTRACT PAGE TEMPLATE THESIS FORMATTING Refer to this link to see how to structure and format your thesis PDF/A Formatting

  22. Gallery

    This is a basic article template for MIT CSAIL preprints (i.e., submissions to arXiv). A slight modification of the MIT Thesis Template targeted to LGO fellows. Produce beautiful documents starting from our gallery of LaTeX templates for journals, conferences, theses, reports, CVs and much more.

  23. CTAN: Package mitthesis

    This template is appropriate for an MIT thesis or MIT dissertation of any type. This template works with either pdf LaTX or unicode engines such as Lua LaTX. The bibliography can be prepared with either biblatex (default) or natbib / bibtex. The class is based on current LaTX distributions, ideally 11/2022 or later, but compatible with ...