MIT Course Catalogues

The MIT Course Catalogue, also referred to as the MIT Bulletin and the MIT Course Catalog, is a rich source of information on the courses and programs that have made the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the major institution it is today.

This collection contains the Catalogues from 1865 to 2005. Electronic versions of the Course Catalog and Subject Descriptions from 2006 to the present are available from the MIT Bulletin Archive http://catalog.mit.edu/archive/. The MIT Course Catalog for the current year can be viewed online at http://web.mit.edu/catalog/.

In addition to a description of courses for each academic year and program requirements, the catalogues may include:

Early Catalogues
  • History and purpose of the Institute
  • Lists of professors, students, and graduates
  • Objects and regulations of the Institute
  • Conditions for admission and graduation
  • Residence information
  • Thesis titles and authors
  • Building images and floor plans
  • Lowell Institute courses
  • Degree programs and requirements
  • Fees
  • Courses arranged for officers of the United States Army and Navy

Current Catalogues
  • Overview of MIT (campus life, graduate and undergraduate education)
  • Academic procedures
  • Institute regulations
  • Explanation of schools and academic programs
  • Subject descriptions
  • Class prerequisites and instructors

A word about Courses at MIT Each department or program within the Institute is identified by Course number. When capitalized, the word Course refers to an organized curriculum leading to a specified degree; otherwise, the word course, or subject, refers to the individual class. Each Course is designated by a Roman or Arabic numeral; individual subjects are given Arabic numerals that correspond with the Course numbers.

For example, Course 2 or Course II refers to the Department of Mechanical Engineering; the numeral 2.05 (Thermodynamics) indicates a subject in Mechanical Engineering.

The MIT Course Catalog is currently published each August by the MIT Reference Publications Office.

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