Resources, Policies, and Procedures

• DUSP Handbook
  • The DUSP Handbook is a digital document that helps folks successfully navigate MIT during their time at DUSP. 
• Black DUSP Thesis
  • Student and alumnae/i generated digital document that details numerous key priorities and immediate actions to guide DUSP in our anti-racist transformation, including through our research and teaching, admissions, career and professional development services, in our curriculum, and our systems of accountability.
• DUSP Policy on Late Submission of Proposals
  • Document outlining that complete and final proposals must be submitted to the Research Administration Services (RAS) five working days in advance of the sponsor’s deadline.
• Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
  • Details MIT's employment opportunity policy. 
• Benefits at MIT
  • Explores the benefits and resources available for members of the MIT community.
• MIT Complaint Resolution Policies and Procedures
  • Details the policies and procedures for filing and resolving a complaint at MIT.
• MIT Employment Policy Manual
  • Details policies relevant for non-academic staff generally.
• MIT Environmental Health and Safety
  • Practical, efficient, sustainable, and adaptable solutions that identify, assess, and minimize risk to MIT community's safety, health, and sustainability.
• MIT Harassment Policy
  • Details MIT's policies for creating a respectful, welcoming and productive community while providing a living, working and learning environment that is free from harassment.
• MIT Holidays
  • A list of recognized Institute Holidays and Special Holidays and the day/dates on which they are observed.
• MIT Learning Center (requires Atlas access)
  • An online resource of ongoing learning, particularly for MIT related and/or required trainings.
• MIT Work-Life Center
  • Offers a wide range of programs and resources that address specific life issues and events for the entire MIT community.
• CRON
  • DUSP's computer resource, IT support, and coordinator with resources from MIT's Information Systems & Technology.
• DUSP Room and Technology 
  • CRON resource outlining room numbers, layout style, capacity, and built-in technology for DUSP and SA+P controlled rooms in Building 9 and 10. 
• Folding Partitions Tutorial (Building 9)
  • A short video that illustrates how to operate the folding partitions for rooms 9-450, 9-450A, and 9-451 in building 9.  
• DUSP's Anti-Racist Database
  • A living, digital database of resources to support anti-racist pedagogy and practice. 
• New Hire Account Registration (Atlas)
  • A resource for new hires at MIT.
• Reporting Hotline (MIT)
  • Anonymous reporting hotline for whistleblower or other complaints about suspected wrongdoing, violations of Institute policy, or troubling practices on campus. Maintained by a third-party.
• SA+P Climate Action Plan
  • Resource for understanding our carbon emission as a School, as individual departments, and by stakeholder groups. Outlines a pathway to reducing our emissions.
• SA+P Room Reservation System (Current Certificates Required)
  • Use this platform to request the reservation of spaces controlled by the School of Architecture and Planning.
• ProCard, Travel Card, and Request for Payment (RFP) Policies
  • Policies related to ProCard, Travel Card, and Request for Payment (RFP)

• Bemis Funding
  • Use this form to submit a request for funding for proposals that seek to address evolving strategic priorities. 
    • Faculty and student groups may both use this form.
• Student Travel Funds
  • The Department administers a number of funds to assist students with research-related travel and attendance at planning-related conferences.
• The Lloyd and Nadine Rodwin Fund
  • Twice each year (subject to funding availability), the Lloyd and Nadine Rodwin Fund grants competitive travel fellowships to assist students pursuing research or writing theses while at MIT.
• The William Emerson Fund
  • Twice each year (subject to funding availability), the William Emerson Fund provides competitive travel grants for student research-related travel. 
• The Ross Silberberg (1990) Memorial Fund
  • Twice each year (subject to funding availability), the Ross Silberberg (1990) Memorial Fund provides grants to support student travel related to research in social justice and design.
• Conference Travel Reimbursement
  • ​​​​​​​The department offers students a partial subsidy to reimburse travel costs associated with attending or presenting work at planning-related conferences. Additional information and eligible expenses explained via the link above.
• Urban Science Research Seed Fund
  • Use this form to submit a grant proposal to complement and strengthen urban data science and digital urbanism within and beyond DUSP.
    • Faculty only
• Priscilla King Gray (PKG) Fellowships
  • PKG Fellowships fund both summer and IAP public service work. All full time MIT students are eligible to apply for a fellowship.
• Doctoral Student Optional Summer Work Funding
  • Updated in the late spring term, lists projects with open doctoral research assistant positions for the subsequent summer. Link(s) will be live during the project submission and student application periods, students and faculty will receive email notifications. 
    • Submit a project (faculty only)
    • Gallery view of projects
• Graduate Student Experience Grants
  • A request-for-proposal process that invites graduate students, spouses, faculty, and staff to submit creative ideas that kick-start community-building projects.
    • Anyone interested in improving the graduate student experience can apply, including graduate students and student groups, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• The DUSP Lemann Fellowship
  • Current and incoming, full-time master’s students with Brazilian citizenship and a demonstrated commitment to addressing Brazilian urban challenges may apply for a Lemann Fellowship to enhance tuition aid provided by the department and potentially support additional student expenses. More information.

• DUSP Connect 
  • DUSP Connect provides students with a high level of support, tools, resources, and opportunities for professional development while at DUSP and throughout their career. We encourage students to think strategically about their time at DUSP regarding their coursework, co-curricular activities, and work experiences.
• MIT Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD)
  • MIT Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD) is MIT’s hub for career advising, distinguished fellowships advising, prehealth advising, and professional development support. They work across the Institute to connect students, postdocs, and alumni with resources and support that empower them to build a rewarding career that makes a difference in the world.

Additional MIT Professional Development Resources

• MIT Office of Graduate Education
  • Institute-wide support for students, faculty, and staff to make graduate education at MIT empowering, exciting, holistic, and transformative.
• MIT Experiential Learning Office
  • Earn money or academic credit while you work on challenging and meaningful hands-on projects. Whether during the summer or the academic year, experiential learning opportunities (or ELOs, for short) connect you to important, real-world projects in MIT research labs, maker spaces, PK12 schools, start-ups, nonprofits, and global industries.
• MIT Alumni Advisors Hub
  • MIT Alumni can offer valuable and insightful guidance on launching careers, next moves, or navigating career changes.
• Identity-Based Resources
  • DUSP Connect list of identity-based career development resources for different affinity groups that offer specific support and help you on your career goals.
• Funding Opportunities
  • DUSP Connect list of a variety of fellowship and funding opportunities to ensure an impactful education experience and career. 

• Post a Research Assistant or an Hourly Worker Position
  • Online form to post an opportunity offered to DUSP students. 
• Advising Norms
  • Outlines the expectations, roles, and responsibilities for an advisor. 
• Teaching Policy
  • Outlines the policies,  responsibilities, roles, and expectations for teaching at DUSP. Please note, you need to be on the MIT Network or using the VPN and have current certificates to access.
• RA Costs for the 2024-2025 Academic Year
  • An excel spreadsheet to help faculty calculate the costs of hiring RA(s) for the 2024-2025 academic year under various scenarios (different types of funding, and various levels of effort).
• RA and TA Policies
  • Summary of appointment policies governing RA, TA and hourly appointments in compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Graduate Student Union and new MIT appointment policies.
• Rights and Responsibilities
  • Provides context and outlines the contours of faculty responsibilities, rights, salary, and outside professional activities. 
• DUSP Mentoring Handbook and Advice for New Faculty
  • A resource for new DUSP faculty. Please note, you need to be on the MIT Network or using the VPN and have current certificates to access.
• Promotions and Hiring Voting Policy
  • Outlines the procedure and policy for faculty advancement. Please note, you need to be on the MIT Network or using the VPN and have current certificates to access.
• Guidelines for Course-Related Travel
  • A resource for planning course-related travel, including whom to contact and how to apply for funding.
• Faculty and Other Academic Appointments
  • Provides context and details for faculty, special professional appointments, and academic instructional staff.
• MIT Faculty Open Access Policy
  • Details the history of the adoption of the policy to provide open access to research and scholarship at MIT, answers FAQ on the OA policy, and provides links to additional MIT Libraries resources
• MIT Canvas Resources for Instructors
  • An interactive resource that gathers Canvas, IS&T, and Teaching and Learning Lab materials for creating your Canvas website.
• Guidelines and Policies for One-Time PI Status Requests
  • MIT policy defines Investigators as those individuals who are independently responsible for the design, conduct and reporting of research. 

• Visiting Students
  • Resource detailing eligibility, process, duration of stay, medical logistics, employment options, and housing for visiting students. 
• Visiting Students FAQ
  • A list of answers for commonly asked questions about becoming a visiting student by MIT's International Student Office, which provides: advising on immigration regulations, aids in the maintenance of legal status, assists international students in their transition to life in the United States at MIT, promotes interactions between international populations and the U.S. and advocates on behalf of the international student population.
• MIT International Scholars Office
  • Facilitates the arrival and appointment of international visitors, who have been invited to MIT's campus to teach, conduct research, observe, and collaborate. Offers a variety of resources such as weekly orientations for  incoming international scholars and family members. Provides a helpful guide for international scholars, here.
• Postdoctoral Associates and Fellows
  • Through the Office of the Vice President of Research, definitions for postdoctoral associates and fellows roles, as well as benefits, salary, and funding information.

• Graduate Students - Office of Graduate Education, GradSupport
  • Provides advice and counsel on a variety of issues including faculty/student relationships, changing your advisor, conflict negotiation, funding, academic progress, interpersonal concerns, and a student’s rights and responsibilities.
• Important DUSP Forms
  • General Studen Petition 
    • Use this form to: request a specific title of degree, late registration, graduate credit for an undergraduate course, change a grade of O to OX, retroactive actions (limited), special tuition rates.
  • Non-resident Form
    • Students wishing to apply for non-resident status need to contact the Doctoral Academic Administrator for instructions before filling  out the linked form.
  • Dissertation Proposal Form
    • Use this form to submit the title and anticipated date of completion for your dissertation.
  • First-year Review Program Statement
    • Details elements required for first-year review statements
  • General Exams Form
    • Use this form to submit your first and second field for your general exams.
• Advising Norms
  • Defines and addresses the roles, relationships, and expectations that currently exist in the life of a graduate student, as well as the fundamental principles that guide these relationships.
• Guideline by Milestones
  • A guide for navigating important milestones by academic year.
• Important Early Dates
  • A guide by semester which outlines important events in your first five semesters at MIT.
• Required Classes with Doctoral Teaching Assistantships 
  • 11.001J    Introduction to Urban Design & Development
  • 11.002    Making Public Policy
  • 11.005    Introduction to International Development
  • 11.200    Gateway I
  • 11.201    Gateway II
  • 11.202/203    Microeconomics
  • 11.205/11.188    Introduction to Spatial Analysis
  • 11. 220   Quantitative Reasoning  
  • 11.222    Introduction to Critical Qualitative Methods 
• What to do when...
  • Requesting an exception to a requirement
    • Please reach out to the chairs of the PhD Committee and the Academic Administrator with any requests
  • Advising changes
    • In the event that a student's advisor changes or a student wishes to change their advisor, please consult the PhD Committee, Academic Administrator, and/or the Office of Graduate Education for support. If this is an urgent issue please contact DUSP's Department Head and PhD Committee Chair(s).
• Teaching Assistantships and Pedagogical Training
  • Teaching and Learning Lab
    • Partners with MIT educators, staff, and administrators to create an educational environment where students are academically challenged, actively engaged, and personally supported. Offers events, workshops, and certificate programs to support your professional development in your current and future teaching responsibilities at MIT and beyond.
  • The Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program
    • Interactive workshop series intended for late-program graduate students and postdocs interested in academic careers or developing skills to support their teaching at MIT provides teaching certificate. 
  • Anti-bias resources and required training
    • Resources from the Institute and beyond to support you in your individual learning. 
• Academic Conferences
  • DUSP faculty and doctoral students participate in a diverse range of professional and academic conferences. While advisors remain the foremost resource for recommendations and advice on which conferences match your interests and research domains, the following are major urban studies and planning conferences to which students should consider submitting their work:
    • Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP)
      • A fall conference, with calls for abstracts in the spring
    • Urban Affairs Association 
      • A spring conference, with calls for abstracts in the fall
    • American Association of Geographers
      • A spring conference, with calls for abstracts in the fall
    • Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
      • A fall conference, with calls for abstracts in the spring
• Career Advising and Professional Development, PhD Students
  • CAPD provides a one-on-one conversation to address doctoral student specific career questions. Also provides links to CAPD resources to learn new skills through CAPD workshops. Applicable for doctoral students pursuing careers in academe, government, non-profit, or industry.
• Job Market Resources
  • Please consult the following sampling of resources for current academic position openings. Students should also consult their advisor(s) and their field interest associations and/or conferences for further listings. 
    • Chronicle of Higher Education 
    • Planners Network
    • Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning
    • Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
    • American Economic Association

• Office Hours
  • DUSP faculty, staff, and teaching doctoral students may offer office hours through CRON's office hour system.
    • Note: to access office hours one must have current certificates.
• Join the DUSP website
  • Use this form to help us add you to the DUSP website. 
• Open DUSP Research Assistant and Hourly Worker Positions
  • Kanban organization of RA and hourly worker positions within DUSP currently accepting applications. 
• Student Organizations
  • DUSP Student Council (DSC)
    • The DUSP Student Council is a student-run organization that works to improve the quality of student life by facilitating communication among faculty, administration, and students. The DSC seeks to represent the broad interests of the student body by providing a representational council voice. Members are elected from the student body, and the group, encourages and thrives on a high level of student participation. The DSC supports student networks, including academic and professional development, as well as non-academic life. Throughout the school year, it provides funding for student activities organizes student meetings including Town Hall, contributes to department events like Open House, and hosts study breaks and other social activities.
  • DUSP Students of Color Committee (SCC)
    • The mission of the SCC is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in terms of race, class, and gender in the field of planning. In addition to focusing efforts on student and faculty recruitment, SCC aims to build community and serve as a support network within the Department for diverse students and those who identify with the Committee's mission and goals. SCC is a politicized body working from a social consciousness to guide goals, projects, and ideas, which ensure diversity in the Department, Institute, and the profession of planning. The SCC has played a critical role in recruiting students and faculty of color, bringing topics related to diversity into the core curriculum, and connecting DUSP to community organizations that serve disadvantaged populations.  
  • Queers in the Built Environment (QuBE)
    • QuBE aims to highlight and create dialogue around the intersection of queer identity and the built environment though a variety of media including speakers, conferences, partnerships, publications, and social events. QuBE also serves to support and increase the visibility of queer students, faculty, and staff in the School of Architecture + Planning and the MIT community at large.
  • Latinx

    •  

      Latinx is an open and inclusive group of MIT students and faculty from MIT's School of Architecture and Planning. They seek to share research and practice paths in Latin America. 

• Academic and Research Misconduct and Dishonesty
  • Defines the parameters of unethical behavior in research and scholarship as well as the procedures for dealing with academic dishonesty at MIT.
• Academic Integrity
  • A comprehensive resource to understand the definition of academic integrity at MIT as well as resources to cope with pressure, stress, and to succeed as a student.
• MIT Graduate Student Appointments
  • Outlines responsibilities, appointment categories, and appointment procedures for graduate students at MIT.
• Graduate Students - Office of Graduate Education, GradSupport
  • Provides advice and counsel on a variety of issues including faculty/student relationships, changing your advisor, conflict negotiation, funding, academic progress, interpersonal concerns, and a student’s rights and responsibilities.
• Undergraduate Students - Student Support Services (S3)
  • Digital access to the hub of support for undergraduate students at MIT.
• Disability and Access Services
  • List of resources and points of contact for assistive technology, digital accessibility, user experience, and disability and access needs.
• Student Resources (DSL)
  • A list of student resources, compiled by the Division of Student Life. 
• MIT NOW 
  • The digital hub for MIT's adaptation to the evolving Covid-19 pandemic.
• MIT Student Financial Services
  • For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit the SFS website.
• Group Funding Request

  • On occasion, DUSP is able to provide financial support for student activities that align with our strategic priorities and engage with students in our department.  Requests are considered on a monthly schedule, with most grants limited to $500 or less.

    Note: please do not request funds for events that are less than 6 weeks away.