Students
For more information on undergraduate programs, including 1st-year subjects, major and minor degree requirements, senior theses, and Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), see Department of Physics and Astronomy Minor.
Travel grants
MKI provides travel grants for graduate students to attend conferences for presenting posters/papers or serving on scientific panels. Students should have passed their qualifying examinations before applying for a grant, which will provide up to $1,000 for appropriate expenses.
MKI can fund only 8 awards in total each year, 4 in each of these time periods: June 1 - November 30 and December 1 - May 31. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis and a student is limited to one award every two years.
Send applications for grants to Jack Defandorf, including the following information in the application:
- name and location of the conference
- brief (one page or less) description of the science to be presented
- signature of the student's research adviser as an expression of endorsement
- cost object if the supervisor agrees to fund trip costs above the $1,000 cap
Payments are made as expense reimbursements from MKI funds, and some travel restrictions normally imposed by sponsored research agreements do not apply. Nonetheless, awardees should review MIT policies before booking their travel. Please consult Ty'Shauna Ross or Michelle Antunes with specific policy questions. Other sources of funding, including from MIT's Graduate Student Council, may be available to students who are not eligible for an MKI award.
More information on graduate programs
- Department of Physics
- Current grad student resources
- General exams
- Housing
- Faculty research (see faculty bios listed on the MKI and Physics websites; see also MKI affiliated faculty)
- Fiscal procedures: for Physics’ procedures, contact Physics Finance Department; for MKI, see policies regarding purchasing and travel here
- Oral exam information
- Orientation
- Physics graduate student resources
- Physics diversity and inclusion
- Physics community values
- Physics doctoral candidates: guidelines
- Physics graduate thesis FAQs
- Physics policies for graduate students
- Thesis submission guidelines
(Email Nayanika on thesis defense date and scheduling the Marlar lounge) - Student resources for living and learning at MIT
- Physics academic administrator
- ODGE (Office of the Dean for Graduate Education)
The MIT Kavli Institute is an interdisciplinary research center and hosts the research of graduate students from different departments. Admission to these graduate programs is through these departments. Most of our students are in the Physics degree program, but students come from others departments, including:
External
Internal
The Kavli Graduate Fellowship is awarded through an internal process to a graduate student whose research is in the MIT Kavli Institute, and who is affiliated with an MKI faculty member. Contact Jack Defandorf for more information.
Prospective undergraduate students
An undergraduate degree in physics at MIT, with its emphasis on learning to solve problems, provides an excellent basis for graduate study in physics and related fields; it is also a great foundation for careers in industry, research, finance, management, law, medicine, or public policy. See Physics Department for more info.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP): The Physics Department offers positions for undergraduates with faculty and in research labs. See here for information about the UROP program including funding opportunities, application deadlines, guidelines, and other resources.
Prospective graduate students
The MIT Department of Physics has a graduate population of between 260 and 290 students, with approximately 45 students starting and graduating each year. Almost all students pursue a PhD degree in Physics, graduating typically in 5 to 7 years.
The MKI Astrophysics Division is under the purview of the Department of Physics. The Division typically admits ~10 new astro graduate students every year. We particularly encourage underrepresented students to apply for admission.
Explore current research groups and faculty.
For questions related to astrophysics, contact:
- Professor Anna Frebel, Division Head
- Michael McDonald, faculty
- Matt Evans, faculty
For more information, contact:
- Sydney Miller, Graduate Programs Administrator
- Shannon Larkin, Assistant Director, Academic Programs
More resources
Applying for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) direct funding
Want to do a research project during the semester or the summer with MKI research scientists or faculty from the Astrophysics Division of the Physics Department? Contact research scientists and faculty that do research in an area that is of interest to you. Find out if they have projects for you to work on!
If they do, and after meeting and agreeing with a research scientist/faculty member on a suitable project, it is the student's responsibility to complete a funding application through the UROP office. The application includes a 1-3 page research proposal that you have to write. Your advisor will discuss the project so you can clearly state the project purpose and describe in detail your planned research duties by the term deadline. Note: All astro projects need to be submitted to "MKI" as the host department, for administrative processing. After the student has submitted the application, the advisor will review it in the system and approve further submission to the UROP office where it will be evaluated. If changes need to be made, the advisor will return the proposal to the student. Upon acceptance of the proposal by the UROP office (students will be directly contacted by the office), the project work may begin under the guidance of the advisor. Let your advisor know when this happens and arrange for an onboarding meeting to start the work.
Some advisors and groups have funds available for undergraduate research projects. In those cases, no UROP application is needed but talk with advisors about their situation and what the best way forward is.
Before a UROP begins work, the advisor will communicate typical hazards when working in the laboratory as well as project-specific hazards and ensure they complete all requisite training. No UROP student is allowed to begin work in a lab until all departmental and Institute chemical hygiene and EHS training requirements have been fulfilled.
Each student will be briefly evaluated at the end of each term. Advisors can email their feedback to urop@mit.edu.