School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Great ideas change the world.

With more than 15 academic units and degree programs, interdisciplinary centers, and other programs, the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) provides a superb environment for research and academic studies in the social, cultural, and humanistic disciplines.  The significant research that emerges from the School has a wide range of positive impacts across the globe.

Home to top-rated graduate programs, the School also provides all MIT undergraduates with rigorous training in qualitative and contextual methods of learning. The School strongly emphasizes communication skills, and plays a central role in preparing MIT students for leadership roles and global citizenship.

Established as one of MIT’s five principal Schools in the mid-1950s, SHASS’ roots go back to the Institute’s founding. Currently, there are some 9,000 student enrollments in SHASS every year, and the School’s course offerings make up eight of the 17 core requirements for MIT undergraduates. 

The School’s extraordinary portfolio—of research and education for all undergraduates, including education for leadership—means that gifts to SHASS have the power to strengthen and further the MIT mission and community as a whole.  Here are some ways that you can contribute to this vital work.

Funding priorities for SHASS

  • Fellowships, for our outstanding Ph.D. programs in political science; economics; linguistics and philosophy; history; anthropology; and science, technology and society—as well as for our innovative master’s programs in comparative media studies and science writing.
  • Professorships, to strengthen our academic fields. Chairs allow us to attract and retain the best scholars.
  • Resources to improve facilities and programming in the thriving Music and Theater Arts section.
  • Support for the many activities of the Center for Intentional Studies, especially the growth of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), the largest international internship opportunity for MIT students.
  • Support for the humanities through the Dean’s Discretionary Fund.

If you would like to make a gift in support of these efforts, or would like to explore other opportunities, please contact:

Anne Marie Michel
Assistant Dean for Development, SHASS
(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
617.253.4075