Ranking for Computer Science & Electronics in MIT

Facts About MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a sea-, land- , and space-grant private research university located in Cambridge Massachusetts. Its 166-acre campus sits between Kendall and Central Squares and is situated across the Charles River that flows from Boston’s Back Bay. The university also comprises major off-campus facilities like the Haystack Observatory and MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

MIT was founded in 1861 to help accelerate the industrial revolution that the United States underwent at the time. While chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 10, 1861, the developments were delayed due to the Civil War breaking out two days later. The first classes held by the school were in 1865, in the Mercantile Building in Boston.

While the university is notably strong in political science, philosophy, economics, linguistics, and urban studies, it is perhaps best known for its programs in physical sciences and engineering. These include Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Systems, Physics and Astronomy, and Mathematics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has also been named as the world’s number one university by QS ranking for eight years in a row since 2013.

MIT is a pioneer of some new ways of learning and teaching inside and outside the campus through the invention and use of digital technologies. A forerunner in this category is MITx where MIT partners with edX to offer free online interactive courses from MIT instructors. Other open learning programs include OpenCourseWare that readily offers 2,450+ MIT courses online and MicroMasters program that offers an academic and professional credential for online learners.

MIT is also distinguished for its scientific buildings, including observatories, laboratories, science museums, and even a research nuclear reactor. One example of this is the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, which was funded by the National Science Foundation. The MIT Nuclear Research Reactor is also considered as one of the most powerful nuclear reactors in the U.S. that are university-based. Moreover, an artificial intelligence research lab has also been under construction on the campus since 2017.

Furthermore, the institution is well-known for its accomplished alumni, researchers, and faculty members. As of October 2020, MIT has churned out 97 Nobel laureates, eight Fields Medalists, 16 Chief Scientists of the U.S. Air Force, and 26 Turing Award winners. In addition, there are also 77 MacArthur Fellows, 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation winners, and 41 astronauts. The university also shows the strength of its entrepreneurial culture with alumni founding or co-founding notable companies, including HP Inc., Intel, Qualcomm, and Koch Industries.