MIT General Institute Requirements explained: The core every major takes

Every MIT student completes 17 General Institute Requirement subjects plus a major. That rule applies to literature, economics, physics, and computer science majors alike.

That fact corrects the usual picture of MIT. The school is technical and hands-on. It also makes every student take two terms of calculus and two of physics. Chemistry, biology, eight humanities, arts, and social sciences subjects, advanced science courses, and lab work are in the core too. Writing and speaking run through both HASS and the major.

The General Institute Requirements, or GIRs, are MIT's common core. They are not 17 identical classes. Students choose among listed versions and build a HASS concentration. Major subjects can also meet some REST or lab rules. The frame is fixed. The path through it has room for choice.

If MIT is on your list, this matters more than memorizing a ranking. You are choosing the GIRs too.

What are MIT's General Institute Requirements?

The MIT Course Catalog says the Bachelor of Science requires the GIRs and an approved major. Its current summary counts 17 GIR subjects:

• Six science core subjects.
• Eight humanities, arts, and social sciences subjects, known as HASS.
• Two Restricted Electives in Science and Technology, known as REST subjects.
• A 12-unit Institute Laboratory rule, counted as one subject in the 17-subject summary.

Writing and speaking do not add four more subjects. Two of the eight HASS subjects are Communication Intensive, or CI-H. Two classes in the major are CI-M.

Physical Education and Wellness is also needed to graduate. First-year entrants take four PE&W courses for eight points and pass the swim rule. The catalog lists PE&W apart from the 17 academic GIR subjects.

MIT Admissions gives a useful rule of thumb. About half of a student's time goes to GIRs. About half goes to the major. The exact split depends on the degree chart, placement, and overlap. Still, the core is not a few first-year boxes that vanish once the "real" major begins.

The six-subject science core is specific

The science core has six slots, but several offer different versions. The current catalog requires:

• Calculus I and Calculus II.
• Physics I and Physics II.
• One chemistry subject.
• One introductory biology subject.

The two math subjects cover single-variable and multivariable calculus. Students can take the standard path or a listed variant. MIT has options for different levels of prior math. It also has a more theoretical form of Calculus II.

Physics works the same way. Everyone needs Physics I and Physics II. Students can choose among listed versions. The usual 8.01 and 8.02 sequence is one route. Another Physics I option gives students with less calculus-based physics more time. The list also has more advanced math-based versions.

Chemistry is one subject, picked from the listed chemistry GIRs. One choice focuses on solid-state chemistry. The other choices cover basic chemical science. One of those is meant for students with a stronger high school background.

Biology is one subject too. The four intro options share the same base. That base covers biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology. Each option then adds its own material.

That choice matters. MIT does not act as if every new student has the same background. One student may know advanced calculus but little physics. Another may know biology but little chemistry. Some routes change the pace or focus. They do not remove the core rule.

AP and advanced standing can change a student's plan. The rules are much narrower than "my AP scores clear the core." MIT's current catalog lists exact ways to earn or use credit in calculus and physics. A random higher-level class cannot take the place of a science GIR. Check the live rules for your entering class. Do not build a four-year plan from an old forum post.

HASS is eight subjects, not one writing class

The MIT stereotype leaves the humanities off-screen. The real degree requires eight HASS subjects of at least nine units each. The MIT Registrar's HASS overview puts those eight into three parts: distribution, concentration, and electives.

Distribution puts one subject in each area

Students take one approved subject in each distribution category:

• HASS-A for arts.
• HASS-H for humanities.
• HASS-S for social sciences.

This does not mean eight unrelated survey courses. It sets a floor for breadth. A computer science major still takes an arts class. A literature major still takes a social science class. The catalog says more than 600 subjects can meet the distribution rule. "Required" does not mean "one set syllabus."

Concentration adds three or four connected subjects

Each student also finishes a HASS concentration of three or four subjects. The number depends on the field. Current choices include economics, history, philosophy, music, and writing. Political science, computing and society, and several global languages are on the list too.

Applicants often miss this part of the GIRs. The concentration gives a student one sustained line of study outside the main technical work. It is not another major. It also need not be cut off from the major. A materials student might pick history of architecture, art, and design. A math student might choose philosophy. A student drawn to AI policy might look at computing and society or ethics.

With an advisor's permission, one subject can count for both distribution and concentration. The last one or two HASS slots become electives. The total must still reach eight.

Two HASS subjects also do communication work

At least two of the eight HASS subjects carry a CI-H or CI-HW tag. These classes do more than assign a final paper. Writing and speaking are built into how the class works.

The first CI subject has an early deadline. MIT requires one by the end of year one. Students need two by the end of year two and three by the end of year three. The fourth is due by graduation. The First-year Essay Evaluation shows whether the first class must be the writing-focused CI-HW type.

Writing is not a fix for students who are "bad at English." Every MIT student works on clear prose and speech. The major then adds two CI-M subjects. Those teach the forms used in that field, such as reports, design reviews, or talks built around evidence.

REST and laboratory work take the core past introductions

The science core builds a shared base. REST and lab work make students go further.

REST means two approved advanced subjects

REST stands for Restricted Electives in Science and Technology. Students take two listed subjects. Each one goes deeper in a science or tech field, or opens a new field. The current list includes engineering computation, genetics, neuroscience, and quantum physics. Climate science, probability, linear algebra, and thermodynamics appear too.

The catalog says students tend to take REST subjects in year two. A student with the needed prior work may begin sooner. The pair has one key limit. No more than one REST subject may come from the student's department, apart from the rule for joint subjects.

That limit makes the breadth real. A physics major cannot label two more physics classes as the REST pair. One can be in physics. The other usually must reach outside it.

Laboratory means 12 approved units

The Institute Laboratory rule totals 12 lab units. One approved subject may cover it. A set of subjects can also add up to 12.

Any class with a lab section will not do. The catalog calls for sustained project or experimental work. Students plan the work and pick the measurements. They carry it out, study the results, and present what they found. Faculty guide the work.

The list goes well beyond white coats and test tubes. It has subjects in engineering, physics, biology, economics, and political science. Math and digital humanities appear too. In each case, the student owns the evidence and the work.

MIT suggests doing at least part of the lab rule in the first two years. The major and prior course work shape the timing.

How the GIRs overlap with a major

The cleanest way to understand overlap is to separate a requirement from an extra course.

A student must finish both the GIRs and a major. One listed subject can sometimes count for both. The catalog says a major can have one to six subjects that also meet GIRs. Most programs use 36 units, or three subjects, of overlap.

REST and lab subjects are common places for overlap. A major may require a class that is also on the REST list. A major's lab may carry the 12 units needed for the Institute lab rule. HASS subjects can also support another academic plan. The degree chart and HASS rules control the details.

The two CI-M subjects are part of the major. They meet the CI rule while also moving major work forward. Students practice the forms their field uses.

Overlap does not mean each unit counts twice. The catalog has separate rules for subjects and units beyond the GIRs. Units tied to one of the 17 GIR subjects do not also count as units beyond the GIRs. Use the degree audit and major chart. A list of course titles is not enough.

For an applicant, the point is simple. Two students can finish the MIT core with very different schedules. A mechanical engineering major may meet REST and lab rules through different classes than an economics major. The same is true for biology. The core stays shared, but the major chart changes the path.

What does the first year look like?

MIT admits first-year students to the whole Institute, not a set major. The MIT Admissions first-year overview says everyone starts undeclared. Most spend the year taking some GIRs while trying out fields.

A usual first-year plan centers on several GIRs. Electives and advising seminars leave room to test a field. Students can also join small learning groups built around common interests. Two first-years may take different forms of calculus or physics. They can pick different HASS classes and visit different departments. Neither had to choose a major before arrival.

Most students name a major in the spring of year one. The MIT Registrar's current guidance lets students wait if they need more time. They must decide by the end of year two.

The GIRs make that trial period work. Each major expects the same broad base. Starting with calculus, physics, or a CI-H class does not lock a student into one department. But the year is not open space. Science and CI deadlines still shape the schedule.

MIT's first-year grades leave some room to adjust. MIT Admissions says first-term subjects earn Pass or No Record. The second term uses A, B, C, or No Record. That can ease the shift from high school. It does not cut the work or remove GIRs.

The 17-subject count, without the confusing arithmetic

People get tangled here because CI and PE are real rules. They do not add new subjects to the 17.

Count the academic GIR subjects this way:

1. Six science core subjects.
2. Eight HASS subjects.
3. Two REST subjects.
4. One 12-unit lab rule in the catalog's subject-count summary.

That produces 17.

Now layer in writing and speaking. Two of the eight HASS subjects carry CI-H credit. Two major subjects carry CI-M credit. You finish four CI subjects, but do not add four new courses to 17.

Then add PE&W. It is a separate graduation rule. First-year entrants need four courses for eight points plus the swim rule. PE does not become subject 18 in the academic count.

One more wrinkle: the 12 lab units may come from one subject or several. "One lab class" can be wrong for a given student. The degree summary still counts the lab rule as one of the 17.

If a planning spreadsheet gives you a neat 17-row schedule with no overlap, no placement, and exactly one lab course, it is probably too neat.

How MIT's core compares with Brown, Columbia, and UChicago

Comparing core curricula is useful only when the comparison gets specific.

MIT starts with a shared science base. It adds broad HASS work, CI classes, REST depth, and a lab. Many rules offer choices. Students still cannot build the whole plan from scratch.

Brown's Open Curriculum gives students more control. Brown students still finish a concentration and meet writing rules. They do not follow MIT's six-subject science core or a matching distribution plan.

Columbia College's Core leans on shared courses and texts. Its Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization sequences give many students common works to discuss. MIT's wide HASS menu does not try to copy that.

UChicago's Core also has broad required areas. Its sequences and civilization studies lead to a different liberal arts plan. MIT puts far more of the common core into calculus, lab work, and science.

None is best for everyone. Each school makes a different bet. How much should students share? How soon should they focus? Should breadth come from common courses or a wide list of choices?

A practical MIT curriculum fit test

Do this before writing an MIT essay or deciding that the name alone settles the question.

Open the current GIR page and a degree chart for a major you might consider. Then answer these questions in writing:

1. Which science GIR would stretch you most, and is your reaction curiosity or dread?
2. Which HASS-A, HASS-H, and HASS-S subjects would you genuinely consider taking?
3. What HASS concentration could hold your attention for three or four subjects?
4. Which REST subject outside your likely department looks useful enough to take seriously?
5. Do you want communication practice inside both humanities courses and your major?
6. Does a 12-unit laboratory or project requirement sound like the way you want to learn?
7. Would you rather enter undeclared and explore, or commit to a school or major before arriving?
8. When you sketch the first year, is there still room for one exploratory subject you would choose for yourself?

Be concrete. "I like STEM and humanities" proves nothing. Naming an arts distribution course, a possible concentration, and a REST option forces you to picture the actual degree.

Then look at how admitted students linked academic interests to the rest of an application. AdmitYogi's Accepted Profiles can help you study the essays, activities, awards, grades, and results in real accepted files. It cannot show an MIT student's later course schedule. It cannot explain why a decision happened or replace the current catalog.

For a broader test of culture, workload, group work, and class style, use our MIT fit guide. The GIRs answer the course question. They do not cover all of life at MIT.

Common questions about the MIT GIRs

Do all MIT students take the same classes?

No. All students complete the same GIR groups, but many groups offer choices. Students can take different science versions and HASS subjects. They can also meet REST and lab rules through different listed courses.

Does every MIT student take calculus, physics, chemistry, and biology?

Every student must finish the six-subject science core. It has two calculus subjects, two physics subjects, one chemistry subject, and one biology subject. Credit and placement can change one student's path. Use the rules for the right entering class.

Are the communication courses extra GIRs?

No. The four CI subjects sit inside HASS and the major. Two CI-H subjects count among the eight HASS subjects. Two CI-M subjects belong to the major.

Is physical education part of the 17 GIR subjects?

PE&W is needed to graduate. The catalog lists it apart from the 17 academic GIR subjects. First-year entrants take four PE&W courses for eight points and meet the swim rule.

Can a major class count toward a GIR?

Yes, when the subject has the right tag and the degree rules allow it. A major can include one to six subjects that also meet GIRs. The catalog says most use about three.

Are first-year students admitted to a major?

No. MIT says first-year students start undeclared. Most choose in the spring of year one. Students who need longer must choose by the end of year two.

Is MIT only a good fit for students who love every science?

No one needs to love every rule. The real question is whether you accept MIT's idea of a degree. Each graduate should share a base in math and science. Each should study people and art, write within a field, and do serious project or lab work.

The decision rule

MIT is a strong fit if you want deep technical work within a shared core. Choice exists, but the lines are clear. You will focus. You will also take classes your major would not have picked for you.

Read the current GIR page beside the chart for one possible major. Mark the overlap and the courses that add breadth. Note where each CI class lands. If that plan looks good before you put the MIT name on top, the fit is real.