To apply for the System Design and Management Master of Science degree in engineering and management, please register as an applicant and complete the online application. For information on applying for the Graduate Certificate in Systems and Product Design, visit this page.
The application for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle will open in September of 2024.
Deadlines and Important Dates
| Deadlines | Dates |
|---|---|
| First application deadline | December 13, 2024* |
| Recommendation letters due for round one | December 20, 2024 |
| Admission decisions sent (first deadline) | March 7, 2025 |
| Second application deadline | February 28, 2025 |
| Recommendation letters due for round two | March 7, 2025 |
| Admission decisions sent (second deadline) | May 9, 2025 |
* International citizens are advised to apply by this date to allow adequate time for visa processing if admitted.
Before You Apply
Each year, SDM enrolls 50 to 55 high-potential, mid-career professionals who represent diverse academic and professional backgrounds. These individuals share two common goals: they want to be systems thinkers and they want to lead.
Successful SDM candidates also demonstrate:
- Strong leadership potential
- Systems thinking capability
- A propensity to excel in complex engineering and management situations
Candidate Qualifications
To qualify for the SDM master’s program, candidates must either:
- Hold a B.S. degree in engineering, science, or technology, and have five or more years of professional technical experience with increasing responsibility; or
- Hold an M.S. degree in engineering, science, or technology, and have three or more years of professional experience in a technical field, including some leadership experience.
You may apply while working towards the minimum amount of experience required. For example, an applicant who has a B.S. and four and a half years of work experience may apply, as long as they have completed five years of experience by the time they begin the program.
In addition, candidates should have experience contributing to a product or system development initiative and working with or leading groups.
Application Requirements
Electronic copies of official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you have received a degree(s) or performed graduate work must be uploaded using our online application form. Uploads may be in the form of a single- or multi-page PDF, or individual JPEG or TIFF image files.
Transcripts must be in English. Transcripts from international (non-US) institutions must be in English and certified.
The fee for applying to SDM is $90, payable by credit card online when you apply. You will be prompted for payment information after submitting your application.
Waivers for admissions fees are handled by the Office of Graduate Education. Please visit the OGE website to access the fee waiver form and find more information on the waiver process.
Three letters of recommendation (with the option of one additional letter submission) must be supplied with your application. During the online application process, you will be asked to provide contact information for your recommenders and may choose for them to submit their recommendations electronically.
Recommendations should be completed by individuals who can comment with some certainty about your intellectual and professional achievements and leadership potential. If possible, one recommendation should be completed by an academic source if you have attended a university within the last five years.
We do not accept recommendations from family members.
Standardized test scores such as the GMAT or GRE are recommended but not required for application to the program. Applications submitted without test scores will be reviewed holistically and without negative inferences. SDM does not have minimum required GMAT or GRE scores for admission. We do have minimum acceptable scores for English proficiency exams; please see the section further down the page for more information.
Additionally, applicants are welcome to submit other pieces of evidence, such as expired test scores (GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS), which may assist the Admissions Committee in its evaluation process.
We will accept self-reported test scores by the application deadline, and welcome either traditional or online version of exams.
Test codes for the SDM program*:
- GMAT: X5X-QS-04 MIT Sloan School of Management-System Design and Management
- GRE: 3537-MASSACHUSETTS INST TECH SYS DE – Grad
If you are taking the GMAT/GRE after submitting your application, please provide the test date. We accept both the GMAT and GRE test results and have no preference for one over the other.
*Note: SDM’s test codes are different from MIT’s. Please be sure to submit the correct codes to ensure we receive your scores.
All finalists for admission to the System Design & Management (SDM) program are required to attend an on-campus or video/virtual interview prior to receiving a final decision. These applicants will be contacted directly by the SDM Admissions Office.
The online application will additionally require you to submit a resume, a statement of objectives, and a leadership essay. You should have these ready at the time of completing the application.
The statement of objectives is a brief essay that asks why you are applying to graduate school and why you are applying to the SDM program. The leadership essay asks you to provide an example of your leadership experience.
Information for International Applicants
Non-native English speakers applying to the master’s program are required to demonstrate proficiency in English if they have not obtained a post-secondary degree at an English language institution. SDM requires the submission of scores on the Cambridge English, IELTS or TOEFL exam.
The Cambridge English Qualifications are English language proficiency exams. We accept the C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency assessments, which measure a student’s English language abilities for graduate studies and competitive professional environments. We expect a CEFR score of 185 or better, and it must be less than 5 years old.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic exam measures the ability to communicate in English across all four language skills — listening, reading, writing, and speaking — for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication.
We expect an IELTS score of 7.5 or better, and it must be less than 2 years old. No code is required; select “MIT Graduate Admissions” as the reporting option.
The TOEFL exam measures the ability of non-native English speakers to use and understand the English language.
We expect a TOEFL score of 90 or better, and it must be less than 2 years old. The program code for SDM is 3514 MIT/SDM.
Reapplying to SDM
Those reapplying to the program need to submit the following:
- New SDM online application
- $90 application fee
- Updated statement of objectives
- Updated resume
- One new letter of recommendation
All other information will be carried over from your previous application, including GRE or GMAT scores if they are still valid. You may also submit new scores if you have retaken the test since submitting your last application.
Questions and Concerns
We are here to support you. If you have any questions, please contact the admissions staff at sdm@mit.edu.
This page last updated on August 30, 2024.