Advanced Manufacturing and Design Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Overview

About the program

The Advanced Manufacturing and Design program of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) provides a Launchpad for graduates to become innovative future leaders in established manufacturing firms and new entrepreneurial ventures. This approach leads to what our alumni has termed “compressed” or “formalized” experience, and gives our graduates a blend of theory and practice in that uniquely prepares them for this most demanding field.

The curriculum includes subjects in manufacturing processes and process control, factory systems and supply chains, business fundamentals and the product development process.  Several subjects include hands-on labs and most of which have significant project components.  Outside of the formal classroom there are numerous activities including interactions with industry leaders, manufacturing entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.  Finally, there is an 8-month long “Group Project in Industry”, where as part of a team, each student works with a local manufacturing company on a problem of immediate value to the company, and that will also lead to the MEng thesis. 

This synergistic combination of MIT's eminent-engineering curriculum with pragmatic time in industry enables you to graduate in just 12 months fully prepared to be both an effective and innovative leader in the field.

Graduates have already moved into a variety of careers in manufacturing that range from semiconductor process engineering, new product introduction, and factory management to supply chain design and implementation. Several graduates have struck out on their own to provide consulting services, and some have gone on to earn PhDs and become management and engineering faculty.

Early on, our industrial partners have identified our graduates as “different.” This difference is identified as outstanding team players, quick learners, and determined problem solvers. Here are specific examples of what recent graduates have achieved:

• Developing disruptive manufacturing technologies for the emerging field of soft-lithography

• Optimizing space utilization and supporting continuous improvement activities for an international logistics corporation

• Applying operations management techniques to the production of offshore oil rig platforms to problems of inventory management plant layout and workload balancing

• Designing consumer electronic products, from concept to production to market

• Coordinating a multi-billion dollar factory conversion in the semiconductor industry, and introducing rigorous planning methods for this purpose

• Serving as a sales manager for an aluminum company with customers in the auto and consumer electronics industries

• Working in teams with managers and engineers to develop a new distribution structure for a major home furnishing manufacturer

The Master of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing and Design (MEng) degree from MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering prepares you for leadership positions in the multidisciplinary profession of manufacturing and gives you the tools to grow in this dynamic field.