The Institute Communication Requirement
for Course VI Undergraduates

July 2007

Communication-Intensive (CI-M) Classes in the Major

Background

All undergraduates are required to complete a multi-phase communication requirement which requires that four classes be completed, usually one in each academic year. The first two years' classes (CI-H) are taken from among designated classes within the HASS requirement. The third and fourth classes (CI-M) must be taken from among designated CI-M classes within the student's major program or department. The CI-M classes taken satisfy the major program requirements as well as CI-M and their units count as units beyond the GIRs..

Course VI Communication-Intensive (CI-M) Classes

One CI-M class in the student's declared major must be taken by the end of the student's third academic year and a second CI-M class must be taken by the time the student graduates. Course VI students must take at least one CI-M class in the third year and one in the fourth year. Taking both by the end of the third year is permitted, however, when appropriate. Students are not restricted to taking only two CI-M classes.

Failure to complete a CI-M class in the major by the end of the third year will result in an academic warning including a strict credit limit from the Institute Committee on Academic Performance. No student will receive a degree without satisfying this requirement completely. Unlike the old Writing Requirement, there is no option of submitting papers from other subjects.

MEng students who choose to receive their bachelors degree at the end of the fifth year (or later) may delay their final CI-M class until their fifth year, but must complete the first CI-M by the end of their third year. Those who do wish to receive their bachelors degree at the end of their fourth year must however complete their final CI-M class by the end of the fourth year.

CI-M classes must be taken from among the CI-M classes offered by the student's department, and may NOT be CI-M classes offered in other departments. Exceptions to this rule, must be approved by the MIT Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement (SOCR) as well as by the department.

Students pursuing two undergraduate degrees must generally complete two CI-M classes in each department for a total of four CI-M classes, except by petition.

Petitioning for Exceptions

If a student has a well-thought-out academic plan which honors the intent of the Communication Requirement but fails to meet the letter of its requirements, he/she may petition SOCR, with the support of his/her academic advisor and department. Such petitions will not always be approved.

The following are the Course VI THIRD YEAR CI-M classes:

Subject	Term(s) offered	Department requirement subject satisfies
6.021	Fall term only	EC header or elective
6.033	Spring term only	EC header or elective
6.101	Fall term only	Department or Institute Lab
6.111	Fall and Spring	Department or Institute Lab
6.115	Spring term only	Department or Institute Lab
6.121	Spring term only	Department or Institute Lab
6.131	Fall term only	Department or Institue Lab
6.152	Fall and Spring	Department (not Institute) Lab or EC Elective
6.161	Fall term only	Department or Institute Lab
6.182	Spring term only	Department or Institute Lab
6.805	Fall term only	EC elective

ALL Course VI undergraduates subject to the Communication Requirement MUST take one of these subjects in the third year. Taking two or more of these courses does not satisfy the full CI-M requirement.

The Fourth Year CI-M Requirement

The fourth year CI-M requirement must be satisfied by taking the 6.UAT and 6.UAP sequence. 6.UAT focuses on written and oral communcation of technical material. M.Eng. students may use the M.Eng. Thesis Proposal while bachelors-only students use the Undergraduate Advanced Project as the basis on which communication experience is developed. VI-A students may use a project from a VI-A company assignment as the basis for 6.UAT and 6.UAP.

Seniors Planning to MEng: Seniors pursuing the MEng degree should generally register for 6.UAT in the Fall Term of their fourth year. The preparation of a preliminary M.Eng. Thesis Proposal serves as the basis for a series of oral and written communication experiences. M.Eng. seniors must subsequently register for 6.UAP and submit an approved M.Eng. Thesis Proposal. Note that the proposal must be graded by the thesis supervisor and that grade will be the final grade in 6.UAP. Students must pass both 6.UAT and 6.UAP to satisfy the Undergraduate Advanced Project and the fourth year CI-M requirement, both of which are required for graduation. While students doing the M.Eng. are strongly encouraged to develop an M.Eng. thesis, they may use an Advanced Project if it is more appropriate. They must still complete an M.Eng. Thesis proposal as part of the M.Eng. thesis project.

Seniors Completing the Bachelors Only: Students completing the S.B. degree and not continuing for the M.Eng. will use an Undergraduate Advanced Project as the basis for oral and written communication exercises in the 6 unit subject 6.UAT, followed by the 6 unit subject 6.UAP. VI-A students may use a company assignment (6.921, 6.922 or 6.923) as the basis for oral and written communication exercises in 6.UAT and a final report submitted while taking 6.UAP. 6.UAT is a strict prerequisite for 6.UAP, and letter grades will be assigned for both subjects. The CI-M requirement and the UAP requirement will be satisfied only when both 6.UAT and 6.UAP have been successfully completed.

Subject Descriptions:

6.UAT Preparation for Undergraduate Advanced Project
Prereq: --
U (Fall, Spring)
3-0-3
https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.UAT/main.php

Effective communication is extremely important in a highly technical environment. Students are exposed to model technical speakers; taught the basics of good communication; introduced to various industry skills; and given ample opportunities to present technical material in both written and oral forms to a range of audience types. This course is designed to be interactive and highly practical. Additionally, each student must identify a project that is suitable for UAP or M.Eng. thesis level work -- 6.UAT provides some guidance at the start of the semester for how to find this project, but it is to the student's advantage to find this project before the semester starts, as this project is used as a basis for two term assignments: a final oral presentation and a final written mini-proposal.

Upon completion of the course, students will have learned how to:

* propose and define research problems and think about solutions
* critically evaluate technical presentations
* architect technical presentations
* present technical material in oral and written forms to different audiences at different levels of detail
* give and receive constructive feedback
* communicate more effectively in a corporate setting

6.UAP Undergraduate Advanced Project
Prereq: 6.UAT
U (Fall, Spring)
0-6-0
http://www.eecs.mit.edu/ug/uap.html

Research project for those students completing the SB degree; to be arranged by the student and an appropriate MIT faculty member. Students complete a project and write a final report. Students who register for this subject must consult the Department Undergraduate Office.

A.C. Smith
___________________________________________________________________________

Petitions to have other classes count as CI-M classes must be approved by the Department and SOCR.

For general information about the Communication Requirements, see http://web.mit.edu/commreq.

Students and advisors with questions about the department's CI-M policies may consult the Course VI Undergraduate Office, ug@eecs.mit.edu.

July 2007

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