To: Course 6 students in the earlier curriculum (current seniors, juniors, and many sophomores)
From: Prof. Eric Grimson, Head, EECS
Subject: Plans for 6.170 and 6.005 --- important!

July, 2008

I'm writing to update you on plans for 6.170 (Laboratory in Software Engineering) and the new subject 6.005 (Principles of Software Development). Since this deals with changes in degree requirements, please read carefully.

6.005 was introduced as a "Foundation" software subject in the new curriculum. It will be followed by other software-intensive subjects that will be developed in coming terms and that will draw on 6.005 as a prerequisite. Some of these, and I'll refer to them here by 6.17x, will be ones that will satisfy the department laboratory requirement in the new 6-3 program. Others will be senior-level advanced undergraduate subjects. All of them are expected to be 12 units, rather than the 15 that 6.170 presently carries. They won't all be offered each term, of course.

We already have plans for a particular 6.17x subject (with the temporary number 6.197), focused on parallel programming, to be offered this coming fall. In the transition period, while there are students in the old curriculum still in process, most 6.17x subjects will almost certainly accept 6.001 as a satisfactory alternative to the 6.005 prerequisite.

To manage the transition from the earlier curriculum to the new one, giving current students the opportunity to participate in the new subjects and progressively adjusting the department's teaching resources as needed, we will be implementing the following changes:

1) Students in the earlier curriculum who have not already taken 6.170 will receive 6.170 credit for taking 6.005 (without the 3-unit add-on that has been mentioned in earlier descriptions of the transition plan). This will apply to such students taking 6.005 this term, as well as in future terms. Though students will get 12 units rather than 15, that will suffice towards meeting degree requirements (recall that the earlier curriculum required 6.170 only for 6-3 students; others could do a 12-unit lab).

2) 6.170 will not be offered again. We will continue the development of 6.17x subjects. Students wishing to focus on software development may wish to pursue such advanced subjects in this area, some of which already exist, and some of which are under development.

3) As we move forward with the new curriculum, we are also working to inform companies, peer universities and alumni of the various changes taking place, to help them adjust and know what to expect.

Eric Grimson
Bernard Gordon Professor of Medical Engineering, EECS, MIT Head, EECS, MIT