A comprehensive evaluation of the MIT Bachelor of Science in Art and Design program

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to conduct a survey that would determine the source of MIT Department of Architecture undergraduate dissatisfaction with the Bachelor of Science in Art and Design (BSAD) degree program. It was the hope of the author that this investigation would lead to a well informed proposal for improvements to be made to the overall curriculum and to the undergraduate experience. In order to develop a thorough proposal for changes to the program, the specific expectations and frustrations of the BSAD undergraduates needed to be learned. It was determined that the best way to do so was to distribute a survey via e-mail to both current students of the Department of Architecture, as well as to-recent alumni. This survey would elicit information from those polled that would be used towards the development of a proposal for improvements to the undergraduate program. Of the 96 BSAD alumni and 63 registered Course 4 undergraduates polled, 28 responded to the evaluation, a response rate of 18%. This response produced some 100 pages worth of vital and telling information with regards to which classes students found most and least enjoyable, most and least significant, most disappointing, or most needed. They also shared a number of comments with regards to the Department of Architecture in general. Many of the opinions expressed via the survey results differed greatly from one another, thus making it impossible to propose an easy fix-all for the program. Nonetheless, the information shared was very helpful towards the formation of a comprehensive series of suggestions for improvement to the undergraduate BSAD experience at MIT.