The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is considered one of the foremost universities in the world. Its engineering and business programs are widely accepted as the gold standard. MIT alumni can be found at the forefront of industry and academia throughout the world, and, likewise, new MIT graduates enjoy high demand from employers. MIT rates at the very top of the college rankings and has received numerous honors. Most notably, it has among its past and current community more than 70 Nobel laureates.
Since its founding in 1865, its guiding principles have been combining student education with basic research. This continues to be MIT's primary purpose. It consists of six schools: Architecture and Planning, Engineering Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Management, Science, and the College of Health Sciences and Technology.
An MIT education prepares students through an integrated educational program composed of academics, research, and community. Academics establish a place for the rigorous study of the fundamentals of science, engineering, and social science. Participation in research provides a foundation for professional competence and opportunities for learning by doing. Community interaction enables students to become familiar with their responsibilities and hone their leadership and communication skills. Although each of the three components forms a distinct area of a student's education, the contribution of each reinforces and adds to that of the others.
Men's sports at MIT include baseball, basketball, rowing, fencing, football, lacrosse, rifle, sailing, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo. Women's sports include basketball, rowing, cross-country, fencing, field hockey, lacrosse, rifle, sailing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
The MIT campus is embedded in the Cambridge landscape. Its 154-acre campus extends for more than a mile along the Cambridge side of the Charles River Basin, facing historic Beacon Hill and the central sections of Boston. The extensive athletic facilities and playing fields are an integral part of the campus, as are the recreational buildings, dormitories, and dining halls. This arrangement contributes greatly to the sense of unity and community involvement that characterizes the institute.