Impact: Making a Better World
 


 

Discover how MIT's social sciences, arts, and humanities fields make a better world possible through innovative research, teaching, and collaboration.


Stories on Basic Research

Making a Just Society

Computing and Artificial Intelligence

Health of the Planet

Human Health


21st Century Citizenship

The Human Factor

Innovation | Social Innovation | Arts Innovation

MIT Core


Teaching and Learning

Pandemic Resources



Visit TOUR de SHASS for an online tour
of the School's thirteen world-class disciplines.



Join us in making a better world. 

MIT Campaign for a Better World


Basic Research

 


 

Health of the Planet


Human Health

 


 

 


 

21st Century Citizenship


Computing and AI


Innovation


Social Innovation


Arts Innovation


Teaching and Learning


Core


The Human Factor


 

Making a Better World 

MIT's humanities, social science, and arts disciplines contribute to meeting the great challenges of our era through research, teaching, and collaboration. 


Research and Discovery 

Basic research is the lifeblood of a great academic institution, and research is also the engine for the School's capacity to effect positive change around the globe. To name a few areas of impact, MIT's SHASS research helps alleviate poverty; safeguard elections; steer economies; understand the past and present; assess the impact of new technologies; understand human language; create new forms at the juncture of art and science; and inform policy and cultural mores on a wide spectrum of issues including justice, healthcare, energy, climate, education, work and manufacturing, inclusion, and economic equity.


Teaching 

By empowering MIT students with political, economic, cultural, and historical perspectives, as well as skills in critical thinking, languages, and communication, MIT SHASS increases the capacity of every MIT graduate to serve the world well — with innovations and wisdom — across the broad range of humanity's challenges.


Collaboration

Because the great civilizational challenges of our time are all embedded in the cultural, economic, and political realities of the human world, "meaningful solutions," as MIT President Reif has said, "must reflect the wisdom of these domains." Ingenious and productive collaboration between science, technology, social science, arts, and humanities fields is one of the keys to solving the world's great issues. The best approaches start with a mutual framing of questions from the outset. For more on the significance of such collaboration see comments from the journal Nature.


Communication

In addition to MIT undergraduate courses in the communication skills needed for success in all fields, MIT-SHASS educates science journalists in two programs: the graduate program in Science Writing, and the Knight Science Journalism program. We also share the School's ideas and research through SHASS Communications, located in the Office of the Dean. 

 

Join us in making a better world. 

MIT Campaign for a Better World