What you need to know

Through Restricted Electives in Science and Technology (REST) Requirement subjects, you will broaden and deepen the educational foundation in basic science begun during the first-year program and further your understanding of scientific inquiry. The MIT Bulletin contains a complete description of the REST Requirement and the subjects that have been approved to fulfill it. To make a substitution for a REST subject, you must submit a petition to the Committee on Curricula (CoC). You are strongly encouraged to submit petitions before the end of your sixth semester.

Some key points to remember:

  • The CoC rarely approves substitutions because the list of subjects that fulfill the REST Requirement is intentionally very specific, and because you are advised to complete this requirement early in your academic career.
  • The Committee will only consider a REST petition that has been approved by your advisor, the department that offers the REST subject, and the department that offers the proposed substitution.  

What you need to do

  • Download and fill out the REST Substitution Petition.
  • Have it signed by your advisor and by an officer or administrator from the department offering the REST subject.
  • Email your completed petition to the CoC at curricula@mit.edu.
  • Your petition will be considered as the Committee’s agenda permits. View the meeting schedule for the academic year.
  • You will receive notification of the Committee’s decision by email.