Family/Supporters

Welcome to the Family/Supporters page!

Exploration, preparation, and a team that understands how it all works.

MIT Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD) empowers students to think big picture about their career interests and goals, then supports them through every part of the journey, from research, resumes, and career fairs, to interviews, job offers, and salaries. Watch the CAPD Orientation to learn how our office can help your student explore careers and prepare for internships, jobs, and graduate school. Learn more about our programs and services and meet CAPD staff.


Parents and supporters are integral navigators

Parents and supporters have a special role in navigating students to resources during their time at MIT that will help as they discover their career interests and gain experience to verify that those are career paths they wish to pursue in the future. Review this video series to hear additional ways that parents and supporters can assist students in career exploration.

Freshman Orientation group of students having fun

Supporting your student during the first year at MIT

At MIT, supporters, families, and parents can help first year students explore and prepare for their future careers by connecting them to Career Advising and Professional Development (CAPD).  During the first year, we help with connecting major to career, selecting courses for those interested in prehealth, exploring career fields, and much more.  First year students come to CAPD’s first year signature  events where  content is tailored to first year students or to any of the general events and programs.

Supporting your student beyond the first year

MIT co-curricular and experiential learning provides vast opportunities to explore and discover career paths. We encourage students to start by exploring careers through our Career Exploration Series, perusing our Career Interests page, attending a Infinite Careers event featuring MIT alumni, and exploring a career path through microinterninships or career prototyping. CAPD provides shadowing, short and long term experiences in workplace settings in various fields and students have access to these opportunities through MIT’s Handshake system. Additional MIT experiential learning opportunities are available in MIT’s ELx.

Continuing to support your graduate student’s career pursuits

As a parent or supporter of a graduate student at MIT, your role continues to be important. An advanced degree often requires determination, as students are focused on their professional endeavors.  CAPD offers career advising for Master’s and PhD students. Also, Graduate Student Professional Development provides a comprehensive collection of professional development opportunities designed to help graduate students develop skills and knowledge within and beyond academe.

A hand draws a question mark on a post-it with a marker.

Parents and supporters’ questions answered by CAPD staff

Wondering how to help your student narrow down their major? Concerned that your student’s lack of internship experience due to the pandemic may impact their chances of getting a job? Want to know what happens if your student gets a job before they find out about graduate school acceptance?

If you have questions about supporting your student, let us know. CAPD experts will be answering family and supporters’ general questions throughout the year, so submit your questions.

How to Help MIT Students, Postdocs, and Recent Alumni Gain Experience

CAPD has compiled the following ways that alumni, parents, and employers can partner with campus organizations and programs at MIT to help support undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and recent alumni.

Post Opportunities in Handshake:

If your organization has a …

By Meredith Pepin
Meredith Pepin Associate Director, Career Advising & Education
Read more »

QS ranks MIT the world’s No. 1 university for 2023-24

Ranking at the top for the 12th year in a row, the Institute also places first in 11 subject areas.

Read more at: https://news.mit.edu/2023/qs-ranks-mit-1-university-23-24-0627

By MIT News
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Thirteen from MIT win 2023 Fulbright fellowships

Julia Mongo | Office of Distinguished Fellowships
Published by MIT News on May 15, 2023

Thirteen MIT undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni have been awarded Fulbright fellowships and will embark on projects overseas in the 2023-24 grant year. Four other MIT affiliates were …

By Julia Mongo
Julia Mongo Staff Writer and Advisor
Read more »

MIT junior Anushree Chaudhuri named 2023 Udall Scholar

Office of Distinguished Fellowships
Published by MIT News on May 22, 2023

MIT junior Anushree Chaudhuri has been selected as a 2023 Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation Scholar. She is only the second MIT student to win this …

By Julia Mongo
Julia Mongo Staff Writer and Advisor
Read more »

Three from MIT named 2023 Knight-Hennessy Scholars

Julia Mongo | Office of Distinguished Fellowships
Published by MIT News on May 9, 2023

MIT senior Pam Stark and alumni Bhav Jain and Sreya Vangara are recipients of this year’s Knight-Hennessy Scholarship awards. The fellowship funds graduate studies for up to three …

By Julia Mongo
Julia Mongo Staff Writer and Advisor
Read more »

Featured Resources

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Hire a MIT micro-intern

Members of the CAPD staff shared information with parents and supporters during Campus Preview Weekend on March 31, 2023.

You …

Parentaly provides free resources and tools for expecting employees, working parents and HR leaders to help navigate the parental leave …

CAPD Podcast Playlist: MIT Stories

Check out this ever-expanding playlist of podcasts to hear about MIT alumni on their careers and lives.