How does undergraduate teaching compare at MIT and Harvey Mudd?

For an undergraduate who wants very small classes, frequent direct contact with faculty, and a tightly knit residential academic community, Harvey Mudd is likely to feel more teaching-centered. Its undergraduate-only focus, small enrollment, and emphasis on a broad common curriculum mean professors are highly visible in students’ day-to-day academic lives. MIT offers excellent undergraduate instruction and substantial access to leading faculty, but its scale and research intensity make the experience less uniformly personal.

Harvey Mudd suits students who want professors to know them well across several years, who are comfortable with an intensive STEM workload, and who value discussion-based or collaborative classes with a small cohort. The college’s engineering and computing programs are built within the Claremont Colleges, so students get close faculty attention while also taking courses and joining communities across the wider consortium. The tradeoff is a narrower campus and course environment than MIT’s.

MIT fits students who want extraordinary depth and choice in engineering, computer science, labs, and advanced technical subjects. Introductory STEM courses can be large, particularly in foundational subjects, and teaching may involve lecturers, recitations, and teaching assistants alongside professors. As students move into upper-level classes, research groups, design teams, and specialized electives, faculty contact can become much more direct. MIT students who actively use office hours, advising, and smaller departmental settings can receive strong mentorship, but they need to take more initiative to build it.