<p>Sakky, </p>
<p>The degree program from MIT that you noted is not what you think - it does not let you “design your own master’s degree.” The masters “without specification” simply means that the recipient did not qualify for the specifications normally offered by the department (if any). You still must be admitted to a specific department, and your advisor (from that department) still has some authority over your course of study. It has only slightly more flexibility than the usual degree, at the cost of the specificity.</p>
<p>As an example, the Architecture Department awards an M.Arch., an S.M. in Architecture Studies, an S.M. in Building Technology, and an S.M. in Visual Studies. If you graduate from the department without qualifying in one of these areas (usually as a result of dropping out of doctoral study), you get an S.M. without specification. It still lists the Architecture Department on the diploma.</p>