harvard university admission requirements for phd

• Harvard Business School →
• Doctoral Programs →

Admissions & Financial Support

Application requirements.

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Outreach Events
• Tuition & Financial Support
• Application Requirements →

Admissions & Financial Support

Interested in applying to one of our fully funded PhD Programs? Before you begin, learn more about our application requirements. Please note that applicants are only required to possess a bachelors degree. Undergraduate applicants in their senior year are welcome to apply

We realize that the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, recent natural disasters, and other extenuating circumstances may have significant impacts on applicants’ academic and personal lives, including the ability to provide all required application materials prior to our stated deadlines. If this pertains to your circumstances, please review the information below for next steps.

Required Application Materials

• Completed online application form
• Statement of Purpose
• Personal Statement
• Transcripts for all college/university degrees and courses Self-reported transcripts are accepted for both all programs at the application stage. Applicants must upload copies of his/her transcripts to the online application system. Hard copy transcripts will only be required if admitted to a program, prior to enrollment.
• Current GMAT or GRE scores (see details below)
• TOEFL or IELTS scores (non-native English speakers see details below)
• Three letters of recommendation (at least one from an academic source). Recommendation letters must be submitted online through the online application system. Hard copy recommendation letters will not be accepted.
• $105 application fee via credit card
• Optional writing sample (no more than 10 pages)

GMAT & GRE

All applicants are required to take either the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Submitted test scores are valid for no longer than five years. If you are applying for admission for fall 2024, you may submit scores from tests taken no earlier than January 5, 2019. There is no minimum test score requirement, and admissions committee does not have a preference in tests.

• Institution Codes for PhD Programs
• GMAT: HRL-X8-30

A department code is not required for score submission.

We realize that the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, recent natural disasters, and other extenuating circumstances may have significant impacts on applicants’ academic and personal lives, including the ability to provide all required application materials prior to our stated deadlines. If you are unable to take the GRE or GMAT before the deadline, we still encourage you to apply, even if your scores are missing. Our application form includes a section for you to let us know about any of your materials that may be unavailable or delayed.

International Applications

Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Applicants whose native language is other than English and who do not hold a Bachelor degree or its equivalent from an institution at which English is the language of instruction must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Submitted scores are valid for no longer than two years. If you are applying for admission for fall 2024, you may submit scores from tests taken no earlier than January 5, 2022. The committee prefers scores of at least 100 on the the TOEFL internet-based test and at least 7.5 on the IELTS test. Applicants are strongly encouraged to choose the TOEFL internet-based test when possible.

Institution Codes for Toefl score reports PhD programs: 3451

Instructions for submitting IELTS score reports Designate Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as a recipient of your test results. Our address, for the record only, to identify us in the IELTS system, is 1350 Massachusetts Ave. Smith Campus Center 350, Cambridge, MA 02138. Paper test report forms will not be accepted at this address.

Accomodations for COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, or other extenuating circumstances

Reapplicants.

Applicants who applied last year are considered reapplicants. Those reapplying must submit a completely new application. The new application must include all required documents to be provided by the applicant - we will not re-use material previously submitted. These materials include an updated statement of purpose, transcripts, test score reports, updated letters of recommendation, the application fee, and any other supporting materials

Please note, Harvard University will accept no more than three applications from any one individual over the course of their lifetime. If your 2023 application is incomplete and you are denied admission, GSAS will not count it toward our lifetime limit of three total applications that an individual may submit due to the global pandemic.

APPLY FOR A PROGRAM

• Utility Menu

Apply   |   Contact Us   |   Carol Davis Fund   Anonymous Feedback to the Physics Chair

Graduate admissions and financial aid.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! Physics GRE scores and General GRE scores will remain optional for the upcoming admissions cycle with application deadline December 15, 2023.

The admission committee looks for indications that an applicant will be successful. No single factor will either lead to our accepting an applicant or deciding against offering admission.  The admissions review considers the applicant’s academic performance to date, potential for contribution to research, and persistence in and commitment to educational success.  In most cases the Physics GRE, if provided, will be given little weight in the process.  However, the Physics GRE may contain information that is complementary to what is found elsewhere in the application; in these cases it can help in the admissions process.  We recommend that international students and students who believe that their transcripts do not accurately reflect their underlying academic strengths give serious consideration to submitting a Physics GRE score.

The only specific requirements for admission are those stipulated by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences . In addition, prospective students should be well-versed in intermediate physics and mathematics. Typically, applicants will have devoted between 50 and 60 credit hours - approximately half of their undergraduate work - to physics, mathematics, and chemistry. It is desirable for every applicant to have completed at least one year of introductory quantum mechanics classes.

A prospective student who has a marked interest in a particular branch of physics should include this information on the admission application form. Every applicant should indicate whether he or she is inclined toward experimental or theoretical (mathematical) research. This statement of preference will not be treated as a commitment to any course of study and research.

The application will be available in September at www.gsas.harvard.edu .

Please click here for answers to frequently asked questions about applying to the graduate physics program.

Financial Aid

The Department's compensation package ensures that all students, whatever the stage of their graduate studies, receive at least a minimum gross (taxable) stipend for living expenses. This stipend is adjusted each year to help meet increases in the cost of living, within the limitations of available funds. The support covers tuition and fees, which include full cost of medical insurance and access to Harvard University Health Services, as well as support for professional travel.

Should a student have another fellowship offer, it will be integrated into the financial package. An external fellowship will benefit both the student and the department, as it may reduce teaching responsibilities, provide more flexibility in choosing a research field, and release departmental or research funds to support other students. If the fellowship provides fewer resources than the minimum stipend offered by the department, the Department will provide a supplement. For example, National Science Foundation fellowships provide a living allowance and partial support for tuition and fees, and the Department provides the additional funds necessary to meet the Department's minimum stipend requirements and to pay the remainder of tuition and other expenses. Alternatively, some fellowships (e.g., the Hertz) provide substantially larger stipends than the Department's minimum, in which case we simply rejoice in the recipient's good fortune.

Research assistantships are the second main source of support for graduate students. During the first year, students will have the opportunity to explore informally the activities of the department's various research groups. At the start of their second year, most students will be offered one or more opportunities to enter into formal relationships with a research group as research assistants. A limited number of Summer School teaching positions will also be available for those who do not immediately secure a research position.

Teaching fellowships, the third major course of support, usually involve supervision of undergraduate discussion sections or laboratory sessions, grading of examinations and problem sets, and similar duties. These duties vary with course level and instructor, but typically require about 20 hours of work per week, including lecture attendance and preparation. Because of the importance of teaching skills for a successful physics career, one semester of teaching is required of all physics students in the first five years of graduate study. This experience will help students develop the communication skills that are vital for careers in both academia and in industry.

• GRADUATE STUDIES
• Admissions & Financial Aid
• Admissions FAQs
• Advising Team
• Advising Portal (Graduate)
• Course Requirements
• Other PhD Tracks
• Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• GSAS Student Council
• PhD Thesis Help
• Tax Information

Get started with your application to the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS)

• Dissertation
• Fellowships
• Maximizing Your Degree
• Before You Arrive
• First Weeks at Harvard
• Harvard Speak
• Pre-Arrival Resources for New International Students
• Alumni Council
• Student Engagement
• Applying to Degree Programs
• Applying to the Visiting Students Program
• Admissions Policies
• Cost of Attendance
• Express Interest
• Commencement
• Diversity & Inclusion Fellows
• Student Affinity Groups
• Recruitment and Outreach
• Find Your Financial Aid Officer
• Funding and Aid
• Financial Wellness
• Consumer Information
• Life Sciences
• Policies (Student Handbook)
• Student Center
• Title IX and Gender Equity

Welcome! 

Applications to degree programs for the 2024-2025 academic year are now closed. 

Click here to Access the Applicant Portal

We’re delighted that you are interested in pursuing academic studies at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). Whether you intend to study toward a master’s or PhD degree, join a visiting students program, or participate in one of our outreach programs, we are looking forward to reviewing your application. For information about tuition and fees, see the Cost of Attendance section.

Harvard does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job or course of study requirements, and we actively seek applicants from historically underrepresented communities. We hope you’ll consider applying. 

Immigration status does not factor into decisions about admissions and financial aid. For more information, see Undocumented at Harvard . 

Information for:

Exchange Scholars  

Get Started 

Step 1: choose a program. .

You have several options for study at Harvard Griffin GSAS. 

Degree Programs 

The school offers master’s and PhD degrees in programs based in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering and applied sciences. Many programs also allow a student to conduct more focused research by choosing an area of study. Review the programs on offer to decide which program best meets your academic goals. 

Are you a Harvard student looking for information on the AB/AM and AB/SM programs? Visit the Harvard AB/AM and AB/SM programs page.

Non-Degree Programs 

The Visiting Students Program offers you the opportunity to take classes and conduct research with faculty. 

Outreach Programs 

If you are looking for a short-term research experience, consider a paid summer internship  organized by Harvard Griffin GSAS, Harvard departments, and Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals. The School also offers the  Research Scholar Initiative , a post-baccalaureate program that enables college graduates to take part in a long-term research experience. 

Step 2: Make a note of the application deadline and review admissions policies.

Application deadlines vary by program and are noted on the relevant program page . You should also review our admissions policies .

Step 3: Determine whether you need to take standardized tests and register early. 

Degree programs may require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test or subject test scores. Applicants who are non-native English speakers may be required to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting scores from an English Language test (TOEFL or IELTS). Review the admissions policy on English proficiency for more information.  

Step 4: Complete your application by the deadline. 

The degree program application becomes available in September. You should review Completing Your Application before starting your application. All components of the application to a degree program are due by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the deadline date.

Applications for the Visiting Students Program are accepted twice a year.

For application information about our Outreach Programs , visit your program page of interest.  

Who should I contact if I have a question about a specific program? 

If you still have questions after carefully reviewing your degree program of interest, reach out to the contact noted on the program’s page. 

Can I enroll in courses instead of applying to a degree program? 

If you are interested in taking courses for academic credit outside of a formal degree program, you may apply for Visiting Student status by the appropriate deadline. Please visit the website or contact [email protected] to learn more. 

Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) Applicants 

While prospective degree program applicants are encouraged to carefully choose the HILS program that best fits their academic goals, interested applicants may apply to up to three programs and pay only one application fee. If you elect to apply to three programs, only two may be programs in the Department of Medical Sciences (these programs are biomedical informatics, biological and biomedical sciences, immunology, neuroscience, speech and hearing bioscience and technology, and virology). The fee waiver for additional applications is ONLY available for those applying to multiple programs in the HILS federation. For more information, please consult the HILS page . See Completing Your Application for information about fee waivers related to financial hardship. 

Share this page

Explore events.

• Utility Menu

• Program Requirements: Ph.D.

Below is an overview of degree requirements for the PhD in History of Science. The requirements may also be found in the History of Science section of the GSAS Policies web site.

Current students may also consult the HoS Graduate Program Canvas Site for information and resources.

Advising and Progress

For more information on advising expectations, please see the History of Science PhD Program Advising Best Practices Document .

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) serves as the primary advisor to all first-year PhD students. In addition first-year students are also strongly encouraged to seek guidance about their academic and course plans from other faculty whose research interests correspond to their own. Students are encouraged to take courses with faculty they might ask to serve on their General Examination committee.

During the second year, students are jointly advised by the DGS and the chair of the student’s General Exam Committee.

First and second-year students meet with the DGS at the start of each semester for the first two years to discuss their plan of study. Students also meet with the graduate program coordinator at the beginning of each semester, submitting a completed  History of Science Department PhD Degree Requirements Worksheet.  This is to ensure that students are fulfilling the necessary requirements.

The formal advisor during the third year is the Chair of the student’s Prospectus Committee. Upon acceptance of the Prospectus, the chair of the Dissertation Committee becomes the student’s primary advisor.

Starting in the G3 year, students and advisors both complete an annual progress report (due in April) and meet to discuss progress and academic plans. ( This form is available on the HoS Graduate Program website .) All students’ progress is reviewed each year by the department at a May faculty meeting in which a determination is made of students’ qualification for continuing graduate work in light of both departmental and GSAS requirements.

The DGS and the Department Chair are always available to provide support and advice at any stage of the graduate program. Students are encouraged to seek help from either of these individuals if any part of the advising process seems not to be working as it should.

For more information about advising procedures and resources, see the HoS Advising Timeline and the HoS Advising Best Practices documents available on the HoS Graduate Program website.

First and Second Year of Graduate Study

Students must be in residence for minimum of two years of full-time study. While in residence, students are expected to attend the department seminar.

Coursework and Research Papers

Course Requirements

Sixteen four-credit courses or the equivalent, plus a two-credit course, Colloquium on Teaching Practices, normally taken in the fall of the G3 year, including:

• Two seminars: Historiography in History of Science (HISTSCI 303A) and Research Methods in the History of Science (HISTSCI 303B)
• Four must be offered by DHS.
• At least one must focus substantially on pre-1800 topics and one must focus substantially on post-1800 topics. (See the DHS Graduate Student Program Website for more details.)
• One must be taken outside DHS.
• Eight electives, of which up to five may be graduate-level reading courses in the history of science or other divisions, departments, or committees
• The Colloquium on Teaching Practices (two credits) taken in the first year of employment as a Teaching Fellow (normally the G3 year)

Note: The four graduate seminars in DHS may include courses taught in other departments by faculty in the Department of the History of Science, courses cross-listed as HISTSCI, and graduate courses in Science, Technology, and Society offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . (A maximum of three courses may be taken at MIT). All other courses count as outside the department. Graduate reading courses or independent studies do not fulfill the graduate seminar requirement.

Note: The department does not accept transfer credits. However, students who matriculate into the doctoral program after receiving an AM degree in History of Science or who take graduate courses as Special Students in the department are eligible to transfer up to eight four-unit courses.

Research Papers

In the first two years of graduate study, students must write two research papers, at least one for a departmental course. Papers must be between 7500 and 10,500 words (exclusive of notes and bibliography); each must earn a grade of at least A-. At least one must display serious engagement with archival or other primary sources (which may include printed and/or digital materials and objects); the other may be based on fieldwork observation (e.g., ethnographic, participant-observer) or involve media production (e.g., interactive web, audio, video/photographic, museum exhibition).

One of these essays may be an independent work not connected to a course, but it is expected that the essay will have been substantially written and researched during the course of enrollment in the PhD Program. In this case, the DGS will designate a faculty member to grade the essay.

The first paper should be submitted by 1 June of the G1 year to the Graduate Program Coordinator, CC’ing the course instructor. Ordinarily this essay is written in the context of the required Research Methods course.

The second paper should be submitted by 1 April of the G2 year to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Ordinarily this is written in the context of a departmental or external graduate seminar.

By the end of first semester of the G2 year, one of these papers should be shared and discussed with one of the student’s advisor (normally the Chair of the student’s General Exam Committee).

Grades and Assessment

Eight four-credit courses must be passed at a grade level of B or above in the first year of study.

The grade of Incomplete (INC) is given in extraordinary circumstances. The decision to give an Incomplete is at the discretion of each faculty member. Students with more than one INC on their record at the end of a semester will receive a letter of warning from the department and are at risk of being placed into “unsatisfactory status.”

GSAS policy requires that academic work must be completed, and the grade converted to a letter grade before the end of the next registration period (for example coursework for an incomplete received in the fall of 2022 must be completed before the first day of registration for the fall of 2023). A petition for an extension of time for incomplete work signed by the course instructor and director of graduate studies must be submitted to the GSAS Dean of Student Affairs Office for any course work completed after the end of the next registration period.

All courses must be graded before a student is permitted to teach. Students with outstanding course requirements (excluding the Teaching Colloquium normally taken in G3 year) are not permitted to sit for the general examination.

Language Requirement

All students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one language other than English upon submission of the dissertation prospectus in November of the G3 year (see below). The language(s) in question should reflect students’ research interests and ordinarily will be agreed on in consultation with the DGS and intended dissertation director at the beginning of the first year of graduate study; the list may be revised as necessary to reflect students’ changing intellectual trajectories. Some students may enter with all the language preparation they will need for graduate study in their chosen fields. Others may have an elementary or intermediate knowledge of a language or languages and may improve on that knowledge by taking additional coursework, including first-, second-, or third-year language courses and/or the reading courses offered by some departments, whether during the regular academic year or in summer.

Students may demonstrate proficiency in one of the following ways: 1) completing two semesters of foreign-language coursework, and receiving a grade of A- or higher in the courses; 2) completing a summer Reading Knowledge or other summer language course approved in advance by the DGS and receiving a grade of A- or higher; 3) completing upper-level coursework in a language other than English; 4) making substantial use of non-English texts in one or more seminar papers or in the preparation of general examination fields and prospectuses, or 5) passing a language exam offered by the department. Proficiency is assumed in the case of native speakers and bilingual students, as long as they are skilled in both reading and speaking.

To document proficiency, students must email the graduate program coordinator, cc’ing the advisor and the faculty member who certifies the student’s language skills; students should list the language(s) and the means by which proficiency has been demonstrated. Students taking language reading courses at Harvard Summer School or in an external institution should have a transcript sent to the graduate program coordinator.

As students’ fields of study develop, they may find that they need to acquire new languages or further develop their skills in ones they already know. This should be discussed by students and their advisors on a regular basis as part of the advising process.

Year 2: The General Examination

PhD students in the History of Science normally take the General Examination at the end of the spring semester of the G2 year. The aim of the General Examination is to deepen and expand students’ historical knowledge for the purposes of both research and teaching. It is an oral examination in three fields, each one directed by a different faculty examiner. Students are not expected to demonstrate an encyclopedic command of detail but, rather, to give evidence of understanding the main historical developments in each field, mastery of the chief historiographic traditions associated with a particular content area, and an ability to discuss particular sciences or topics within relevant historical contexts.

The three examiners constitute the student’s General Examination Committee, one of whom serves as Chair. Each field is chosen in consultation with the DGS, the Chair of the Committee, and individual Committee members. Two fields should be directed by faculty in the Department of the History of Science (or in certain cases by faculty approved by the department to direct a field related to the history of science, technology, or medicine). One field should be directed by a faculty member outside the Department, and students should consult carefully with the DGS and their intended Chair about the scope of that field and who might be asked to direct it. Occasionally, a single field may be split into two subfields, each of which is directed by a distinct faculty member.

Once the student has agreed with each Committee member about the title of their field, and the Chair of the Committee has approved all of them, students should submit the General Examination Application and a completed PhD Degree Requirements Worksheet  to the Graduate Program Coordinator. This should happen by early November of the G2 year. These applications are reviewed and then voted on by Department faculty at the following Faculty Meeting.

During the G2 year, students normally enroll in a directed reading course (HSCI 3001) with each of the directors of their three fields during either the Fall or Spring semester. Preparation for the exam may take place in the fall or spring, or it may extend over both semesters. In any case, preparation should involve at least seven meetings between student and faculty member. At the beginning of preparation for each field, the student and director of each field will agree on a set of texts that constitutes the Reading List for that field. This list may be revised over the course of preparation in consultation with the Director of each field.

Early in the spring semester it is the student’s responsibility to coordinate with their General Examination Committee to determine the date and time of the exam. The Examination should be scheduled for two hours: 90 minutes for the exam itself and 30 minutes for the Committee to review the exam and discuss the result with the student. Once the date and time have been determined, the student should inform the Graduate Coordinator who will secure a room and add it to the schedule.

General Examination Applications will normally only be considered once students have completed all required coursework from the G1 year (and have no outstanding Incomplete grades). Moreover, at the time of the exam itself, students should have completed (or should be actively enrolled in) all required coursework for the degree. A rising G3 student who has not passed the General Examination will be allowed one semester in which to complete any outstanding course and writing requirements as well as to sit for and pass the examination. The department may ask students who have not completed this process and passed the Examination by the end of the first semester of the G3 year to withdraw from the Program.

For more information about General Examination Fields and the exam itself, consult the HoS General Examination Procedures document available on the HoS Graduate Program website.

Third Year of Graduate Study

All students are required by the department to participate as teaching fellows or course assistants in at least one course offered by department faculty. Students may not teach during the DCF year and so should plan accordingly. All students are required to complete the Colloquium on Teaching Practices (two credits) offered in the fall of the first year that they teach in the Department, with opportunities for additional sessions in the spring.

Rising G3 students must attend the fall Bok Center Teaching Retreat as well as the department teaching retreat held in late August/early September. The Bok Center offers numerous teaching workshops and resources to enable teaching fellows to hone their teaching skills.

Faculty course instructors hold weekly meetings with teaching fellows to guide them in leading discussion sections and grading assignments and exams.

The Dissertation Prospectus

Students are expected to begin preparing to write their prospectus following the completion of their General Examination at the end of the G2 year. To help facilitate this process, the Department normally holds two “Prospectus Study Days” (in late May and early September).

During the summer or early in the Fall term, students will assemble a Prospectus Committee in consultation with their General Examination Committee Chair, presumptive Primary Advisor, and/or the DGS. The Prospectus Committee normally consists of three faculty members, of which one is the Chair. (While Dissertation Committees may have more than three members, the Prospectus Committee is made up of exactly three members except in exceptional circumstances.) At least two members of this Committee should be members of the Department. Students are encouraged to include junior faculty on their Dissertation Committees.

Over the course of the G3 year's fall semester, students develop a draft of their prospectus in consultation with their Prospectus Committee, which will approve its submission to the department faculty as a whole. Prospectuses are to be submitted to the graduate program coordinator at least one week before the December history of science faculty meeting (usually, by the Thanksgiving break). The faculty discuss prospectuses at this meeting and vote on their approval.

Students are expected to submit their prospectuses in the fall of the G3 year; in all cases, however, approval must be obtained before the end of the G3 year.

After obtaining faculty approval, students present their prospectuses to the history of science community in a department seminar, usually in the spring of the G3 year.

For more information about the prospectus process and requirements consult the Dissertation Prospectus Guidelines Document .

Fellowship Applications

Third Year students often apply for traveling and research fellowships beginning in the late fall of the G3 year as well as other external and internal fellowships. Please see the HoS Graduate Program website for further information. Department Faculty and the GSAS Fellowships Office  offer workshops to assist students in the application process.

Progress Report

Beginning in the G3 year, students and advisors together complete an end-of-the-year Progress Report  which is submitted to the graduate coordinator in April .

Post-prospectus

Annual  Progress Reports   are due in April each year following acceptance of the Dissertation Prospectus.

The Dissertation

Once the student’s Prospectus has been approved by the department, a Dissertation Committee is formed. Normally, the chair of the Prospectus Committee becomes the chair of the Dissertation Committee and the student’s primary advisor. The chair of the Dissertation Committee must be an eligible member of the department, as must at least one other member of the committee. (The names of faculty members available for the direction of the PhD dissertation are listed in the course catalog under History of Science 3000.) Students are encouraged to include junior faculty on their committees.

Timetable for submission of the dissertation

Students planning to graduate in March, May, or November, should meet with the graduate program coordinator to review the graduation process. Students need to provide the coordinator with vital information to ensure the dissertation acceptance certificate may be processed to meet GSAS deadlines and the degree application approved.

Students must submit a final, complete draft of the dissertation to their committees no later than six weeks prior to the “dissertations are due on” date specified by GSAS. All students must submit a pdf of the submitted dissertation with the signed dissertation acceptance certificate to the graduate coordinator.

Committees will read and comment on the dissertation draft, and ask for any revisions, no later than three weeks prior to the same date.

Students will make any necessary changes and submit the dissertation in its final form to the committee and to the department no later than one week prior to the “due on” date.

The dissertation should be an original contribution to knowledge. It must conform to the online description, Formatting your Dissertation , on the GSAS Policies website.

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation defense in History of Science ordinarily takes place after the members of the Dissertation Committee have approved the dissertation. The dissertation defense is not required to receive the doctoral degree, but students often find the forum useful as they further their research. The Graduate Program Coordinator will assist students in setting a defense date.

Duration of Study

Work for the degree should be completed within a total of six years. Normally, students take a Dissertation Completion Fellowship during the year that they complete the dissertation. However, in cases in which the dissertation is not completed, the Graduate School permits students to remain enrolled in the PhD Program for one year following the Dissertation Completion Fellowship year. An extension beyond this one-year limit may be considered by the Department and the Graduate School in extraordinary circumstances.

Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator (Linda Schneider) at [email protected] or 617-495-9978.

• Undergraduate Program
• Graduate Admissions
• Teaching Innovation
• Program Requirements: A.M.
• Funding Overview
• University Resources
• Professional Resources
• Working Groups, 2023 / 2024
• Secondary Field in History of Science

International Applicants

The Harvard International Office and the HGSE  Office of Student Affairs provide extensive support for international students before they depart and once they arrive in Cambridge.

How to Apply

International applicants must submit all standard application materials outlined in the How to Apply section. Please see below for additional information regarding transcripts and standardized tests for Ed.L.D. and Ed.M. applicants.

Note: applications for the Ph.D. in Education must be submitted through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, (GSAS). If you are applying for the Ph.D. in Education, please review the GSAS Application Information and Instructions for information about the Ph.D. application process.

Transcripts

Ed.L.D. and Ed.M. applicants are required to upload transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended in the Academics section of the application. If the institutions you attended do not provide official transcripts in English, you will need to obtain a certified English translation; students cannot translate their own transcripts.

All translations must be literal (i.e., word for word) and complete versions of the original records. You will upload your transcripts with their accompanying certified English translation as part of your application. All transcripts should show courses completed, grades received, duration of study, and degree or diploma received, if applicable.

Should you be offered admission to the Ed.L.D. or Ed.M. program, you will need to submit your official transcripts and supporting documents for verification through World Education Services  (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators  (ECE), or SpanTran . These providers will send your verified transcripts and accompanying evaluation to HGSE directly; we do not accept evaluations sent by the student. Transcripts submitted for verification must include any additional coursework you have taken or degrees you have earned since submitting your application.

HGSE reserves the right to withdraw an admissions offer if there is a discrepancy between the uploaded version and the official original transcript and/or the official translation.

For more information about transcript submission, visit Ed.M. and Ed.L.D. Application Requirements .

Standardized Tests

If your native language is not English, you are required to submit official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for Academic Purposes. However, y ou are exempt from this requirement if you have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction. Additionally, you must have completed at least 3 years of full-time enrollment at the institution, otherwise, TOEFL/IELTS scores are required.

We are currently accepting the academic TOEFL and IELTS tests, including the TOEFL iBT — Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator tests. Students who received a bachelor’s degree from an institution where English was the sole language of instruction are exempt from the requirement.

Official TOEFL and IELT S scores are valid for a limited period of time. If you are applying for enrollment in the 2024-2025 academic year, the test must have been taken on or after January 1, 2022 . Please have the testing service send your official scores directly to HGSE. HGSE’s institution code is 3428 ; there is no department code. For the IELTS exam, an electronic score report must come from the test center where you took the exam directly to HGSE. IELTS does not prompt you for an institution or department code specific to HGSE.

• For TOEFL , HGSE prefers applicants with scores of 104 or higher on the Internet-based TOEFL, with individual section scores (e.g., reading, writing, listening, and speaking) of at least 26.  
• For IELTS , HGSE prefers applicants with scores of 7.5 or higher on the IELTS for Academic Purposes exam, with individual section scores (e.g., reading, writing, listening, and speaking) of at least 7.5.

Note: a major or concentration in English is not sufficient to waive the TOEFL/IELTS requirement. Additionally, completion of graduate-level degrees at an institution where the instruction is conducted in English does not exempt an applicant from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement.

Once students have been admitted as degree candidates, Harvard University requires international students who need a Harvard-sponsored student visa to submit financial certification documentation that demonstrates adequate funding for one year of study. Detailed instructions regarding this process will be available upon admission to HGSE, and additional information regarding funding requirements for visa financial certification can be found on the HGSE Financial Aid website . Note: admitted international students requesting J-1 or F-1 visas are required to enroll on a full-time basis.

STEM-eligible Programs

The Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology (LDIT), Human Development and Education (HDE), and Education Policy and Analysis (EPA) Master’s in Education programs are all assigned STEM-eligible Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) codes. These are the only STEM-eligible programs at HGSE . All other HGSE programs have the general education designation CIP code.

For more information, including questions about what this means for visa and Optional Practical Training (OPT) purposes, please refer to the information available from the Harvard International Office .

Prospective students should apply to the program that aligns most closely with their academic and career objectives; the STEM-eligible CIP code should not be the deciding factor. Program changes after an offer of admissions are rare.

• Utility Menu

44d3fa3df9f06a3117ed3d2ad6c71ecc

• Administration
• PhD Program

The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Economics at Harvard is addressed to students of high promise who wish to prepare themselves in teaching and research in academia or for responsible positions in government, research organizations, or business enterprises. Students are expected to devote themselves full-time to their programs of study.

The program prepares students for productive and stimulating careers as economists. Courses and seminars offered by the department foster an intellectually active and stimulating environment. Each week, the department sponsors more than 15 different seminars on such topics as environmental economics, economic growth and development, monetary and fiscal policy, international economics, industrial organization, law and economics, behavioral economics, labor economics, and economic history. Top scholars from both domestic and international communities are often invited speakers at the seminars.  The Harvard community outside of the department functions as a strong and diverse resource. Students in the department are free to pursue research interests with scholars throughout the University. Faculty of the Harvard Law School, Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Business School, for example, are available to students for consultation, instruction, and research guidance. As a member of the Harvard community, students in the department can register for courses in the various schools and have access to the enormous library resources available through the University. There are over 90 separate library units at Harvard, with the total collections of books and pamphlets numbering over 13 million.  Both the department and the wider University draw some of the brightest students from around the world, which makes for a student body that is culturally diverse and likely unequaled in the range of intellectual interests of its members. These factors combine to add an important dimension to the educational process. Students are able to learn from one another, collaborate on research projects and publications, and form bonds that are not broken by distance once the degree is completed and professional responsibilities lead them in different directions.

• Program Requirements
• Job Placement
• Financial Support

• Utility Menu

Note that the GRE is now optional for our graduate admission process.  

Admissions process for the history phd:.

Each year the department receives nearly 400 applications to the doctoral program and offers admission to about 6% of applicants . The typical incoming class size is 16 students.

The admissions process is extremely competitive , but if you are serious about pursuing a PhD in history, you are encouraged to apply.

Successful applications have shared many of the following characteristics:

Statement of purpose that makes clear why the applicant wants to study history in graduate school, and why the applicant wants to study at Harvard. This statement often illustrates the applicant’s research interests and notes potential advisors Three strong letters of reference from people who know the applicant’s writing Personal Statement that shares how the applicant’s experiences or activities will contribute to the school’s mission to attract a diverse and dynamic community. (Should not exceed 500 words.) Writing sample of remarkable quality that asks historical questions Fluent or nearly fluent in English Reading ability in two languages other than English Strong undergraduate , and, if applicable, graduate record , with excellent marks in history courses

Follow the link for more information about applying to the  History Department PhD program

• Undergraduate Program
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Program Rules & Requirements
• Financial Aid & Fellowships
• Graduate Program Workshops
• Library Privileges

• Utility Menu

• Internal Resources
• EDIB Committee
• Admissions Information

For matriculation in the Fall of 2024, the Department of Anthropology at Harvard will be accepting PhD applications for the  Archaeology program only . Applications for the PhD in Social Anthropology, including for the MD-PhD program, as well as for the AM in Medical Anthropology will not be accepted. The temporary pause on graduate-level Social Anthropology admissions is due to limited advising capacity among departmental faculty.

Admissions decisions.

Decisions on admission are made by a faculty committee. The graduate admissions committee selects well-qualified applicants who represent a range of interests and backgrounds to form a diverse cohort. The committee reads and evaluates all applications and consults with other departmental faculty on areas of specific theoretical, topical, or regional expertise. There is no automatic allocation of slots in the program for specific areas. The committee also attempts to balance advising loads and priorities across the members of core departmental faculty who are actively engaged in graduate training.

Admissions Numbers 

The Anthropology Ph.D. program receives over 300 applications each year, of which only 1-2% lead to offers of admission. Each year the program receives many more applications than we can possibly accept and with great regret must turn down many very well qualified candidates. The number of students we can admit each year is determined by the Dean of theHarvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. We do not learn the final number of admissions until March of each year.  

Statement of Purpose

A statement of purpose is not a biographical narrative. A persuasive statement of purpose (1) clearly describes the applicant’s proposed areas of research; (2) justifies the applicant’s research interests in terms of the relevant existing scholarship, the applicant’s personal intellectual motivation, and the applicant’s background and/or training; (3) explains why the Anthropology faculty and curriculum at Harvard are ideal for supporting the applicant’s training and research. We strongly encourage applicants to read the publications of the faculty they are applying to work with. A clear connection with faculty research and teaching is the best gauge of an applicant’s potential “fit” with the Department.

Personal Statement

A core part of the Harvard Griffin GSAS mission is to identify and attract the most promising students to form a dynamic and diverse community. We are committed to educating individuals who reflect the growing diversity of perspectives and life experiences represented in society today and who will contribute to our commitment to sustain a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment. Please share how your experiences or activities will advance our mission and commitment. Your statement should be no longer than 500 words.

Writing Samples 

The admissions committee pays particularly close attention to the writing samples submitted by applicants. Applicants should carefully select an example of your best academic writing that demonstrates your capacity for rigorous analysis and independent work. It is not essential that the writing sample be directly related to the topics or areas that you are proposing to study in the future.

Letters of Recommendation 

All letters of recommendation are due at the same time as the application. Applicants must provide the email addresses for three recommenders when you apply.  Harvard Griffin GSAS requires your recommenders submit their letters via an online recommendation system. We are unable to accept letters submitted through a recommendation dossier service.  

All students admitted to the PhD programs in Archaeology and Social Anthropology receive five years of full funding which includes four years of summer research funding. Typically, the first two years of graduate study are fully funded (tuition, health insurance and stipend), during the third and fourth years, tuition and health insurance are covered and students receive their stipend via teaching fellowships. Full funding (tuition, health insurance and stipend) is also provided during the dissertation completion year. Students are expected to obtain external funding for their field research. For more information on funding and aid, please refer to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Funding webpage .

Language Proficiency 

Prior preparation in languages related to an applicant’s intended area or areas of specialization is advantageous. Current language abilities should be explained in the application essay. Students in the graduate program are required to demonstrate that they have sufficient abilities for research in both a language they will use for conducting fieldwork and in a language in which there is a body of anthropological writing relevant to their proposed research.

Test Scores

• GRE Scores - Not Accepted  
• English Proficiency - Required (may not be waived) 

TOEFL or IELTS examinations are required of all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not received a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university where the primary language of instruction is English; a master's degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency. The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences sets the regulation that "a minimum score of 80 on the Internet based test (IBT) on the TOEFL i or a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS is required for consideration by the Graduate School." We will not waive this requirement.  

Applicants who took tests more than two years ago (i.e. before September 1, 2021, for fall 2023 admission) must retake them. No test other than the iBT TOEFL , TOEFL Home Edition, IELTS Academic, or IELTS Indicator will be accepted as proof of English proficiency; a master’s degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency.  For more information on sending TOEFL/IELTS scores, please refer to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions Webpage .

Faculty Research Interests

Potential applicants who have substantive questions about the research interests of faculty and/or their own preparation and background for graduate study at Harvard may write directly to faculty members with whom they believe they share interests. 

Please be aware, however, that because of the high volume of inquiries about the program and the large number of applicants, it may not always be possible for faculty to fully answer all inquiries. 

Retired, Affiliated, and Visiting Faculty

Retired faculty (emeritus and emerita professors) do not normally teach courses nor are they involved in training new graduate students. Student should not apply with the intention of studying with retired faculty.  

Although we encourage our students to work and take courses with faculty from across the university, applicants should not list visiting faculty, faculty affiliates, lecturers, or college fellows as faculty of interest in their applications. 

As part of the admissions process, the admissions committee invites semi-finalists for a virtual interview. There is no other interview. 

Visiting the Department 

Potential applicants may visit Harvard prior to submitting an application, but it is not necessary. Applicants considering a visit to campus should make arrangements well in advance. 

Individual faculty members handle their own calendars and appointments, so a visitor should contact faculty members directly to arrange appointments. 

Application Information 

The deadline to apply for Fall 2024 is December 1, 2023. Late applications will not be accepted. 

How to Apply

All application materials and instructions are available on the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website . Most questions can be answered on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website or the information below. Additional questions about applying to the Ph.D. program in Anthropology should be sent to [email protected] .  When applying to the Ph.D. program in the Anthropology Department, you must upload all supporting documents to your online application prior to submission - do not send any materials to the Anthropology Department. 

A completed application consists of the following:

• Admissions Form (submitted online)
• Statement of Purpose (not to exceed 1000 words)
• Personal Statement (not to exceed 500 words)
• A copy of you transcript from each college/university attended
• Writing sample that should not exceed 20 pages (double-spaced), not including bibliography; do not send a longer sample with instructions to read a particular section
• Three letters of recommendation (must be submitted via the link provided. Do not send hard copies and we are unable to accept letters via dossier services)
• Recent TOEFL and/or IELTS scores  (if required). If you are unsure, please refer to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions website

A previous background of study in anthropology is not  a prerequistite for admissions. However, successful candidates, whether they have studied anthropology previously or not, must be able to state clearly their interests in anthropology and demonstrate familiarity with intellectual issues in current anthropological theory and method. 

• Archaeology
• Social Anthropology
• MA Medical Anthropology
• Secondary Fields
• Fellowships
• Teaching Fellows
• Program Contacts
• PhD Recipients

C.A.S. and Non-degree Requirements

Certificate of advanced study (c.a.s.) in counseling application requirements.

Current students and graduates of the Human Development and Education (HDE) School Counseling Strand as well as graduates of the Prevention Science and Practice (PSP) and Risk and Prevention (R&P) programs who wish to continue their studies may apply to pursue initial licensure.

HDE master's students who have met the course requirements for the School Counseling concentration are eligible to apply for the C.A.S. program. HDE, PSP, and R&P alumni who are interested in returning to HGSE to complete the C.A.S. should contact Mandy Farhoodi-Moberger in the Human Development and Education office to determine their eligibility to apply, which is based in part on their previous coursework and practicum experience.

Statement of Purpose

Your statement should be your own original work and may not be written, in part or in whole, by a third party. It should be typed, double-spaced, and no more than 1,500 words. 

In your statement, please address the following questions:  

• How has your experience in the Human Development and Education (School Counseling Strand), Prevention Science & Practice, or Risk and Prevention master's program motivated you or influenced you to pursue the C.A.S.? What skills or knowledge do you hope to gain in this second year of graduate study? 
• Given the importance of cultural humility in the field of counseling, please talk about where you are on your own journey in learning and incorporating this into your work. How have you grown in your personal awareness and/or understanding of cultural humility? Please share an example of a time when you exercised cultural humility this year; give us a sense of what happened, how you engaged, and what you learned.    

Résumé or C.V.

The length and format of your résumé or C.V. is up to your discretion.

Letters of Recommendation

Current HDE applicants: 

• One recommendation from a supervisor from an HDE practicum placement. (In the recommendation section, be sure to indicate the "Type" as "Recommendation for C.A.S. application.")

HDE/PSP/R&P alumni applicants: 

• One must be from the supervisor of your practicum placement during your time as an HDE/PSP/R&P student. 
• The other should be written by an individual who has supervised you in a professional capacity since graduation from HGSE.  

Current HDE Students Only

Current students will be able to use the transcripts and (and GRE test scores, if desired), they submitted in conjunction with their Ed.M. application; they will be asked to authorize the Admissions Office access to these records on the application form. Please note: the admissions committee may also reference applicants' fall semester practicum evaluations during the review process.

All offers of admissions to the C.A.S. are conditional and contingent upon a second admissions review held in April of the year of acceptance. As admission to C.A.S. is contingent on successful completion of the Ed.M. degree and fieldwork in year one of the program.  

Alumni Only

Alumni are asked to authorize the Admissions Office access to their HGSE transcript on the application form. Additionally, alumni who graduated after the class of 2013 do not need to resubmit non-HGSE transcripts unless new courses were taken, or a new degree program was completed.  

Alumni who graduated before 2013 must resubmit transcript(s) from each non-HGSE postsecondary institution attended; they should be uploaded in the Academics section of the application. 

Please note that the admissions committee may reference applicant's PSP Ed.M. practicum evaluations and site supervisor feedback during the review process. The committee also reserves the right to review the student's original application to the HDE/PSP/R&P program.

Standardized Tests and Application Fee

• GRE scores are optional
• Application fee is waived

Non-degree Study Application Requirements

A select number of applicants for non-degree study may be admitted to take up to two residential (on-campus) courses during the academic year. This option is only available for: 

• Professional educators seeking to enhance their current work
• College or university faculty from institutions other than Harvard
• Advanced doctoral students for whom the courses will contribute to their research

Admission to take courses as a non-degree student is competitive; course enrollment is on a space-available basis and is limited to HGSE residential (on-campus) courses only. Once admitted, a student's official enrollment in a course is subject to the approval of the instructor.

* Students enrolled in non-degree study  are not eligible to register for Foundations courses or for HGSE funding, housing, or office space.

Applicants must provide a one-page statement detailing how the course(s) you wish to take specifically relates to your current professional responsibilities or academic work.

Resume or C.V.

One letter of recommendation.

• Professional educators: This letter should be from a supervisor familiar with your work.
• College or university faculty: You do not need to submit a recommendation.
• Doctoral students: This letter should be from an academic adviser familiar with your plan of study and research interests.

TOEFL or IELTS

Applicants whose native language is not English and whose bachelor's degree is not from a college or university where English is the sole language of instruction are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS exam. You are exempt from this requirement if you have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction. Additionally, you must have completed at least 3 years of full-time enrollment at the institution, otherwise, TOEFL/IELTS scores are required. Scores must be from a test administered no earlier than July 1, 2022 for 2024-2025 enrollment. In addition, Harvard University does not provide student visas to Special Students.

Official Transcripts

Official and unopened transcript(s) from each postsecondary institution attended (including institutions from which course credits transferred) showing all courses and grades. These must be sent directly to the HGSE Admissions Office and received by the application deadline.

Application Fee

You must submit your $85 application fee using a Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. The application fee is nonrefundable.

Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)

If you are a HGSE degree holder, a Certificate of Advanced Study recipient, a voucher holder, or a Harvard employee eligible to take a course through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), you do not need to fill out this application. You should contact the HGSE Office of the Registrar to arrange to take a course as a non-degree student.

• University News
• Faculty & Research
• Health & Medicine
• Science & Technology
• Social Sciences
• Humanities & Arts
• Students & Alumni
• Arts & Culture
• Sports & Athletics
• The Professions
• International
• New England Guide

The Magazine

• Current Issue
• Past Issues

Class Notes & Obituaries

• Browse Class Notes
• Browse Obituaries

Collections

• Commencement
• The Context
• Harvard Squared
• Harvard in the Headlines

Support Harvard Magazine

• Why We Need Your Support
• How We Are Funded
• Ways to Support the Magazine
• Special Gifts
• Behind the Scenes

Classifieds

• Vacation Rentals & Travel
• Real Estate
• Products & Services
• Harvard Authors’ Bookshelf
• Education & Enrichment Resource
• Ad Prices & Information
• Place An Ad

Follow Harvard Magazine:

University News | 3.28.2024

Harvard College Admits Class of 2028

A smaller undergraduate applicant cohort—the first since supreme court ended affirmative action .

1,937 of the 54,008 applicants to the class (3.6 percent) were granted admission. | PHOTOGRAPHS AND MONTAGE BY NIKO YAITANES/ HARVARD MAGAZINE

Harvard College today offered regular admission to 1,245 applicants to the class of 2028; combined with the 692 early-action applicants granted admission in December , 1,937 of the 54,008 applicants to the class (3.6 percent) were granted admission. The applicant pool declined 2,929 (5.1 percent) from the 56,937 who applied to the class of 2027 and 11.8 percent from the pandemic-enlarged cohort of 61,220 who sought places in the class of 2026 .

The overall rate of decline in applications this year lessened somewhat from that among the early-action cohort: applicants by the fall deadline decreased by 17 percent (from 9,553 in 2022 to 7,921 in the autumn 2023 cycle).

Nonetheless, in light of the changes in admissions mandated by the Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action last June , and the turmoil on campus last fall , observers and critics may be expected to weigh in from several perspectives on the diminished interest in applying to the College as they seek evidence or draw conclusions about these questions:

With Harvard the highest-profile defendant in the admissions cases, will admissions of black and Hispanic applicants decline (testimony in the trial and appeals suggested that would happen), as prospective applicants hesitate and the College proceeds to make decisions absent consideration of race and ethnicity as part of its holistic review process?

Did prospective black applicants pursue other options, given the harsh attacks on President Claudine Gay, the institution’s first black leader, in the wake of the Hamas terrorism last October 7?

Were Jewish applicants disinclined to pursue a place in the College given the extensive coverage of campus protests and the associated controversies over antisemitism (and related debate about bias against Palestinians and Muslims)?

Answers are not likely to be immediately at hand. To comply with the Supreme Court ruling, the University noted, “Based on advice from counsel, admissions readers will not be accessing applicants’ self-reported race or ethnicity data or aggregated data…at any time until the admissions process has concluded”—presumably, after final admissions from the wait list (if any) this summer. Data on the admitted early-action applicants released in December addressed socioeconomic characteristics, but not the racial or ethnic diversity statistics published in prior years. And admissions officers maintain silence on the other matters—noting, reasonably, that they don’t know why people decide not to apply. For what it is worth, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale each indicated that their undergraduate applications increased about 10 percent this year. But multiple factors may influence Harvard’s results (see “Selective Schools’ Admissions in Flux,” below).

Financial Aid Competition

The College maintained the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative at the level announced last year and applied to the first-year class that enrolled last August. Attending Harvard remains free for children of families with incomes below $85,000: their tuition, housing, food, and fees will be waived. Each eligible student will also receive a $2,000 transition grant to help with move-in and other expenses., and a $2,000 “launch grant” during the junior year to help defray costs in preparing for life after graduation (job searching, for example). The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) has to budget aid for both the College and graduate students, whose stipends—under sharp competitive pressure—were boosted substantially for the new academic year; see “Graduate Gains,” March-April, page 21.

The College thus has not increased the no-cost family-income threshold to approach or match peers Princeton (which is fully endowed for financial aid, unlike the FAS) and Stanford, both of which raised their threshold to $100,000 for the class of 2027. Upping the ante, on March 25, Dartmouth announced that a $150-million bequest would enable it to nearly double its free-attendance threshold from $65,000 of family income to $125,000—the highest in the country—effective with the new academic year: entering first-year students, and returning upperclassmen and -women, will be covered. More limited programs at Duke and the University of Virginia now make attendance tuition-free for students from local families with incomes under $150,000 (North and South Carolina) or $100,000 (Virginia), respectively, presenting still more competition.

At Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford, roughly one-quarter of undergraduates come from families under the income thresholds.

The Rising Term Bill

Harvard’s term bill —tuition, room, board, and fees—will increase 4.3 percent, to $82,866 (up $3,416 from the current $79,450). That rate of increase is higher than the 3.5 percent imposed in the prior year and 3.0 percent in preceding years. The acceleration may represent an attempt to catch up with inflation measured by the Higher Education Price Index: up 4.0 percent in fiscal year 2023 (down somewhat from the 5.2 percent of fiscal 2022).

For students who received financial aid during the current academic year, the average parent contribution was $13,000.

Class Characteristics and Demographics

According to the announcement, 20.7 percent of accepted applicants qualified for federal Pell grants, awarded to students from lower-income backgrounds, and 20.5 of those admitted are first-generation college students. Both proportions slightly exceed those in the cohort admitted to the class of 2027.

Of those admitted, 53.1 percent are women and 46.9 percent are men. The cohort is, as always, geographically far-flung, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 94 countries beyond the United States. Some 15.4 percent are international students (9.6 percent are dual U.S. citizens). Among those accepted are 21 are veterans; 41 students expressed interest in ROTC.

Data on racial and ethnic diversity are no longer reported with this news release, as noted.

Selective Schools’ Admissions in Flux

Although much may be made of the size of Harvard’s applicant pool, it makes more sense to consider the changing context for admissions at the nation’s relatively few—if unquestionably high-profile—selective colleges and universities. Policies, practices, and prospective applicants’ responses to them are unsettled for numerous reasons, including:

•efforts to construct diverse classes in the wake of the June 2023 Supreme Court decision outlawing consideration of applicants’ race in schools’ holistic reviews of candidates ( “The Supreme Court Rules,” September-October 2023, page 14)—and associated changes in outreach and recruiting;

•evolving attitudes toward standardized testing; and

•legacy and other traditional admissions preferences, and new preferences possibly under development now.

•Diversity. Given the court ruling, colleges’ policies for admitting diverse classes clearly must change. Harvard was at the center of the 1978 Bakke decision which defined permissible ways of considering race in admissions—and again in the most recent litigation, which eliminated such practices. So it might be expected that prospective applicants would wonder how the College’s procedures would be altered, beyond the immediate steps taken to comply with the law (removing information about applicants’ race or ethnicity from all files, admission reviews, and aggregate data available during the process). It is a reasonable assumption that defining and promulgating new policies and practices was a high priority for Harvard during this academic year— until the campus turmoil following the October 7 Hamas attacks upended the campus, University leadership , and any existing agenda. As a result, other matters have had to be addressed urgently—but Alan Garber, interim president, has indicated that he will push ahead with work on admissions .

In the meantime, other institutions have more public about the steps they are taking to construct diverse classes while complying fully with the new legal realities. For example, Yale has been outspoken about pursuing outreach to students from lower-income and other communities underrepresented in its undergraduate population, and recently announced that the record cohort of applicants to the class of 2028 “By some measures…set new marks for diversity.” Cornell recently joined QuestBridge, a program through which low-income applicants seek early admission to selective colleges, commit to attend the highest-ranked school with which they match, and receive a full scholarship from the organization. Harvard is now the only Ivy institution not participating, and the College has, generally, been quieter about such matters than several peers.

Two interesting developments bear on what schools can and will do. In February, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the admissions criteria adopted by the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Alexandria, Virginia . It eliminated an entrance exam and began offering admission to the top students from each middle school in its area (versus the top applicants from any school across the district), while also considering the “experience factors” students presented. Data on applicants’ race, sex, and name were withheld from admissions staff. Litigants objected that the effect was discriminatory, but an appeals court upheld the plan and the Supreme Court let that ruling stand. The school’s enrollment shifted from nearly three-quarters to slightly more than one-half Asian American, while becoming more nearly representative of the district’s population overall.

In light of that ruling, people who model admissions have theorized about what selective colleges might do to sustain diverse classes while considering data beyond test scores and applicants’ household income. In one vivid demonstration, a New York Times tool ( https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/09/upshot/affirmative-action-alternatives.html ) illustrates how admitted classes can be made increasingly diverse racially and ethnically as increased preference is given to applicants based on the relative poverty of their high schools and each applicant’s outperformance compared to peers, combined with more effective outreach to such students who don’t often apply to the most selective colleges. Such preferences would have to be adapted alongside, or in place, of, traditional ones (discussed below).

•Standardized testing. During the pandemic, when it was difficult to sit for the exams, many institutions waived the requirement that applicants submit SAT or ACT test scores. Since then, test-optional policies remained widely in place, in part, on the theory that the tests themselves and differential access to private tutoring disadvantage lower-income applicants or students enrolled in under-resourced high schools. Of late, however, the tide has begun to turn. MIT reinstituted a testing requirement, noting that SAT math scores indicate whether applicants have the capacity to take on a highly quantitative curriculum—and reported enrolling its most diverse class.

Citing research on the usefulness of test scores in identifying qualified but overlooked applicants, Dartmouth has reinstated its standardized test requirement beginning with its class of 2029. Yale followed suit, with a “test-flexible” standard requiring SAT, ACT, International Baccalaureate, or Advanced Placement scores. And Brown reinstituted a requirement for SAT or ACT scores. Harvard College remains test-optional through 2030 . (Just ahead of today’s announcement about class of 2028 admissions, Emi Nietfeld ’15 argued in favor of mandatory standardized testing from the perspective of a disadvantaged applicant in this New York Times essay , “How the SAT Changed My Life.”)

•Legacy and other preferences. In March, Virginia outlawed legacy preferences for alumni-related applicants to public colleges; both the University of Virginia and William & Mary, which are selective-admissions schools, are public institutions covered by the measure. Something of a movement may be afoot. Similar legislation, covering all institutions in those states, has been introduced in Minnesota and Connecticut. ( Yale has testified against; that state’s legislation would also ban preferences for donors .) In reinstituting its test requirement, Brown decided to retain early decision (thought to disadvantage students who need to compare aid offers) and family preferences (for children of alumni and Brown employees)—but with the latter subject to further review.

As on other matters, Harvard has yet to weigh in on legacies—but a conversation about such preferences, and perhaps how athletic preferences figure into the mix, has surely been percolating here as the College seeks to sustain a broadly diverse class, without resorting to practices now rendered impermissible.

In the meantime , the brilliant youngsters just granted admission can be thankful that luck favored them, too, with fewer applicants competing for spot in Harvard College’s class of 2028. Prospective students can kick the tires in person during Visitas, April 14-15 , or virtually. They have until the end of the day on Wednesday, May 1, to reply to their offers of admission.

Read the University announcement here.

You might also like

Harvard, Ivies to Join Big Ten

“Superconference” play to begin in 2025-26; features relegation.

Studying ChatGPT Like a Psychologist

Cognitive science helps penetrate the AI “black box”

Reparations as Public Health

A Harvard forum on the racial health gap

Most popular

AWOL from Academics

Behind students' increasing pull toward extracurriculars

Overseer Candidates’ 2024 Harvard Priorities

Nominees for the governing board explain their experiences and detail their perspectives on the University’s challenges.

More to explore

The College Pump

Darker Days

The current disquiets compared to Harvard’s Vietnam-era traumas

Making Space

The natural history of Junko Yamamoto’s art and architecture

Spellbound on Stage

Actor and young adult novelist Aislinn Brophy

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

After a Year of Turmoil, Harvard’s Applications Drop

With the exception of Brown University, some other highly selective schools saw a record rise in the number of students who applied for admission.

By Anemona Hartocollis and Stephanie Saul

Applications to Harvard College were down this year, even as many other highly selective schools hit record highs.

The drop suggests that a year of turmoil — which went into overdrive with a student letter that said Israel was “entirely responsible” for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks — may have dented Harvard’s reputation and deterred some students from applying.

Harvard’s announcement on Thursday evening came as all eight Ivy League schools sent out their notices of admission or rejection, known as Ivy Day.

While Brown University also saw a drop in applications, applications rose at many other elite colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Columbia, M.I.T., Bowdoin, Amherst and the University of Virginia.

Harvard focused on the positive.

“Beyond another strong applicant pool, we are delighted by the stunning array of talents and lived experiences the class of 2028 will bring with them from throughout the United States and around the world,” William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, said in a statement.

College counselors and admissions experts said that it was difficult to pin down the factors behind the decline in Harvard’s numbers, but that the scrutiny has been intense and, by some accounts, the reputational damage severe. It began with a historic Supreme Court decision on June 29, striking down decades of affirmative action policy at Harvard that had become a model for higher education across the country. It culminated in the resignation on Jan. 2 of Claudine Gay, who was not just Harvard’s president, but its first Black president. At that point, she faced accusations of plagiarism in her scholarly work, which she stood by, on top of complaints about her evasive testimony on antisemitism in December before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

The effect on Harvard was so striking that a cartoon in The New York Daily News by Bill Bramhall showed a girl telling her parents, “Darn. I got into Harvard.”

A private college admissions coach, Hafeez Lakhani, said that the anxiety over campus climate was particularly acute in the fall. “Students were terrified about the doxxing trucks, the C.E.O.s calling for protester names, students losing job offers for speaking up about Israel-Palestine,” he said. “I think that drove some applicants to less-spotlight schools.”

Another coach, Deb Felix, said she had referred her concerned clients to a Facebook group Mothers Against College Antisemitism , which has gained 55,700 members since it was formed in late October, as a resource on campus climate.

But some families, even Orthodox Jewish families, were not deterred by the bad publicity.

“Getting accepted to Harvard is still getting accepted to Harvard,” said Rivka Scheinfeld, whose daughter, Tamar, a student at YULA High School, a Jewish day school in Los Angeles, was accepted early. Tamar said she applied after Oct. 7, and thought she could be a voice against antisemitism. “I want to go, I want to advocate for something that I know is right,” she said.

Many schools have been shaken by protests over the war in Gaza, as well as by complaints of antisemitism and Islamophobia over the last few months. Brown saw its share of campus conflict over the war, with dozens of students arrested for trespassing following two sit-ins on campus.

But the University of Pennsylvania saw record applications — 65,230 — a nearly 10 percent rise from the year before, despite criticism of its then-president, M. Elizabeth Magill, for her legalistic testimony on antisemitism in the House hearing.

One significant difference between Harvard and Penn: Ms. Magill resigned swiftly — on Dec. 9, four days after her testimony. Dr. Gay, who testified the same day, lingered on until Jan. 2, as accusations of plagiarism against her mounted on top of the complaints that she had not taken a strong enough stance against antisemitism.

Overall, Harvard received 54,008 undergraduate applications in this admissions cycle, compared with 56,937 last year, a drop of about 5 percent. That continues a trend that began with early applications, which were down 17 percent this cycle. Regular applications were down by almost 3 percent, to 46,087 from 47,384.

The college offered admission to 1,937 students for the class of 2028. Harvard said that despite the year-to-year decline in numbers, this was the fourth year in a row that the college had received more than 50,000 applications.

Application numbers have been high since the start of the pandemic, after Harvard and other schools dropped their requirements for standardized test scores. Mr. Lakhani, the college consultant, said that the boost was fading as more students realized that they still needed to submit test scores to stay competitive.

But at M.I.T., which reinstated testing requirements, applications were up by almost 5 percent. Its president, Sally Kornbluth, survived the congressional grilling that helped topple Dr. Gay and Ms. Magill.

Among the Ivies, applications to Brown were down by almost 5 percent from last year, still the third-largest applicant pool it has ever had. Brian Clark, a Brown spokesman, said that some students were put off by a longer application with more essay questions.

Yale and Dartmouth said they had received a record number of applications, both up by 10 percent from last year. At Columbia, which also was in the news because of student protests, applications rose by about 5 percent. Cornell and Princeton said they had made a policy decision not to release the number of applicants or the admission rates.

Applications also rose at the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, which was a defendant in the landmark Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.

Because of the Supreme Court decision banning race-conscious admissions, colleges have said they will not be releasing the racial or ethnic breakdown of their applicants or admitted students until the summer or fall, after the waiting lists have been exhausted.

But it appeared that colleges were using other methods to enhance the diversity of their incoming classes, such as the recruitment of poor and rural students and students who would be the first generation in their families to go to college.

Harvard said that first-generation students made up about 20 percent of the class and that students eligible for federal Pell grants, a measure of poverty, made up almost 21 percent. Other colleges declined to release the poverty figures, saying the numbers were uncertain because of problems with the federal student aid application.

Anemona Hartocollis is a national reporter for The Times, covering higher education. More about Anemona Hartocollis

Stephanie Saul reports on colleges and universities, with a recent focus on the dramatic changes in college admissions and the debate around diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. More about Stephanie Saul

Important Addresses

Harvard College

University Hall Cambridge, MA 02138

Harvard College Admissions Office and Griffin Financial Aid Office

86 Brattle Street Cambridge, MA 02138

Social Links

If you are located in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway (the “European Economic Area”), please click here for additional information about ways that certain Harvard University Schools, Centers, units and controlled entities, including this one, may collect, use, and share information about you.

• Application Tips
• Navigating Campus
• Preparing for College
• How to Complete the FAFSA
• What to Expect After You Apply
• View All Guides
• Parents & Families
• School Counselors
• Información en Español
• Undergraduate Viewbook
• View All Resources

Search and Useful Links

Search the site, search suggestions.

Course Registration & Exploration Guide 2024–2025

There will be two registration periods for Fall 2024. 

• Returning students register in April 2024
• Incoming students register in August 2024

The FAS Registration web page includes full timelines for each registration period through Fall 2024 . 

Fall 2024 Registration for Returning Students

Fall 2024 Registration for returning students takes place from Wednesday, April 3 , until Wednesday, April 17, 2024 . Once registration closes, the open add/drop period will take place from Monday, August 19 until Tuesday, September 10, 2024 . During this period, students can add/drop without instructor permission, unless the course has limited enrollment.

Fall 2024 Registration for Incoming Students

Fall 2024 registration for incoming students will open on Monday, August 19, 2024 . Incoming students will have until Thursday, August 29 to enroll in the minimum required course load . Students can add/drop courses without permission until Tuesday, September 10, 2024. 

Registration Logistics

Course information.

Instructors will share basic information about each course via my.harvard or on their course Canvas websites. You can use this information to help you decide whether you want to take a course. 

Most courses offering a discussion section or lab will require you to register for a timed section during registration. Some courses with less predictable enrollments or space constraints (like lab courses) will prompt you to enroll in an untimed placeholder section when you register and will finalize their sections at the end of registration. During registration and the August add/drop period, you can swap section enrollments if needed. 

Each semester, students must have their advising hold lifted by an academic advisor in order to register. It's helpful to meet with your academic advisor to discuss your fall schedule as soon as Crimson Carts open (Crimson Carts for returning students open on March 27). Be mindful that additional holds may be placed on your account by various offices such as Harvard University Health Services (HUHS),  Student Financial Services, etc. and you may need to take separate steps to clear these holds. If you have not completed your language requirement after two terms, a language requirement hold will be placed on your record until you meet with an academic advisor. 

You can view holds on your record under the 'Student Home' tab when logged into my.harvard. Common types of holds and information about who to contact for help can be found on the Registrar's Office website. 

Important information about holds:

• Holds only prevent you from enrolling in courses.
• If you have an active hold on your account, you may still petition for courses and enter course lotteries. 

Enrollment Restrictions and Lotteries

Some courses have enrollment caps, requiring a petition to join through my.harvard. If interest exceeds available seats, an enrollment lottery may be conducted. Specific instructions and deadlines vary by course or department, and will be indicated on my.harvard and course websites. It is important to submit a petition to enroll in a course through my.harvard before the advertised lottery deadline.

If accepted through a lottery, you must enroll in the course via my.harvard by the deadline. Contact instructors directly for course-specific lottery questions.

New for Fall 2024 Registration: If you do not accept your seat by a lotteried course's set deadline, your seat may be given to another student. It is important to be aware of individual courses' deadlines. 

Gen Ed runs a single coordinated, ranked-choice lottery for all enrollment-capped Gen Ed courses for which student interest exceeds available seats. If you are offered a seat in a lotteried Gen Ed course, you must enroll and claim your seat by April 11, 2024 . Not all Gen Ed courses have enrollment caps, but those that do are marked clearly in my.harvard and on the Fall 2024 Courses page of the Gen Ed website. Direct all questions about the Gen Ed lottery to [email protected] rather than to course instructors. 

Prerequisites

Some courses require specific preparation, referred to as prerequisites, before enrolling. This information is located within the course notes on my.harvard. In some cases, instructors may waive a prerequisite if they believe you have the equivalent background. To waive a prerequisite, check directly with the instructor.

Harvard's academic advising network facilitates exploration of diverse curricular and co-curricular opportunities.

• Your academic advisor must lift your advising hold for you to to be able to register for courses.
• The Advising Programs Office (APO) offers individual drop-in advising sessions for all undergraduates during the term; signups are via the Crimson Scheduler .
• Placement Advising: Help is available for questions about the results of any placement exams. Find more information about where to get advice on the placement exams website or send an email to [email protected] .
• The Arts and Humanities Division of Harvard College has prepared a guide to gateway courses .
• The Life Sciences cluster program has also created a guide of its own.

Exploring Courses

My.harvard course search tools.

My.harvard is the primary site for exploring courses, and it's where to finalize enrollment. Below are the central tools that can help explore course options for the coming term and future.

• Use the "Have you Considered?" tool on the my.harvard course search page as one way to "stumble" onto wonderful courses that are hidden gems.
• Adding a course to Crimson Cart allows access to the course's Canvas site. Crimson Carts for returning students open Wednesday, March 27 for Fall 2024 registration.
• Search by my requirements (SBR) : Find courses based on the Harvard College academic requirements. The SBR searches for courses that meet: Unsatisfied Harvard College requirements, General Education, and Divisional Distribution requirements.
• What if? Report: Enables the visualization of potential coursework to fulfill degree requirements within a chosen concentration, offering valuable assistance to first-year Harvard College students exploring concentrations or those contemplating a change in concentration.

Course Canvas Websites

• Course Canvas websites: Canvas is the platform used for FAS course websites, and is where to access syllabi, assignments, announcements, and messages for courses; exploring Canvas provides insights into the course experience. To access individual course Canvas websites, go to the course descriptions on my.harvard. View the full course website for any courses when added to Crimson Cart, as well as receive all announcements posted via Canvas for courses in Crimson Cart.

Supplementary Tools for Course Information

• Harvard Syllabus Explorer: Access to course syllabi associated with previous versions of a class.
• Q Reports and Q Guide: A valuable resource for student feedback on courses and faculty. It collects data on workload, student comments, and teaching staff evaluations. Utilize the Course Selection Tool to access past course evaluations and individual Q reports for specific classes. Course descriptions on my.harvard also provide links to past Q evaluations. Note that new courses will not have a Q score available.
• Curricle: A tool developed by the metaLAB (at) Harvard to use for exploring the Harvard curriculum through engaging visualizations and plan a semester schedule before registering through my.harvard.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Syllabus Explorer (BETA): Search, filter, and explore syllabi for diversity, equity, and inclusion related courses.

Unique Opportunities to Consider

• Office of International Education – The Office of International Education (OIE) facilitates academic year, semester, and summer study abroad experiences for College students. Harvard views study abroad as an essential part of students’ undergraduate education, and over half of Harvard College students participate in an international experience during their time at Harvard. There is no better opportunity for students to engage in a transformative experience than through spending a significant time abroad. Through studying abroad, students embody the Harvard College mission by contributing to their development as global citizens and citizen-leaders, while also earning academic credit toward their concentration, secondary field, language citation, and/or elective credit. Students should contact the OIE as soon as possible to begin planning their time abroad.
• Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship - The Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship (LPCE) offers StudioLab courses in which students develop entrepreneurial skills and learn how to create ventures that tackle societal issues.
• Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship – Engaged Scholarship (MPES) courses integrate community and civic engagement in the classroom or apply course concepts by engaging with the public or through hands on learning experiences in or with communities and groups beyond the Harvard context.

Special Courses for First-Year Students

• Expos Studio 10 (fall) and Expos 20 (spring) or Expos Studio 20 (spring)
• Expos 20 (assigned either fall or spring)
• Humanities 10A and 10B is a two-semester intensive humanities course taught by a team of Harvard faculty. If both semesters are completed, the courses can be used to satisfy the Expository Writing requirement. Requires application.
• The Writing Placement Exam informs Expos course recommendation. Students are assigned to the recommended course in the fall or spring semester, and information related to assignment is within the Placement and Test Scores report on my.harvard. All students taking Expos 10 or 20 will be automatically enrolled in a placeholder course but must participate in the sectioning process to finalize their Expos section and time. Avoid ranking preferences that conflict with key times for other currently registered courses, as Expos sectioning is released near the registration deadline.
• First-Year Seminars offer a unique opportunity for incoming students to work closely in a small setting with professors and students with similar interests. They are electives carrying 4-degree credits graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Participation in a short application process is required.

Fulfilling Degree Requirements

In planning courses for the semester, keep in mind the following courses that must be taken for degree fulfillment at Harvard College.

Harvard College Curriculum Requirements

(up to 12 courses: note that many General Education courses may also be counted by Departments/programs towards concentration requirements)

• General Education (Gen Ed) (Aesthetics & Culture; Ethics & Civics; Histories, Societies, Individuals; Science & Technology in Society) – four courses, one in each area
• Divisional Distribution (Arts & Humanities; Social Sciences; and Science & Engineering and Applied Science) – three courses, one in each division
• Quantitative Reasoning with Data – one course
• Expository Writing – one or two courses
• Language  – up to two courses, if not satisfied via placement exams

Concentration Requirements

(numbers vary, but usually between 11 and 14 courses)

Harvard College offers fifty concentrations , with most offering students the option of pursuing an honors or a non-honors path through their requirements. Each concentration also allows for concentration credit to be earned through study abroad. Learn more about individual concentration requirements by consulting the department or program's concentration website , consulting the Harvard College Fields of Concentration , or meeting with a departmental or program advisor. Pursuing a special concentration , a joint concentration (integrating work between two concentrations), or a double concentration is also possible.

(numbers vary, but between 8 and 12 courses)

These courses represent the discretionary part of every Harvard College student's study plan. Use electives to explore intellectual interests outside of a concentration. They can also be used to take First-Year Seminars , pursue a secondary or minor field , pursue a concurrent Masters , do advanced language study leading to a citation, or study abroad in an area outside of one's concentration. 

As a Harvard student, you have access to several different advising resources - all here to support your intellectual, personal, and social growth.

Guide to Finding Textbooks at Harvard

The more access you have to acquiring your course textbooks, the better prepared you'll be to tackle the course material.

Harvard Terms and Acronyms

As a Harvard student, you may be exposed to the many acronyms, terms, and general lingo that are specific only to the Harvard experience.

ASU business school launches AI degree program

W. p. carey school graduate program accepting applications for fall 2024 admission.

Catherine Phillips is an MBA student in the W.P. Carey School of Business. The school is officially launching a new degree program — the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business (MS-AIB). ASU photo

Following Arizona State University’s groundbreaking announcement of the first university collaboration with OpenAI , the W. P. Carey School of Business is officially launching a new degree program — the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Business (MS-AIB).

Backed by faculty from the Department of Information Systems, it is the first AI graduate degree program from a business school in the United States.

“There is no doubt that AI is quickly becoming a vital business skill. We are excited to meet the needs of students and employers through our new graduate degree program within our top-ranked information systems department,” said Ohad Kadan , Charles J. Robel Dean and W. P. Carey Distinguished Chair in Business.

The new W. P. Carey MS-AIB program, to be held on the Tempe campus, incorporates an applied curriculum and career coaching to prepare graduates for success in emerging roles across industries. Taught by world-renowned faculty, the MS-AIB degree will help students develop technical AI and professional skills needed to thrive in the constantly evolving landscape of technology and business. 

Allowing students to lead what’s next

The goal of the program is to equip leaders with a business-aligned framework and strategies for implementing AI — delivering both technical skills and business skills to design, deploy and apply AI mindfully in diverse business contexts.

“Students will learn to understand and plan for the implications and possibilities enabled by artificial intelligence, in addition to the importance of governance, ethics and principled innovation,” explained Pei-yu Chen , chair of the Department of Information Systems and Red Avenue Foundation Professor. Chen is also the co-director of the Center for AI and Data Analytics for Business and Society .

Students will complete the program able to:

• Analyze diverse business situations and apply AI to further business goals.
• Understand and effectively communicate the impact of AI transformations.
• Practice mindful AI and pay attention to ethics, bias, welfare, privacy and trust.
• Lead cross-functional conversations and collaboration for effective implementation.
• Advance their careers and solve pressing challenges for global businesses.

Learn more about the MS-AIB , now accepting applications for fall 2024 admission.

AI skill development a focus across programs

In addition to the groundbreaking new graduate program, the W. P. Carey School offers a host of ways for students to grow their understanding of AI and apply those skills to solve business problems. For example, students have the opportunity to select AI concentrations within the MBA and Master of Science in Information Systems Management (MS-ISM) programs. 

“W. P. Carey has been at the forefront of integrating AI into its academic programs, showcasing a commitment to leadership in AI education and its applications in business,” said Dan Mazzola , faculty director of the MS-ISM program. “The school's offerings of AI-focused degrees, alongside various AI-related certificates and concentrations, highlight its active role in shaping the conversation around AI and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in technology.”

W. P. Carey also offers a  certificate in artificial intelligence in business , which allows learners to train in the mechanics of this cutting-edge technology, design intelligent systems, learn how to harness these systems mindfully for value creation, and then how to embed them into business to transform organizational strategy and revolutionize business processes and operations. Credit completed in the certificate program can later be transferred toward several W. P. Carey master’s degrees.

By integrating AI into its core educational offerings and providing flexible learning opportunities tailored to various student needs, the W. P. Carey School aims to ensure its graduates are well equipped to fulfill the diverse and evolving career demands in AI-enabled organizations.

These programs each demonstrate W. P. Carey's long-standing dedication to preparing students for the evolving business landscape through a multifaceted educational approach.

More Business and entrepreneurship

Academic by day, comic by night

Geoffrey Smith isn’t joking around about his new hobby this April Fools' Day.  A clinical professor of finance at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, Smith recently completed…

Sun Devil 100 celebrates 10 years with largest class

The ASU Alumni Association has announced the induction of 171 exceptional alumni into the esteemed Sun Devil 100 Class of 2024, an annual awards program that recognizes the fastest-growing alumni-…

Inaugural ASU conference explores sustainable investing

According to Ivo Welch, "When we narrow our focus to (climate change) issues that are both rational and have plausible courses of action, there is remarkably little we disagree about.” Welch,…

• Why Choose Entertainment Leadership and Management?
• Learning Outcomes
• Required Courses

Application Requirements

Working with Career and Professional Development

Internships

• Outcomes div.mega__menu -->

Connect with SFTV Graduate Admission

Application Deadlines

Applications are reviewed as they are received; there is no need to wait until a deadline to submit your application. Applicants should expect to receive an admission decision within one month of submitting a complete application.

Fall (August) 2024

We will begin reviewing applications in January 2024.

• January 10, 2024: Round 1
• March 10, 2024: Round 2
• May 15, 2024: Round 3 (international applicants)
• May 31, 2024: Round 3 (domestic applicants)
• We will continue to accept applications after May 31, 2024 until all spaces are full.

LMU Graduate Division Application

1. graduate online application and $50 application fee.

LMU offers an easy online application. Please visit the Graduate Division website to get started.

NOTE: Applicants may only apply to ONE graduate program per year. Applicants may NOT apply simultaneously to more than one SFTV graduate program.

2. Official Transcripts

Please contact the Registrar's Office of each college or university you have attended and request one official copy of your transcripts be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. If ordering electronic transcripts, request one copy be released to [email protected] . For current or former LMU students, please read here. Unofficial transcripts cannot be uploaded. Transcripts should be sent to:

Graduate Admissions Office Loyola Marymount University 1 LMU Drive, Charles Von der Ahe Building, Suite 235 Los Angeles, CA 90045-2659

3. Transcript / Credit Evaluation

Applicants who have completed their post-secondary education from an institution outside the U.S. must have their transcripts evaluated and translated by a U.S.-based transcript evaluation service before the application is considered for admission. A few commonly used evaluation service agencies are as follows:

• Educational Credential Evaluators
• International Education Research Foundation
• World Education Services

The purpose of the evaluation is to verify that your post-secondary degree is the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor's degree. A "course-by-course" transcript evaluation identifying your GPA is required.

4. English Language Proficiency Requirement (International Applicants Only)

TOEFL / IELTS: Applicants must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) unless they received a high school diploma or a bachelor's degree in the United States. Exceptions to this rule may be made for students from countries where English is one of several official languages, as well as at the discretion of the school's administration. The minimum TOEFL score for admission into most graduate programs is 100 internet-based and IELTS Overall Band Score of 7.

• Read more about the TOEFL
• Read more about the IELTS

Please request that ETS or IELTS send your official scores to LMU Graduate Admissions. The LMU Institution Code is 4403 to request the TOEFL.

Note: If, after admission to a graduate program, the applicant's proficiency in English should prove inadequate, the University reserves the right to require additional proficiency in English. Failure to comply will result in disqualification from the graduate program.

5. GMAT/GRE Scores

You are required to provide official test scores for either the  GMAT  or  GRE unless you have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

Applicants who are required to submit GMAT/GRE scores should use the following school codes:

• GMAT: MSX-XN-88

MELM Supplemental Graduate Application

Personal video.

You are required to submit a video, no more than 2 minutes in length, addressing both of the below prompts. You will upload the video to YouTube and include the link in your application where indicated.

• Prompt 1:  Describe a business problem in the entertainment industry that you intend to solve during your career and explain why it is important to you. What are the outcomes you intend to achieve, and how will your leadership and management skills contribute to these efforts?
• Prompt 2:  Do you identify more with the creative side of the entertainment industry or the business side? Have you created or curated content in the past? Whether it's in the office or on set, how do you see yourself incorporating creativity into your future career path?

Two Letters of Recommendation

Your letters may be from professional and/or academic references. You will include the contact information for your recommenders in your application, and they will be contacted by LMU to upload their letters directly into your application file.

Applicants may be asked to participate in an interview with a member of the admission committee. Interviews are by invitation only.

Commitment Deposit

Admitted candidates must confirm their commitment to attend and provide a non-refundable deposit of $1,000. The deposit will be applied to your tuition.

If you need more information or need assistance, please contact  [email protected] or 310.258.4630.

For Undergraduate Admissions, please contact [email protected] .