Origins
Our name change in 2007 from "Division" to "School", approved by members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and ratified by the Harvard Corporation and Board of Overseers, is a celebration of the renewal and growth engineering and applied sciences has experienced in recent years at Harvard.
The new name also reflects our progenitor, the Lawrence Scientific School. Founded in 1847, the Lawrence School was Harvard's first major effort to provide a formal, advanced education in science and engineering.
The Lawrence School, our progenitor, will be reborn in a new form appropriate for the 21st century."
- Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (1998-2008)
In our rapidly transforming world, engineering plays an ever more central role—in advancing basic science, creating tools and everyday technologies, driving economic development, and meeting societal challenges in areas from energy to the environment to human health.
We have an exceptional opportunity to educate future engineers who will connect ideas in unexpected ways, integrate technological innovations into daily life, and apply their discoveries to make a positive impact in the world.
At the same time, we can provide students from all concentrations with a deeper understanding of the role of engineering and technology in today’s world.
To remain a great university with a global reach, Harvard must have research programs commensurate with the changing needs of the present and the challenges of the future.
Ensuring that engineering and applied sciences have the appropriate scale and scope is integral to achieving this goal.
The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, dedicated to basic and application-oriented research, reflects our genesis, builds upon our recent successes, and looks to the future.
Past and Present
Time line
Key moments from the founding of the Lawrence School in 1847 to the recent transition to a School.
Founding & Early Years
History of the first programs in engineering and applied sciences at Harvard and biographies of our key founders and early supporters, Abbott Lawrence and Gordon McKay.
Launch of SEAS
Archive of information about the Launch of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2007.
SEAS Today
Overview of the School's current vision and priorities.
SEAS Seal
An explanation of our seal.
