Harvard’s commitment to enhancing its pedagogical and research efforts in science, engineering, and technology remains firm.

Engineering and applied sciences are not only a University priority but also a critical element in renewed efforts to strengthen, restructure, and maintain the dynamism of the University science enterprise. These efforts, in turn, will magnify the impact of investments in engineering and applied sciences.

Ultimately, we hope that our passion for discovery and innovation—rooted in a community dedicated to the practice of integrative science and unbounded ideas—will attract creative minds, improve society, and inspire future generations of globally educated leaders.

Our Approach to Undergraduate Education

At the undergraduate level, our goal is to create students who excel in engineering and applied sciences, but also have a broad knowledge of other disciplines and wish to connect advances in engineering to society’s most challenging problems.

To advance our plans, we are finding new ways to engage students and deliver content, reconsidering what we teach and developing more ways to connect classroom experiences to the wider world.

• Unlike some programs in engineering and applied sciences, Harvard undergraduates who pursue the field are not enrolled in a separate school or college.
  
• Students in engineering and applied sciences are part of a liberal arts environment, interacting with classmates from completely different concentrations in their dorms, Houses, dining halls, and clubs.
• Students from all concentrations are required to complete the General Education Requirements.
• Harvard is among only a few programs in the country to offer both an A.B. and an ABET-Accredited S.B. in Engineering Sciences.
  
  

Likewise, we want to enable students from all other concentrations to learn how engineering and technology underpin many aspects of society and the world. We believe that exposing all Harvard College students to the tenets of engineering—analysis, synthesis/integration, design, and building—will give them a greater appreciation for science and technology and better prepare them for a world in which technology is part of every sphere of life.

Our Approach to Graduate Education

In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of modern research, SEAS does not have traditional academic departments and does not award graduate degrees by specific research area.

Instead, students may work towards a Master of Science, Master of Engineering, and Doctor of Philosophy degree in one of four subjects—Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering Sciences—or graduate with a Ph.D. in the Science, Technology & Management program (with Harvard Business School).

To help students develop plans of study that have sound intellectual frameworks, SEAS has instituted model programs/guidelines by degree.

• Students work in close consultation with their advisors to develop an appropriate and personalized plan of study.
  
• We view courses as a way to enhance a student's research ability, to learn broadly about a field or related fields, and as part of the process of becoming a well-rounded member of one’s field. 
• Our 10 course requirement is considered a a minimum, and not a goal; students are encouraged to take additional courses whenever appropriate.
• We aim to balance disciplinary expertise (i.e., courses that provide the scientific, mathematical, and technical depth that students need for our graduate programs in engineering and applied science) with "innovation" style courses that broaden a student's perspective, suitable 100- level courses, or relevant courses at a suitable level in non-science departments (e.g., economics) or schools (e.g., Harvard Kennedy School or Harvard Business School).
• Students are encouraged to interact with the various SEAS-based and University-wide research centers and initiatives.