Students may work towards three graduate degrees—Master of Science (considered, in most cases, a terminal degree), Master of Engineering (a terminal degree), or Doctor of Philosophy—in one of four areas: Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering Sciences.

Degree Listings

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics
• Ph.D. in Applied Physics
• Ph.D. in Computer Science
• Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences, Bioengineering
• Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences, Electrical Engineering
• Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences, Environmental Science and Engineering
• Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences, Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in Applied Mathematics
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in Applied Physics
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in Computer Science
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in Engineering Sciences, Bioengineering
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in Engineering Sciences, Electrical Engineering
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in Engineering Sciences, Environmental Science and Engineering
• S.M., M.E., or A.B./S.M. in  Engineering Sciences, Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering

The requirements for each degree are summarized below. Please note that the SEAS graduate degree requirements are currently under review and are subject to change.

Please note that we strongly encourage any student who is considering ultimately pursuing the Ph.D. at Harvard to apply directly to the Ph.D. program.  Students in our masters programs are not given preferential treatment in admission to the Ph.D. program.

Model Programs for Ph.D.

Model programs presents SEAS-wide course requirements for the Ph.D. degree with area-specific course requirements, guidelines, and model programs that are intended to help students develop programs with sound intellectual frameworks.

• Model Programs

S.M., M.E., and Ph.D. Basic Requirements

Graduate students may work towards a Master of Science (considered, in most cases, a terminal degree), Master of Engineering (a terminal degree), 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). The requirements for each degree are summarized below.

Master of Science (S.M.)

The S.M. degree is awarded for the successful completion of eight semester length courses at Harvard. The S.M. degree is non-research based degree and no dissertation, foreign language, or general examination is required.

The S.M. is considered, in most cases, a terminal degree. Upon successful completion of the S.M. degree, any student planning to pursue the Ph.D. degree (see below), must formally apply to the Ph.D. program (see below). No preferential treatment is given to S.M. degree holders seeking admission to the Ph.D. program.

As students admitted to the Ph.D. program can apply for and receive S.M. on completion of the requirements for the master's degree, we strongly encourage any student who is considering ultimately pursuing the Ph.D. at Harvard to apply directly to the Ph.D. program.

Master of Engineering (M.E.)

Students who wish to pursue more advanced formal training without undertaking the research required for the Ph.D. degree may earn the ME degree by successfully completing one year of coursework beyond that required for the SM degree. The M.E. is a terminal degree. No dissertation, foreign language, or general examination is required.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The PhD requires a minimum academic residency of two years beyond the bachelor’s degree. Programs are individually tailored and approved by a committee on higher degrees.

Normally, students spend one-and-one-half to two years on coursework—10 semester length, including at least 8 disciplinary courses are required.

Depth and breadth of knowledge are important guiding principles in the Ph.D. program. The first year is ordinarily spent principally on coursework, although some students may begin research. The second year is usually divided between coursework and research, with coursework completed during the third year if necessary.

As soon as coursework is completed, students conduct research full time. Original research culminating in the dissertation is usually completed in the fourth or fifth year. No foreign language is required.

Oral Qualifying Examination

Preparation in the major field is evaluated in an oral examination by a qualifying committee. The examination has the dual purpose of verifying the adequacy of the student's preparation for undertaking research in a chosen field and of assessing the student's ability to synthesize knowledge already acquired.

Dissertation

Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, a committee chaired by the research supervisor is constituted to oversee the dissertation research. The dissertation must, in the judgment of the research committee, meet the standards of significant and original research.

Final Oral Examination

This public examination devoted to the field of the dissertation is conducted by the student's research committee. It includes, but is not restricted to, a defense of the dissertation itself.

Our graduate programs are administered through Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Part Time Students

Under unusual circumstances, full-time candidates for graduate degrees may petition for permission to study part-time, ordinarily at a rate of two half-courses per term. Similarly, candidates for the master’s degree who need fewer than four semester length to complete the requirements for the degree can arrange to be charged tuition on a per course basis. Visa regulations prohibit foreign nationals who are not permanent residents of the US from registering for part-time study.

Collaborative Programs with HST

Medical Engineering and Medical Physics Program

The five- to six-year Medical Engineering and Medical Physics Program (MEMP) program leads to the Ph.D. or Sc.D. in Medical Engineering or Medical Physics awarded by MIT, or the PhD awarded by Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The MEMP curriculum gives students hands-on experience in biomedical sciences and engineering to allow them to explore the fundamental principles underlying human biology and diseases, discover new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and ultimately ameliorate human suffering. The range of interests of students in the program is vast; a small sampling of topics includes molecular biology, modeling of biological systems, medical imaging and visualization, instrumentation, biomaterials, and cellular biomechanics.

Requirements and Dissertation

Although pathways through the MEMP program are intended to be individualized and therefore vary widely, there is a broad curricular and administrative structure that is common to all paths within MEMP. Curricular requirements fall roughly into three segments: pre-qualifying, clinical, and dissertation. Curricular tracks within MEMP are Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Systems Physiology and Medicine.

Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG) Program

BIG is a specialized area of study withinHealth Sciences and Technology's Medical Engineering and Medical Physics program. In BIG, bioinformatics is viewed in a broad sense to comprise the overall activity of extracting the functional dependencies of biological systems from the data generated by sequence, microarray, proteomics, and metabolism-probing technologies.

Students interested in BIG are admitted to MEMP and normally take MEMP’s cellular and molecular medicine track along with additional courses specifically to fulfill the BIG concentration. The BIG program seeks students with a very strong quantitative science background. To be considered for admission, students must have completed at least a baccalaureate degree in engineering or physical science or computer science (or equivalent). Recommended preparation includes at least one undergraduate subject in each of the following areas: biology, organic chemistry, computational science, physical chemistry or thermodynamics, biochemistry, and advanced calculus.

Graduate Policies

• Committee on Higher Degrees Policies
• Committee on Higher Degrees Policies (Prior to Fall 2008)

For more information, visit the SEAS Intranet site.