harvard bbs phd requirements

• Remember me Not recommended on shared computers

Forgot your password?

Update on Harvard BBS Acceptance Rate

By PhDHopeful3 January 12, 2017 in Biology

Recommended Posts

PhDHopeful3

Hi everyone,

I just heard some information that surprised me today that I wanted to share (as it's quite different than previous post-interview acceptance rates that I had heard for Harvard BBS). There are ~70 people attending the first (January) interview weekend, and ~50 people attending the second (Feb) interview weekend. They're also still expecting to hear back from a few more people who haven't yet signed up.

They are looking to fill 65-70 spots for this cycle. 

I was quite surprised, because I'd heard for Harvard BBS that if you get an interview, you're pretty much good (~90% post-interview acceptance rate), but these numbers don't indicate that.

Just wanted to share this info, as I know people are often talking about acceptance rates!

I should have added that I was told that, yes, more offers go out than the 65-70 spots that they're looking to fill (makes sense, as we know students will choose other programs for various reasons). But absolutely not to the tune of 80-90% of interviewees receiving an offer of admission.

• Kaede and DecCat

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

• Created 7 yr
• Last Reply 7 yr

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Kaede 10 posts

Nomad1111 8 posts

hippopotamus 8 posts

PhDHopeful3 7 posts

Jan 17 2017

Popular Posts

Epigenetics.

January 14, 2017

I can tell you fundamentally none of what you're saying is true. Yes they're trying to fill ~65 spots, because the program is large, but that is the post-acceptance matriculation number. They expect a

January 17, 2017

I actually found some data on HILS website and did some math based on the data. The result confirms what @Epigenetics just said: (source: https://gsas.harvard.edu/programs-of-study/divisions/harv

February 6, 2017

Got an offer via a phone call from BBS. Good luck to everyone!

Thank you for this information! Better to go in with a competitive environment than feeling overconfident.

• bioapplerobot

Exactly! I think I was feeling too confident before I found this out!

I don't think this is as bad as it seems at first glance. 70 admits out of a group of 120 is approximately a ~60% acceptance rate, but you have to consider that even top programs don't have 100% enrollment rates. The students that end up getting offers from Harvard are going to be getting offers from other excellent schools, so they always have to send out more offers than they have spots in order to fill out their incoming class. This means that the the actual post-interview admissions rate has to substantially higher than 60% - I figure that somewhere around 80% is reasonable based on the numbers you mentioned.

Edit: Didn't see OP's edit to his original post. But I do think it's reasonable to expect an 80% rate.

• Nomad1111 and hippopotamus

I can tell you fundamentally none of what you're saying is true. Yes they're trying to fill ~65 spots, because the program is large, but that is the post-acceptance matriculation number. They expect a large number of people not to attend, so if they anticipate a matriculation rate of 50% (from what I've heard that's about what they expect) then they have to accept 130 people to get that. I know for a fact their post-interview admission rate is 90-95%. Source: I work in a BBS lab.

• bioinformaticsGirl , user201023 , hippopotamus and 2 others

1 hour ago, Epigenetics said: I can tell you fundamentally none of what you're saying is true. Yes they're trying to fill ~65 spots, because the program is large, but that is the post-acceptance matriculation number. They expect a large number of people not to attend, so if they anticipate a matriculation rate of 50% (from what I've heard that's about what they expect) then they have to accept 130 people to get that. I know for a fact their post-interview admission rate is 90-95%. Source: I work in a BBS lab.

Whew! That is reassuring!

2 hours ago, Epigenetics said: I can tell you fundamentally none of what you're saying is true. Yes they're trying to fill ~65 spots, because the program is large, but that is the post-acceptance matriculation number. They expect a large number of people not to attend, so if they anticipate a matriculation rate of 50% (from what I've heard that's about what they expect) then they have to accept 130 people to get that. I know for a fact their post-interview admission rate is 90-95%. Source: I work in a BBS lab.

Wow that really relieved me! I feel kind of surprised by the ~50% yield rate tho, given that the MD and MD-PhD program at HMS both have 75%+ yield rates. Maybe many people who get in Harvard BBS tend to have multiple offers from other top programs, but getting into multiple top schools for MD/MD-PhD is way harder?

I actually found some data on HILS website and did some math based on the data. The result confirms what @Epigenetics  just said:

(source:  https://gsas.harvard.edu/programs-of-study/divisions/harvard-integrated-life-sciences )

(1)Last year all programs in HILS (BBS, BIG, MCO, immunology, chem bio, etc) accepted~396 students (2331 total applicants*17% admission rate), and the entering class is 210, which makes the yield rate ~53% .

(2)Since BBS is the largest cohort in HILS (~31% of the HILS), let's assume that the yield rate of BBS is similar to that number of the whole HILS. 

(3)In order to fill 65 spots, BBS needs to accept 65/0.53=122 students . If the # of spots to fill is 70, they need to accept 132 .

(4)~120 people will attend two interview weekends, and there are more internationals do Skype interview. Harvard BBS has ~30% intl students, let's assume that among 30%, half (15%) reside in the US and are already included in the 120, and the remaining 15% will do skype. The total interviewee number (onsite+skype)=120/(1-0.15)=142 . 

(5) The conclusion: BBS will interview ~140 students and accept 120-130 students, which makes the post-interview acceptance rate 86-93% . Not bad at all.

• Nomad1111 , Some violinist , 564654899865 and 2 others

5 hours ago, MCF10A said: I actually found some data on HILS website and did some math based on the data. The result confirms what @Epigenetics  just said: (source:  https://gsas.harvard.edu/programs-of-study/divisions/harvard-integrated-life-sciences ) (1)Last year all programs in HILS (BBS, BIG, MCO, immunology, chem bio, etc) accepted~396 students (2331 total applicants*17% admission rate), and the entering class is 210, which makes the yield rate ~53% . (2)Since BBS is the largest cohort in HILS (~31% of the HILS), let's assume that the yield rate of BBS is similar to that number of the whole HILS.  (3)In order to fill 65 spots, BBS needs to accept 65/0.53=122 students . If the # of spots to fill is 70, they need to accept 132 . (4)~120 people will attend two interview weekends, and there are more internationals do Skype interview. Harvard BBS has ~30% intl students, let's assume that among 30%, half (15%) reside in the US and are already included in the 120, and the remaining 15% will do skype. The total interviewee number (onsite+skype)=120/(1-0.15)=142 .  (5) The conclusion: BBS will interview ~140 students and accept 120-130 students, which makes the post-interview acceptance rate 86-93% . Not bad at all. So guess we can just chill      

5 hours ago, MCF10A said: I actually found some data on HILS website and did some math based on the data. The result confirms what @Epigenetics  just said: (source:  https://gsas.harvard.edu/programs-of-study/divisions/harvard-integrated-life-sciences ) (1)Last year all programs in HILS (BBS, BIG, MCO, immunology, chem bio, etc) accepted~396 students (2331 total applicants*17% admission rate), and the entering class is 210, which makes the yield rate ~53% . (2)Since BBS is the largest cohort in HILS (~31% of the HILS), let's assume that the yield rate of BBS is similar to that number of the whole HILS.  (3)In order to fill 65 spots, BBS needs to accept 65/0.53=122 students . If the # of spots to fill is 70, they need to accept 132 . (4)~120 people will attend two interview weekends, and there are more internationals do Skype interview. Harvard BBS has ~30% intl students, let's assume that among 30%, half (15%) reside in the US and are already included in the 120, and the remaining 15% will do skype. The total interviewee number (onsite+skype)=120/(1-0.15)=142 .  (5) The conclusion: BBS will interview ~140 students and accept 120-130 students, which makes the post-interview acceptance rate 86-93% . Not bad at all. So guess we can just chill

Was told by the secretary during Sys Bio interview that the acceptance rate was ~60%

hippopotamus

Does anyone know if Harvard BBS sends out the list of faculty that you'll be interviewing with?

1 hour ago, hippopotamus said: Does anyone know if Harvard BBS sends out the list of faculty that you'll be interviewing with?

Don't think so. Still waiting on that.

Got contact with my student host though.

8 minutes ago, desmond.bo said: Don't think so. Still waiting on that. Got contact with my student host though.

Did your grad student host contact you directly?

32 minutes ago, hippopotamus said: Did your grad student host contact you directly?

Yep. I suppose they are doing these independently. 

• 2 weeks later...

Does anyone know when we hear back from Harvard BBS?

20 minutes ago, hippopotamus said: Does anyone know when we hear back from Harvard BBS?

From looking at the previous two years, it looks like the first round of interviews hears today.... not sure if that's the case this year, but that's how it has been previously.

10 hours ago, PhDHopeful3 said: From looking at the previous two years, it looks like the first round of interviews hears today.... not sure if that's the case this year, but that's how it has been previously.

Nothing happened to me today. Did you guys heard about anything?

56 minutes ago, desmond.bo said: Nothing happened to me today. Did you guys heard about anything?

i don't think anything came out today. maybe tomorrow

Nothing today!

Nothing in the results section either

Come on BBS, let's try for today for week 1!

• PhDHopeful3 and MCF10A

jeanetics17

Maybe they're adjusting how many people they admit this year based on last year's results which they told us was a very big class (~70-75). Since so many people accepted last year, they probably think a similar trend will occur this year, and of course those are huge numbers in terms of cost for the program. When we didn't hear back last week, I suspected something was up and perhaps (I suspect) the 1st group of interviewees won't hear back until after the 2nd interview. Basically, I think they are going to pool all interviewees and cut from that instead of each weekend (reducing the amount accepted in total). 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Already have an account? Sign in here.

• Existing user? Sign In
• Online Users
• All Activity
• My Activity Streams
• Unread Content
• Content I Started
• Results Search
• Post Results
• Leaderboard
• Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

• 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, we will accept at-home versions of the GRE. 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, we will accept at-home versions of the TOEFL iBT and IELTS Academic. 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

• Division of Medical Sciences
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
• Harvard Integrated Life Sciences
• Harvard Medical School

How to Join PGG

Membership in the Program in Genetics and Genomics (PGG) is open to all Harvard BBS students. There is no formal application process for admittance. Any interested BBS student should email the Program Director, Scott Kennedy, kennedy[at]genetics.med.harvard.edu .

Requirements

Students are encouraged to take all BBS core courses necessary to provide a broad foundation in genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry. BBS requirements include BBS 230, Genetics 201, BCMP 200, and CB 201. For those students with an exceptionally strong background in genetics, an exemption for Genetics 201 may be obtained after conferring with the Program director. Students will also be required to take one course in statistics/quantitative biology, and at least two advanced seminar courses in genetics. See the Curriculum page for course listings.

Rotations and Dissertation Lab

Students should follow regular BBS guidelines when selecting rotations and dissertation labs. There are no restrictions or requirements to choose a program-affiliated dissertation lab.

All BBS students are required to participate for one semester as an unpaid teaching assistant. Students in the program in Genetics and Genomics should serve as a teaching assistant, preferably for either Genetics 201 or Genetics 202, when applicable.

Programmatic Activities

Monthly meetings The Program in Genetics and Genomics has monthly meetings of three different types, as described below. All meetings are scheduled in the evening and include pizza. The meeting schedule for the 2021–2022 academic year can be found on our Events page.

Student and faculty talks

This meeting occurs once per year and consists of two 25-minute talks by a senior PGG student and by a PGG faculty member. These talks are open to all PGG students, faculty, and fellows.

Postdoc talks

Also open to all PGG students, faculty, and fellows, this meeting occurs two times per year and consists of two 25-minute talks by postdocs. For each meeting, one speaker is a postdoctoral researcher in a clinical and medical genetics lab and the second speaker is a postdoc from a PGG lab.

G3 meetings

These meetings occur in fall and feature all third year students presenting 20-minute talks about their research. This meeting is only open to third-year PGG students and the steering committee. Students will receive feedback from the steering committee after the talk.

Annual Genetics and Genomics Symposium

The largest PGG event features seminars by former BBS graduate students who are now successful independent investigators working in genetics and genomics, and by current senior PGG graduate students. All current PGG students present a poster during the poster session reception.

Department of Genetics Seminar Series

PGG students are strongly encouraged to attend these bimonthly seminars, followed by lunch with the guest speaker. Additionally, PGG students have the opportunity to invite and host two of the seminar speakers each year. Please check the schedule at the Department of Genetics website to see a complete listing of seminar speakers.

Journal Club PGG students are encouraged to participate in the PGG journal club. It is entirely student-run and meets twice per month during the school year.

• Student Information & Statistics
• Steering Committee
• Current Students

Get the Reddit app

This subreddit is for anyone who is going through the process of getting into graduate school, and for those who've been there and have advice to give.

Reality Check: Could I get into the BBS Ph.D. program at Harvard?

This is fairly personal information and I don’t want to dox myself so I’m using a throwaway.

I never thought I could go to Harvard, and I don’t think my GPA is great (I got a C in biochem lol), but I’m a good researcher, and I want to get my Ph.D. I love how holistic the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program is at Harvard. I have so many ideas and areas of interest (from chemical biology to ecology to medicine) and it sounds like this is the program for me, considering its a collaborative education involving 9 science departments.

Here are my stats:

Bachelors degree in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley - GPA: 3.4/4

2 years research experience in an academic lab (working under a Nobel laureate, on CRISPR/Cas9 Research)

1 high impact publication (PNAS) and 1 poster presentation/abstract from my academic research

1 year of experience as a process development intern at Genentech

3 Letters of recommendation (one from the Harvard alum Nobel laureate PI, one from a community college professor who sponsored an independent research project, and one from my Genentech manager/Ph.D.)

I feel like the only reason they’d even consider my application is because of the letters of rec, and that was just me getting lucky and falling into a good position.

The rest of my app wouldn’t be too outstanding, I took a lot of time off from school in the middle of my undergrad due to financial and legal trouble, and my grades weren’t too great at that time.

I have a lot of hobbies but not many that I think look good for a grad school application (photography, home brewing, ice hockey), so extracurriculars would be lacking…

My statement of interest would describe different ideas I have for research projects involving biopharma process development (cell culture/expression/chromatography optimizations), CRISPR, mAb production. Basically the areas where I have work experience.

Is this realistic? Should I aim lower.

Thanks in advance!

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) is an area of study within the Division of Medical Sciences, a unit based at Harvard Medical School that coordinates biomedical Ph.D. activities at the Longwood Medical Area. The Ph.D. Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) offers training in the biosciences, built outward from core training in contemporary genetics, biochemistry, and molecular, cellular, and mechanistic biology. BBS provides a rigorous, nimble biomedical education, equipping trainees with tools to bring about scientific breakthroughs and to launch entrepreneurial paths in academics, industry, and education.

Funding & Scholarship: Graduate Programs

Financial support for ph.d. students, all students admitted into our ph.d. program receive full financial support., this support includes tuition, fees, $1,004 in transportation and dental subsidies (as of ay24-25), and a cost-of-living stipend ($3655 per month in ay23-24 and $4083 per month before taxes in ay24-25)..

Support is independent of need provided a student remains in good academic standing and is making satisfactory progress towards his/her Ph.D. degree. Students are expected to complete their Ph.D. requirements in four to six years. Financial support takes several forms: fellowships, teaching fellowships, and research assistantships. Ordinarily, first-year Ph.D. students are supported with full fellowships so that they can devote their time to coursework.

For the classes entering in Fall 2024 and beyond : SEAS PhD students are expected to complete two sections of teaching in SEAS in their second year or spread across their second and third years. Both sections may be completed concurrently in a single course. Their research assistantship will be adjusted accordingly during the semester(s) in which they are teaching fellow (TF). The academic requirement for the PhD degree is one section of teaching in SEAS. The student and their research advisor may arrange to replace the second section of teaching with a research assistantship. Beyond the first year, when students are in a better position to teach and assist in research, support is ordinarily provided through research assistantships, or a combination of a teaching fellowship and a research assistantship. For more detailed information, please visit the following pages: GSAS Tuition and Fees  G SAS Financial Support for PhD Students

External financial support for Ph.D. students

Applicants and current students are encouraged and expected to apply for all non-Harvard scholarships for which they are eligible, especially those offered by the  National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program  and  National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) . 

Each year, many SEAS students secure fellowships from external agencies.  Should an incoming student be awarded and accept any fellowship external to Harvard, it is the expectation that the student will utilize these funds in the first year of study in place of Harvard funding.   In advanced (G2+) years in the graduate program, students with external fellowships are advised to have a discussion with their financial aid officers from Harvard Griffin GSAS and SEAS about how to best utilize the remaining years of funding based on their activities and academic requirements.

To ensure equitable treatment of all students, the coordination of external award benefits with a student’s existing funding package is determined by the Harvard Griffin GSAS financial aid officer in consultation with SEAS.

Currently, PhD students with external support are eligible for a SEAS-sponsored academic incentive.  PhD students who bring in open, competitive external fellowships that are equal to 50% or more of total their support (tuition/fees + stipend) will receive a supplemental award of $3,000 in the first year of the external fellowship.  PhD students who bring in open external competitive external fellowships that are not 50% or more of their total support and are at least $10,000 (tuition/fees + stipend or salary) will receive a supplemental award of $1,000.  The full $3,000 bonus may also be awarded in certain cases of multi-year fellowships depending on the total amount of support provided.This policy is subject to review and change.

Financial support for terminal masters students (M.E. & S.M.)

While financial aid is not available for master’s students in our M.E. and S.M. programs, there are a variety of funding opportunities available. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for independent grants and fellowships to fund their studies.  Information about tuition and fees can be found here . Students in our Computational Science & Engineering or Data Science programs-should visit this page and also may contact the  GSAS Financial Aid Office  to learn more.

Students in the  MS/MBA:Engineering Sciences program  are eligible to apply for need-based  HBS Fellowships  and student loans in both years of the program.

Harvard University COVID-19 updates

Graduate Application Requirements

Application requirements.

Applications are managed by the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Admissions, and become available in September. Admission is for the fall term only. Please note all supporting materials and required components must be submitted electronically as part of the application. Harvard Griffin GSAS does not accept materials in any other way.

• Application
• Statement of Purpose
• Letters of Recommendation
• Transcripts
• Recommended Coursework
• English Proficiency
• Application Fee

1. APPLICATION

Applications are submitted through the Harvard Griffin GSAS Applicant Portal and will become available in September 2024. You can access the application by clicking the apply button on the apply page . Please note all supporting materials and required components must be submitted electronically as part of the application. No materials will be accepted in any other way. The application includes biographical and academic information, an abstract of all courses, and a statement of purpose. Although the abstract of courses may duplicate information available on your transcript(s), it is essential that the admissions committee receive this orderly summary of your courses.

2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen degree program, noting the experiences that shaped your research ambitions, indicating briefly your career objectives and concisely stating your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words.

In addition to the above guidance, your statement of purpose should also address the following questions:

• The focus of this question should be a discovery in which you had substantial engagement and personal impact on the research. Do not reference a large group project simply because it was interesting.
• If you have not had significant research experience, please describe a scientific discovery that motivated you to pursue research.
• Using simple language, describe what you or others did, why, and what it means.
• Molecular Mechanism
• Cell and Developmental Biology
• Molecular Ecology and Evolution
• Choose two MCO faculty members that you are interested to work with and explain why using a specific example from their published work.

3. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Submit a minimum of three letters of recommendation from professors or others qualified to evaluate your potential for graduate study. At least one letter should be from a faculty member at the last school you attended as a full-time student unless you have been out of school for more than five years. Substitutions for faculty recommendations may include work associates or others who can comment on your academic potential for graduate work. Indicate on the recommendation form whether you are waiving your right to see the letter of recommendation.

Please note that your letters must be received by the application deadline in order for your application to be evaluated by the Admissions Committee. Please note that recommenders must submit their letters through the recommender portal: letters submitted any other way will not be accepted.

4. TRANSCRIPTS

Applicants are required to upload transcripts from each institution attended as part of their application. We do not accept mailed or email transcripts during the application submission and review process. Any transcripts sent in this manner will be discarded.

Official transcripts are only required from those who have been admitted and accepted the offer of admission. Instructions for submitting official transcripts will be provided in spring/summer prior to enrollment.

Transcripts from international institutions  must be in English or be accompanied by a certified English translation. All translations must be literal and complete versions of the original records. International transcripts should include:

• Courses, seminars, and examinations taken
• Grades, scores, and grading scales
• Confirmation of degree conferral and date

Students who are unsure of the U.S. equivalency of their degree(s) should consult a reputable credential evaluation service.

The University reserves the right to request additional academic documents.

5. RECOMMENDED COURSEWORK

Entering students should have a record of introductory courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics. While the following courses should not be regarded as prerequisites for admission to graduate study, most admitted students have completed these courses as undergraduates:

• Biology (at least one general course in biology and two terms of biology at a more advanced level)
• Biochemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Physics (a general course)
• Mathematics (a basic knowledge of differential and integral calculus). Competence in elementary programming is also desirable.
• Laboratory in Biology, Biochemistry, or Instrumental Analysis.

6. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY

Adequate  command of spoken and written English  is essential to success in graduate study at Harvard. Applicants who are non-native English speakers can demonstrate English proficiency in one of three ways:

• Receiving an undergraduate degree from an academic institution where English is the primary language of instruction.
• Earning a minimum score of 100 on the internet based test (iBT) of the Test of English as a Foreign Language  (TOEFL)*
• Earning a minimum score of 7 on the International English Language Testing System  (IELTS) Academic test.*

Please refer to all policies and instructions regarding English proficiency on the Griffin GSAS Admissions website .

7. APPLICATION FEE

The application fee is $105 payable by credit card. Harvard Griffin GSAS is committed to ensuring that our fee does not create a financial obstacle. Applicants can determine eligibility for a fee waiver by completing a series of questions in the Application Fee section of the application. Once these questions have been answered, the application system will provide an immediate response regarding fee waiver eligibility. The application fee is not refundable

Please note that GRE scores are no longer accepted.

Application Questions :  [email protected]

Phone Hours: Monday and Wednesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time 617-496-6100

Jump to navigation

Harvard University - The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

• Utility Menu

Psychology Graduate Program

• Psychology Department

Please note that our GRE General Test score requirements for admission have changed. For candidates seeking Fall 2025 admission: -  required for applicants to the Clinical Science area  -  optional but recommended for applicants to the Social, Developmental, and CBB areas*  As  of Ma y 2024, GRE General Test scores will be required for all applicants seeking Fall 2026 admission.  The  Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences welcomes applications for admission from individuals who have or will have by the time of matriculation a BA, BS, or equivalent undergraduate degree (for prospective international students, a three- or four-year undergraduate degree from an institution of recognized standing) and actively seeks applicants from groups historically  underrepresented in graduate schools . All degree candidates are admitted for full-time study beginning in the fall term.

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

If you already hold a PhD or its equivalent, or are an advanced doctoral candidate at another institution, you may apply to a PhD program only if it is in an unrelated field of study; however, preference for admissions and financial aid will be given to those who have not already had an opportunity to study for a doctoral degree at Harvard or elsewhere. You may also want to consider pursuing non-degree study through our  Special Student or Visiting Fellow  programs.

Eligible Harvard College students with advanced standing may apply in the fall of their junior year to earn an AM or SM degree during their final year of undergraduate study. Interested students must contact the  Office of Undergraduate Education  for eligibility details before applying.

Questions about the application or required materials should be directed to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions Office at  [email protected] or 617-496-6100. 

Harvard Griffin GSAS does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification. 

Required Application Materials

Please refer to Completing Your Application on the Harvard Griffin GSAS Admissions site for details.  A complete application consists of:

Online application form

Application fee payment ($105) -  Application fee waivers are available to those for whom payment of the application fee would be financially challenging. Applicants can determine eligibility for a fee waiver by completing a series of questions in the Application Fee section of the application. Once these questions have been completed, the application system will provide an immediate response regarding fee waiver eligibility.

Transcripts

Letters of recommendation (at least 3)

Statement of purpose

Personal statement

Demonstration of English proficiency

GRE General Test scores:   -  required for applicants to the Clinical Science area  -  optional but recommended for applicants to the Social, Developmental, and CBB areas* As of May 2024, GRE General Test scores will be required for all applicants seeking Fall 2026 admission. 

Harvard Griffin GSAS may request additional academic documents, as needed.

*Graduate student admissions are among the most important decisions we make as a department. Like many other PhD programs around the US and abroad, we have wrestled with the question of whether we should continue to require that applicants to our PhD program submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as part of their application. After extensive review of the scientific literature and robust discussion among our faculty, we have decided to continue to make submission of GRE scores optional, but to Recommend that students submit GRE scores if they are able to do so. We wanted to share our candid thoughts on this here.  

A number of empirical and review papers have noted that performance on the GRE is not a strong predictor of performance on a number of graduate school metrics (e.g., correlation with graduate school GPA = .21-.31, which represent small to medium effect sizes; Woo et al., 2023) and that the fact that the significant group differences (by race/ethnicity and gender) in GRE scores suggest it may discourage those from underrepresented groups from applying to PhD programs. Other research has shown that although there are limitations to the GRE, other potential predictors of success in graduate school have even smaller correlations with such outcomes, and removing the GRE would lead us to rely on these other potentially biased factors, such as where a person received their undergraduate degree, what research lab they had the opportunity to train in, and letters of recommendation.(1) We have heard anecdotally from current and former PhD students (including those historically underrepresented in PhD programs) who argue that the GRE helped them demonstrate their abilities when they didn’t attend a top undergraduate institution or work in a well-known research lab.  

On balance, we acknowledge that the GRE is an imperfect test and should not be used as the single deciding factor in admissions; however, we fear that excluding it altogether will introduce more, not less, bias into the admissions decision-making process. Thus, we have decided to keep the submission of GRE scores optional, but to recommend that students submit their scores if they are able to do so.  

We know that many students might expect that we are looking for near-perfect scores as a requirement for admission. We are not. We do not use a rigid threshold for GRE scores, and take it into consideration with other factors (e.g., strong performance in undergraduate statistics might be used to demonstrate quantitative abilities in place of strong performance on the quantitative section of the GRE). To be transparent about this, we note that our past 10 years’ of admitted PhD applicants have had scores on the GRE ranging on the Quantitative section from the 38th to the 98th percentile, and on the Verbal section ranging from the 59th to the 99th percentile.(2 )

We will continue to work toward determining how to make admissions decisions in a way that identifies the candidates who match best with what our PhD training program has to offer and in doing so may make further adjustments to our admissions requirements in future admissions cycles.  

(1) For a review of these issues, see: Woo, S. E., LeBreton, J. M., Keith, M. G., & Tay, L. (2023). Bias, Fairness, and Validity in Graduate-School Admissions: A Psychometric Perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(1), 3–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211055374  

(2) Note: Test scores were not required for the past 3 years and so are largely unavailable for that period. 

• FAQ for Applicants
• Resources for Applicants

Inquire or Apply

Graduate School Admissions Inquiry Form  

Apply Online 

Course Descriptions 

PhD Course Requirements

Please note that the number of “credits” vary at each school. FAS uses a 2, 4, 8 credit system while the Harvard Chan School uses a 2.5, 5, and 10 credit system. Please use the Credit Conversion Chart to see the credit equivalent at each school. Harvard Griffin GSAS students, including BPH, use FAS credits . Harvard Griffin GSAS students need to enroll in 16 credits per semester.  

Additionally , all Harvard Griffin GSAS students are required to take courses for a grade (sometimes referred to as “ordinal”) if the course is offered for both ordinal and sat/unsat .  The only time a student can take a course for ‘sat/unsat’ is if that is the only grading option.  In that case, it is expected that Harvard Griffin GSAS students receive a satisfactory grade.  This is outlined in the Harvard Griffin GSAS Handbook .

REQUIRED COURSES (for all BPH students) 1. BPH 201r   Laboratory Rotations  (Fall/Spring)  (Year 1) (4 credits) 2. BPH 219  Biological Sciences Communications ( Fall)   (Year 1) (4 credits) 3. ID 201 Core Principles of Biostatistics and Epidemiology (Fall) (Year 1) (4 credits) 4. Med-Sci 300qc  Responsible Conduct of Science ( Fall)   (Year 2) (2 credits) 5. Med-Sci 302qc  Responsible Conduct of Science ( Fall)   (Year 6) (2 credits) 6. ID 100  Foundations for Public Health (Online course, plus in-person case study (Year 1) (1 credit) 7. BST 272*  Computing Environments for Biology  (January) (1 credit) [more introductory course for those with little or no programming experience] or BST 273* Introduction to Programming (Fall 1) (2 credits) [more advanced course for those with previous programming experience]  – *either course can be taken as a pre-requisite for BST 281 8. BST 281   Genomic Data Manipulation ( Spring)   (Year 1, 2 or 3) (4 credits)

At least 3 (12 credits total) of the following 4 credit CORE COURSES (or approved equivalent) Course offerings vary from year to year, so please consult with the course catalog for the most up to date course list. You can also review FAS Course of Instruction website .

FALL BPH 208  Human Physiology ( Fall) (4 credits) BPH 215  Principles of Toxicology (Fall) (4 credits) BCMP 200  Principles of Molecular Biology (Fall) (4 credits) GENETIC 201  Principles of Genetics (Fall) (4 credits) HBTM 235  Principles of Human Disease: Physiology and Pathology (Fall) (4 credits) IMMUN 201  Advanced Topics in Immunology (Fall) (4 credits) MICROBI 202  Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Host Immune Response (Fall) (4 credits) MICROBI 205  Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis (Fall) (4 credits) MICRO 210  Microbial Sciences: Chemistry, Ecology and Evolution (Fall) (4 credits) NEUROBIO 215A The Discipline of Neuroscience (Fall) (4 credits)

SPRING BPH 210 Pathophysiology of Human Disease (Spring) (4 credits) BCMP 234 Cellular Metabolism and Human Disease (Spring) (4 credits) BCMP 236  Principles of Drug Action in People (Spring) (4 credits) BCMP 250 Biophysical and Biochemical Mechanisms of Protein Function (Spring) (4 credits) CELLBIO 201  Principles of Cell Biology (Fall) (4 credits) CELLBIO 211  Molecular and Systems Level Cancer Cell Biology (Fall) (4 credits) CELLBIO 212  Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer (Spring) (4 credits) GENETIC 216  Advanced Topics in Gene Expression (Spring) (4 credits) HBTM 200 Pathlogy of Human Disease (Spring) (4 credits) IMMUN 202  Immune and Inflammatory Diseases (Spring) (4 credits) MICROBI 201  Molecular Biology of the Bacterial Cell (Spring) (4 credits) NUT 202  The Biological Basis of Human Nutrition (Spring) (4 credits)

At least 2-3 (6 credits total) of the following CRITICAL READING COURSES (or approved equivalent) A critical reading course is defined as a course that spends a minimum of 50% of its class time reviewing and discussing primary research on a given topic.

FALL BPH 304qc  Eradicating Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (Fall 2)(2 credits) BPH 305qc  Interdisciplinary Training in Pulmonary Sciences Part I (Fall 1) (Year 2) (2 credits) BPH 318qc  Topics in Immunology and Infectious Diseases (Fall 2) (2 credits) BPH 320qc  Advanced Topics in Molecular Metabolism (Fall 2)(2 credits) BCMP 218  Molecular Medicine (Fall) (4 credits) BCMP 308qc  Cell Fate Decisions in Development and Disease (Fall 1) (2 credits) IMMUN 307qc  Cancer Immunology (Fall 2) (2 credits) IMMUN 315qc  Therapeutic Human Antibody Engineering (Fall 1) (2 credits) MICROBI 202* (formerly 214) Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Host Immune Response (Fall) (4 credits) *can also be considered a core course

BPH 250  Biology and Control of Vector-Borne Parasites (Spring in even years) (4 credits) BPH 301qc  Molecular Basis for Nutritional & Metabolic Diseases (Spring 1 in odd years) (2 credits) BPH 302qc  Interdisciplinary Training in Pulmonary Sciences Part II (Spring) (2 credits) BPH 310qc  Molecular Mechanisms of Aging (Spring 2 in even years) (2 credits) BPH 322qc  Innovative Techniques and Experimental Design for Biologists (Spring 1) (2 credits) EH 298  Environmental Epigenetics (Spring 2) (2 credits) GENETIC 216  Advanced Topics in Gene Expression (Spring) (4 credits) IMMUN 301qc  Autoimmunity (Spring 2) (2 credits) IMMUN 305qc  Neuro-Immunology in Development (Spring 2) (2 credits) MICROBI 201*  Molecular Biology of the Bacterial Cell (Spring) (4 credits) *can also be considered a core course

For more info on half and quarter courses at HMS , including several that are reading-focused. Please note: if courses are not listed above you will need to request special approval from the program office to meet the reading or core course requirements.

300-Level Research Course Once a dissertation advisor has been selected, they can enroll in the BPH 300-level course specific to their BPH dissertation advisor. Students should register for up to 16 credits* equivalent of dissertation research each semester. [*depending on the number of other courses students are registering for each semester]. Each faculty member’s 300-level course number can be found by searching their name in the my.harvard ‘course search’.

COURSE LOCATIONS FOR DMS and Harvard Chan DMS curriculum and course locations Harvard Chan course locations are found through searching on My.harvard Epidemiology Course Offerings

Want to know what courses are like?  Check out past course evaluations through these tools: FAS :  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~evals/ HSPH : https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/office-of-education/course-evaluations/

SAMPLE CURRICULUM PLAN

WAIVER OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS For some students who have successfully completed graduate-level course work, BPH course requirements may be waived if graduate-level competence is demonstrated before the end of the first semester of year 1. A “Course Waiver Form” may be requested from the BPH Program Office. A signed copy will be kept in the student’s file as documentation of the program’s authorization to grant an exemption to a student from further course work in these areas.   However, the number of total course credits required to complete the coursework part of the curriculum will remain the same.  Thus students are encouraged to take more advanced courses, or additional core courses, if a course waiver is approved.

CROSS-REGISTRATION To learn how to cross register at other Harvard Schools, you can read through the cross-registration website . If your course has a FAS/Harvard Griffin GSAS course number associated with it, you can just register for the course.  If a course is only offered by another school, such as the Harvard Chan School or the Harvard Medical School, then you will need to cross-register for the course.  All course enrollments including cross-registration is completed electronically through my.harvard.

ACADEMIC CALENDARS The most current and complete Harvard Griffin GSAS academic calendar can be found here . The most current and complete Harvard Chan academic calendar can be found here . Filter by selecting Calendars and then Academic Calendar.

Biostatistics Student Consulting Center The Biostatistics Student Consulting Center (BSCC) is open for the Spring 2019 semester! Through the BSCC, doctoral students in the Department of Biostatistics provide FREE help to students in the School of Public Health on statistics questions that arise outside of the classroom. Please drop by our walk-in group office hours on Mondays and Thursdays from 1:00-1:50pm in Building 2 Room 428, or schedule one-on-one consultation by submitting an online inquiry . Contact [email protected] with questions and review their website for the most up to date information.

News from the School

The power of storytelling in public health

New center to tackle health disparities affecting LGBTQ community

Alcohol use disorder among reproductive-age women—and barriers to treatment

Prosthetics nonprofit wants to hear from its patients