Perspectives
M I N O R I T Y
T he GRADUATE SCHOOL
S T U D E N T S
of
AT
ARTS AND SCIENCES • HARVARD UNIVERSITY
“Don’t allow your preconceived ideas about Harvard to keep you from thoughtfully considering coming here. If you can, take time to explore
the area and the University community during the academic year (not during the summer). Be sure to have a clear understanding of your
financial aid and the requirements of your program (deadlines for general exam, language exams, thesis, how to go about choosing an advisor,
any and all questions). Finally, make the right decision for you. Think about your needs and whether the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
can fulfill those academic requirements for you.”
—Carlos Lopez, PhD ’00, Sanskrit and Indian studies
Martha Stewart
Welcome
I hope that you will find this publication
helpful as you consider pursuing an
advanced degree at Harvard University. It
contains useful information about admissions, financial aid, degree programs, and
student life, among other topics. It
also demonstrates our commitment to
recruiting and enrolling a student body
that represents the ethnic and cultural
diversity of modern society. Diversity is essential to the academic
community and informs the quality of the experience for all.
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) is alive with intellectual energy. The distinguished faculty and unmatched resources
of Harvard University provide an intellectual environment in which
students can focus on the most compelling challenges of their
chosen discipline. Harvard offers scores of seminars, lectures, performances, and exhibits, as well as opportunities to meet informally
with fellow students and faculty for quiet study, and for focused
experimentation. GSAS is a community where you can form and
test your own ideas, expand your intellectual horizons, and deepen
your knowledge.
Minority students find academic and social support through many
student organizations including the W.E.B. Du Bois Graduate
Society. In addition, the Office of Student Affairs sponsors events
and activities that enhance the achievement of common goals by
members of the minority community at Harvard.
Contents
3
About Harvard and the Application Process
5
Minority Recruitment
6
Programs Offered in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences
8
Financing Graduate Education
9
Student Support Services
10
Summer Programs
A Commitment to Diversity
In order to improve the academic experience for all
members of the community, the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences is committed to enrolling a student body
that represents the ethnic and cultural diversity of contemporary society. We especially welcome applications
from members of US minority groups that are underrepresented in graduate education: Black/African
Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Native
Pacific Islanders (from Hawaii, Guam, Samoa,
Micronesia), and Native Americans.
Harvard University’s policy is to make decisions con-
A career in teaching and research affords immense personal satisfaction and a degree of independence of thought and action unparalleled in most professions. Today’s graduates who choose to work
in academe become tomorrow’s professors, researchers, and university presidents. Should you contemplate a career outside the
academy, an advanced degree is of increasing value in a wide variety
of fields, from finance and the sciences to publishing and the arts.
The analytical, research, writing, and creative thinking skills developed in graduate school are directly transferable to a wide range
of endeavors.
cerning applicants, students, faculty, and staff on the
Students come to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences from
more than 63 countries and from a broad range of cultural and
ethnic backgrounds. All contribute to a wonderful and stimulating
academic and social environment. We hope that you will choose
to join this community in the pursuit of your own academic and
professional goals.
with whom it deals will comply with all applicable
Peter T. Ellison, dean
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
PhD ’83, biological anthropology
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basis of the individual’s qualifications to contribute to
Harvard’s educational objectives and institutional needs.
The principle of not discriminating against individuals
on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation,
religion, age, national origin, political beliefs, veteran
status, or disability unrelated to job or course of study
requirements is consistent with the purposes of a university and with the law. Harvard expects that those
antidiscrimination laws.
A publication of the Harvard University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2003–2004
Cover photo: Jamil B. Scott, PhD candidate in the Division of Medical Sciences
About Harvard
The Application Process
It is important to understand that the graduate admissions process is not a mechanical
one based on a rigid set of criteria. The department to which you are applying, rather than
the Graduate School administration, will
make the decision on your application.
Normally, each department has a graduate
admissions committee with faculty membership rotating annually. Committee members
weigh all application materials, rather than
grades or test scores alone. In all probability
they will pay special attention to your grades
Jamil B. Scott, PhD candidate in the Division of Medical Sciences
Harvard University, founded in 1636 as a small
college primarily dedicated to the training of
ministers, has grown into a great university,
recognized throughout the world for its high
standards and outstanding facilities for the
cultivation of learning. The University consists of Harvard College, the Graduate School
of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), and nine other
graduate and professional faculties such as
medicine, business, divinity, and law. The
GSAS, which offers fifty-two programs, is the
only school that confers the Doctor of
Philosophy (PhD) degree. Eleven PhD programs are offered jointly with other faculties
of the University. Only a small number of
programs confer terminal master’s degrees
(AM, SM, ME).
All programs offer first-rate opportunities
to study with distinguished faculty and access
to world-renowned research centers, scholarly collections, and museums. Although it is
the oldest university in the country, Harvard
continues to grow and change, offering new
programs such as the PhD in African
American Studies and the PhD in Information
Technology and Management.
Harvard University is located in an ideal
setting for graduate study. Both Cambridge
and Boston offer rich cultural resources and
ethnic and religious diversity. The area is a
center for college and graduate students who
attend the many outstanding schools in the
region. In addition, the Cambridge/Boston
area is easily navigated without a car, since
public transportation allows access to entertainment, shopping, beaches, and historic sites.
Graduate students with David Carrasco, Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America, at a dinner sponsored by the
W.E.B. Du Bois Graduate Society. See page 9 for more information.
in your intended field of graduate study
and/or closely related fields. Similarly, letters
of recommendation by people in your field
will be given considerable weight (see below
“On Acquiring Letters of Recommendation”). Critical to the decision process is your
Statement of Purpose, in which you describe
your interest in the field and offer details on
your qualifications and achievements (see
page 4, “The Statement of Purpose”).
On Acquiring Letters of
Recommendation
Definition of a Good Letter
Candidates for admission to the Graduate
School will be judged on their academic abilities, their intellectual capacity and motivation, and their ability to communicate. A
letter of recommendation should provide an
informative and well-documented evaluation
of the quality of your academic performance,
furnishing detailed information that grades
alone cannot reveal. GSAS requires three
letters of recommendation, all of which
should focus on your academic qualifications.
This academic focus is in contrast to letters of
recommendation for undergraduate admission, where extracurricular activities and
overall character are given greater weight.
Whom to Ask
On the basis of the above definition, you
should choose teachers who know your work
best and who have been most positive and
supportive about your work. These should be
professors in your potential field, or closely
related fields. Therefore, it is important to keep
in touch with former course professors who
were supportive of your work and keep them
informed of your activities in the field and
your interest in doing graduate study.
In addition, recommendations may come
from work associates or others who can
comment on your academic potential for
graduate work.
How to Ask
Whenever possible, make your request for a
letter in person, by appointment, or during
office hours. Bring along any materials or
information that could help a recommender
produce a well-documented evaluation of
your qualifications: a résumé or curriculum vitae,
a paper or an exam that you wrote for a
course, a transcript of your grades, and, if you
are at the application stage, a copy of your
application essay. You should also be prepared
to explain why you want to do graduate work
and something about your career goals. Note:
Continued on next page
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The Application Process: Continued from page 3
You may want to write a thank-you note
to letter writers, telling them where you
were accepted and which institution you will
be attending.
Waiving Your Right to See the Letters
You must decide in advance whether to waive
your right to read letters of recommendation
which is a right granted under the Buckley
Amendment of 1974. The general wisdom in
academe is that confidential letters have
greater credibility than non-confidential letters, so you should seriously consider waiving
this right. If you decide to keep your letters
confidential (and you must make this decision
for yourself) you should sign a waiver for each
letter and be sure that the recommender
knows in advance whether or not the letter is
confidential. Finally, make it clear to the
potential letter writer that if he or she has any
reservations about writing the letter, you
would prefer to know that in advance.
When to Ask (for Current Students
and Recent Graduates)
It is wise to start acquiring general letters of
recommendation from courses in your potential field of interest where your performance
has been particularly strong shortly after the
completion of such courses. A professor can
most readily write a well-documented letter
while your performance is still fresh in his or
her mind. Colleges often make provisions for
maintaining letters of recommendation on file,
so be sure to avail yourself of this service as you
start acquiring letters. (Professors may be on
leave or otherwise unavailable when you need
letters, so this provision can be an important
insurance that you will have letters as needed.)
When the time comes to apply, select letters from those professors who have shown
the strongest interest and most sustained
support for your future goals as a graduate
student. At this point, you may want to have
the professor customize the recommendation
for the program to which you are applying. If
it is not already on file, be sure to ask for the
letter at least two or three weeks in advance of
the application deadline since a good letter
takes time to write. If you are also applying for
graduate fellowships (see page 8, “Financing
Graduate Education”), you should request
those letters at the same time, keeping in
mind that fellowship deadlines are normally
earlier than admissions deadlines.
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The Statement of Purpose
Candidates can find it difficult to talk about
themselves or to describe their reasons and
motivations for pursuing a graduate degree.
Furthermore, they often worry that the
required statement of purpose asks for their
future dissertation topic or for a precise area
of specialization. (Most graduate programs, in
fact, are designed to allow graduate students
one or two years for exploration before
choosing a dissertation topic or specialization.)
Your statement of purpose should be a
focused and informative essay, one that conveys
your interests and qualifications in a concrete,
personal way. One effective approach is to
proceed from what you have already done,
showing the impact of past intellectual experiences on your goals for the future. Some
students find it best to present their academic
experiences as a series of intellectual turning
points; others focus on a single culminating
one—often the undergraduate thesis. These
experiences can be used to show why you
wish to continue exploring a certain theme
or why you wish to turn in a new direction. In
either case, the discussion should provide a
vivid picture of your intellectual profile: how
you formulate research topics, how you
pursue them, and how you articulate any
interesting findings. As you convey this information, be sure to emphasize how these experiences have influenced both your decision to
undertake graduate study and your goals
within a graduate program.
It is also helpful at this point to say why you
wish to study in a particular department or
with a particular faculty member. The essay
can include discussion of your personal background, but it should be confined to those
aspects that have had an impact on your
scholarly goals.
In addition, the essay can be used to explain
any ambiguities or weaknesses in your undergraduate record. In doing so, be careful not to
let this dominate the essay or overshadow
your strengths, which should be the main
topic of discussion. Also, try to present the
issue in as positive a light as possible. For
example, a candidate concentrating in English
but applying in psychology with only a few
psychology courses as background, could give
specific examples of ways in which English
papers and courses helped to sharpen his or
her psychological insights. The candidate
might even show through these experiences
and others, that psychology was a long-
standing interest. In another example, a candidate whose grades suffered while he or she
worked on the college newspaper could stress
how his or her future goals in graduate study
were shaped by valuable experiences at that
newspaper.
The statement of purpose is also an important display of your writing skills. Be sure that
it is a tightly organized and highly polished
piece of work. When you have completed a
draft of your essay, read it over closely and ask
others to look at it. Be sure to have someone
else check your final draft for typographical
and grammatical errors.
Taking the GRE
The General Test of the Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) is required of all candidates. Some departments also require or recommend the Subject Test or may accept the
GMAT (Graduate Management Aptitude
Test) or MCAT (Medical Career Aptitude
Test) (see pages 6 and 7). GRE scores may not
be more than five years old. GRE registration
forms, fee waiver applications, and information on how to prepare for the exams may be
available at your school or can be obtained by
contacting Graduate Record Examinations,
Educational Testing Service, PO Box 6000,
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000; (609) 771-7670;
Web site: www.gre.org.
US registration fees are currently $115 for the
General Test and $130 for the Subject Test. A
limited number of fee waivers are available
from the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
In addition, be sure to take advantage of any
programs on your campus that offer financial
assistance in applying to graduate school,
including funding for test-preparation courses.
Implications of Test Scores
As noted earlier, no single factor determines
admissions success at Harvard. There is also
no minimum test score that will ensure
admission to the program of your choice.
Common sense suggests that a score might
make a greater difference if it is exceptionally
high or low, or if other factors in your
academic record are ambiguous.
If you have questions about your specific
score results or whether or not you should
consider retaking the test, consult with your
professors or other advisors who are familiar
with the graduate admissions process in the
arts and sciences. Additionally, the graduate
department to which you are applying may
be helpful.
Minority Recruitment
Advising
Stephanie Parsons is the GSAS minority
recruitment officer and can answer general
questions about the application process, student life, and minority recruitment. Feel free
to contact her at (617) 495-5315 (the best time
is between 2 and 5 p.m., Eastern Standard
Time) or at minrec@fas.harvard.edu.
Mailings
Student Visits
You may have received this publication as part
of one of our direct recruitment mailings.
Many organizations dedicated to encouraging
minority undergraduates to pursue graduate
degrees share their mailing lists.
For prospective candidates: If you are a prospective
applicant and would like to visit the Harvard
campus, meet with faculty and students, and
sit in on a class, your first point of contact is
the department of interest. You should determine which faculty member(s) you would
like to meet. Then, contact the department’s
administrator who will tell you the best time
to visit, whether it is appropriate to contact
faculty directly, and how best to do so. If you
would like lodging information or a tour of
campus, contact the Harvard Information
Center at (617) 495-1573 or at www.harvard.
edu/help/faq_index.html.
For admitted candidates: If you are an admitted
candidate, you will be invited to visit campus
as our guest for several days of informational
and social meetings with departments,
administrators, and current minority students. This visit is intended to give you a
more complete picture of the Harvard experi-
Rose Lincoln
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
encourages applications from members of US
minority groups underrepresented in PhD
programs*. A diverse student population
ensures that scholarship and research are
informed by a wide variety of perspectives and
experiences.
Special Students and
Visiting Fellows Status
For information on this non-degree
option, contact:
Special Students and Visiting
Fellows Office
Byerly Hall, second floor
8 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-5392
e-mail: special@fas.harvard.edu
Web: www.gsas.harvard.edu/nondegree/
Student Contacts
Current minority PhD candidates and some
alumni are available to answer questions from
prospective students. Consult with Stephanie
Parsons about contacting a GSAS student or
graduate.
Campus and Conference Visits
Representatives from GSAS travel to selected
colleges and universities to meet with students individually and during recruitment
fairs. They also attend conferences of national
organizations where there are likely to be a
high number of interested minority applicants. The travel schedule is posted in the
Admissions section on the GSAS website at
www.gsas.harvard.edu.
“I wanted to do work in economics that
was multidisciplinary, and Harvard, with
its very strong and large department,
along with its strong schools of public
policy, law, business, and design, has
allowed me to do multidisciplinary
work.... Every time I ran into trouble, be
it academic or nonacademic, Harvard
had resources available to assist me. I
really appreciate that and have made
good use of it.”
—Albert Monroe, PhD candidate in the
Department of Economics
GSAS Application
Fee Waivers
The fee to apply to the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences is $80. An application to waive the
$80 fee is available from the GSAS Admissions
Office. It should be submitted with the
Application for Admission but will only be seen
by the Admissions Office and not by the admissions committee in the department of application. Determination of the waiver is based on
financial need. Please note that if you choose
to apply online, GSAS will be unable to
grant a fee waiver.
ence, and will help you make an informed
decision about whether to accept the offer of
admission.
*For recruitment purposes, underrepresented groups
include US citizens or permanent residents who selfidentify in one of the following categories: Black/
African American, Native American (must be at
least 1⁄4 Native), Mexican American, Puerto Rican,
or Native Pacific Islander (Hawaii, Guam, Samoa,
and Micronesia).
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Programs Offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
The subject listings below do not necessarily reflect all areas of available study in a given program. All programs require the GRE General exam.
Subject GRE tests are required or recommended where noted. Deadline information is listed on the back page of this publication.
Abbreviations:
SUB = Subject section of the GRE
GMAT = Graduate Management Admissions Test
NATURAL SCIENCES
Subject Test
Degrees
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Astronomy Department
Biological Sciences in Dental Medicine
Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH)
Biology: Medical Sciences, Division of (DMS)
Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS):
Cell Biology
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Pathology
Genetics
Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Immunology
Neuroscience
Virology
Biology: Molecular and Cellular
All subjects
Biology: Organismic and Evolutionary
Biophysics Committee
Biostatistics
Chemical Physics Committee
Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department
Organic:
Chemical Biology
Synthesis
Organometallics/Catalysis
Physical Organic/Materials
Inorganic:
Bioinorganic
Physical Inorganic
Solid State/Materials
Physical:
Biophysical
Computation, Simulation, and Theory
Environmental
Materials Science
Surface Science
Earth and Planetary Sciences Department
Atmospheric Sciences
Geochemistry
Oceanography
Engineering and Applied Sciences,
Division of (DEAS)
Applied Mathematics for Physical Sciences
Applied Mathematics, General
Applied Physics including Materials Sciences
Biomedical Engineering and Biomechanics
Computer Science or Applied
Mathematics for Information Sciences
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Sciences and Engineering
(Atmospheric Sciences, Climate,
Environmental Chemistry, Environmental
Geomechanics, Environmental Microbiology,
Environmental Resources and Management,
Hydrological Sciences, Ocean Sciences)
Mechanical Engineering and Solid and
Fluid Mechanics
Forestry Department
Genetics (see Biology: Medical Sciences)
Immunology (see Biology: Medical Sciences)
Mathematics Department
Medical Sciences (see Biology: Medical Sciences)
Pathology (see Biology: Medical Sciences)
Physics Department
Theoretical Physics
Experimental Physics
Theoretical Astrophysics
Experimental Astrophysics
Statistics Department
Virology (see Biology: Medical Sciences)
SUB (Physics)
SUB (r)
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
American Civilization (see History of)
Anthropology Department
Archaeology
Biological or Physical
Social
Archaeology (in Anthropology;
Classics; Near Eastern)
Architecture, Landscape Architecture,
and Urban Planning Committee
Business Economics Committee
Economics Department
Government Department
Political Thought and its History
American Government
Comparative Politics
International Relations
Government and Social Policy (see Social Policy)
Health Policy
Decision Sciences
Economics
Ethics
Evaluative Science and Statistics
Management
Medical Sociology
Political Analysis
History Department
Ancient History
Medieval History
Early Modern European History
American History
East Asian History
English History
Latin American History
Modern European History
Russian History
African History
History & East Asian Languages Committee
Chinese
Japanese
Mongolian
Korean
Vietnamese
Other East Asian
History of American
Civilization Committee
History of Science Department
Ancient/Medieval
Early Modern
Physical Sciences
Life Sciences
Medicine
Human/Behavioral Sciences
Information Technology and
Management Committee
International Relations (see Government)
Middle Eastern Studies Committee
Regional Studies–Middle East
Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies
Fine Arts and Middle Eastern Studies
History and Middle Eastern Studies
Organizational Behavior Committee
Psychology Track
Sociology Track
Political Economy and Government Committee
Political Science (see Government)
Psychology Department
Social Psychology
Public Health (see Biological Sciences in...)
Public Policy Committee
(open to predoctoral candidates at the
Kennedy School of Government who
have been recommended to GSAS by
the Kennedy School)
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GEN = General section of the GRE
SUB (r)
SUB (r)
PhD
SUB (r)
SUB (r)
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
SUB
SUB
PhD
SUB (r)
SM, ME,
PhD
MFS
SUB
SUB
SUB (r)
PhD
PhD
AM, PhD
(r) = Test recommended but not required
Subject Test
Degrees
AM, PhD
PhD
GEN or GMAT
PhD
PhD
PhD
GEN/GMAT
or MCAT
PhD
PhD
PhD
SUB (r)
PhD
GEN not req.
for AM
applicants
AM, PhD
GEN or GMAT
PhD
GEN or GMAT
AM
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
GEN or GMAT
PhD
PhD
GEN or GMAT
PhD
SOCIAL SCIENCES (continued)
Subject Test
Regional Studies–East Asia Committee
China
Japan
Korea
Mongolia
Other Specified Area
Regional Studies–Russia,
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Social Policy Committee
Government and Social Policy
Sociology and Social Policy
Sociology Department
Sociology and Social Policy (see Social Policy)
Urban Planning (see Architecture)
Degrees
HUMANITIES (continued)
AM
Fine Arts (see History of Art and Architecture)
Germanic Languages and Literatures Department
German Literature
Other Germanic
History of Art and Architecture
African
Afro-American
American
Ancient
Baroque Art
Chinese
Contemporary
Early Christian and Byzantine
Indian
Islamic
Japanese
Latin American
Medieval
Modern (18th and 19th Century)
Modern (20th Century)
19th and 20th Century Architecture
Northern Renaissance
Photography
South Asian and Indian
Southern Renaissance
(no studio art is offered)
Note: may specify architecture in any field.
Inner Asian and Altaic Studies Committee
Linguistics Department
Linguistic Theory
Historical Linguistics
Music Department
Musicology/Historical
Musicology/Ethnomusicology
Music Theory/Composition
Composition
Music Theory/Musicology
Performance Practice
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department
Akkadian and Sumerian Studies
Arabic and Islamic Studies
Armenian Studies
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Semitic Philology
Indo-Muslim Culture
Iranian and Persian Studies
Jewish Studies
Archaeology of the Levant
Turkish Studies
Yiddish Language and Literature
Philosophy Department
Classical Philosophy
Religion (Study of) Committee
Romance Languages and Literatures Department
French
Italian
Portuguese
Spanish
Sanskrit and Indian Studies Department
Slavic Languages and Literatures Department
Literature
Linguistics
AM
PhD
PhD
HUMANITIES
African and African American Studies
Anthropology
Economics
English
Government
History
History of Art and Architecture
Linguistics
Music
Philosophy
Psychology
Religion
Romance Languages and Literatures
Sociology
Celtic Languages and Literatures Department
General
Irish
Welsh
Classics Department
Classical Philology
Classical Philosophy
Classical Archaeology
Byzantine Greek
Medieval Latin
Modern Greek
Ancient History
Comparative Literature Department
East Asian Languages and Civilizations Department
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Mongolian
Other Specified East Asian Languages
East Asian Studies (see Regional Studies–East Asia,
History of East Asian...; East Asian Languages...)
English and American Literature and
SUB
Language Department
Medieval
Renaissance
18th Century British
19th Century British
American to 1900
20th Century British and American
Modern British and American Critical Theory
History and Structure of the English Language
PhD
AM, PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
Subject Test
Degrees
AM, PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
PhD
AM
AM, PhD
PhD
PhD
AM, PhD
AM, PhD
PhD
Program Highlight: The Department of African and African American Studies
The Department of Afro-American Studies
was renamed in 2003 to reflect an expansion
of the intellectual focus of the program and
the development of the field of African
studies. Within the Department of African
and African American Studies, students have
opportunities to draw on the offerings of
both African studies and African American
studies.
The PhD Program in African American
Studies combines interdisciplinary training in
African American cultural and social studies
with a focus in a major disciplinary field and
leads to the PhD in African American Studies.
This comparative, cross-national approach to
African American subjects in the humanities
and the social sciences makes the program
unique. Students study these subjects from a
variety of disciplinary perspectives by partici-
pating in graduate seminars in anthropology,
government, history, literature, and sociology, for example. The overall approach
encourages students to ask and, eventually,
answer questions from a wider variety of
perspectives than traditional disciplinary
approaches allow and enables them to
produce richly contextualized analyses while
retaining a principal focus within one
discipline.
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Financing Graduate Education
Graduate Fellowship
Opportunities for Minority
Americans in the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
(GSAS) sponsors Graduate Fellowships to
support minority students who are underrepresented in doctoral programs (Black/
African Americans, Native Americans (must
be at least 1⁄ 4 Native), Mexican Americans,
Puerto Ricans, or Native Pacific Islanders
(Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, and Micronesia). This
is a Harvard-funded fellowship and is not
based on a national competition. The fellowship is awarded to a select group of students
each year on the recommendation of their
departments.
Amount and Duration
The amount of support is based on an analysis
of the student’s financial need in accordance
with the practice of the department or program. The fellowship may provide payment of
tuition and fees for five years and a stipend for
three years. In the remaining two or more
years of doctoral study, students are expected
to be supported by instructional or research
appointments, as well as by non-Harvard fellowships. In 2003–2004, the maximum award
includes payment of tuition and required medical and insurance fees, plus a stipend of $17,600.
Fellowship applicants are also encouraged
to apply for non-Harvard fellowships such as
the Ford Foundation Minority Fellowship and
the National Science Foundation Fellowship
(see this page). Other non-Harvard fellowships, such as the Foreign Language and Area
Studies Fellowships, are listed in The Graduate
Guide to Grants, published annually by GSAS.
This book may be purchased from the GSAS
Office of Student Affairs; call (617) 495-1814
for information.
Outside Funding—
Major Fellowships
Even if you are expecting to receive Harvard
University funding, you are encouraged to
apply for outside sources of funding. Not only
may some of these funds supplement or supplant what the Graduate School offers, but
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winning a national fellowship competition
can improve a candidate’s competitive standing. Some well-known fellowships available to
entering graduate students are listed below.
Keep in mind that many deadlines fall before
the Graduate School’s application deadlines.
The Ford Foundation Predoctoral
Fellowships for Minorities
Contact the Fellowship Office/FF, TJ 2041,
National Research Council, 2001 Wisconsin
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202)
334-2872; e-mail: infofell@nas.edu; web:
www.nationalacademies.org/fellowships/ford
predoc.html. Note: The Ford Foundation Dissertation
Fellowship for Minorities is available for later stages of
the student career.
The National Science Foundation (NSF)
Graduate Research Fellowships
Contact NSF/GRFP, Oak Ridge Associated
Universities, PO Box 3010, Oak Ridge, TN
37831-3010; (866) 353-0905; fax: (865) 241-4513;
e-mail: nsfgrfp@orau.gov; web: www.fastlane.
nsf.gov/jsp/homepage/grad_research_fel.jsp.
Note: NSF strongly encourages minority students to apply.
The American Political Science
Association Graduate Fellowships for
Latino, Native American, and African
American Students
Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for
New Americans
Contact 400 West 59th Street, New York, NY
10019; (212) 547-6926; e-mail: pdsoros_
fellows@sorosny.org; web: www.pdsoros.org.
The Graduate Education for Minorities
(GEM) PhD Program in Science
Contact the GEM Office, PO Box 537, Notre
Dame, IN 46556; (219) 631-7771; e-mail:
gem@nd.edu; web: www.nd.edu/~gem.
Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in
Humanistic Studies
Contact Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships
in Humanistic Studies, CN5281, Princeton,
NJ 08543-5329; (609) 452-7007; e-mail: mellon@
woodrow.org; web: www.woodrow.org/mellon.
The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation
Graduate Fellowship Program
Supports students pursuing PhDs in the
applied physical sciences. Contact the Fannie
and John Hertz Foundation, 2456 Research
Drive, Livermore, CA 94550-3850; (925) 3731642; e-mail: askhertz@aol.com; web:
www.hertzfndn.org.
The Howard Hughes Medical
Institute Predoctoral Fellowship in
Biological Sciences
Contact the American Political Science
Association, 1527 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20036-1206; (202) 483-2512;
fax: (202) 483-2657; e-mail: apsa@apsanet.org;
web: www.apsanet.org/about/minority/.
Contact the Fellowship Office, 4000 Jones
Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6789;
(301) 215-8500; web: www.hhmi.org/grants/
graduate/overview/index.htm.
The American Sociological Association
Minority Fellowships Program
Contact AT&T Labs Fellowship Administrator,
Room C103, 180 Park Avenue, Florham Park,
NJ 07932-0971; web: www.research.att.com/
academic/alfp.html.
Contact the American Sociological Association
Minority Affairs Program, 1307 New York
Avenue NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 200054701; (202) 383-9005, ext. 321; e-mail: minority.
affairs@asanet.org; web: www.asanet.org/
student mfp.html.
The National Physical Science
Consortium (NPSC) Fellowships in the
Physical Sciences
Contact NPSC, University Village, Suite E212,
3375 South Hoover Street, Los Angeles, CA
90007; (800) 854-NPSC; e-mail: npscha@
npsc.org; web: www.npsc.org.
AT&T Labs Fellowship Program
Cooperative Research Fellowship
Program for Minorities
Sponsored by Lucent Technologies Foundation, 600 Mountain Avenue, Room 6F4,
Murray Hill, NJ 07974; (908) 582-7906; e-mail:
foundation@lucent.com. Application forms
may be obtained online at www.lucent.
com/news/foundation/blgrfp.
“We, as an educated and diverse class, should accept the challenge to continue
to push the frontiers of knowledge and truth—one that stands for all people—
eradicating the concepts that divide us. This should be the Harvard tradition.
This is the Harvard tradition.”
—Barrington Edwards (PhD ’01, history of science),
assistant professor in the Department of History
at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Martha Stewart
Student Support Services
Dudley House: The Graduate
Student Center
Through activities at Dudley House, the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences supports graduate students in their intellectual,
professional, and social lives beyond the classroom and laboratory. The graduate student
center was established eleven years ago in the
tradition of Harvard’s residential House
system. Dudley House provides a place for
students in any of the fifty-two GSAS departments to meet and interact in an informal
atmosphere.
Dudley House is centrally located in
Harvard Yard and contains a dining hall, café,
game room, library, office spaces, and
lounges. The House administrators and student fellows coordinate a wide range of activities, including student-faculty dinners,
discussion groups and language tables, concerts, outings, and art exhibits. GSAS students
are actively involved in intramural sports and
individual athletic activities and enjoy a wide
range of other extracurricular activities in the
arts and in public service.
In addition to Dudley House events, GSAS
sponsors approximately thirty graduate student organizations, ranging from religious
and environmental groups to those affiliated
with an ethnic group or academic department. The Graduate Student Council, an
elected student group that works closely with
the faculty and administration on academic
and quality-of-life issues, represents students’
interests.
Residence Halls
First-year graduate students are guaranteed
housing in one of four residence halls, all of
which are a short walk from Dudley House.
For those who prefer apartment dwelling, a
lottery is available to all Harvard graduate
students for units owned and operated by
Harvard University. For off-campus housing,
both the Harvard University Housing Office
and the GSAS Office of Housing Services
maintain databases of area listings and roommate opportunities.
Du Bois Graduate Society
The W.E.B. Du Bois Graduate Society sponsors numerous activities and meets with
GSAS administrators to address issues of concern to Harvard’s minority community.
Named for the first African American to
receive the PhD at Harvard, the Du Bois
Society is a multicultural student group and
plans such varied activities as potluck dinners,
student research forums, movie nights, and a
student-run conference.
Other Organizations
For students whose intellectual interests
involve issues of race and ethnicity, Harvard
offers a wide range of relevant research groups
and programs including the Rockefeller
Center for Latin American Studies, the W.E.B.
Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Studies,
a multidisciplinary program entitled Inequality
and Social Policy, the Harvard University
Native American Program (see page 11), and
the Center for the Study of World Religions.
To find out more about student life or
GSAS support services, please consult the
following websites:
• For links to Dudley House, the W.E.B. Du
Bois Society, counseling support, and
more: www.gsas.harvard.edu/student/
• Lesbian, Bisexual, and Gay Graduate
Students at Harvard: www.hcs.harvard.
edu/~lbggs
• Office of Work and Family: www.
workingatharvard.org/
• Student Disability Resources: www.fas.
harvard.edu/~sdr
• Derek Bok Center for Teaching and
Learning: http://bokcenter.fas.harvard.
edu/
GSAS at a Glance
• Registered degree candidates: 3,742
(3,544 PhD candidates; 198 AM
candidates)
• Academic departments: 53
• Interfaculty programs (joint programs
with Harvard Business School, Kennedy
School of Government, etc.): 14
• 45 percent of GSAS students are
women
• 28 percent of GSAS students are
international
• 6 percent of GSAS students are
underrepresented minorities
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9
Summer Programs
Biological Sciences
The SHURP Program of the Division of
Medical Sciences
The Summer Honors Undergraduate Research
Program (SHURP), begun in 1991, is intended
primarily for college science students who are
seriously interested in research and who are
members of racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in biological sciences. SHURP students spend about eighty-five percent of their
time pursuing research projects in the laboratories of Medical School and Division of
Medical Sciences (DMS) faculty members.
Students also participate in informal weekly
seminars to teach each other about their
research projects and in weekly career development discussions. SHURP student groups
are paired with groups of graduate and
MD/PhD students for informal peer mentoring. Past participants have found that the
Program gives them an opportunity to apply
what they have learned in coursework to
their research. They also have a chance to
build self-confidence in their science skills and
in the career decisions they are making.
Selection for the program is based on an
applicant’s interest in a career in biomedical
research, previous research experience, letters
of recommendation, and academic preparation. If you are interested in more information about the SHURP Program or the
PhD programs of the Division of Medical
Sciences, visit DMS on the web at www.hms.
harvard.edu/dms/diversity/shurpintro.htm/,
or contact the Division at shurp@hms.
harvard.edu or (800) 367-9019.
Social Sciences
Galbraith Scholars
The Galbraith Scholars program is a special
summer offering for undergraduates (principally rising juniors and seniors) with strong
intellectual interests in issues of inequality
and social policy. The program aims especially
to introduce promising minority students
and students of limited economic means to
educational and career opportunities in the
■
10
field. Harvard offers a joint PhD program with
the Kennedy School of Government in social
policy (students choose either the government or the sociology track). Students
selected as Galbraith Scholars will receive fellowships to cover full travel, accommodations, and activity expenses to participate in a
variety of specially designed seminars, panel
discussions, off-site field trips, and collaborative activities on issues of inequality and social
policy during their week at Harvard. Contact
Pamela Metz, program coordinator, John F.
Kennedy School of Government, 79 JFK
Street, T485, Cambridge, MA 02138; e-mail:
inequality@harvard.edu; or (617) 496-0109;
web: www.ksg.harvard.edu/inequality/Summer/
Summer.htm.
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers
Located at Phillips Academy in Andover,
Massachusetts, the Institute for Recruitment
of Teachers (IRT) identifies talented minority
students in their junior year of college and
encourages them to pursue graduate degrees
and careers in teaching. IRT offers an intensive four-week Summer Workshop to prepare
students for the GRE and for the rigors of
graduate school. At the conclusion of the
workshop, IRT will continue to provide
extensive help throughout the graduate
school application process.
Participants receive a stipend, travel
expenses (for those living outside New
England), and room and board. The
Associates Program allows students who
cannot attend the Summer Workshop to
receive similar graduate school preparation
and application help from the staff.
Applicants must be African American,
Latino/a, or Native American, majoring in the
humanities, social sciences, or education, and
have a 3.2 GPA or above. For an application
and more information on either the Summer
Workshop or the Associates Program, contact
IRT, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA 01810;
(978) 749-4116; web: www.andover.edu/irt/
home.htm.
Engineering
Many undergraduates get their first exposure
to science and engineering by participating in
the Research Experience for Undergraduates
(REU) program. Each REU project is designed
to involve the student in all aspects of
research and has a clearly identifiable research
goal at a level appropriate for undergraduate
study. Applications and transcripts are due by
mid-March and selection of summer students
proceeds through April. With direction from
a faculty advisor and, in most cases, a postdoctoral fellow or graduate student, the REU
student defines and sets up the program necessary to accomplish his or her ten-week
summer project. A research presentation
made by each student at the “end-ofsummer” seminar is attended by Center faculty, student mentors, and fellow REU
students. For more information about this
program, contact Robert Graham, assistant
director, at Materials Research Science and
Engineering Center, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 495-4595; mrsec@
harvard.edu; web: www.mrsec.harvard.edu/
education/REU.html.
All Disciplines
The Leadership Alliance
The Leadership Alliance, a consortium of
twenty-seven institutions including Harvard,
supports the Institute for Recruitment of
Teachers and works to increase the number of
underrepresented minority students entering
PhD programs. In addition to offering some
fellowship assistance for graduate school, students at member institutions may participate
in the Summer Research Early Identification
Program. Successful applicants are paired with
a faculty member to conduct research for
eight weeks in a discipline of their choice in
the sciences, social sciences, or humanities.
Students receive a room, stipend, and travel
funds, in addition to valuable research or laboratory experience and mentoring. For information on how to apply, visit the website at
www.theleadershipalliance.org, or contact The
Leadership Alliance, 15 Sayles Hall, Box 1963,
Providence, RI 02912; (401) 863-7994; e-mail:
Barbara_Kahn@brown.edu.
Harvard University is made up of ten separate
faculties. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences has
three major subdivisions: Harvard College,
the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and
the Division of Continuing Education. The
name and the address of the admissions
offices of the University’s other graduate
schools are listed below, a minority recruitment contact is listed where applicable.
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences sponsors
joint PhD programs with the Schools of
Dental Medicine, Design, Divinity, Business
Administration, Government, Medicine, and
Public Health.
Architecture, Landscape Architecture,
and Urban Planning
Admissions Office
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
admissions@gsd.harvard.edu
(617) 495-5453
Derrick Woody, recruitment associate
dwoody@gsd.harvard.edu
Business Administration
Admissions Office
Harvard Graduate School of
Business Administration
Dillon House
Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02163
admissions@hbs.edu
(617) 496-2632 (student hotline)
Juan Jimenez, admissions officer
jujimenez@hbs.edu, (617) 495-6047
Dental Medicine
Admissions Office
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
188 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
hsdm_admissions@hms.harvard.edu
(617) 432-1443
Anne Berge, director of educational
services registrar
anne_berge@hsdm.harvard.edu
(617) 432-1443
Education
Admissions Office
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Longfellow Hall 111, Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138
gseadmissions@harvard.edu
(617) 495-3414
Grace Chiu, Loida Feliz-Chi, and Gregg Glover,
assistant directors of admissions
Government
Admissions Office
John F. Kennedy School of Government
79 J.F.K. Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
ksg_admissions@harvard.edu
(617) 495-1154, (catalog requests only)
1155, 1156
Alexandra Martinez, associate dean for
enrollment services
(617) 495-1153
(Note: Political science is also studied in the
Department of Government in GSAS.)
Law
Admissions Office
Harvard Law School
Pound Hall 300
1563 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-3179
jdadmiss@law.harvard.edu
Joyce Curll, assistant dean for
admissions and financial aid
Medicine
Admissions Office
Harvard Medical School
25 Shattuck Street, Building A, Room 210
Boston, MA 02115-6092
admissions_office@hms.harvard.edu
Office of Recruitment and
Multicultural Affairs
Medical Education Center
260 Longwood Avenue, Room 244
Boston, MA 02115-6092
Beverlee Turner, associate director
(617) 432-2159
Harvard University
Native American Program
The mission of the Harvard University Native
American Program (HUNAP) is to bring
together Native American students and interested individuals from the Harvard community
for the purpose of advancing the well-being of
indigenous peoples through self-determination, academic achievement, and community
service. Graduate students at Harvard
University can look forward to participating
in a vibrant and diverse student community
that includes students from Hawaii to
Martha’s Vineyard and all points in between.
A typical academic year for HUNAP includes
several student recruitment trips, public
forums, lectures from visiting tribal leaders,
and an annual powwow. Students play an
integral role in the creation and planning of
all HUNAP programming.
HUNAP also offers the 1665 Predoctoral
Fellowship. Named for the graduation year of
Harvard’s first Native American alumnus,
Caleb Cheeshateamuck (Wampanoag), these
competitive awards are open to advancedcandidacy doctoral students at Harvard. They
include a stipend and other resources to further the research of those committed to
HUNAP’s mission.
For more information about the program,
call (617) 495-4923; e-mail hunap@harvard.edu;
or visit www.ksg.harvard.edu/hunap.
Public Health
Admissions Office
Harvard School of Public Health
677 Huntington Avenue, Room G4
Boston, MA 02115
admisofc@hsph.harvard.edu
(617) 432-1030 or 1031/fax: (617) 432-2009
Kevin Noonan, senior admissions officer
Divinity
Harvard Divinity School
Divinity Hall 218
14 Divinity Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-5796
www.hds.harvard.edu
Seamus Malin, director of admissions and
financial aid
Stephanie Parsons
Directory of Other
Harvard Faculties
Bernie Perley (PhD ’02, anthropology), assistant professor,
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
3,000/2003
■
11
Application Time Line
Summer/Early Fall
Late Fall/Winter
Spring
1. Gather application materials; visit or
contact Harvard GSAS
6. Submit application materials. (GSAS
does not have rolling admissions.)
Deadlines for admission and financial
aid applications are December 8 or 15,
2003, or January 2, 2004, depending on
the program. Please consult the 2004-2005
Application and Guide to Admission and Financial
Aid or the GSAS Website, www.gsas.
harvard.edu.
8. Decisions are mailed between midFebruary and mid-March. Reply forms
are due by April 15.
2. Take the GRE General Test; Subject Test
may be taken earlier
3. Begin drafting Statement of Purpose
4. Ask for Letters of Recommendation
(see page 3); request official transcripts
5. Apply for national fellowships
9. Visit campus
7. Contact the Admissions Office to check
that your application is complete.
Note: Many national fellowship applications are due before the Graduate School’s
application deadlines and require the same
set of materials (see page 8).
Contact
Harvard University
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
8 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-3654
Admissions: (617) 495-5315
Financial Aid: (617) 495-5396
admiss@fas.harvard.edu
For more information or to apply online,
go to www.gsas.harvard.edu.
The GRADUATE SCHOOL of ARTS AND SCIENCES
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid 8 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138-3654
◆
◆
For other questions, contact Stephanie
Parsons, minority recruitment and student
programming officer, at minrec@fas.
harvard.edu or (617) 495-5315.