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Doctoral Programs

In this section, phd in public policy.

• PhD in Political Economy & Government

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Health care and politics. Inequality and public policy. Economics and disruption.

You see today's most compelling global issues as complex, interrelated, and urgent. You believe that fresh ideas—and research to carry them through—are critical to building stronger communities and a more just world.

In collaboration with the  Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  (Harvard Griffin GSAS),  Harvard Kennedy School immerses you in rigorous learning that bridges academic disciplines and draws from leading faculties across the university’s graduate schools. When you pursue a doctoral degree at HKS, you are among extraordinarily bright minds, you’ll work with committed faculty members who are leaders in their fields, and you’ll have unparalleled access to resources across Harvard University.

Prepare yourself for a career in academia or policymaking that demands advanced knowledge of economics, political science, and social policy. Translate your ideas into action that can untangle our world’s unprecedented challenges. Join us.

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As a PhD student in the Harvard philosophy program, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your ideas, knowledge, and abilities. You'll work with other doctoral students, our faculty, and visiting scholars, all in a stimulating and supportive environment. The program has strengths across a broad range of topics and areas, so you'll be able to pursue your interests wherever they may lead, especially in moral and political philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, the history of analytic philosophy, ancient philosophy, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In addition, students can pursue joint degrees with classics, Harvard Law School, and in Indian philosophy.

Incoming cohorts consist of five to eight students per year. You will have substantial access to our renowned faculty and all the resources that Harvard makes available. This relatively small size also gives students a sense of intellectual community.

The curriculum is structured to help you make your way towards a dissertation: graduate-level coursework, a second-year research paper, a prospectus to help you identify a dissertation topic, and then the dissertation itself. Past dissertations in the department have addressed a broad range of topics: Aristotle, Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; contemporary moral and political philosophy; metaphysics; epistemology; and logic.

In addition to your research, you will also have the opportunity to develop your teaching skills in many different settings across the University.

You can find graduates of the PhD program in many universities. Some of our students have gone on to faculty positions at Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, and Stanford University. Other graduates have gone on to diverse careers in, among others, the arts, the law, secondary education, and technology.

In addition to the standard PhD in philosophy, the department offers a PhD in classical philosophy in collaboration with the Department of the Classics and a coordinated JD/PhD program in conjunction with Harvard Law School.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Philosophy and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Areas of Study

Philosophy | Classical Philosophy | Indian Philosophy 

For information please consult the Department webpage on the  graduate program overview .

Admissions Requirements

Please review admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Philosophy .

Academic Background

Applicants to the program in Philosophy are required to have a solid undergraduate background in philosophy, indicating that they have a good grounding in the history of philosophy, as well as familiarity with contemporary work in ethics, epistemology and metaphysics, and logic.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional

Writing Sample

A writing sample is required as part of the application and should be between 12 to 30 pages long. The sample must address a substantial philosophical problem, whether it is an evaluation or presentation of an argument, or a serious attempt to interpret a difficult text. The upload of the writing sample should be formatted for 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, 1-inch margins, with double-spaced text in a common 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.

Applicants seeking admission to the coordinated JD/PhD program must apply to and be separately admitted to Harvard Law School and the Department of Philosophy.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Philosophy

See list of Philosophy faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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Phd programs  , accounting & management, business economics (includes finance), health policy (management), organizational behavior, technology & operations management, admissions  , unlock your phd journey with full financial aid  , placement  , research community  .

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Education Leadership (online)

Graduate Program

The Master’s in Education (Ed.M.) prepares students with the skills needed to change the world through education. The online Master’s in Education Leadership is a part-time, two-year Ed.M. program from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with Higher Education and PreK-12 pathways. The program is specifically designed for working education professionals who bring at least seven years of relevant or transferrable work experience. Through this program, students will strengthen the invaluable skills they’ve already developed and develop the tools to propel themselves to new leadership opportunities and to even greater impact.

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The Ph.D. Program in the Department of Economics at Harvard is addressed to students of high promise who wish to prepare themselves in teaching and research in academia or for responsible positions in government, research organizations, or business enterprises. Students are expected to devote themselves full-time to their programs of study.

The program prepares students for productive and stimulating careers as economists. Courses and seminars offered by the department foster an intellectually active and stimulating environment. Each week, the department sponsors more than 15 different seminars on such topics as environmental economics, economic growth and development, monetary and fiscal policy, international economics, industrial organization, law and economics, behavioral economics, labor economics, and economic history. Top scholars from both domestic and international communities are often invited speakers at the seminars.  The Harvard community outside of the department functions as a strong and diverse resource. Students in the department are free to pursue research interests with scholars throughout the University. Faculty of the Harvard Law School, Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Business School, for example, are available to students for consultation, instruction, and research guidance. As a member of the Harvard community, students in the department can register for courses in the various schools and have access to the enormous library resources available through the University. There are over 90 separate library units at Harvard, with the total collections of books and pamphlets numbering over 13 million.  Both the department and the wider University draw some of the brightest students from around the world, which makes for a student body that is culturally diverse and likely unequaled in the range of intellectual interests of its members. These factors combine to add an important dimension to the educational process. Students are able to learn from one another, collaborate on research projects and publications, and form bonds that are not broken by distance once the degree is completed and professional responsibilities lead them in different directions.

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Master of Public Health Generalist (online)

The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program provides students with a breadth of knowledge, subject-specific expertise, specialized skills, and a powerful global network. MPH students benefit from an innovative curriculum that employs unique educational experiences beyond the virtual classroom. The MPH program is designed to teach analytical and quantitative methods, as well as cultivate problem-solving skills and the application of public health training in real-world situations.  

The Master of Public Health (MPH) Generalist field of study is a part-time, online program designed for working professionals with broad public health interests.  

• Abbreviation : MPH-GEN  
• Degree format : Online  
• Time commitment : Part-time  
• Average program length : 2 years part-time
• Weekly expectations : Average 15–20 hours/week of work, involving asynchronous lectures, individual and group projects, and homework assignments  
• Estimated cohort size : 50 students  
• Start term : Fall  
• The MPH degree is the most widely recognized professional credential for leadership in public health.  
• Online asynchronous courses allow students to attend weekly classes on their own schedule. Complemented with optional synchronous sessions, students are encouraged to learn from each other’s real-time work experiences and apply concepts.  
• Attracting professionals from all over the world, each cohort provides a diverse mixture of domestic and international students working in an array of industries.  
• Learn from the same Harvard Chan faculty that teach residential programs. The modality of the program may be different, but the quality of learning is just the same.  
• Under a combination of group and individualized mentorship by Harvard faculty members, each student designs and implements a practicum proposal to gain field-based learning. The practicum provides students with the opportunity to apply their skills, address a health-related issue of interest, and showcase what they learned.

Graduates of the MPH Generalist program will receive a well-rounded public health education, preparing them to succeed within their current professional role or progress their career in the following fields:  

• Academic medicine  
• Biotech/pharma  
• Consulting  
• Government  
• Health care management  
• Hospital/health care delivery  
• Non-profit/Non-government organizations  
• Other/for-profit  
• Private practice  
• Private sector institutions  
• Public and private health agencies  
• University/research  

Admission information

Eligibility requirements.

In general, applicants for the MPH Generalist must have one of the following:  

• A bachelor’s degree plus five or more years of relevant health experience.   
• A master’s degree in a health-related field—for example, MSN, MSW, MBA (the strongest applicants will have at least two years of relevant work experience following completion of the degree).  
• A prior doctoral degree—for example, MD, DO, DMD, DDS, PhD, SD, JD—or equivalent.  

Current medical and dental students are not eligible for the MPH Generalist program.  

Application requirements

All applications must be submitted through SOPHAS – the centralized application for schools and programs of public health . In addition to the application, applicants must submit:

• Statement of purpose and objectives
• Official test scores ( not required/not reviewed )
• Three letters of reference
• Resumé/curriculum vitae
• Post-secondary transcripts or mark sheets (World Education Services credential evaluation for applicants with degrees from outside of the United States.)
• English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS), if applicable

Learn more about the application process .

Application deadline

Applicants may apply to only one degree program for either full- or part-time status. Applications are reviewed in their entirety and decisions are released via email in late February/early March. Decisions are not released until all application components are received.

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Our online learning options include a variety of academic degrees and programs., the university of delaware offers an online learning environment designed to help you expand your skills and further your career. you’ll experience discovery-based learning, applied research and dynamic skill-building. our proven academic approach includes access to our expert faculty and our leading-edge digital curriculum, all with the flexibility to maintain your ideal schedule., featured programs include:, master of business administration, mba >, strategic communication, ma >, master of public administration, mpa >, international business, ms >, praise for ud online.

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Our faculty and instructors inspire and challenge students in practical disciplines ranging from business administration and nursing to cybersecurity,  strategic communications, and public policy, and our online programs provide students with the flexibility they need to accommodate their busy schedules.”  , george irvine associate provost for online learning and innovation  , what it's like to study online, our academic reputation of excellence extends to our online curriculum, which combines a rigorous, experiential education with the convenient access online learning offers. working professionals and online learners from around the country can now obtain a degree—on their schedule, from wherever they need to be..

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