Engineering and Applied Sciences
The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences [SEAS] offers Master of Science (SM) and Master of Engineering (ME) degrees.
Master of Science (SM)
In most subjects, the SM is awarded for the successful completion of 32 credits (typically 8 four-credit courses) comprising an integrated program of both depth and breadth. The program is developed in consultation with an academic advisor and must be approved by the Committee on Higher Degrees (CHD). Students are expected to take as many of the courses as possible from the 200/2000-level courses offered by SEAS. At least four of the eight must be SEAS courses, and a maximum of three 100/1000-level courses may be substituted for 200/2000-level offerings with CHD approval. (Note that the CHD only rarely approves SM course plans with three 100/1000-level courses; having fewer is preferred.) A core of at least five SEAS or FAS 200/2000-level technical courses is expected. Depending on the subject of the degree, one 299r, seminar, or other non-technical course may be included with CHD approval. Course selection for students in the terminal master’s programs may be more constrained than in other subjects. The SM in Data Science requires successful completion of 48 appropriate credits.
No thesis, foreign language, or general examination is required. A thesis option is possible in the Data Science SM program, though not in the other terminal SM programs.
Only letter-graded courses may be included in the program. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or better, and a B or better average grade must be maintained.
Master of Engineering (ME)
The ME program admits students who wish to pursue more advanced formal training in research without undertaking the quantity of research required for the completion of a doctoral dissertation. The ME degree requires the successful completion of one year of course work and one year of research, including a final oral presentation of the thesis.
ME students must take courses that satisfy the same requirements as for the SM degree in their subject, plus additional research-oriented credits that result in the completion of the required ME thesis.
The courses taken for this degree must form a coherent program plan approved by the CHD. Students are expected to complete the requirements for the ME degree within four consecutive terms. Continuation beyond the fourth term will be granted only if there is reasonable assurance that the requirements can be completed by the end of the fifth term.
No foreign language or general examination is required for the ME degree.
Only letter-graded courses may be included in the program. All courses must be passed with a grade of C or better, and a B or better average grade must be maintained.
Degree Program Entry
SEAS offers three pathways to earning a Master of Science (SM) or Master of Engineering (ME) degree:
Terminal master’s degrees are offered in Computational Science and Engineering [CSE] (both SM and ME) and Data Science (SM only). SEAS also offers an MS/MBA program jointly with Harvard Business School with the SM in Engineering Sciences.
CSE, Data Science, and the MS/MBA:EngSci admit students directly into their programs. More information about each terminal master’s degree program is available on the respective program page:
Students admitted to PhD programs at Harvard Griffin GSAS can apply for and receive a master’s degree in passing, upon completion of the requirements for the master’s degree in a given SEAS subject area. Prior approval of course plan by the CHD is required, except for SEAS PhD students who are seeking the SM in the same subject as the PhD and whose approved PhD program plan coursework also meets the SM degree requirements. Questions about master’s in passing in CSE or Data Science should be directed to mastersprograms@seas.harvard.edu. Questions about master’s in passing in any other area of SEAS should be directed to ximena@seas.harvard.edu.
Undergraduates in Harvard College may apply for admission to the Concurrent Master’s program (see the AB/AM, AB/SM Programs section) for the fourth year and are subject to the SM requirements described in the SEAS graduate policies pages. SMs in CSE and Data Science are not available to Concurrent Masters students. Questions about the Concurrent Master’s program at SEAS should be directed to ximena@seas.harvard.edu.