Business Administration

The Business Administration PhD program is offered jointly with the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Harvard Business School. This PhD program prepares scholars for research and teaching careers at business schools, discipline departments, and governmental agencies.

Students will choose from four areas of study: Accounting and Management, Marketing, Strategy, and Technology and Operations Management.

Students in business administration are enrolled in and receive their degree from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) and work with faculty from both the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and Harvard Business School (HBS). Harvard Griffin GSAS has offered PhD programs in collaboration with HBS since 1916. In addition to business administration, Harvard Griffin GSAS and HBS collaborate on programs in business economics, organizational behavior, and health policy (management track).

Graduates of the program have secured faculty positions at prestigious institutions such as Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, INSEAD, London Business School, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Virginia, and University of Toronto.

Areas of Study

Accounting and Management | Marketing | Strategy | Technology and Operations Management

Admissions Requirements

Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Harvard Business School Doctoral Programs website.

Personal Statement

Required

Standardized Tests

GRE General or GMAT: Required
iBT TOEFL preferred minimum score: 100
IELTS preferred minimum score: 7.5

Writing Sample

Writing sample is optional but highly recommended. It should largely be your own work and you should be prepared to discuss the content and your contributions. It should be no more than 10 pages of text, plus references.

Fall Grades

Fall term grades should be sent when available if attending school while applying to the program (prospective students may add this information to the Fall Grade Report, available in the Applicant Portal, after they have submitted their application).

JD/PhD

For the coordinated JD/PhD, applicants must apply separately to each program and indicate in the application to the PhD Program in Business Administration that a concurrent application has been submitted to Harvard Law School.