Harvard AB/AM and AB/SM

Eligible Harvard College students may apply to Harvard Griffin GSAS to earn an AM or SM degree

Applying to an AB/AM or AB/SM Program

Eligible Harvard College students may apply to Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) typically in the fall of their junior year to earn an AM or SM degree through the Concurrent Master's program  during their final year of undergraduate study.

Participants remain registered in Harvard College. If, after they earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees they are admitted to a PhD program, they are considered second-year graduate students and will receive two terms of credit toward their tuition schedule.

Residency Requirement

Harvard Griffin GSAS has a minimum residency requirement of one year* for all master of arts and master of science degrees, including the AB/AM and AB/SM programs.

For students who are off-cycle, determining when you should apply to the AB/SM or AB/AM is based on your expected graduation date since you will need to ensure you can meet the Harvard Griffin GSAS enrollment requirement of two terms. Please note the graduate school does not offer spring term admission, so if you are off-cycle and will be a March degree, you would need to be admitted three terms before you graduate. For example, if you expect to graduate in May 2026 or March 2027, in both cases you would need to submit an application for admission for fall 2025.

There is only one exception to the two-term residency requirement, and it applies to students who matriculated in fall 2020 or earlier and took a pandemic-related leave of absence. You can review the complete exception policy* below to determine if it applies to your situation.

*Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will waive the two-term residency requirement as a temporary accommodation invoked as part of a set of emergency policies developed in response to the pandemic. It applies to students who matriculated in the fall of 2020 or earlier and who are on track to graduate at the end of a fall term due to a pandemic-related break in their enrollment at Harvard College. The student will be expected to apply to the concurrent degree program by the application deadline in December/January of the year preceding the student’s formal fall term enrollment in the master’s program. The course requirements for the dual degrees remain the same, and it will be the responsibility of the student to ensure completion of all requirements for both the AB and the master’s degree by the end of their eighth term in the College. If you think you may qualify under this policy, please email the Office of Admissions for approval well in advance of the application deadline.

To Apply

  • Review information about the Concurrent Master’s program from the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) and information about the intended master’s program.
  • Use the Concurrent Master’s Planning Worksheet (available for download on the Concurrent Master's page of the OUE website) to develop a detailed plan to fulfill the degree requirements for the intended master’s program.
  • Engage in advising conversations with your resident dean, director of undergraduate studies (or equivalent) for your concentration, and the director of graduate studies for your intended master’s program to discuss the additional workload required for the concurrent master’s degree.
  • Review the admissions information on the Harvard Griffin GSAS website, including application instructions.
  • Submit an application to Harvard Griffin GSAS. The application deadline for the AB/AM is the same as the published deadline for the program of interest. Please note the deadline for all AB/SM programs is December 1.

Questions

If you have questions about the application itself, you can contact the Harvard Griffin GSAS office of admissions. For all other questions, you can contact the office of undergraduate education, your resident dean, and/or the graduate program you are interested in.

Eligible AB/AM Programs 

Eligible AB/SM Programs

Fall 2025 Admissions Update for the AB/SM Program

Admissions to the AB/SM in Computational Science and Engineering has been paused and will not be accepting applications for fall 2025. All other AB/SM programs will be accepting applications.

Applying to a PhD Program

Current AB/AM or AB/SM students who are interested in enrolling in a Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD program must apply through the Applicant Portal.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Degrees Offered
AB/AM, AB/SM
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CONTACT

Questions about the Program?

Office of Undergraduate Education