History of Science

The History of Science Department is one of the world’s leading institutions for producing the next generation of professional historians of science through a course of study that lays a broad foundation for teaching and research.

Our unique, interdisciplinary program expands on the typical Euro-centric focus for a more global examination that includes perspectives from Chinese, African, Latin American, and indigenous people’s history.

You will engage with the department’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, one of the largest and richest university collections in the world. These objects represent a broad range of periods and scientific disciplines, including astronomy, navigation, horology, surveying, geology, calculating, physics, biology, medicine, psychology, electricity, and communication.

Our diverse faculty of anthropologists, historians, medical doctors, physicists, and geologists prepares you for a successful career in academia, research, and business. Recent graduates are now teaching at Princeton, Harvard, McGill University, and National Taiwan University. Others have secured corporate positions at McKinsey & Company, Amazon.com, and Sutter Hill Venture Capital.

Master of Arts and Secondary Field

The department offers admission to a very few select students seeking the free-standing AM degree. External applicants for the degree may be considered on a case-by-case basis; it is expected they will be in full-time residence. Students who have been accepted to pursue an AM include advanced degree candidates at foreign universities, and students with a PhD in another field, from Harvard or elsewhere.

Harvard Griffin GSAS students pursuing PhDs in other departments may apply to earn an AM in History of Science; please contact the departmental Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for further information.

Such students are also eligible to earn formal recognition for completing a secondary field in History of Science.

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

Areas of Study

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 the History of Science.

Writing Sample

No application to the Department of the History of Science will be considered complete unless accompanied by a relatively recent sample of the applicant's written work (e.g., term paper, senior thesis, master's essay, etc.). Writing samples must be submitted electronically with the online application. Foot- or endnotes and bibliography welcome.

Personal Statement

Required

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Optional

Master of Arts

The department offers admission to a very few select students seeking the free-standing AM degree. External applicants for the degree may be considered on a case-by-case basis; it is expected they will be in full-time residence. Students who have been accepted to pursue an AM include advanced degree candidates at foreign universities and students with a PhD in another field, from Harvard or elsewhere. To pursue advanced work in the field, it is desirable to have some preliminary training in the natural or social sciences and in history.

MD/PhD Admissions Requirements

History of Science is part of a "One Application" process and therefore applicants applying to the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD Program with the intention of pursuing a PhD in History of Science do not need to submit a separate graduate school application to Harvard Griffin GSAS.

MD-PhD History of Science applicants should apply to Harvard Medical School via AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service). There is an opportunity on the Harvard Medical School secondary application to indicate your interest in the MD/PhD Program and the PhD in History of Science, and provide supplementary materials.

Please supply the following supplementary materials as part of your MD/PhD History of Science application.

More information is available on the Harvard/MIT MD/PhD Program website.

Supplementary Materials for MD/PhD Application

Statement of Purpose

Describe your reasons and motivations for pursuing a graduate degree in your chosen program of study in the Social Sciences. What experiences led you to your research ambitions? Concisely state your past work in your intended field of study and in related fields. Briefly indicate your career objectives. Your statement should not exceed 1,000 words.

Personal Statement

Follow Harvard Griffin GSAS guidelines for the Personal Statement.

Writing Sample

The writing sample is normally an article or chapter-length piece of academic work and should be a relatively recent sample of the applicant's academic work. (For example, a term paper for a course, a senior thesis chapter, or an AM essay.) A piece of writing related to the history of science, technology and medicine or Science, Technology, and Society (STS) is ideal but not necessary. Academic papers in the humanities or social sciences are generally more informative for the admissions committee than those in basic or applied sciences. Ideally the writing sample should demonstrate an ability to delineate questions, research them, and write up the results in a convincing fashion.