harvard phd in philosophy

Undergraduate Program

Philosophy studies many of humanity’s fundamental questions, to reflect on these questions and answer them in a systematic, explicit, and rigorous way—relying on careful argumentation, and drawing from outside fields as diverse as economics, literature, religion, law, mathematics, the physical sciences, and psychology. While most of the tradition of philosophy is Western, the department seeks to connect with non-Western traditions like Islam and Buddhism.

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree is designed for industry professionals with years of work experience who wish to complete their degrees part time, both on campus and online, without disruption to their employment. Our typical student is over 30, has previously completed one or two years of college, and works full time.

The graduate program in philosophy at Harvard offers students the opportunity to work and to develop their ideas in a stimulating and supportive community of fellow doctoral students, faculty members, and visiting scholars. Among the special strengths of the department are moral and political philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, the history of analytic philosophy, ancient philosophy, Kant, and Wittgenstein.

Doctor of Philosophy

The PhD programs advance scientific discovery by training and supporting students doing in-depth research that solves the world’s biggest public health challenges. At the forefront of efforts to benefit the health of people worldwide, the School offers students the opportunity to join in shaping new ideas in public health and implementing them effectively. PhD students benefit from collaborations across public health disciplines and a broad range of academic fields through connections with other Harvard faculties.

All PhD students conduct research through a dissertation, in addition to other avenues of discovery. All PhD programs at Harvard University are administered by the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), and applications are processed through the GSAS online application system . Choose from one of four PhD programs offered collaboratively between Harvard Chan School and GSAS.

• Abbreviation : PhD
• Degree format : On campus  
• Time commitment : Full-time  
• Average program length : Varies between 4 to 7 years based on program

When applying to the PhD, applicants must choose one of the following specialized fields of study. Eligibility requirements vary by program and field of study.  

• Biological Sciences in Public Health
• Biostatistics
• Health Policy
• Environmental health
• Epidemiology
• Global health and population
• Social and behavioral sciences

Career outcomes vary based on field of study and research, but in general, PhD graduates will be prepared for a career in academia, health policy, government agencies, consulting, the pharmaceutical or biomedical industry, and generally improving lives through qualitative and quantitative research.

Admission information

Like all PhD (doctor of philosophy) programs at the School—and the University—the PhD in health policy is offered under the aegis of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Applications are processed through the GSAS online application system located at gsas.harvard.edu/admissions/apply .

• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

• Application for Degree
• Credit for Completed Graduate Work
• Ad Hoc Degree Programs
• Dissertations
• English Language Proficiency
• PhD Program Requirements
• African and African American Studies
• American Studies
• Ancient Studies
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Celtic Medieval Languages and Literatures
• Comparative Literature
• Computational Science and Engineering
• Critical Media Practice
• Data Science
• Film and Visual Studies
• Historical Linguistics
• History of Science
• Latinx Studies
• Linguistic Theory
• Medieval Studies
• Mind, Brain, and Behavior
• Romance Languages and Literatures (French, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish)
• Science, Technology, and Society
• Slavic Literary/Cultural Studies
• Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
• Translation Studies
• Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)
• Master's Degrees
• Grade and Examination Requirements
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Much work in philosophy speaks directly to one or more disciplines represented by Harvard Griffin GSAS's PhD programs—literature, physics, statistics, science, mathematics, linguistics, and economics to name a few. A secondary field in philosophy gives students from other disciplines an opportunity to step back and look at the big picture in their discipline, putting students from discipline X in a position to do "philosophy of X" as part of doing X, thereby helping them to understand their field more deeply and to open a path to developing it in innovative ways.

Graduate students may apply to the Department of Philosophy to do a secondary field after their first term as a graduate student. Secondary field students normally begin the secondary field in their second or third semester, usually by taking one or two courses a semester until they have completed the requirements.

Applicants should contact the director of graduate studies (DGS) in the Department of Philosophy before applying. Applications must include:

• a brief statement explaining what the applicant hopes to achieve with the secondary field, including a brief summary of the applicant's background in philosophy;
• a copy of the undergraduate transcript (this can be a copy sent from the student's home department);
• a brief letter from a faculty member from the student's home department discussing how a secondary field in philosophy would contribute to the student's work in the home department.

Requirements

To complete a secondary field in philosophy, a student completes four courses in philosophy at the 100 level or higher with a grade of B+ or better. One course must be in the area of one of the department's PhD distribution requirements: moral and political philosophy; metaphysics and epistemology; logic; or history of philosophy. A second course must be in another of these areas. At least one course must be a graduate seminar. In principle, an independent study with a member of the department may be used to complete the secondary field. A capstone project is not required. Courses are counted towards satisfying the secondary field requirements only when approved to do so by the philosophy DGS.

A student completing a secondary field in philosophy is assigned an advisor from the Department of Philosophy, normally the DGS.

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Graduate Students

Mustafa Aziz PhD candidate Research Interests: Greek Philosophy, German Idealism, Phenomenology

Bethany Cates PhD candidate Research Interests:  Legal and Political Philosophy, Ethics, Meta-Ethics  

Justin Cavitt PhD candidate Research Interests: Set Theory, Mathematical Logic, Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Science

Luke Ciancarelli PhD candidate Research Interests:   Moral psychology, history of philosophy, ethics as first philosophy  

Britta Clark PhD candidate Research Interests: Moral And Political Philosophy (especially intergenerational justice and the ethics of climate change)

Veronika Hammond PhD candidate Research Interests:  Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Science, Epistemology

Shelby Hanna PhD candidate Research Interests:  Metaethics, Philosophy of Language

Denish Jaswal PhD candidate Research Interests: Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Feminist Philosophy, Emotions

Lucy Johnson PhD candidate  

Yunhyae Kim PhD candidate Research Interests: Social and Political Philosophy, Moral Philosophy

Matt Macdonald PhD candidate

Michael Mitchell JD/PhD candidate Research Interests: Moral, Political, and Legal Philosophy

Malcolm Morano PhD candidate Research Interests: Metaethics and Moral Psychology; analytic flavors of Marxism and Existentialism.

LaKeyma Pennyamon PhD candidate (AAAS) / MA candidate (Philosophy)  

Eden Sayed PhD candidate Research Interests: Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics

Ezra Schwartz PhD candidate  

Isaijah Shadrach PhD candidate  

Ryan Sirk PhD candidate

Asa Zabarsky PhD candidate Research Interests: Philosophy of mind, Philosophy of action, Moral psychology, Ethics