harvard physics phd course requirements

PhD Program Requirements

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In addition to the common degree requirements expected of Harvard Griffin GSAS students, students must meet additional requirements specified by their department or program. This section provides additional degree requirements by academic program.

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Undergraduate Program

The concentration in Physics, administered by the Department of Physics, serves a variety of goals and interests. A concentration in Physics provides a foundation for subsequent professional work in physics, and also for work in computer science, astronomy, biophysics, chemical physics, engineering and applied physics, earth and planetary sciences, geology, astrophysics, and the history and philosophy of science. Less obviously perhaps, the intellectual attitudes in physics — blending imagination, prediction, observation, and deduction — provide an excellent base for subsequent graduate work in professional schools of medicine, education, law, business, and public administration. Students are also eligible to apply for an A.B./A.M. degree program.

Graduate education in physics at Harvard offers students exciting opportunities extending over a diverse range of subjects and departments. In the Department of Physics, graduate students work in state-of-the-art facilities with renowned faculty and accomplished postdoctoral fellows. The department’s primary areas of experimental and theoretical research include atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, condensed-matter physics, computational physics, the physics of solids and fluids, biophysics, astrophysics, statistical mechanics, mathematical physics, high-energy particle physics, quantum field theory, string theory, and relativity.

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Department of Astronomy

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Requirements

The department expects candidates for advanced degrees to develop professional competence in a chosen area of research and to acquire sufficient general knowledge to understand and follow important developments in other areas of astronomy and astrophysics. Candidates are admitted directly to the PhD program, although the AM degree will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the residence requirements. Candidates for the PhD degree in the Department of Astronomy must complete the necessary courses, undergo an assessment test, satisfy the teaching requirement, work on an initial Research Project, complete a PhD Thesis and pass a Final Oral Examination, as described below.

PhD Degree Requirements

Courses Astrophysics Assessment Research Project Teaching PhD Thesis Public Outreach Project

Program Deadlines

The reseach project and associated exam must be completed by the end of the third year, and it is strongly recommended to finish in the fall of the third year or sooner.  Beginning with students entering in the Fall of 2021, it will be expected that students complete all required courses and teaching requirements by the end of their third year; petitions to go beyond this schedule requires approval from the CAS and advisor by the Spring of the second year.  The outreach project is due by the end of the Fall in a student's year of graduation.

Duration of Graduate Study

Nearly all students complete their PhD degree requirements in five or six years.  Funding is guaranteed only for six years, and extensions beyond this are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Satisfactory Progress Students who are not progressing satisfactorily will be put on grace, essentially a one year University probation during which they must begin to make appropriate progress. Students who, at the end of such a probationary year, are still not progressing satisfactorily, will lose stipend support.

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PhD Degree Requirements

To earn a Ph.D. degree a student must acquire breadth and depth of knowledge in a field of study offered by SEAS, demonstrate understanding and proficiency in the field, and write an original and significant research dissertation.  It is the duty of the faculty to help each student define these goals more precisely with respect to his/her primary field of interest, to guide him/her toward their achievement, and to judge whether they have been satisfactorily met.

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The Harvard Biophysics Graduate Program

Phd research at the interface of quantitative science and biology.

HMS Campus, 240 Longwood Avenue, Seeley G. Mudd Bldg., Room 204c Boston, MA 02115

• Requirements for Applicants

PREVIOUS EDUCATION Applicants to the Biophysics Program are required to have, or be on their way to completion of, a BA, BS, or equivalent undergraduate degree.  In most cases this entails completion of a 4-year undergraduate course of study in a relevant major.  For prospective international students, a 3 or 4-year undergraduate degree from an institute of recognized standing would be considered acceptable.  See suggested coursework and background preparation information in the section below.

APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR ENTRY IN FALL 2025

December 1, 2024

All application materials: the Online Application Form (along with the application fee payment), Transcripts, Letters of Recommendation, Statement of Purpose (best place to describe your past research experience and future interests), new 500-word Personal Statement (best place to include aspects of your experience that might be exceptional, challenges overcome, etc.) and TOEFL Test Scores (where required) need to be in by 5:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time on this date.  Late applications will not be considered.  Please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions page for additional information.

Applicants from the Harvard Medical School MD-PhD Program should submit a "pre-application" by October 15th, 2024, to be considered for entry in the Fall of 2025.  The application should be completed in the GSAS Application Portal and downloaded (or screenshots saved) without completing the submittal of the application to GSAS.  On receiving the "pre-application" (to be sent to the Program Administrator), the Biophysics Faculty Admissions Review Committee will read the application, and we will set up times for interviews for the applicant with members of the Admissions Committee.  Student applicants who are considered appropriate for the Biophysics Program will then be invited to submit their finalized application to the program through the GSAS Application Portal.  Decisions on whether or not an MD-PhD student applicant will be invited to submit a finalized, official application, with the understanding that they will be accepted into the program for Fall 2025, will be communicated to the student by November 15th, 2024.

STANDARDIZED TESTS (GRE General, GRE Subject, TOEFL, IELTS, MCAT)

The Biophysics Program no longer requires applicants to report scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) .

The Biophysics Program does not require scores from one of the GRE Subject Tests .

Applicants to the Biophysics Program who are non-native English speakers, and whose undergraduate degree is received from an academic institution where English is not the primary language of instruction, must complete either the Internet Based Test (IBT) of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) , or the International English Language Testing System Academic Test (IELTS) .  Reported scores from the TOEFL or IELTS, if required, must be no older than 2 years prior to the application deadline date.  The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will only accept the IBT TOEFL or IELTS as proof of English proficiency.

In order to ensure that test scores are received in time for the Biophysics Program's application deadline, students should register for the TOEFL or IELTS within a timeframe that allows the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report the official scores so that they can be included in the student's application file.  Scores should be reported and sent to Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences , using School Code 3451 .

MINIMUM and AVERAGE SCORES:  

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has a required minimum score of 80 on the IBT TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS .  GSAS requires incoming students, whose TOEFL or IELTS scores fall within certain tiers, to meet an Oral English Language Requirement prior to being allowed to serve as Teaching Fellows at the University.  For admitted students whose English language skills might benefit from additional focus, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers the English Language Program (ELP), a residential, cultural immersion program during the summer months prior to matriculation into graduate school.  Additional follow up courses are offered throughout the year to assist students in reaching the oral English language requirement.

As part of forming a complete picture of the applicants to the Biophysics Program, we consider the standardized test scores (if required) as well as Grade Point Average information.  However, standardized test scores and GPAs are just a few of the many factors we consider when reviewing applications to the Biophysics Program, and we have no established minimum threshhold for standardized tests and GPA.  At no point in the application review process do these scores or GPA values serve to triage applications, but are instead considered in light of the whole application and the primary focus that the review committee puts on the quality of an applicant's preparation, the personal statement, and the strength of an applicant's recommendation letters.

SUGGESTED COURSEWORK and BACKGROUND PREPARATION: Students interested in applying to the Harvard Biophysics PhD Program should have a strong background in the physical sciences, especially chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The list of courses below are only to give some examples of the kind of courses that would provide an ideal undergraduate course background for a student's future course work in specialized areas of biophysics.  No undergraduate major would have taken every one of these courses in college, and they are merely provided to serve as an example and reference point for the types of courses that would be considered appropriate background training for research work in Biophysics.  

Mathematics :   Mathematics Multivariable Calculus/ Linear Algebra and Differential Equations Advanced Calculus, Real Analysis Complex Analysis Introduction to Computer Science Linear Algebra  

Physics : Classical Mechanics Electromagnetism/ Relativity Wave Phenomena/ Optics Quantum Mechanics Laboratory Electronics Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics

Chemistry: General Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physical Chemistry Introductory Quantum Mechanics Statistical Thermodynamics

Biological Sciences/ Biochemistry and Molecular Biology : Molecular Biology Cell Biology Neurobiology Genetics Physical Biochemistry

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The Statement of Purpose that is part of the application to the Biophysics Program within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, is an intergal piece that allows the Faculty Admissions Review Committee to learn about the specific research experiences an applicant has undertaken, the student's motivation for wanting to pursue a PhD in Biophysics, and their overall enthusiam for future work as an independent research scientist.  Every application to the Biophysics Program is read in its entirety and then discussed by the Faculty Admissions Review Committee as part of the decision-making process, so extra care should be taken to ensure that the Statement of Purpose accurately and fully reflects these aspects of an applicant's incentive for submitting an application to the Biophysics Program at Harvard.

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS The Biophysics Program requires Letters of Recommendation from three faculty members, or others qualified to evaluate a student's potential for graduate study.  The most useful letters are from those faculty members who have gotten to know an applicant within a scientific research setting, or have otherwise developed an understanding of an applicant's strengths and challenges beyond their getting good grades within a classroom setting.  

Recommendation letters are due at the same time as the application, although the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions Office will make every effort to allow for consideration of recommendation materials submitted after the deadline.

The Harvard Biophysics Program does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.

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The Harvard College Curriculum & Graduation Requirements

All students complete the College Curriculum Requirements (General Education, Divisional Distribution, Language, Expository Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning with Data), declare, and then complete a concentration to receive a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. 

• Harvard students take 128 credits, or 32 4-credit courses to complete their degree 
• Students complete their degrees in 8 semesters 
• All students typically take 16 credits each term (four courses, four credits per course). Students wishing to take more than 20 credits (or more than 16 credits for first-term first-years) in a term must obtain the approval of their Resident Dean.  
• In the fall term, first-year students ordinarily take exactly 16 credits (four courses, four credits per course). Exceptions are rare and must be approved by the Resident Dean of First-Year Students.   
• Students may not enroll in more than 24 credits (six courses, four credits per course) in one term without Administrative Board approval. 
• First-year students may not cross-register for courses at other Harvard schools in the first term so that they may fully engage with the curriculum in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. 

The College Curriculum

Harvard’s Program in General Education provides a broad foundation that enables students to make meaningful connections across disciplines. Students are required to take one course in each of four perspectives: Aesthetics & Culture; Ethics & Civics; Histories, Societies, Individuals; as well as Science & Technology in Society. 

The distribution requirement exposes students to the diversity of scholarly disciplines at Harvard. Students graduating in May 2020 or later must complete one departmental (non-Gen Ed) course in each of the three main divisions of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS): Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science and Engineering and Applied Science. 

The QRD requirement introduces students to mathematical, statistical, and computational methods that will enable students to think critically about data as it is employed in fields of inquiry across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

The writing requirement is a one-semester course offered by the Harvard College Writing Program that focuses on analytic composition and revision. Expos courses are taken as first-year students and are taught in small seminars focusing on writing proficiency in scholarly writing.  

Degree candidates must meet a language requirement in a language other than English that is taught at Harvard or for which an appropriate examination can be given. Details regarding the language requirement can be found on the Office of Undergraduate Education’s website. If after the second term of study a student has not met the language requirement, an advising hold will be placed on their record in my.harvard during each registration period until the language requirement has been met. Students will be expected to have a conversation with their academic advisor to plan how they will fulfill the requirement before graduation.

Concentrations

To explore potential concentrations and fields of study you are encouraged to use the following resources:

• The Harvard College Handbook for Students – Fields of Concentration
• Concentrations and Secondary Fields

Many concentrations offer different tracks within the concentration to allow students to specialize within a field of study.  Many also offer an honors track for students who wish to write a thesis. 

Students may consider completing a joint concentration- a joining of two overlapping concentrations in which students complete requirements from both concentrations and ordinarily complete an interdisciplinary thesis. 

Students may also consider completing a double concentration- allowing students to study two completely unrelated concentrations in depth, with no more than 8 credits of overlap. 

Students must declare a concentration in their third term at Harvard. That said, students are able to declare a different concentration later in their time at Harvard if their academic interests and goals change. 

The Harvard College Curriculum lays out the requirements that you need to fulfill in order to complete your program of study. Declaring a concentration is required while secondary fields are optional to study. For official information about concentration and secondary field requirements, visit the Harvard College Handbook for Students – Fields of Concentration . 

The Exploring Fields of Study program takes place every Spring semester and provides first-year students with the opportunity to explore concentrations and secondaries through events hosted by concentrations and secondaries. At these events, you can hear from and speak with faculty, advisors, and peers about the nuances of the concentrations and expand on your knowledge of academic fields that might be of interest to you.

Electives  

These are three formal programs students can pursue in their Electives are the following (detailed in the Harvard College Handbook for Students ):

• Secondary Fields (Minors): In addition to a concentration, students may complete one of the 49 secondary fields of study. While many fields have an associated secondary field, some secondary fields are multi-disciplinary and are thus not directly affiliated with a concentration. 
• Language Citations: Study of a foreign language to an advanced level at Harvard may be acknowledged by a language citation. The awarding of a citation is noted on the student’s transcript and a printed version is issued along with the diploma at Commencement. 
• Concurrent Master’s Degrees : Students can apply to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for a master’s degree pursued concurrently with the bachelor’s degree.  

Course Grading  

Of the 128 credits required to graduate, 84 must be taken for a letter-grade. Students enrolling in courses without letter grades are reminded of the following requirements:  

• Each term students must take, for credit, at least one letter-graded course offered by the FAS.
•  Of the 128 credits, students must pass (with a letter graded C- or higher) at least 84 credits (96 credits for a degree with honors) to receive the degree awarded by the FAS. The only non-letter grade that may be counted toward the requirement of 84 satisfactory letter-graded credits is Satisfactory (SAT).  
• No more than one of the four required General Education courses (Aesthetics & Culture; Ethics & Civics; Histories, Societies, Individuals; and Science & Technology in Society) may be taken pass/fail.  
• Writing, foreign language, and certain concentration requirements can only be satisfied by letter-graded courses.  
• Ordinarily, no first-year student or sophomore may take fewer than three letter-graded courses (4 credits per course) in any term. 

For more details about course grading policies, please see the Harvard College Handbook for Students . 

Drop-In Advising

If you want to speak to an advisor in the Advising Programs Office, advisors on our staff are happy to connect with you via drop-in advising. We are available to chat about anything—course selection and registration, concentration exploration, curricular requirements or academic policy, and more! Harvard College undergraduates may sign up for an advising appointment via our Crimson Scheduler.  

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GSAS: STEM Career Chat Series feat. Dr. Bart Machielse PhD '21 (Physics), Senior Quantum Research Scientist at Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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Join us this fall for our STEM Career Chat Series, featuring PhDs from diverse fields who have successfully transitioned to careers beyond academia. Gain insights into their career journeys, challenges faced, and strategies for making a successful pivot. Bart Machielse PhD ’21. is Senior Quantum Research Scientist and the Fabrication and Packaging Lead at the AWS Center for Quantum Networks (CQN). CQN aims to develop and deploy integrated photonic technology to facilitate long and short distance quantum communication which can provide the backbone of a new, secure “quantum internet”.

If you have accessibility needs or questions related to this event, please contact [email protected].

Tags: MCS Programs & Workshops , Engage with Employers , Expand Your Network , Harvard Griffin GSAS Alumni , Harvard Griffin GSAS Beyond Academia , Harvard Griffin GSAS Masters , Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD , Technology & Engineering , Technology, Data Analytics, Cyber Security

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 undergraduate studies:.

To study undergraduate physics at Harvard, please apply to Harvard College .  The Office of Admissions website is here .  For more information, please consult the General information for  Physics and Chem/Phys concentrations  and various pages in the "Undergraduate" section of our website.

 Graduate Studies:

Please apply to the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Science . General Admissions information is here .  Also consult our pages on  Physics Admissions and Financial Aid , Physics Admissions FAQs , and other pages in the "Graduate" section of this website.

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Posted: 23-Jul-24

Location: Portugal

Required Education:

Additional Information:

The Department of Physics at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from researchers across all branches of physics (theoretical and experimental) who aspire to build international research careers and establish dynamic research groups. As a leading institution in Portugal and Europe, IST provides an exceptional research environment with outstanding students, making it an ideal setting for cutting-edge research.

This initiative seeks to identify areas of research with high growth potential for the Department of Physics. In 2025, based on the results, we will launch international calls (Public Notice) to recruit tenure-track professors, primarily at the Assistant Professor level.

In this call, the Department of Physics is preferentially interested in applications for three Assistant Professor positions in the following scientific areas: ‘Astrophysics and Gravitation’, ‘Condensed Matter Physics and Nanotechnology’, and ‘Plasma Physics, Lasers, and Nuclear Fusion’. The Department has already committed to opening one Assistant Professor position in each of these areas.

We encourage applications from researchers with outstanding CVs, demonstrated scientific leadership, and a strong publication record. We are particularly interested in candidates with a proven ability to secure grants, especially from international funding organisations. Learn more about the Department of Physics and its scientific areas on https://fisica.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/ .

Contact Instructions:

To apply, please send a single PDF document to [email protected] with the subject line "EOI: [Your Name]".The document should include the following items and must be addressed to Prof. Ilídio Lopes, President of the Department of Physics:

• Motivation letter (one page) : Clearly stating your preferred scientific area.
• Curriculum vitae : Including a complete list of publications.
• Achievements and publications (maximum two pages) : Describe your three most significant achievements and up to five relevant publications from the past five years, detailing your specific contributions.
• Research and teaching statement (maximum two pages) : A concise overview of your future research plans and teaching interests.
• References : Provide contact information (including email addresses) for two researchers or professors who will provide reference letters.

Reference letters should be sent directly by your referees to [email protected] with the subject line "RL: [Your Name]". These letters should attest to your scientific, pedagogical, professional, and ethical qualities. Please ensure they are submitted before the deadline. Additional information may be requested.

Deadline: Applications must be received by 30th September 2024 for full consideration.

For more details, visit the webpage at:

https://fisica.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/expression-of-interest/

IST Councils Deadline : The IST councils will identify research areas of interest by the end of the first semester of 2025, with international calls for Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Positions expected to open by Public Notice around the Fall of 2025.  

Disclaimer: This announcement does not guarantee the opening of calls for tenure-track or permanent positions.

Physics Today has listings for the latest assistant, associate, and full professor roles, plus scientist jobs in specialized disciplines like theoretical physics, astronomy, condensed matter, materials, applied physics, astrophysics, optics and lasers, computational physics, plasma physics, and others! Find a job here as an engineer, experimental physicist, physics faculty, postdoctoral appointee, fellow, or researcher.