You must apply to the PhD program through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. This can be done online through the link provided above.

Application Information

The PhD Program in Health Policy at Harvard University is an interfaculty program between the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Law School, and John F. Kennedy School of Government. The program began in September 1992.

Students in the PhD Program in Health Policy choose a concentration and meet specific curriculum requirements in one of seven disciplines: decision sciences, economics, ethics, evaluative science and statistics, management, medical sociology, or political analysis. In addition to selecting a concentration, during the dissertation stage students specialize in one of five areas of policy interest: environmental health, health care services, international health, mental health, or public health.

MD/PhD: Those wishing to combine the MD and the PhD in Health Policy must apply separately to the MD program at the Harvard Medical School and to the PhD Program in Health Policy through the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. An admitted student may combine the two programs, which saves approximately one year of coursework.

JD/PhD: Applicants interested in the coordinated JD/PhD Program must first apply to and be separately admitted to both the Harvard Law School and the PhD Program in Health Policy. Combining both programs saves approximately a half year of coursework.

Applicants to either combined degree must notify the PhD Program in Health Policy as early as possible in the process, as well as indicate on the application to the PhD Program that a concurrent application has been submitted to Harvard Medical School or Harvard Law School.

Application: For matriculation in fall of 2009, the application deadline is 5 p.m. on December 15, 2008. Prospective applicants should visit the GSAS admissions page for more information on the application process and to apply online or to request an application. (Note that the applications and the online application process are typically not available until late August or early September.) Applications to the Harvard PhD in Health Policy Program must be submitted to the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and not to any other School at Harvard.

Applicants are asked to:

• include a curriculum vitae or resume with the application to the program
• note on a separate page in the application what concentration(s) and policy area(s) within the program are of special intereste. Up to 2 areas of concentration may be specified.
  Concentrations: decision sciences, economics, ethics, evaluative science and statistic, management, medical sociology, political analysis
  Policy Areas: environmental health, health care services, international health, mental health, public health
• include letters of recommendation. Recommenders may submit letters online. Note that letters from college or university dossier services are not acceptable and that the GSAS letter of recommendation form must accompany each letter.
• include GRE or GMAT scores (GRE scores are preferred). Recent median GRE scores for entering students: 740 Quantitative, 660 Verbal, and 5.5 Analytical Writing. GRE scores should be sent to Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Code 3451. GMAT scores should be sent to Harvard Business School, PhD programs (since GSAS is not an option).
• send fall term grades when available if attending school while applying to the program

Reapplication: Application materials are kept on file for one year. Applicants who filed more than one year ago should follow regular application instructions. Applicants who applied last year must file a new application and financial forms, pay the full application fee, submit at least one new letter of recommendation from someone who has not written previously, and submit transcripts covering any academic work undertaken since the time of last application. It is the policy of the Graduate School that prior applications and supporting materials will be considered along with new application materials.

Financial Aid: According to GSAS policy, the program must provide all financial assistance required for each student as determined by a standard need formula applied by the GSAS Admissions Office. Therefore, please fill in the complete section on financial aid in the application, even if your circumstances might indicate otherwise.

The program is able to provide financial aid, both on the basis of need and merit. For example, thanks to grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), we can offer some traineeships to students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. As we are committed to increasing the diversity of our doctoral student population, Harvard provides Graduate Prize Fellowships (tuition for all years in the program and a stipend for three years) to underrepresented minority applicants, with financial need, who are admitted to the program. Above all, we encourage students to apply for external grants and fellowships whenever possible.

If, after looking over the material, you have questions about the program or the application process, please contact Deborah Whitney, indicating whether you would like to receive an information packet on the program, in which case, please provide your mailing address. She may be contacted by email at: deborah_whitney@harvard.edu or (617) 496-5506.