About PhD Program,
Understanding our planet will be a fundamental challenge for the scientific community over the next century. Almost every practical aspect of society—population, environment, economics, politics—is and will be increasingly impacted by our relationship with the Earth. Harvard’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) is dedicated to facing these challenges and offers outstanding opportunities for students who wish to pursue graduate studies.
The EPS Department features a world-class faculty, state-of-the art laboratories, instrumentation and facilities, and a friendly, collaborative culture that is committed to the education and training of its graduate students. Whether you are engaged in bench-work, conducting field research, or simply enjoying complimentary coffee and cookies in the student lounge, you will find EPS to be an exciting and engaging experience. What’s more, EPS students enjoy the advantages of being part of the larger Harvard community as well as the Greater Boston metropolitan area.
Our graduate students enter with diverse undergraduate preparation, with majors in Earth Sciences as well as Applied Math, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering and Physics. Graduate study and research within EPS are equally diverse, and include geology, geobiology, geochemistry, geophysics, physics and chemistry of climate, planetary science, tectonics, and more. Many undergraduates exposed for the first time to the Earth sciences find that this field provides the combination they’ve been looking for: one that is sophisticated, interdisciplinary, and offers societal relevance.
We encourage you to take the time to become familiar with our department. Please read the Graduate Student Handbook for details about program requirements, and review our study and research areas to learn about suggested curriculum plans based on your interests.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
Requirements for admission are highly flexible and each application is judged on its own merits. Students with backgrounds in applied math, biology, chemistry, Earth sciences, engineering, physics, and related fields are strongly encouraged to apply. When applying, applicants should list up to three EPS faculty whose research fields are closest to their interests. For lists of faculty working in specific research areas, please browse our study and research areas.
Note regarding the GRE: GRE scores are accepted as part of the application but are not required.
Once enrolled, all graduate students are provided generous financial support, including research and teaching assistantships, full tuition, and a research allowance. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for outside funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation prior to gaining admission.
Graduation rates for PhD enrollees in EPS historically are high, with roughly two-thirds of our faculty seeing 100% of their students through to graduation, and nearly 80% having a > 75% retention rate. The average time to graduation is between 5.0-5.5 years, although with students in laboratory or field-based projects generally taking longer (average 6 years).
PhD Funding Coverage,
Our aim is to attract the most qualified candidates and make Harvard financially accessible to all degree candidates.
Whether you are a PhD student or studying for a master’s degree, the dedicated staff of the Office of Financial Aid can help you develop a plan that enables you to secure the resources you need to pursue your graduate education.
The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences does not discriminate against applicants or students on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry or any other protected classification.
Application Requirement,
- application and application fee
- transcripts
- three letters of recommendation
- statement of purpose
- personal statement, for select programs
- demonstration of English proficiency
- writing samples, for select programs
- GRE, for select programs.
Application Deadline,
Dec 15, 2024
Application Fee,
The application fee is $105 payable by credit card.
