How do you enter into the PhD program of Harvard Existence sciences?

PhD Program Overview. As part of Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the PhD Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH), established in 1993, trains students in individual fields of biological res…

All of these areas are studied with an emphasis on biochemical, cell biological and genetic approaches to delineating disease mechanisms. Our research, whether basic or translational, is relevant to human health. Students apply cutting-edge research technologies toward the improved understanding, treatment and prevention of human diseases with the greatest current impact on global populations. Our program embraces the idea that progress in a given disease area is optimally promoted by a close interaction between scientists from diverse disciplines, including genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, and systems biology. Core quantitative disciplines like biostatistics and epidemiology are also fundamental to analyzing large datasets, such as those generated from “omics” approaches, and for assessing the broad impact of health problems, allowing us to look beyond individuals to entire populations. With our roots in biology, we are able to confront the most pressing diseases of our time, gaining insights into their underlying mechanisms and uncovering novel therapeutic opportunities.


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Admissions FAQ

What is the deadline for applying to the PhD program? December 1st of every year NOTE: Your application should be complete and submitted entirely by December 1. Late materials will not be considere…

This can be a personal choice. Some student live close to campus while some reside in Cambridge and have a free Harvard bus shuttle to collegeOrfunction. Students remark that “People live in several areas of the town, and surely our stipend is sufficient to provide you with versatility on where you need to live. ”

Yes, our program accepts the IELTS Academic test. For those students planning to submit IELTS scores, please note that we will only accept official IELTS Academic scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test center via the E-Delivery service. Scores from the IELTS General Training module are not accepted. At the time of test-taking, please specify Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as a score recipient. We do not accept IELTS paper test Report Forms nor do we verify Test Report Forms (TRFs). More information can be found on the GSAS Application instruction website.

Applicant Checklist and Deadlines

The PhD Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH), which is based at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, is administered through the Harvard Graduate School of Ar…

If British isn’t your native language, there are just three acceptable methods to demonstrate British proficiency: 1) Hold a bachelor’s degree from your institution where British may be the language of instruction 2) Score a minimum of 100 around the TOEFL iBT Test 3) Score a minimum of 7. 5 around the IELTS test. Please be aware that GSAS doesn’t accept scores in the TOEFL ITP Plus examination.

For those students planning to submit IELTS scores, please note that we will only accept official IELTS Academic scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test center via the E-Delivery service. Scores from the IELTS General Training module are not accepted. At the time of test-taking, please specify Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as a score recipient. We do not accept IELTS paper test Report Forms nor do we verify Test Report Forms (TRFs).

For Prospective Students

Welcome Prospective Students! Thank you for your interest in the Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) Program leading to the Ph.D. degree. This program is located at the Harvard School of Pub…

Appreciate your curiosity about the Biological Sciences in public places Health (BPH) Program resulting in the Ph. D. degree. The program is situated in the Harvard School of Public Health insurance and is provided with the Harvard College Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS). Our program started in 1993 to coach students in individual fields of biological research having a concentrate on understanding, stopping, and treating illnesses affecting large populations. BPH students get yourself a broad interdisciplinary understanding of both mechanistic and quantitative methods to biomedical research.

PhD Course Requirements

2022-2022 CURRICULUM & COURSE REQUIREMENTS These courses satisfy the minimum curriculum requirements for the BPH program, and students are encouraged to seek further coursework in areas of spec…

Furthermore, all GSAS students are needed to consider classes for a grade (sometimes known as “ordinal”) when the course is provided for ordinal and sitting/unsat. The only real time students may take a training course for ‘sat/unsat’ is if that’s the only real grading option. For the reason that situation, it’s expected that GSAS students get a acceptable grade. This really is outlined within the GSAS Guide.

These courses satisfy the minimum curriculum requirements for the BPH program, and students are encouraged to seek further coursework in areas of specific interest. Core courses should be selected to broaden the student’s scientific knowledge base, while critical reading courses should build depth in their individual research area. Students may petition the BPH Program to consider more advanced coursework to satisfy core and critical reading requirements. To offer a broad perspective on modern biology, students may enroll in courses offered not only by BPH Faculty but also within other PhD programs affiliated with the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS), as well as graduate level classes at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A free shuttle bus (M2) connects the Harvard Medical Campus in Boston to the Harvard main campus and MIT in Cambridge, to facilitate travel between these locations if needed for chosen courses.

PhD Program in Biological Sciences in Public Health

Harvard Native American Program brings together Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students and interested individuals from the Harvard community for the purpose of advancing the well-being of indigenous peoples through self-determination, academic achievement, and community service.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) at BPH – The BPH program recognizes diversity is an essential requisite to achieving excellence in research and education. Diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, religious beliefs in our community of students, administrators, and faculty enriches and strengthens our program community. By fostering diversity and actively creating opportunities for inclusion and belonging, we believe that curiosity, creativity and innovation can thrive towards the betterment of human health.

Even though you have graduated, the BPH program strives to have an active alumni community as graduates provide a valuable resource of knowledge and insight to all of our current students. Advice from graduates cover a wide range of topics and issues facing the public health realm. Some of which include:

Ph.D. Program

Two PhD programs are available to students who are looking for research opportunities in the Park Lab. 1. Population Health Sciences (PHS) The PhD in PHS involves understanding origins and determin…

BPH – The PhD in PHS involves understanding origins and determinants of health insurance and disease across populations. Students will select a specific field of study on the next: Ecological Health, Epidemiology, Global Health insurance and Population, Diet, Social and Behavior Sciences. The primary objective of the program would be to provide students using the tools to shape new ideas in population health sciences, to speak individuals ideas effectively, and also to serve altering health needs in various societies and contexts. To find out more, click the link that follows. hsph. harvard.

Molecular and Cellular Biology

Graduate students in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) are members of an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary training program called Molecules, Cells, and Organisms (MCO). MCO’s unique approach to the biological sciences PhD cultivates versatility as well as depth of expertise by exposing its students to the full spectrum of modern biology. The MCO PhD training program features an unparalleled range of research areas within the biological sciences, including biochemistry, biophysics, cellular biology, chemical and structural biology, computational biology, developmental biology, engineering, evolutionary biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology, molecular biology, neurobiology, physical biology, stem cell biology, and systems biology. The program contains an unusually diverse group of outstanding scientists, involving faculty from MCB as well as the departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Physics, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Program faculty and students are also members in specialized initiatives and centers, including, the Microbial Sciences Initiative, the Quantitative Biology Initiative, the Center for Brain Science, Cellular Dynamics, Origins of Life initiative, and Engineering and Physical Biology.

Entering students must have an eye on opening courses in chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics. As the following courses shouldn’t be considered as prerequisites for admittance to graduate study, most accepted students have finished these courses as undergraduates:

Admissions Requirements

Graduate students in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) are members of an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary training program called Molecules, Cells, and Organisms (MCO). MCO’s unique approach to the biological sciences PhD cultivates versatility as well as depth of expertise by exposing its students to the full spectrum of modern biology. The MCO PhD training program features an unparalleled range of research areas within the biological sciences, including biochemistry, biophysics, cellular biology, chemical and structural biology, computational biology, developmental biology, engineering, evolutionary biology, genetics, genomics, microbiology, molecular biology, neurobiology, physical biology, stem cell biology, and systems biology. The program contains an unusually diverse group of outstanding scientists, involving faculty from MCB as well as the departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Physics, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.


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Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Organismic and Evolutionary Biology is one of the programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences, which facilitates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research. Visit HILS for additional application instructions.

These contacts are critical because our admissions process weighs multiple factors, the most crucial being the caliber of the student’s application, incorporating grades, research experience, and recommendations. However, it’s also essential for the mark consultant to approve admission. OEB doesn’t accept GRE scores as part from the admissions package.

The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) is committed to training scientists who pursue a greater understanding of the evolution of the earth’s life processes. More than ever before, human activity places species and ecosystems at risk, and the need for research addressing environmental issues of global proportion has never been more urgent. The department’s faculty and students examine significant biological processes that span a continuum from single cells to entire ecosystems, conducting field and laboratory studies that are key to understanding the evolution of organisms, how biodiversity is generated and maintained, how organisms work, and how organisms interact with their environment. We believe that intellectual diversity is one of our department’s great strengths, and we view the fundamental values of diversity, respect, fairness, and kindness in our community as inseparable from our goals as scientists.

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Chemistry and Chemical Biology is one of the programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences, which facilitates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research. Visit HILS for additional application instructions.

Science these days is wealthy with chance and challenge. Our support beams for achievement within this complex world are associated with interactions—between people and between disciplines. Because they build both strong interpersonal connections between our students and faculty, and efficient bridges between disciplines, entering graduated pupils within the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology can thrive in the frontiers of research within the chemical and existence sciences.

Chemical Biology

The Chemical Biology PhD Program is one of the programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences, which facilitates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research. Visit HILS for additional application instructions.

Typical students have a strong background within the disciplines highly relevant to chemical biology along with a strong curiosity about interdisciplinary research. When finishing the internet application, make sure to list out faculty that appeal to you. Students aren’t needed to make contact with any faculty ahead of time, but they are welcome to do this.

Chemical biology is a rapidly growing field that combines the rigor and quantitative aspects of traditional chemistry and biochemistry programs with the excitement and medical relevance of modern molecular, cellular, organismic, and human biology. We believe that many biological problems demand molecular and quantitative answers that can only be supplied by tools and approaches derived from chemistry—such as single-molecule measurements, single-cell imaging, and the use of exogenous molecules to modulate the activity of cellular components. The integration of chemistry, biology, and medicine has become an integral and essential aspect of the training and research culture at Harvard, and this spirit is embodied in the Chemical Biology PhD Program.

Immunology

Immunology is an area of study within the Division of Medical Sciences, an administrative unit based at Harvard Medical School that coordinates biomedical PhD activities at the Longwood Medical Area. Students who study in Immunology receive a PhD in medical sciences. Prospective students apply through GSAS; in the online application, select “Division of Medical Sciences” as your program choice and select “Immunology” in the Area of Study menu.

The PhD Enter in Immunology educates scientists in investigative and academic medicine, preparing these to lead to immunological research having a full understanding of the possibility impact of immunology. This program combines instruction in fundamental biology, a classy learning immunology, and contact with the immunological and non-immunological problems of disease. It is the type of a built-in educational enter in an increasing discipline that now spans some of the classical fields of medical biology (microbiology, genetics, pathology, clinical medicine, and biochemistry, for instance).

Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology​

The Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology​ PhD Program is one of the programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences, which facilitates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research. Visit HILS for additional application instructions.

Systems, synthetic, and quantitative biology explains how greater level qualities of complex biological systems arise in the interactions among their parts. This latest field needs a fusion of concepts from many disciplines, including biology, information technology, applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. Students with backgrounds in these disciplines ought to apply.

Applications are reviewed by the admissions committee during December and early January. Selected applicants are notified if they have been chosen for an on campus interview. These visits provide students with the opportunity to meet with faculty and current students and to get a better feel for our community and the types of research conducted here. Applicants invited for an interview who reside overseas and cannot visit the Harvard campus may interview via Skype or telephone.

Graduate Studies

The department’s programs, many of which are interdisciplinary or linked to research in other departments, constitute a frontier of scientific vision in organismic and evolutionary biology. Modern research facilities, combined with the natural history collections and libraries of the Harvard University Herbaria and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, provide unique opportunities for meeting the challenges inherent in this pursuit.OEB graduate students take advantage of the wide range of faculty expertise from the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Department of Physics, and Mathematics; as well as the Broad Institute, Center for the Environment, Center for Brain Science, Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Microbial Sciences Initiative, and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

OEB’s graduate program is a component of Harvard’s Integrated Existence Sciences Program (HILS). An account of suggested academic preparation, needs, and admission and educational funding procedures and deadlines can be found online through the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) website.

The department’s programs, many of which are interdisciplinary or linked to research in other departments, constitute a frontier of scientific vision in organismic and evolutionary biology. Modern research facilities, combined with the natural history collections and libraries of the Harvard University Herbaria and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, provide unique opportunities for meeting the challenges inherent in this pursuit. OEB graduate students take advantage of the wide range of faculty expertise from the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, John A.

Division of Medical Sciences

To qualify for admission, applicants must demonstrate strong enthusiasm and ability for the vigorous pursuit of scientific knowledge. Minimal requirements include a bachelor’s degree and undergraduate preparation in the sciences. The program in Bioinformatics requires a strong grounding in mathematics and quantitative sciences (e.g. computer sciences, physics and chemistry).

To be eligible for a admission, applicants must demonstrate strong enthusiasm and skill for that energetic quest for scientific understanding. Minimal needs incorporate a bachelor’s degree and undergraduate preparation within the sciences. This program in Bioinformatics needs a strong grounding in mathematics and quantitative sciences (e. g. computer sciences, physics and chemistry).

  • Student Qualifications & Admission Requirements
  • Applying to a Program in DMS
  • Application Fees & Deadline
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) – Optional
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • Demonstrate English Proficiency, Where Required
  • Financial Aid
  • Letters of Recommendation

Harvard University’s policy is to make decisions on the basis of the individual’s qualifications to contribute to Harvard’s educational objectives and institutional needs. It is unlawful, and contrary to Harvard University policy, to discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job or course of study requirements.

Harvard BBS PhD Program

Harvard Medical School PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

Spotlight – The Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) Program at Harvard offers Ph. D. learning the biosciences, built outward from core learning contemporary genetics, biochemistry, and molecular, cellular, and mechanistic biology. Underneath the BBS umbrella are eight engaging research communities made up of fundamental science departments and interdepartmental programs at Harvard School Of Medicine. We consider these communities as our “neighborhoods inside the city”. Each supplies a close-knit atmosphere where faculty and trainees with common interests interact to succeed research within their field and take part in training activities tailored towards the diversity of career trajectories for today’s PhDs. BBS combines the unparalleled selection of research lab, thanks to its breadth and depth, using the cohesiveness of shared-interest communities usual for smaller sized departmental programs. Come come along!

Application Requirements

Please verify that your application is complete, with all applicable documents, before submitting it to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. See below for the components needed to complete your application:

Describe your reasons and motivations for going after a graduate degree inside your selected degree program, noting the encounters that formed your quest ambitions, indicating briefly your job objectives, and concisely stating your past operate in your intended field of study as well as in related fields. Your statement shouldn’t exceed 1,000 words.

  1. APPLICATION
  2. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
  3. TRANSCRIPTS
  4. RECOMMENDED COURSEWORK
  5. ENGLISH PROFICIENCY / TOEFL SCORES
  6. APPLICATION FEE – $105

Applications are submitted through the GSAS Applicant Portal. You can access the application by clicking the apply button on the apply page. Please note all supporting materials and required components must be submitted electronically as part of the application. The application includes biographical and academic information, an abstract of all courses, and a statement of purpose. Although the abstract of courses may duplicate information available on your transcript(s), it is essential that the admissions committee receive this orderly summary of your courses.

Apply

For detailed information about the application, please visit the GSAS Admissions website and click on “Required Application Materials” and “Completing Your Online Application” half-way down the page.

Applicants not able to accept TOEFL IBT, IELTS or IELTS indicator exams may apply without these scores, and when programs recommend these applicants for admission, their admission is going to be provisional until they offer scores from among the recognized tests that report the needed degree of British proficiency.

Adequate command of spoken and written English is essential to success in graduate study at Harvard. Applicants who are non-native English speakers and who received their undergraduate degree from an academic institution where English is not the primary language of instruction must prove their English proficiency by earning either a minimum score of 100 on the Internet based test (iBT) of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a minimum score of 7. 0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic test. Applicants who took tests more than two years ago (i. e., before September 1, 2018, for fall 2020 admission) must retake them. No test other than the iBT TOEFL or the IELTS Academic will be accepted as proof of English proficiency; a master’s degree is not accepted as proof of English proficiency.

Graduate Students

HSCRB labs are home to graduate students who are passionate about stem cell, developmental, and regenerative biology, enrolled in a variety of programs across the university.

The Derek Bok Center for Learning and teaching at Harvard College helps create transformational learning encounters, and it is an origin of inspiration and support for graduated pupils. The Bok Center supports experimentation, innovation, and evidence-based practices, and cultivates excellent instruction through training.

  • Harvard Graduate Students in HSCRB
  • Integrated Life Sciences
  • Other Graduate Programs

Graduate Program in Developmental and Regenerative Biology

Flexibility and exploration in the life sciences is made possible by Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS), which comprises 14 Ph. D. programs and subject areas across the university. HILS provides an easy way for life-science students to find and apply to the right programs. Through it, students can apply to up to three programs on a single application. HILS students may study with faculty across the University, including Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School, and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health.


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Erwin van den Burg

Stress and anxiety researcher at CHUV2014–present
Ph.D. from Radboud University NijmegenGraduated 2002
Lives in Lausanne, Switzerland2013–present

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