The Division of Medical Sciences is one of the programs in the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences, which facilitates collaboration and cross-disciplinary research. Visit HILS for additional application instructions.
Established at Harvard University in 1908, the Division of Medical Sciences (DMS) provides students wishing to pursue careers in research and teaching with a broad education in basic biomedical science fields and specialization in one of them. Classroom and laboratory instruction are conducted primarily by faculty in the basic sciences departments and affiliated hospital laboratories of Harvard Medical School, leading to a PhD awarded by GSAS. For over 100 years, this fruitful collaboration has spawned research achievements across the spectrum from basic science to experimental medicine. Since 1909, more than 2,800 division graduates, including six Nobel Laureates, have gone on to distinguished careers in biomedical research, university teaching, and a number of increasingly diverse careers.
DMS offers six interdisciplinary areas of study leading to a PhD in the biomedical sciences, which share a common purpose of fostering a stimulating and supportive environment for research training in the biomedical sciences: Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, Neuroscience, Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology, and Virology.
DMS students are enrolled in and receive a PhD from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, even though they may work primarily with Harvard Medical School faculty.
Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Division of Medical Sciences and requirements for the degree are detailed in GSAS policies.