PhD in Philosophy at Harvard University

Harvard University

United States of America, Cambridge

University Rank:#5

Study Philosophy at Harvard University, a PhD degree offered on the HARVARD UNIVERSITY campus in Cambridge , United States of America. This Full Time program is delivered on campus in English and takes approximately 4 years to complete. Students benefit from a structured learning experience designed to build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The next intake is scheduled for September 5, 2026.

About PhD in Philosophy

As a PhD student in the Harvard philosophy program, you'll have the opportunity to develop your ideas, knowledge, and abilities. You'll work with other doctoral students, our faculty, and visiting scholars, all in a stimulating and supportive environment. The program has strengths across a broad range of topics and areas, so you'll be able to pursue your interests wherever they may lead, especially in moral and political philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, the history of analytic philosophy, ancient philosophy, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In addition, students can pursue joint degrees with classics, Harvard Law School, and in Indian philosophy.

Incoming cohorts consist of five to eight students per year. You will have substantial access to our renowned faculty and all the resources that Harvard makes available. This relatively small size also gives students a sense of intellectual community.

The curriculum is structured to help you make your way towards a dissertation: graduate-level coursework, a second-year research paper, a prospectus to help you identify a dissertation topic, and then the dissertation itself. Past dissertations in the department have addressed a broad range of topics: Aristotle, Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; contemporary moral and political philosophy; metaphysics; epistemology; and logic.

In addition to your research, you will also have the opportunity to develop your teaching skills in many different settings across the University.

You can find graduates of the PhD program in many universities. Some of our students have gone on to faculty positions at Yale University, Princeton University, Brown University, and Stanford University. Other graduates have gone on to diverse careers in, among others, the arts, the law, secondary education, and technology.

In addition to the standard PhD in philosophy, the department offers a PhD in classical philosophy in collaboration with the Department of the Classics and a coordinated JD/PhD program in conjunction with Harvard Law School.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Philosophy and requirements for the degree are detailed in GSAS Policies.

Disciplines

School of Arts & Sciences

Requirements and Admission Criteria for PhD in Philosophy at Harvard University

Entry Requirements

Your degree program will note one of three options regarding submission of scores for the GRE General Test (GSAS also accepts scores from the GRE General Test at Home).

Required: You must submit GRE General Test results.
Optional: You may submit GRE General Test results if you wish.
Not Accepted: Do not submit GRE General Test results. GRE General Test scores will not be considered when applications are reviewed.

Sending GRE Scores

When taking the GRE, you will have an opportunity to request that your scores be sent to your academic institutions of choice. Be sure to select Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as each Harvard admissions office has its own ETS school code. To ensure that your scores are matched to your applicant record, the First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth on your test score report must match the information you enter in the GSAS Applicant Portal. GRE score reports must be sent to GSAS by the application deadline.

Use ETS code 3451 to send GRE scores to Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (department code is not required).
GRE tests must be taken within five years of your expected date of matriculation. If you are applying for fall 2023 admission, you must submit scores from tests taken no earlier than September 1, 2018.
An official score report from Educational Testing Service (ETS) to Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is required. If you have personal score reports from tests taken within the valid period (as described above), you can upload them to your application in addition to requesting that your scores be sent.

Some degree programs also require GRE Subject Tests. Visit your degree program page of interest for more information.

English Requirements

IELTSMin 6.5
TOEFLMin 80

Fee Information

Application Fee 105

How to Apply

STEP 1: CHOOSE A PROGRAM

GSAS offers master’s and PhD degrees in programs based in the arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering and applied sciences. Many programs also allow a student to conduct more focused research by choosing an area of study. Review the programs on offer to decide which best meets your academic goals.

STEP 2: MAKE A NOTE OF THE APPLICATION DEADLINE

Application deadlines vary by program and are noted on the program page.

STEP 3: Review the STANDARDIZED TESTS requirements

Programs may require Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test or subject test scores. Applicants who are non-native English speakers may be required to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting scores from an English Language test (TOEFL or IELTS). Review the admissions policy on English Proficiency for more information. Be sure to register early for required tests.

STEP 4: COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION BY THE DEADLINE

The online application becomes available in September. The application and all components are due by 5:00 p.m., eastern time, on the deadline date.

PhD in Philosophy at Harvard University

Harvard University

United States of America, Cambridge