Social Policy

    Social Policy

    Duration4 year(s)
    Tuition Fee
    USD 68,080 / Total
    Next IntakeSeptember 5, 2026
    Social Policy

    About

    The PhD in Social Policy program is designed for individuals interested in economic inequality, neighborhood and special segregation, poverty, changing family structures, race and immigration, educational access and quality, political inequalities and participation, and comparative and institutional studies of social policy, particularly in the United States and Western Europe. You will follow a discipline-plus model, where you are integrated into either the government (political science) or sociology departments.

    The discipline-plus model provides you with greater exposure to a network of scholars outside your home discipline and to colleagues with applied policy interests that you might not experience in a single disciplinary department.

    Students in the program have worked on an array of projects including the ways labor is divided in households; the inequality, fairness, and identity in American politics and US law; and race and social stratification.

    Graduates of the program have gone on to positions as a research consultant at Vanderbilt University, deputy of education and workforce development for the Los Angeles County Supervisor, vice president of science at the Center for Policing Equity, and deputy director for the Anti-Recidivism Coalition.

    Additional information on the graduate program is available from the PhD Program in Social Policy and requirements for the degree are detailed in GSAS Policies.

    Disciplines

    School of Arts & Sciences

    Requirements

    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 7
    • TOEFLMin 103

    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.

    Social Policy
    Harvard University
    Harvard University
    United States of America

    United States of America, Cambridge

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