harvard econ phd students

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Professor Claudia Goldin awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2023

Undergraduate

The large number of professors and their diverse interests enable a student to study virtually any area of economics.  The extraordinary quality of Harvard undergraduates makes the classroom environment stimulating for teacher and student alike.

Supported by a diverse group of faculty who are top researchers in their fields and fueled by a vast array of resources, the PhD program is structured to train and nurture students to become leading economists in academia, government agencies, the technology industry, finance and banking, and global policy organizations.

At a Glance

Faculty Members

Areas of Study

Undergraduate Courses

Undergraduate Concentrators

Graduate Courses

Graduate Concentrators

The Department of Economics is part of the larger academe of teaching and research at Harvard University.

Faculty Spotlight

The Harvard economics department is a big tent – big enough to include many kinds of people working in many different fields, from finance to economic history, from behavioral economics to political economy, and so much more.  Our students and faculty combine these fields in creative ways that are hard to achieve anywhere else.

John Campbell

Morton l. and carole s. olshan professor of economics, news and events.

Professor Ed Glaeser Elected into the National Academy of Sciences

Professor Claudia Goldin Appears on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me

Professor Claudia Goldin , Henry Lee Professor of Economics and Lee and Ezpeleta Professor of Arts and Sciences,was on this week's episode of the NPR News Quiz show, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. You can hear her interview as she plays "Not My Job", along with Professor Larry Katz , on NPR's website or whereever you listen to podcasts.

Professor Claudia Goldin Named One of Time's Women of the Year

Professor Claudia Goldin , Henry Lee Professor of Economics and Lee and Ezpeleta Professor of Arts and Sciences, was named one of Time's Women of the Year. 

Please read here for their interview with Professor Goldin on her work and winning the Nobel Prize .

Fields of Study

The study of the application of using hypothetical quantitative economic models.

Political Economy

The study of production and trade and their relations with law, custom and government; and with the distribution of national income and wealth.

Econometrics

The study of developing and using statistical and mathematical tools to analyze economic issues and policy questions.

Macroeconomics

The study of the national economy and the determinants of national production, unemployment, and inflation.

Economic History

The study of how economies and economic outcomes have changed over history and how economic institutions have developed. 

International Economics

The study of the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them. 

Behavioral Economics

The study of the cognitive and emotional dimensions of economic decisions.

Edward Glaeser

Department chair, fred and eleanor glimp professor of economics.

Curriculum Vitae

Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics and the Chairman of the Department of Economics at Harvard University, where he has taught microeconomic theory, and occasionally urban and public economics, since 1992. He has served as Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, and Director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. He has published dozens of papers on cities economic growth, law, and economics. In particular, his work has focused on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1992. His books include Cities, Agglomeration, and Spatial Equilibrium (Oxford University Press, 2008), Rethinking Federal Housing Policy (American Enterprise Institute Press, 2008), Triumph of the City (Penguin Press, 2011), and Survival of the City: Mass Flourishing in an Age of Social Isolation (Penguin Press, 2021). 

Campus Office:

Economics Department: Littauer Center 315A (Office hours location)

Tel: 617-495-0575 Fax: 617-495-7730 Email : [email protected] Office Hours: By appointment only. Please email the professor directly with copy to Jamie Murray. Staff Support: Jamie Murray Littauer Center - North Yard

Tel:  617-496-6255 Email : [email protected]

• Biography & CV
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• Introduction

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• Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)
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• Non-Resident Students
• Registration

Questions about these requirements? See the contact info at the bottom of the page. 

The First Two Years

Regular guidance through contact with faculty advisors is an essential component of doctoral education. Students should maintain close contact with their official advisor(s) throughout their enrollment in the program.  Students are encouraged to develop informal advising relationships with several faculty members in addition to their official advisor.  

The First-year advisor provides assistance during the initial stages of the program, but do not necessarily advise the student throughout their studies. During the second year of the program, students are matched with advisors based on their research interests. As students familiarize themselves with program faculty during coursework, research work, seminars/workshops, and other activities, they may change their official advisor(s) as their academic and research interests develop.  

The following required courses are completed during the first year of the program: Core macro and micro series: Econ2010a, 2010b, 2010c, 2010d; Quantitative Economics: Econ2120 and Econ2140; and the distribution requirement. 

During the G2 year, students designate two fields of interest and complete two approved courses in each of the two fields.  

Year Three and Beyond

As a G3, students enroll in a Research Preparatory course and complete a research paper (Econ3000) under the guidance of their faculty advisor.   

Graduate Student Workshops

Students are required to begin presenting in a Graduate Student Workshop during the Spring semester of the third year. Students continue to attend and present in at least one workshop each semester.  

Graduate students are expected to teach during their careers at Harvard, usually beginning in year three of the program. First-time teaching fellows must participate in at least one Bok Center Teaching Conference. Students in their third and fourth years have priority for teaching fellowship appointments. 

Research Proposal

Students are required to present and submit their research ideas to a committee comprising of at least two faculty members. The committee will provide feedback and decide if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree. Students will receive coordinated advice from faculty regarding their progress and be given detailed recommendations for future research plans, particularly with respect to possible job market paper and dissertation.  

The Dissertation

The student selects a faculty dissertation committee consisting of three members of the Harvard faculty; two of whom must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Under the dissertation committee’s advisorship, the student will proceed to complete the dissertation research. The dissertation should demonstrate the candidate’s ability to perform original research that develops in a scholarly way and is a significant contribution to the knowledge and understanding in the chosen special field. For the student to meet the requirement, analysis and evaluation of relevant data must yield significant and independent conclusions. 

Contact Info 

Economics Website

Brenda Piquet   Assistant Director, PhD Programs  Department of Economics  Littauer Center 201  Cambridge, MA 02138  [email protected]   617-495-8927

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Ph.D. Programs

The Harvard Environmental Economics Program (HEEP) does not grant degrees. Rather, students pursue a Ph.D. degree in Economics, Business Economics, Business Administration, Political Economy and Government, Public Policy, or Health Policy. Those whose dissertation interests focus on environmental and natural resource economics are invited to become Pre-Doctoral Fellows of HEEP.

If you are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. degree at Harvard focused on environmental economics, we encourage you to contact one or more of the following doctoral programs directly.

The Economics Ph.D.  program is the most traditional route for students interested in environmental economics. It is recommended for those applicants who wish to pursue an academic career in an economics department. It is one possible path for students who desire academic positions in professional schools or research positions in national or international agencies and research centers. The program is based in Harvard University’s Department of Economics in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. For general information about the Department, see its website . The Doctoral Program—including admissions requirements— is described here .

Business Economics

The Business Economics Ph.D.  program is offered jointly by the Department of Economics , in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Harvard Business School, and combines economic analysis with practical aspects of business. This degree is primarily intended to prepare students for careers in research and teaching in business administration and related fields of economics. The general management approach of the Harvard Business School is an important ingredient in the program. For more information on the Business Economics program and for admissions requirements, please see the  Business Economics website.

Health Policy

The Health Policy Ph.D.  program is co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Kennedy School of Government, the Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Students interested in environmental economics should consider the “Economics” track of the program. This program is recommended for students with a particular interest in the intersection of health and environmental policy and who desire academic and/or research careers in health policy. For more information on the Health Policy program and for admissions requirements please see the Health Policy website.

Political Economy and Government

The Political Economy and Government  (PEG) program is co-sponsored by the  Department of Economics and the  Department of Government in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences —and the Harvard Kennedy School . The PEG program is appropriate for the select group of students whose breadth of academic interests is not well served by doctoral studies confined to economics, political science, or public policy. The program is recommended for students whose research interests span the intersection of economics and political science and who desire academic careers in professional schools or research careers with national or international agencies and research centers. For more information on the PEG program and for admissions requirements, please see the program’s web page.  

Public Policy

The Ph.D. in Public Policy  is granted by the  Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and administered by the Harvard Kennedy School . This program is recommended for students who are interested in environmental economics as applied to the policy world and whose career goals include academic careers in professional schools, research positions in national or international agencies and research centers, or professional positions of various kinds in policy organizations. For more information on the Public Policy program and for admissions requirements and materials please see the program’s web site.

• Harvard Courses & Seminars

Have questions about applying? Please check our FAQ page  before emailing us at [email protected] . We partner with Harvard Economics to connect prospective students from underrepresented groups with graduate student mentors. Details of this Application Assistance and Mentoring Program are available below.

Application requirements

The application to our doctoral program is open annually from September 15-December 15 for admission the following September. The application for September 2024 admission is now closed.

Your application is considered complete when you have successfully submitted the following requirements by the December 15 application deadline:

• Online application
• $75 application fee
• Scanned copy of college transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge English Qualification (C1 & C2) test score (any one) for international students whose native language is not English
• The GRE is required as part of applications for the 2025-2026 cycle (for September 2025 admission)

To request a fee waiver, please complete MIT's application fee waiver form . You should carefully review the eligibility criteria prior to applying. A representative from MIT’s Office of Graduate Education will be in touch about the outcome of your request.

Transcripts

Please upload one copy of each transcript from all universities you have attended. If you're admitted to the program, we'll require you to have an official copy of your transcript(s) sent to us from the university's registrar. Your transcript will be verified upon receipt and any discrepancy between the transcript you uploaded and the official transcript will result in a withdrawal of our offer of admission.

Letters of recommendation

Letters must be submitted/uploaded by the letter writers by December 15. Please send the email request to your letter writers via the 'Letter Status' section in your application.

TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge English Qualification scores

International students whose first language is not English are required to submit   English language proficiency test scores unless they are a US citizen or permanent resident. The department will also waive the requirement for international non-native speakers of English who have spent three or more years studying in an accredited school or university where English is the language of instruction.  (Please note: verification of the institution’s language of instruction may be requested.)

We accept the following test scores:

• Cambridge English C1 Advanced
• Cambridge English C2 Proficiency

If you meet the criteria for a waiver, you can make a request to waive the English proficiency exam requirement on the online application, under the "test scores" section.

TOEFL, IELTS, and Cambridge English Qualification scores are valid or accepted for two years. Scores that expire while an application is under review will be considered valid.

Submitting your scores

Your online application will prompt you to attach a scanned copy of your test scores. Your scores must also be sent directly to MIT from ETS, IELTS, or Cambridge. MIT's school code for the TOEFL is 3514. The TOEFL code for the Department of Economics is 84. IELTS and Cambridge do not require a code. Please enter "Massachusetts Institute of Technology- Graduate Admissions."

Official scores must be received from ETS, IELTS, or Cambridge by December 15. Please take your proficiency exam of choice by November 30 to allow for proper reporting time. If your score report arrives shortly after the deadline, it will be accepted, but your application may not be reviewed until your scores are received.

Minimum score requirements

The minimum requirement for the TOEFL is PBT: 600, iBT: 100. The minimum requirement for the IELTS is 7.  The minimum requirement for the Cambridge English Qualifications is a CEFR score of 185.

Your online application will give you the option to attach a scanned copy of your test scores or a screenshot of the scores from the ETS website. You can also send a score report directly to MIT from ETS. MIT's school code for the GRE is 3514. The code for the Department of Economics is 1801.

To allow for your scores to arrive by the application deadline, you should take the GRE by November 30 to allow for reporting time.

Personal statement (optional)

We encourage applicants to include a statement of objectives/personal statement with their application, though it is not required. The statement is an opportunity to explain what makes you a good candidate for the program. You should describe why you wish to attend graduate school, what you would like to study, and any research experience. Describe one or more accomplishments you are particularly proud of that suggest that you will succeed in your chosen area of research. You can also share any unique perspective or life experience that would contribute to the program.   Statements are typically two single-spaced pages.

Application Assistance and Mentoring Program

Many students interested in an economics PhD experience disparate degrees of support in the application process. The Application Assistance and Mentoring Program (AAMP) aims to mitigate these gaps by helping students from underrepresented groups connect with a graduate student mentor in MIT or Harvard’s PhD economics programs.

Mentors can provide:

• Advice on graduate school and fellowship applications, including questions about the application process and feedback on application materials.
• Information about economics research, life as a PhD student or in an academic career, for students who are deciding whether a PhD in economics is the right choice for them.

The AAMP aims to increase the pipeline of diverse talent in economics PhD programs and welcomes participation from all groups underrepresented in economics, including but not limited to: Black, Hispanic-Latinx, Native American, low-income, and LGBTQ+ students, women, students with disabilities, and students who are the first in their families to go to college. The AAMP welcomes participation among students at various stages of their economics studies, including undergraduates and college graduates. The AAMP is open to students who are curious about the academic economics experience and interested in figuring out if it’s right for them. 

Interested participants should fill out the application linked below. We will accept applications until July 17, 2023. Mentorship will begin over the summer and continue through Fall 2023. Mentees who prefer to meet for a single “coffee chat” may indicate their preference on the form. We will do our best to match all interested applicants with a mentor; however, demand may exceed the availability of mentors.

Please note that the MIT / Harvard Economics AAMP is a volunteer-based, student-run program. This program is not considered part of the admissions process for the Economics PhD at MIT or Harvard, nor will any student's participation in the AAMP be considered by the Graduate Admissions Committee at either school.

Please direct any questions to [email protected] . To join the program, please click the link below to fill out the form.

Click here for the application form If you are a faculty, program advisor/coordinator, or student interested in being notified when 2024-2025 AAMP applications open, please fill out this form .

Graduate profiles

Meet the class of 2024, harvard college.

Meet more Harvard College graduates

Isabella Madrigal

Isabella’s senior thesis screenplay, a genre-bending family drama full of magical realism, centers the issues of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and two-spirit people.

Read more about Isabella

Dora Woodruff

Dora will next pursue a Ph.D. at MIT in algebraic combinatorics, a branch of mathematics that applies methods found in abstract algebra to discrete counting problems.

Aaron Shirley

Aaron dove into the world of medieval medicine with his thesis, “Holiness to Wholeness: Restoring Medieval Surgery to its Religious Cultural Context.”

Harvard Business School

Meet more HBS graduates

Davida Bynum

As a dual-degree candidate studying business and government, Davida is exploring the best ways to serve the public and private sectors.

Eduardo Avalos

With a focus on social entrepreneurship, Eduardo is hoping to create more equitable opportunities for those with fewer resources and less access.

Claudia Hill

By combining a degree in biomedical engineering with an M.B.A., Claudia plans to change millions of lives by creating life-saving drugs that can be distributed equitably.

Harvard Divinity School

Meet more Divinity School graduates

The growth I’ve experienced at HDS, both personal and academic, has been beyond anything I expected.” Samirah Jaigirdar Master of Theological Studies Learn more about Samirah’s studies

Jude Terna Ayua

Jude says his time at HDS changed his perspective about other faith traditions. After graduation, he will work as a private attorney and also run his non-profit, Keep Hope Alive Nigeria.

Christopher Siuzdak

While studying at HDS, Christopher’s favorite class was “Trends in World Christianity, 1900-2050,” which explored shifts in Christian confessions around the globe from a historical and social scientific perspective.

Harvard Extension School

Meet more Extension School graduates

Tomas Hernandez

Extension School graduate Tomas was able to complete his Master of Liberal Arts in Finance degree while working a full-time job, being a dad to three children, and pursuing his love of karate.

Vivien Kocsis

For her Master of Liberal Arts in Data Science capstone project, Vivien had a very specific sponsor in mind: NASA.

Brian Mazmanian

Of his journey at Harvard Extension School, Brian said, “I can honestly say that I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Harvard Graduate School of Design

Meet more graduates

For the first time, I truly felt like I was doing work that was very in touch with what GSD wants people to do, which is working with communities.” Priyanka Pillai Master in Design Engineering A joint Graduate School of Design and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences program Learn more about Priyanka’s work

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Meet more School of Education graduates

Kavya Krishna

Kavya was recently named among Forbes’ “30 Under 30” for her dedication to empowering girls with the digital literacy skills necessary to excel in a technology-driven society.

Alria and Vyankatesh Kharage

Alria and Vyankatesh met as undergraduates, fell in love, and began building a life together when their shared passion for education brought them to Harvard.

Moriah has turned her own struggles with sobriety and recovery into an opportunity to help others seeking higher education opportunities.

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Meet more SEAS graduates

Ben Schroeder

During his internship at SpaceX, Ben talked to experts to help him finalize his design for a robotic hand to help astronauts perform tasks remotely without the fatigue imposed by a suit glove.

Maria Emilia Mazzolenis

While pursuing a master’s degree in data science, Maria always kept her focus on the responsibility and impact that technology can have on society.

Lachlain McGranahan

Whether on the Charles River as a skipper on the Harvard Crimson sailing team or on the ocean helping to decipher sperm whale communications, Lachlain was never too far from his love for water and engineering.

Harvard Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Meet more GSAS graduates

Thomas found a way to identify otherwise unrecorded 20th-century hurricanes, laying the foundation for a new field of historical environmental seismology.

Dylan Renaud

Dylan’s Harvard Horizons project combines research in the emerging field of nanoscale photonics—how light interacts with very small objects—with practical computing applications to create novel devices that move information via light.

Juhee Kang, who studied history and East Asian languages and civilizations, explored how psychological testing and mass data collection evolved in 20th-century Japan, where they became central across society.

Harvard Kennedy School

Meet more Kennedy School graduates

Ananya Chhaochharia

While pursuing a Master in Public Policy, Ananya learned how to turn a political campaign into an art form.

Adebayo Alonge

After founding a platform that provides safe pharmaceuticals in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, Adebayo decided to pursue a mid-career master’s degree to help him understand how to expand to even more countries.

For her capstone research project, Maya sought to understand and find solutions for the inequality in Boston’s core city services, which aren’t equitably distributed across its diverse neighborhoods and communities.

Harvard Law School

Meet more Harvard Law graduates

Nicholas Gonzalez

Nicholas was instantly smitten with the law when he took part in mock trial and moot court competitions in high school. The performative part of arguing a case felt both familiar and alluring.  

Phoebe Kotlikoff

After becoming one of the first female U.S. Navy submariners, Phoebe was inspired by the integration of submarine service and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to attend law school.

Harvard Medical School

Meet more HMS graduates

I often tell students two things: ‘You can do it,’ and ‘but not alone.’” David Velasquez Doctor of Medicine Learn what inspired David to earn a third Harvard degree

Deborah Plana

Personal experience with cancer in her family cemented Deborah’s determination to pursue a career that combines her passions for analysis and improving patient care.

Mitchell Winkie

There are only a handful of residency positions in dermatology for the U.S. military each year. There was only one spot in the Navy open to graduating medical students, and Mitchell was selected to fill it.

It was an online search for “science internships, Boston” that set Irene on a 10-year path to Harvard where she would ultimately complete a Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences.

Harvard School of Dental Medicine

Meet more School of Dental Medicine graduates

Sheridan Danquah

Growing up, Sheridan didn’t encounter a dentist until after moving from Ghana to the U.S. when he was 10. The experience made a profound impression on him and influenced him to enter the field.

Explore how Sheridan found his purpose

Jessica Latimer

Jessica turned a passion for doodling into a side job creating scientific illustrations that have landed in well-known medical and dental journals across the country.

Read about Jessica’s unique skill set

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Meet more Harvard Chan School graduates

I heard of people who had given birth during their incarceration, and I was really shocked.” Bethany Kotlar, who studied the impact of maternal incarceration during pregnancy and after birth on child development Learn more about Bethany’s research

Irfan Chaudhuri

Watching his grandmother battle Alzheimer’s disease inspired Irfan to explore the role public health could play in Alzheimer’s prevention.

After navigating the roadblocks involved in gender-affirming care, Ivan founded the startup Trans Health HQ to decrease barriers for clinicians and patients.

James Frater

As a child with asthma, James saw the dangers that come from inadequate health care. That’s why he decided to gain the skills to understand health systems and improve health equity across the globe.

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PhD Programs

• Accounting & Management
• Business Economics
• Health Policy (Management)
• Organizational Behavior
• Technology & Operations Management

Students in our PhD programs are encouraged from day one to think of this experience as their first job in business academia—a training ground for a challenging and rewarding career generating rigorous, relevant research that influences practice.

Our doctoral students work with faculty and access resources throughout HBS and Harvard University. The PhD program curriculum requires coursework at HBS and other Harvard discipline departments, and with HBS and Harvard faculty on advisory committees. Faculty throughout Harvard guide the programs through their participation on advisory committees.

How do I know which program is right for me?

There are many paths, but we are one HBS. Our PhD students draw on diverse personal and professional backgrounds to pursue an ever-expanding range of research topics. Explore more here about each program’s requirements & curriculum, read student profiles for each discipline as well as student research , and placement information.

The PhD in Business Administration grounds students in the disciplinary theories and research methods that form the foundation of an academic career. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program has five areas of study: Accounting and Management , Management , Marketing , Strategy , and Technology and Operations Management . All areas of study involve roughly two years of coursework culminating in a field exam. The remaining years of the program are spent conducting independent research, working on co-authored publications, and writing the dissertation. Students join these programs from a wide range of backgrounds, from consulting to engineering. Many applicants possess liberal arts degrees, as there is not a requirement to possess a business degree before joining the program

The PhD in Business Economics provides students the opportunity to study in both Harvard’s world-class Economics Department and Harvard Business School. Throughout the program, coursework includes exploration of microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, probability and statistics, and econometrics. While some students join the Business Economics program directly from undergraduate or masters programs, others have worked in economic consulting firms or as research assistants at universities or intergovernmental organizations.

The PhD program in Health Policy (Management) is rooted in data-driven research on the managerial, operational, and strategic issues facing a wide range of organizations. Coursework includes the study of microeconomic theory, management, research methods, and statistics. The backgrounds of students in this program are quite varied, with some coming from public health or the healthcare industry, while others arrive at the program with a background in disciplinary research

The PhD program in Organizational Behavior offers two tracks: either a micro or macro approach. In the micro track, students focus on the study of interpersonal relationships within organizations and the effects that groups have on individuals. Students in the macro track use sociological methods to examine organizations, groups, and markets as a whole, including topics such as the influence of individuals on organizational change, or the relationship between social missions and financial objectives. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program includes core disciplinary training in sociology or psychology, as well as additional coursework in organizational behavior.

Accounting & Management  

Business economics  , health policy (management)  , management  , marketing  , organizational behavior  , strategy  , technology & operations management  .

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Preparing transformative leaders to have the capacity to guide complex organizations, navigate political environments, and create systemic change in the field of education.

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Training cutting-edge researchers who work across disciplines, generate knowledge, and translate discoveries into transformative policy and practice.

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Faculty in the Media

With deep knowledge of the education field, HGSE faculty members influence current conversations in the media, giving educators and students a much-needed voice for positive change.

"How do we balance the needs of individual students in our classroom with the needs of the group? This is a small thing, but it has profound consequences for everyone’s learning."