A. Program Description. The Department of the History of Science is one of the world's leading institutions for training the next generation of professional historians of science. We offer a comprehensive graduate program focused on the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the History of Science; students seeking a Masters Degree in the History of Science may be considered on a case-by-case basis. The objective of these programs is to train students to examine the development of science from a wide variety of perspectives through a course of study that will enable the candidate to lay a broad and sufficient foundation for teaching and research in various areas of the history of the natural and social sciences, behavioral and brain sciences, technology, mathematics, medicine, and allied health. In addition to courses in history, history of science, and the sciences, related work is often selected from fields such as science and technology studies, philosophy, government, literature, sociology, law, and public policy. Courses from the Program on Science, Technology, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology may be taken by cross-registration.

In the history of science program, the methods of historical research are employed to explore the genesis and evolution of the sciences and to analyze the growth of science as part of the intellectual and social experience of humankind. Science is its subject and history its method. To pursue advanced work in the field, therefore, it is desirable to have some preliminary training in the natural and social sciences and in history.

B. Special Programs. The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments contains over 20,000 objects dating from about 1400 to the present. A broad range of scientific disciplines are represented, including astronomy, navigation, horology, surveying, geology, calculating, physics, biology, medicine, psychology, electricity, and communication. Significant instruments, made obsolete by new technologies, continue to be incorporated. Many of the documents detailing the purchase and use of the instruments have been preserved and are available for research in the Collection's adjunct library.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers Secondary Fields to enhance the competitiveness and professional reach of PhD studies at Harvard. Of particular interest to PhD students in the History of Science are the Secondary Field in Critical Media Practice and the Secondary Field in Science Technology Studies.

C. Financial Aid. The Graduate School offers a comprehensive program of financial support including grants and fellowships from internal and external sources, traineeships, teaching fellowships, research assistantships, other academic employment opportunities, and several types of loans. Doctoral students in the History of Science receive financial assistance either from Harvard or from outside sources. Some aid offers are granted on the basis of merit, others are based on an analysis of financial resources, while still others reflect a combination of merit and need.

D. Degree Requirements. See the website.