PhD Byzantine Studies at Harvard University

Programme overview

The Special Program in Byzantine Studies is an interdepartmental doctoral programme giving competence in the history, literature and art of the Byzantine Empire, drawing on Harvard and Dumbarton Oaks. It is supplementary to the departmental PhDs in history, classics or history of art and architecture.

Faculty: Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | Department: Special Program in Byzantine Studies (Standing Committee on Medieval Studies) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Cambridge, MA, United States

What you will study

Study in all three fields of Byzantine history, literature and art; students first study for a year in their admitting department before moving outside the departmental framework.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme: there is no direct application; applicants first seek admission to the Department of History, the Department of the Classics or the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, study one year there, then petition the steering committee (letter by March 30 of the first year; second-year transfers also possible). Candidates must be in good standing in the admitting department and show proficiency in Greek and Latin plus reading knowledge of two of French, German, Italian, Russian or modern Greek (modern language exams normally completed by the end of the first year). Successful students receive a doctoral degree in Byzantine Studies, or Byzantine History, Literature, and Art.

USD 59,048 a year (2026-2027). Full tuition rate for the first two years of study (reduced in years 3-4); PhD students typically receive grants covering tuition. Source

Intake: Fall

Apply through the official page: https://gsas.harvard.edu/apply

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