PhD Social Policy at Harvard University

Programme overview

The PhD in social policy program is designed for individuals interested in economic inequality, neighborhood and spatial 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. 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.

Faculty: Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences | Department: Social Policy | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Fall | Location: Cambridge, MA, United States

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Harvard Griffin GSAS admission (programme-specific) - Writing Sample: A writing sample is required as part of the application and should be a research paper approximately 20 pages in length. Additional requirements can be found on the. Personal Statement: Required. Standardized Tests: GRE General: Required.

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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