phd economics harvard admission

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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 

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

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Economics is a social science that covers a broad subject matter in seeking to understand the social world. Economics studies the behavior of social systems—such as markets, corporations, legislatures, and families—as the outcome of interactions through institutions between goal-directed individuals. Doing economic research involves asking questions about the social world and addressing those questions with data and models, employing mathematical and statistical tools whenever possible to aid the analysis.

The Ph.D. program in the Department of Economics is addressed to students of high promise who wish to prepare themselves for careers in teaching and research in academia or for responsible positions in government, research organizations, or business enterprises. Students in the department are free to pursue research interests with scholars throughout the University. Faculty of Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School, for example, are available to students for consultation, instruction, and research guidance.

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Admissions & Financial Support

Your journey starts now, application requirements  , next application deadline.

• 01 Dec 2024

Unlock Your PhD Journey with Full Financial Aid  

Research community  .

Hila Lifshitz-Assaf

Filippo Mezzanotti

Sarah Wolfolds

Patricia Satterstrom

Anastassia Fedyk

Alexandra C. Feldberg

Rohan Kekre

Do Yoon Kim

Talia Gillis

Erica Moszkowski

Sagar Saxena

Aurora Turek

A Jay Holmgren

Evan DeFilippis

Kala Viswanathan

Ahmmad Brown

Ximena Garcia-Rada

Patrick Ferguson

Byungyeon Kim

Ta-Wei "David" Huang

Mengjie "Magie" Cheng

Omar Olivarez

Dafna Bearson

Justine Murray

Celia Stafford

Olivia Zhao

Rowan Clarke

Jaylon Sherrell

Elliot Tobin

Fanele Mashwama

Maria Roche

Charles Wang

Student Research  

Production complementarity and information transmission across industries.

• 01 MAY 2024
• Journal of Financial Economics

Design of Off-Grid Lighting Business Models to Serve the Poor: Field Experiments and Structural Analysis

• Management Science

Human-Computer Interactions in Demand Forecasting and Labor Scheduling Decisions

• 15 APR 2024
• Faculty Research

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Introduce yourself.

• Application Procedures

Prospective applicants can apply to the Ph.D. Program in Economics using the following options that can be found on the  Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  website.  Please be aware the application deadline for the Economics Department Ph.D. program is December 1, 2023.

• On-line applications are accepted by the Yale Graduate School
• Paper copy of the application is no longer available

All information regarding the Graduate Program in Economics is available on this web site. Hard copy of materials will not be mailed.

Note: Do not request materials from this email site. Please see  Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Official score reports must be submitted for all required examinations. Ask the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report your scores to the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, code 3987.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE).  The General Test is required of all applicants. Applicants should take the GRE no later than November. Applicants are strongly encouraged to register early to schedule test dates and times. For registration forms, test dates, test centers, and general information contact  www.gre.org(link is external) . 

Test of English as a Foreign Language.  The TOEFL is required of all applicants whose native language is not English.  This requirement is waived only for applicants who have received a baccalaureate degree, or its foreign equivalent, prior to matriculation at Yale, from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction. NOTE:  1 or 2 year MA degree does not qualify for the waiver.  If you do not qualify for a waiver but have taken the TOEFL within the last two years you will need to have your TOEFL scores released to us (code 3987). If your scores can no longer be released, you will need to take the test. The test should be taken as early as possible to ensure that your scores are received in time to be incorporated in your file.  Normally TOEFL scores will not be released if they are older than two years. If you took the TOEFL before and ETS will release those scores then you should no have to retake the examination.

International English Language Test System (IELTS).  You may substitute IELTS for TOEFL. 

If you are still not sure if you must submit TOEFL scores, please review this flowchart:  Is English Language Testing Required for My Application?  (start with the question “Is your native language English?”)

For additional information and the latest updates on the TOEFL and TSE, please visit the ETS website:  www.toefl.org(link is external) .

Test of Spoken English (TSE).  All international applicants who accept offers of admission to the Ph.D. program and whose native language is not English are strongly encouraged to present scores on the Test of Spoken English by the time of enrollment in the fall. The TSE is administered in the United States and abroad. For further information check the  www.toefl.org(link is external)  web site. Students who do not demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English may be retested and/or asked to take courses in English for speakers of other languages. A high level of proficiency is required for students to serve as teaching fellows.

More information about  TOEFL and IELTS tests  can be found on the Yale Graduate School website.

Doctoral and master’s degrees. Students may enter the Graduate Economics Program after earning a bachelors degree (or the equivalent) or a master’s degree. The Master of Philosophy is awarded to students who complete all requirements for the Ph.D. except the dissertation. The Doctor of Philosophy is awarded upon acceptance of the doctoral dissertation. The Economics Department does not accept students into a terminal master’s program. The Economic Growth Center offers a one-year MA program in International and Development Economics.

Full-time and Part-time Study.  Doctoral students are expected to devote their full energies to course work and preparation for the qualifying examinations in the first years, and dissertation research and writing in the final years of graduate study. There is no part-time study available to applicants to the Department of Economics.

Nondegree Study.  Qualified individuals who wish to study at the graduate level but not pursue a degree may be admitted to the Division of Special Registration (DSR) as “special students.” Admission to this program is for one term or one year only and carries with it no commitment for further study. These students are not eligible for financial aid or loans. Applicants interested should apply in the same fashion as for full-time study.

Interdisciplinary Study.  Students may apply for admission to only one department or program within the Graduate School per year. Students may take one or more courses in a related department, and are often advised by faculty members from more than one department during their dissertation research. Students in the Graduate School, may, with permission, take advantage of course or research opportunities in Yale College and in the professional schools.

Joint-degree Programs.  The Department of Economics offers a joint J.D./Ph.D. degree with the Yale Law School. Students must apply to and be admitted to the Yale Law School independently of the Graduate School. Applicants may apply to both schools at the same time or they may enter one school and apply to the second during their first year of study. A separate application is required for each school, and each makes its own admission decision. Students who apply simultaneously to two schools should indicate that they are doing so on both applications. For information on the Yale Law School see the following web site:  www.law.yale.edu/yls/admis-jdindex.htm .

Transfer Students.  The Yale Graduate School does not admit transfer students. The presumption is that students who receive a Yale doctoral degree do their studies at Yale. Students currently enrolled in a doctoral program elsewhere who wish to apply to a Yale doctoral program may do so through the normal admissions procedure. They must meet all the application requirements, including the deadline for submission. Some very successful students have entered the Yale program in this way. Such students may petition the Economics Department and Graduate School to waive a portion of the Ph.D. course requirement (normally a maximum of three courses) in recognition of previous graduate-level work done at Yale or elsewhere. All other requirements, including the comprehensive examination, the economic history requirement, the oral examination, and the econometrics paper, must be completed at Yale. Students who enter the program from another doctoral program receive the full six-year financial aid package.

Those interested in transferring to Yale might consider the Exchange Scholars Program as an alternative. At participating institutions, students may petition their own schools to enroll full-time at Yale for a term or for an academic year as exchange scholars. Participating universities include Berkeley, Brown, Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Stanford.

Further Graduate School Information.  A comprehensive description of academic rules and regulations of the Yale Graduate School will be made available to students when they are registered. The Programs and Policies booklet may be found on the Internet at the  Graduate School  website.

Length of Study.  Students are expected to complete the requirements for the degree in six years of registration. The first two years are generally spent taking courses full time; the third is spent preparing a dissertation prospectus within workshops and completing all requirements except the dissertation; the remaining years are spent pursuing and writing up a work of original research. The average length of time required to complete the program is five years. A small percentage finish in four years, although students are guaranteed registration for 6 years in which to finish their degree.

Residency Requirement.  Doctoral students in this program are required to be in residence in New Haven for at least three years.

Dissertation.  The doctoral dissertation is the climax of the graduate school experience. Every dissertation makes an original contribution to a student’s field of study by discovering significant new information, achieving a new synthesis of ideas, developing new methods or hypotheses, or applying established methods to new materials. A dissertation also demonstrates the student’s mastery of relevant resources and methods. Students work with two advisers throughout this process.

In the academic year 2023-24 tuition for full-time study is $48,300. This rate is expected to increase in subsequent years. Ph.D. candidates are charged four years of full tuition. Thereafter students are charged a modest continuing registration fee each term until the dissertation is submitted or the terminal date is passed.  For the 2023-24 academic year this fee is $790 per semester.

The Graduate School provides full tuition, health insurance and stipend fellowship for the first six years of study. Normally the Department of Economics provides additional stipend support. There is a combined award policy that applies to students who obtain outside fellowships. This policy gives students a financial incentive to obtain outside awards.

Teaching Fellowships.  Because the faculty considers teaching to be essential to the professional teaching of all doctoral students, they serve as teaching assistants in the third and fourth years of study.

Research Fellowships.  Department faculty often hire students as research assistants either part-time or full-time.  During this academic year there are seven students supported as full-time research assistants where this funding replaces the need to serve as a teaching fellow.  In the summer of 2020, twenty-five students were supported as part-time research assistants for faculty. 

Outside Fellowships.  All applicants for admission are strongly urged to compete for outside fellowships which can be used at Yale. These fellowships are sponsored by both public and private agencies and are often more generous than those awarded by the University. In addition to their financial advantages, distinction is conferred on a student who wins an award. The  McDougal Graduate School Center  maintains a library of fellowship information; incoming students seeking external aid are advised to consult it on arrival in New Haven.

Federal and Non-Federal Student Loans.  Loans administered by the University are available to citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. The types of loans and amounts a student is eligible to borrow are based entirely on financial need as determined by federal formula.

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PhD Program

Year after year, our top-ranked PhD program sets the standard for graduate economics training across the country. Graduate students work closely with our world-class faculty to develop their own research and prepare to make impactful contributions to the field.

Our doctoral program enrolls 20-24 full-time students each year and students complete their degree in five to six years. Students undertake core coursework in microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, and econometrics, and are expected to complete two major and two minor fields in economics. Beyond the classroom, doctoral students work in close collaboration with faculty to develop their research capabilities, gaining hands-on experience in both theoretical and empirical projects.

How to apply

Students are admitted to the program once per year for entry in the fall. The online application opens on September 15 and closes on December 15.

Meet our students

Our PhD graduates go on to teach in leading economics departments, business schools, and schools of public policy, or pursue influential careers with organizations and businesses around the world. 

Evaluating nutrition policies to reduce inequities

Matt Lee, PhD ’24, balanced his academic work studying the links between diet and population health with a side gig playing with a local orchestra.

May 20, 2024 — Matt Lee first started thinking seriously about food policy as an undergraduate volunteer at the University of California, Berkeley’s student-run Suitcase Clinic, where he helped procure unsold food from farmers’ markets to turn into free meals for low-income community members. While the work was important for improving the diets and food security of individual clients, it left Lee, a public health major, wanting to learn more about ways to address nutrition at a broader population level.

His search ultimately led him to study public health nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, focusing on topics including the cost-effectiveness of nutrition policies, diet quality during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the health impacts of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) excise taxes. This month Lee graduates with a PhD in Population Health Sciences from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin School of Arts and Sciences.

A problem solver

As a kid growing up in the Sacramento, California area, Lee thought he wanted to be a doctor. But several work experiences in college shadowing physicians made him realize that clinical medicine wouldn’t be a good fit. “Problem solving was the aspect of science I really enjoyed, and I could find that in public health research.”

For his PhD dissertation, Lee looked at different mechanisms for improving diet, population health, and health equity in the U.S. In the first of three papers he co-authored based on his research, he found that following the enactment of Philadelphia’s 2017 SSB tax, which added a tax of $0.015 cents per ounce on SSBs and artificially sweetened drinks, beverage advertising increased at small, independent markets in low-income neighborhoods in the area. As a result, some of the tax’s effect on purchasing behaviors may have been dampened. The findings suggest that simply passing an SSB tax isn’t enough to dissuade people from buying unhealthy drinks, Lee said. Additional regulations may be needed, particularly around advertising aimed at children.

Lee’s other two papers, which have not yet been published, examined links between adherence to U.S. dietary guidelines and changes in BMI among kids in the Growing Up Today Study , one of the School’s large study cohorts; and compared the diets of Chelsea, Mass., residents who received $400 monthly payments during the pandemic with those who didn’t.

The Chelsea study delves into an area not common in nutrition studies: universal basic income—a type of social welfare program in which people are given a set amount of unrestricted money on a regular basis by the government. These programs are not typically targeted at addressing nutrition or food security, but evidence suggests that they can provide benefits, Lee said. He added, “It would be interesting to see if there are other policies that we don’t typically conceive of as health programs that have impact on health.”

Collaboration across disciplines

The chance to explore research questions beyond departmental silos was one of the reasons why Lee came to Harvard Chan School. “I knew I’d have opportunities to do research collaboratively across disciplines, because people here are connected to other departments in such a seamless way,” he said, noting that he’s been able to tap into expertise in social and behavioral sciences and biostatistics, and also incorporate tools from policy analysis and economics into his work through partnerships with the Kennedy School.

“Matt combines a creative and brilliant mind with a deep commitment to improving public health and addressing injustice, and a unique ability to knit together interdisciplinary approaches to using science to solve some of society’s biggest public health challenges,” said his advisor Erica Kenney , assistant professor of public health nutrition. “Not only has he led some truly innovative studies of how policies impact diet quality, cardiometabolic health, and social inequities, he’s also helped to teach and mentor other students, taking a really kind and collaborative approach to his work.”

Lee’s coming away from his experience at the School with a love for teaching and mentoring, he said. In Kenney, he observed a scientist who cares deeply about her mentees and thinks about how to train the next generation of researchers. He’s come to see that “your identity as a scientist is not just your research, but also what you bring to the table—your experiences, perspectives, and how you view the world.”

For Lee, one way of finding balance has long been through music. He’s a classical oboe and English horn player, and performed in the Longwood Symphony Orchestra while earning his degree. “I do a lot of staring at a computer screen, crunching numbers and analyzing data,” he said. “Music exercises a very different part of my brain. It’s a way to feel a little bit freer and more intuitive.”

After graduation, Lee will be back at Harvard Chan School as a postdoctoral researcher, working with Rita Hamad , assistant professor of social and behavioral sciences, on the links between social policies and cardiometabolic health. After that, he said he hopes to continue pursuing a career in nutrition research, either in academia or another setting.

— Amy Roeder

Photo: Kent Dayton

James D. Rodgers, Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics from 1985 to 1994 died on February 15.

James D. Rodgers , Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics from 1985 to 1994 died on February 15. Jim was a great colleague and as Department Head led the transformation of the Department of Economics to where it is today.

Undergraduate Major is now STEM

The BA and BS degrees in Economics are now classified as STEM degrees.  As such, it allows our international students to apply for a 2-year OPT extension in addition to the 12 months of F1 students visas for all other degrees.

Professor Barry W. Ickes was featured on this episode of Planet Money

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/01/1090312774/when-bricks-were-rubles

Alumni Receives Service Award

We welcome kai-jie wu to penn state..

Kai-Jie Wu received his PhD in economics from the University of Rochester. His research focuses on macroeconomics, economic growth, and labor economics. Kai-Jie has studied the role of specialized firms as a driver of increased industry concentration over the last 40 years. Specialized firms, which produce higher quality goods, have replaced diversified firms over time and this can explain the entire increase in industry concentration over the period. Earlier this year, this research was discussed in. the Economist . We welcome Kai-Jie to Penn State.

We welcome Maria Jose Carreras-Valle to Penn State.

Maria Jose Carreras-Valle received her PhD from the University of Minnesota. Maria’s research interests are in international economics, international trade, and macroeconomics.  Her research focuses on the role of inventories in international trade. She has studied the impact of global supply chains in explaining the increase in US manufacturing inventories since 2005. In particular, rising trade with China increased delivery times and induced US firms to hold larger inventories. We welcome Maria to Penn State.

DEPARTMENT REMEMBERS JONATHAN EATON

Department Remembers Jonathan Eaton

Jonathan Eaton, our friend and colleague, and Distinguished Professor of Economics, died at his home in Manhattan on Friday, February 9, 2024 at the age of 73.  He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Carolyn and his two daughters, Tamara and Hannah and their spouses Alfonso Kimche and Joseph Crivello and his grandson, Theodore Kimche.  Born in Los Angeles, CA on May 27, 1950, Jonathan was the brother of the late Ellen Hawley.

After graduating summa cum laude from Harvard University, Jonathan received his Ph.D. from Yale in 1976.  Throughout his esteemed career, Jonathan taught at Princeton, Yale, University of Virginia, Boston University, New York University and Brown University.  Jonathan first joined our Department in 2009-13. After a hiatus at Brown University, Jonathan returned to Penn State in 2015, and was named a Distinguished Professor of Economics at Penn State University in 2016, which he remained until February 9, 2024.  He was also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Editor of the Journal of International Economics.  Together with his decades long research partner, Samuel Kortum of Yale University, he was awarded The Frisch Medal in 2004 and The Onassis Prize in International Trade in 2018.  Jonathan’s research examined a wide range of international economics subjects and was published in dozens of economics journals and books.  His greatest joy was interacting with students and junior faculty.  He was thoroughly devoted to his work and leaves a legacy of numerous graduate students who have gone on to lead the field of economics at prestigious university economics programs and research institutions around the world.

We are planning an event to celebrate Jonathan’s memory are our Fresh Faces in International Economics Conference in early May. We will post updated information as soon as available.

2024 Comparative Analysis of Enterprise Data (CAED) Conference

Congratulations to Leah Hunt and Jiaqi Ren for receiving the Wallace prize for best Third Year Paper

Congratulations to Jiaqi Huang, who received the Will Mason Memorial Prize for the best first year performance in the Ph.D. in economics

Congratulations to marcos lissauer who received the robert daniels dissertation fellowship for the fall of 2024.

School of Planning and Public Affairs

Two faculty promoted to professor.

Congratulations to Haifeng Qian and Phuong Nguyen on their well-deserved promotions to full professor, effective July 1st. 

Dr. Qian joined the School of Planning and Public Affairs (SPPA) as assistant professor in 2014 and was promoted to associate professor in 2018. He has been School Director since 2023. Dr. Qian has published extensively in the areas of entrepreneurship; innovation; urban economic development; and science and technology policy. He is an editor of Regional Studies , an editor of Small Business Economics , and an associate editor of Economic Development Quarterly . He was the Chair of the North American Regional Science Council. He additionally has been a consultant for the World Bank, OECD, and other non-profit organizations. Dr. Qian has received several highly competitive research awards. He earned his Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University and Master of Management Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University.

Dr. Nguyen joined SPPA as assistant professor at the beginning of 2011. He moved up to the rank of Associate Professor in 2017. Dr. Nguyen is a prolific researcher; he has published more than 50 peer-reviewed academic articles and book chapters. Dr. Nguyen has also assumed several essential administrative roles with SPPA, including Associate Director, Director of Graduate Studies, and Chair of the Admissions Committee. Dr. Nguyen is an effective teacher with high student evaluations and has taught core and elective courses for both graduate degree programs, such as Analytic Methods as well as Public Finance and Budgeting. Dr. Nguyen obtained his Master of Public Policy from Duke University and his Ph.D. in Public Administration from Syracuse University.

Teaching Toward Change

• Posted May 17, 2024
• By Maya Wesby

The Intellectual Contribution Award recognizes graduating Ed.M. students (one from each master’s degree program) whose dedication to scholarship enhanced HGSE’s academic community and positively affected fellow students. All recipients were nominated by their classmates based on who inspired them, helped them gain a different perspective on education's challenges, and contributed to shared learning and intellectual growth, both inside and outside of the classroom. Each program's faculty directors, in consultation with other faculty and staff, selected the final honorees for their program based on the nominations and on demonstrated academic success.  

Clari Heredia and Bryant Odega will be honored with the Intellectual Contribution Award for the Teaching and Teacher Leadership (TTL) Program during HGSE Convocation exercises on May 22. Below, our faculty members comment on the selections, and we asked the winners about their time at HGSE, their future goals, and their approach to impacting the field of education.

Clari Heredia, Ed.M.'24

"Clari’s open, nonjudgmental stance welcomes classmates into conversation, and her genuine curiosity encourages peers to try on new perspectives. Threaded through it all, Clari’s gentle smile and humble approach causes us all to lean in and listen. That’s a vital intellectual contribution." — Lecturer Sarah Fiarman

What brought you to HGSE and what was your goal in coming here? After a decade as an elementary school teacher engaged with Visible Thinking framework, Project Zero brought me to HGSE. I was eager to deepen and broaden my teaching techniques toolbox with evidence-based practices to become a better teacher myself and support other educators by leading change. I was also looking forward to being part of a community of mission-driven educators and to learn from different perspectives.

How did your HGSE experience shape your work or your goals? My experience at HGSE has inspired me to share my learnings with other educators, working toward leading change. We often listen to people complaining about the educational system, sometimes talking about what should be done, and almost never succeeding in bringing change. I will work collaboratively towards being an agent of change.

Is there any professor or class that significantly shaped your experience? I had many classes and professors that significantly shaped my experience. I would like to highlight Lecturer Tina Blythe ’s courses that were truly transformative for me. Her way of modeling effective teaching encouraged me to delve deeper into my teaching toolbox and future plans. Lecturer Sarah Fiarman showed me the importance of building authentic relationships with students and how that enhances learning. Lecturer Daniel Wilson ’s Group Learning course significantly influenced my understanding of collective learning processes and outcomes. His role as a facilitator prompted me to reflect on my practices within my classroom. Building a Democratic School with Lecturer Linda Nathan encouraged me to design a project with all these ideas in mind.

What are your post-HGSE plans? Where are you hoping to make the most impact? After HGSE, I will do educational research to learn more about evidence-based practices. I will then go back to Argentina and continue working so that every child can access a good quality education that will cultivate their curiosity, reflection, and critical thinking. I am committed to creating challenging and rigorous learning experiences within a safe learning environment, fostering a growth mindset.

Bryant Odega, Ed.M.'24

"The immense depth of Bryant’s intellect is matched by his commitment to fighting for a more just and equitable world. I remember when I first met him during office hours, he had a bag full of books on critical pedagogy. These weren't for any class assignment, but simply because he was genuinely interested in the topic. At HGSE, Bryant has dedicated his time to learning how to translate principles of justice, liberation, and joy into educational experiences that can truly transform the lives of young people. His approach to education and community work more broadly, is holistic, leading not just with his mind, but also with his heart and his actions. Bryant's warmth is immediately noticeable, but don't let that fool you. He is a fierce advocate for young people and underserved communities, always ready to stand up for what he believes in. His commitment to creating a more just and equitable world is truly inspiring." — Lecturer Eric Soto-Shed

What brought you to HGSE and what was your goal in coming here? What brought me to HGSE was the knowledge, lessons, and skills passed down to me by my mother — my first and greatest teacher who raised my younger sister and I to be the first in our family to be able to go to college. It was the aspirations and dreams of my father, who was separated from my family by ICE when I was a child, but never gave up on my ability to pursue a higher education. It was also the experiential knowledge and wisdom of the young people and community residents that I had the honor to be in community with as a long-term substitute teacher in the Harbor Area of Los Angeles, but also as a community organizer and activist in the people-centered movement throughout Los Angeles. At HGSE, my goal was to learn how to pair the experiential knowledge of my community with the technical so that I can engage in what ancestor bell hooks describes as “education as the practice of freedom” in a way that honors the communities I intend to serve as well as the labor and legacy of those who’ve struggled for our collective liberation.

What is something that you learned this year that you will take with you throughout your career in education? Something that I was reminded of this year that I will take with me throughout my education career is being mindful of the difference between “education” and “schooling.” The status quo of the school system is deeply rooted in various forms of oppression. Not only does the school system directly contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline, but it also utilizes carceral logics, policies, and punitive measures that ultimately dehumanize youth who come from backgrounds that are immigrant, working class, disabled, queer, indigenous, and/or communities of color. Throughout my career as an abolitionist educator, I intend to work in solidarity with youth, fellow educators, and the communities we serve to eliminate oppression within the school system and advance an education that heals, re-humanizes, and raises the critical consciousness of young people to recognize the resources that they already possess within themselves and each other so that they can create the change they want to seek in their own lives, communities, and society.

Is there any professor or class that significantly shaped your experience? A class that significantly shaped my experience at HGSE is the T004 Ethnic Studies and Education course taught by Christina “V” Villarreal and teaching fellows Ph.D. student Melina Melgoza and Ed.L.D. student Justis “DJ Faro” Lopez. In this course, I’ve learned from Dr. V key concepts, frameworks, curriculums, and epistemologies within the field of Ethnic Studies discipline that, as an Ethnic Studies Teacher Intern at New Mission, provided a unique opportunity for me to learn and practice in real-time. From Melina and Justis, I learned about the critical media literacy framework and hip hop education (among many other lessons), respectively. All of the invaluable lessons learned from them along with the people I had the joy of taking the course with have helped me stay grounded in pursuit of humanizing pedagogies as well as the ancestors who’ve made it possible for me to be where I am today.  

What are your post-HGSE plans? Where are you hoping to make the most impact? After I graduate from my program at HGSE, I plan to teach secondary social studies, particularly in Ethnic Studies, African American Studies, or both back home in Los Angeles. Within the classroom, I aim to co-create education spaces with my future students that abolish carceral practices and model the type of humanizing society that we all want to live in. Outside the classroom, I intend to continue my involvement in the labor movement especially within the teacher’s union which play an essential role in democratizing the workplace, transforming our education system for the better, fighting for the needs of our students and communities, and also serve as the last line of defense when it comes to protecting public education. I want to make sure I am involved in the movements to advance a healing and transformative education both inside and outside the classroom. 

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Electrical Engineering PhD

The Electrical Engineering PhD program studies systems that sense, analyze, and interact with the world. You will learn how this practice is based on fundamental science and mathematics, creating opportunities for both theoretical and experimental research. Electrical engineers invent devices for sensing and actuation, designing physical substrates for computation, creating algorithms for analysis and control, and expanding the theory of information processing. You will get to choose from a wide range of research areas such as circuits and VLSI, computer engineering and architecture, robotics and control, and signal processing.

Electrical engineers at SEAS are pursuing work on integrated circuits for cellular biotechnology, millimeter-scale robots, and the optimization of smart power groups. Examples of projects current and past students have worked on include developing methods to trace methane emissions and improving models for hurricane predictions.

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PhD in Electrical Engineering Degree

Harvard School of Engineering offers a  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)  degree in Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering , conferred through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). Prospective students apply through the Harvard Griffin GSAS. In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select " PhD Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering ​."

The Electrical Engineering program does not offer an independent Masters Degree.

Electrical Engineering PhD Career Paths

Graduates of the program have gone on to a range of careers in industry in companies such as Tesla, Microsoft HoloLens, and IBM. Others have positions in academia at the University of Maryland, University of Michigan, and University of Colorado.

Admissions & Academic Requirements

Prospective students apply through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select "PhD Engineering Sciences: Electrical Engineering​." Please review the  admissions requirements and other information  before applying. Our website also provides  admissions guidance ,   program-specific requirements , and a  PhD program academic timeline .

Academic Background

Applicants typically have bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. In the application for admission, select “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your degree program choice and your degree and area of interest from the “Area of Study“ drop-down. PhD applicants must complete the Supplemental SEAS Application Form as part of the online application process.

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Not Accepted

Electrical Engineering Faculty & Research Areas

View a list of our electrical engineering  faculty  and electrical engineering  affiliated research areas , Please note that faculty members listed as “Affiliates" or "Lecturers" cannot serve as the primary research advisor.  

Electrical Engineering Centers & Initiatives

View a list of the research  centers & initiatives  at SEAS and the  electrical engineering faculty engagement with these entities .

Graduate Student Clubs

Graduate student clubs and organizations bring students together to share topics of mutual interest. These clubs often serve as an important adjunct to course work by sponsoring social events and lectures. Graduate student clubs are supported by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin School of Arts and Sciences. Explore the list of active clubs and organizations .

Funding and Scholarship

Learn more about financial support for PhD students.

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Learn more about how to apply  or review frequently asked questions for prospective graduate students.

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2024 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Tiona Zuzul, Harvard Business School

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Tiona Zuzul Harvard Business School

“As a young female student, I want to stress how important it is to have a mentor like Professor Zuzul to look up to. At moments, it has been difficult to ‘see’ myself in the highly male-dominated world of Strategy. Yet with Professor Zuzul as a role model, I feel more confident that there is a place for me here, and a way to balance a high-impact career with a family. Somehow Professor Zuzul is able to span seemingly impossible dichotomies: she is simultaneously ambitious and generous, whip-smart and patient, competent and warm. Professor Zuzul has given me, along with countless other young female students, a sense that we belong in Strategy, too. This is no little feat.” – Ryann Noe, PhD student

Tiona Zuzul, 39, is Assistant Professor of Strategy at Harvard Business School.

Her research focuses on how leaders and organizations learn and adapt to major changes and disruptive events. Her research settings range from startups to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Her work has been published in top journals such as A dministrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal , and Strategic Management Journal. She won the first Research Methods Prize from the Strategic Management Society. Other research awards include multiple best paper finalist honors from Strategic Management Society, best paper runner-up for Academy of Management Discoveries, the Wiley Blackwell/BPS Dissertation Award Finalist, Heizer Dissertation Award Finalist, and the Grigor McClelland Dissertation Award Honorable Mention.

She serves on the editorial boards of Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science , and the Strategic Management Journal . She was selected as a Radar Thinking by Thinkers50 (the “Oscars of Management Research) in 2022.

Previously, she was an assistant professor at London Business School for three years and at the University of Washington for four years, where she was recognized as MBA Professor of the Quarter and received a PhD Faculty Mentor award.

At HBS, Class of 2024 MBA students selected her to teach a special “Parents Session” case discussion for families during graduation week.

At current institution since what year? 2021 Education: PhD – Harvard Business School; MSc – London School of Economics; AB – Harvard University List of MBA courses you currently teach: Strategy (Required 1st year), Making Difficult Decisions (Elective 2nd year)

TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR

I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… My father was a professor so, growing up, I understood and appreciated academic life. But it wasn’t until I started consulting that I considered a career as a business school professor. I have always loved conducting research, and was motivated to apply my research skills to explore and help solve important organizational problems. And my love of teaching developed during my PhD and continues to grow each year!

What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I am currently studying how leaders make sense of and communicate about discontinuities that threaten their organizations’ survival. I do this through deep, ethnographic research into a single organization that unfolds over years or even decades. For example, in one study, my co-authors and I examined the FBI’s response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; in another study, we focused on Virgin Galactic’s deadly 2014 test flight crash. We found that, following these discontinuities, leaders needed to re-build stakeholder support, and that this required reframing the organization’s entire purpose. For example, by analyzing 12 years of data following September 11, we found that then-FBI-Director Robert Mueller re-built stakeholder support by reframing the FBI as a “threat-based, intelligence-led” agency (as opposed to a law enforcement or counterterrorism agency).

If I weren’t a business school professor… I would be a writer. I like to think I would write novels, but more likely I would write expository non-fiction about the incredible leaders, entrepreneurs, and thinkers I have encountered through my work and research.

What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? According to my students: empathy and authenticity. And my extensive shoe collection.

One word that describes my first time teaching: Nerve-wracking.

Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: You’re a part-time lecturer, researcher, administrator, career counselor, life coach, and psychiatrist. Each role is incredibly rewarding but balancing them can be tricky!

Professor I most admire and why: My mentors and role models Amy Edmondson (at HBS) and Mary Tripsas (at UC Santa Barbara). On a recent trip to India for field research, I saw a sign in front of an ashram that read: “You learn by doing, and you teach by being.” Amy and Mary have taught me so much, not only through their words and advice, but through the example that they have set—through their unwavering dedication to research excellence, their generosity toward their students and colleagues, their commitment to their families, and the joy that they bring to their work and their lives.

TEACHING MBA STUDENTS

What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Those “aha!” moments, when students’ comments build on one another to cumulate in a key, collective insight nobody could have brought on their own. I also enjoy getting to know my students and understanding how their unique experiences and backgrounds shape their comments and perspectives on a case or class discussion.

What is most challenging? Time management. Both inside and outside the classroom!

In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious.

In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Overconfident.

When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as… Unremarkable (I hope).

LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

What are your hobbies? I have two brilliant, hilarious little daughters (ages 4 and 6) who keep me very busy. I practice Ashtanga yoga daily. I love reading, good food, walks and hikes with my husband, and spending time with my friends and family (especially my siblings and their families). I recently picked up painting after a 25-year hiatus… let’s see if that one sticks!

How will you spend your summer? Research, conference travel, teaching in executive education programs. A trip to St Thomas and Miami to visit special friends and celebrate my big upcoming birthday. An annual sailing trip to Croatia, where I am from, to relax and recharge with family.

Favorite place(s) to vacation: Croatian coast and islands.

Favorite book(s): Anything by Vladimir Nabokov. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (our cat, Yossarian, lives up to his name).

What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? Bluey. If you know, you know.

What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? Because I was born with the musical tastes of a 65-year-old: opera, classical, folk/English rock. Because I am, after all, an elder millennial: late 1990s/early 2000s party anthems.

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS

If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… Experimental exercises, small-group sessions, and role-plays that allow students to practice management skills, receive real-time feedback, and put into action the concepts they learn about through cases and classes.

In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at… Developing strategies today that allow for flexibility and agility tomorrow, rather than over-relying on what has worked in the past. Developing policies that reflect the realities of the modern economy and that can attract and retain diverse employees (including part-time or flexible schedules, four-day workweeks, and support for families).

I’m grateful for… Every day: my health, my family, my mentors and teachers. Today: that upcoming sailing trip to Croatia!

DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE 2024 ROSTER OF THE WORLD’S BEST 40-UNDER-40 MBA PROFESSORS

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