Graduate Program

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in Applied Physics, conferred through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Research in this area focuses on photonics, quantum science and engineering, quantum materials, quantitative biology, soft matter physics, biomaterials and biophysics, and novel materials. Applied Physics at Harvard provides an extraordinary opportunity to further your intellectual curiosity whether you are excited about experiments, developing new instrumentation, theoretical studies, or modeling.

The area features a highly-accomplished faculty and a number of world-class facilities and centers, including the Center for Integrated Quantum Materials; the Center for Nanoscale Systems, one of the world's most advanced research facilities housing a shared cleanroom, facilities for materials synthesis, and a microscopy suite; Materials Research Science and Engineering Center; the Kavli Institute for Bionanoscience and Technology; the Quantitative Biology Initiative; the Center for Integrated Mesoscale Architectures for Sustainable Catalysis; and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

Please note that admission to the AP Ph.D. program is independent from admission to the Physics Ph.D. at Harvard. While you can transfer between programs within SEAS after being admitted, transfer to a program outside SEAS requires reapplying to that program. Once admitted to the Applied Physics PhD program, you must find a Ph.D. advisor who holds an appointment within SEAS. (Faculty members listed as “Affiliates" can co-advise a Ph.D. student with another Applied Physics faculty member, but cannot serve as the primary research advisor.)  

The AP program does not offer an independent Masters Degree.