AB/SM Information
Specific Information for Admission to the CS AB/SM Program:
Students in the concurrent masters program must take at least four extra courses beyond the requirements for the AB degree. (The SM degree comprises eight courses, but Harvard allows up to four courses to double-count for the concurrent AB and SM.) Generally students are expected to take no more than five courses per semester. Thus, except in extremely rare circumstances, we expect that students applying to the concurrent masters program should have already taken enough extra courses that they could complete the requirements for both the AB and SM degrees with at most five courses per remaining semester.
(Students activating advanced standing can reduce this extra course requirement. However, advanced standing is unavailable for students starting with the class of 2024.)
There is no strict GPA cutoff for AB/SM admission, but most successful applicants to the AB/SM program have GPAs of at least 3.6 and have completed at least one 200-level CS course, with grade A- or better, by the end of their fifth semester.
General Information for SEAS AB/SM Programs:
Harvard College students are eligible to apply for an AB/SM degree program in the following areas within SEAS: Applied Math, Applied Physics, Computer Science, and the various Engineering Sciences. SEAS does not offer admission into the AB/SM program in Computational Science and Engineering, Data Science, the Masters in Design Engineering (MDE) or the MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences programs.
Important: We do not offer an SB/SM degree program.
SEAS SM programs are almost entirely composed of 200/2000-level technical courses, most of which require significant background in the subject. While the AB/SM program itself does not have specific prerequisites, in order to be considered for admission to the SM program applicants will need to demonstrate that they have gained sufficient prior knowledge, attained through pre-requisite courses or equivalent demonstrable experience. Specifically, success in 200/2000-level courses, or 100/1000-level courses which are prerequisites for 200/2000-level courses, in the chosen degree subject will be taken as evidence of adequate preparation for admission into the SM.
The AB/SM is for currently enrolled Harvard College students only. Follow this link for more information about the AB/SM program including SM degree requirements, the application process, and virtual information sessions.