The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) is the academic unit responsible for many post-baccalaureate degree programs offered through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the seven faculties that constitute Harvard University.Headquartered principally in Cambridge, Massachusetts and centered in the historic Harvard Yard, FAS is the only division of the university responsible for both undergraduate and...

 at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

. GSAS offers several master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 programs—Master of Arts (AM), Master of Science (SM), Master of Engineering (ME), and Master of Forest Science (MFS)—and the Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 (PhD) degree in more than fifty divisions, departments, and committees, spanning subjects in both the sciences and the humanities, including several interdepartmental programs. GSAS also administers the Graduate Special Student Program, which enables individuals who hold the baccalaureate degree to take graduate-level courses on a non-degree basis, and the Visiting Fellow Program, which enables advanced doctoral students and persons who already hold the Ph.D. to conduct research at Harvard. Finally, GSAS also nominally oversees Ph.D. programs in Harvard's professional schools: the Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...

, the basic science departments in Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....

, the Harvard School of Public Health

Harvard School of Public Health

The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...

, the Graduate School of Design, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government

John F. Kennedy School of Government

The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...

.

Organization

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), along with Harvard College

Harvard College

Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...

, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

The Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science , a school within Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences , serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology.Engineering and applied sciences at Harvard...

, and the Harvard Division of Continuing Education

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education is a part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University responsible for various undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree programs that enroll approximately 20,000 students each year. The division has an open enrollment policy , and tuition on a per...

. The dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, who reports to the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is charged with the responsibility of implementing and supervising the policies of the faculty in the area of graduate education. In the administration of academic policy, the dean is guided by the Administrative Board and the Committee on Graduate Education. The dean is assisted by an administrative dean of GSAS, who has day-to-day responsibility for the operations of the school, a dean for admissions and financial aid, and an associate dean for student affairs. While the GSAS office oversees the processing of applications, financial aid and fellowships, thesis guidelines, and graduate student affairs, the individual departments, centers, and programs in FAS retain considerable autonomy in the administration of their respective graduate programs.

History

Although Harvard College traces its origins to 1636, the precursors of GSAS only date back to the 1870s. In 1872, the governing boards voted to establish a Graduate Department and appointed an Academic Council to administer and recommend candidates for the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Science. From the administrative reorganization of 1890 the Graduate Department emerged as the Graduate School of Harvard University, under the new Faculty of Arts and Sciences, but with administrative officers of its own. In 1905, the name changed to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

External links

• GSAS website