Although the program does not have a minimum GPA requirement, the Harvard Psychology Program website states that applicants must have “excellent grades.” The program recommends that students focus their undergraduate coursework in psychology or take social science courses at a minimum. Students should also take college-level math and statistics courses at the undergraduate level.
Students applying to Harvard’s psychology Ph.D. program must submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Admitted students earned an average of 1350 (combined verbal and quantitative) or higher on the test, according to the program’s website. However, admitted students have earned as low as a 1200. The school reports that it gives equal or more weight to grades and letters of recommendation than the GRE scores. Students do not have to take any GRE subject tests for admission.
Applicants to Harvard’s psychology Ph.D. program must submit a statement of purpose, which explains their research interests and abilities to conduct research. The admissions committee looks for the reasons why the applicant wants to attend graduate school. In addition, the applicant should have well-focused research interests that align with Harvard’s program.
Research experience prepares students to succeed in the psychology doctoral program, so Harvard’s admissions committee looks for student experience working with professors, working in a psychology research lab or writing an undergraduate thesis. Students also must submit letters of recommendation from faculty members or employers. Finally, international students must submit their TOEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language, scores, which should be at least 550.
Unlike many Ph.D. programs, Harvard's psychology program does not require a master's degree to apply. However, students with a master's degree in psychology can apply and petition for some of their graduate-level coursework to count toward the Ph.D. Other students choose to apply with only a bachelor's degree.