harvard phd online

Welcome to Harvard Online

Harvard Online presents curated online courses that combine faculty and disciplines from across the University, connecting learners around the globe with the world’s most urgent issues.

Outsmarting Implicit Bias

Designed for individuals and teams, this Harvard Online course taught by preeminent Harvard Professor Mahzarin Banaji teaches the science of implicit bias and strategies to counter the impact of bias in the workplace.

What are you interested in?

Health care leadership.

Deepen perspectives and advance insights into the strategic issues facing health care organizations today.

Harvard on Digital

Approach new digital and data strategies with an eye toward people, mindsets, and systems.

Leadership, Communication, Transformation

What kind of leader will you be?

Law in Practice

Keep up on moral, ethical, and legal arguments and continue your education beyond the classroom.

Explore Learning Paths

Benefit and Discount Programs for Organizations and Individuals

Experience Harvard Online by utilizing our wide variety of discount programs for individuals and groups. 

Past participant discounts.

Learners who have enrolled in at least one qualifying Harvard Online program hosted on the HBS Online platform are eligible to receive a 30% discount on this course, regardless of completion or certificate status in the first purchased program. Past-Participant Discounts are automatically applied to the Program Fee upon time of payment.  Learn more here .

Learners who have earned a verified certificate for a HarvardX course hosted on the  edX platform  are eligible to receive a 30% discount on this course using a discount code. Discounts are not available after you've submitted payment, so if you think you are eligible for a discount on a registration, please check your email for a code or contact us .

Non-profit, Government, Military, and Education Discounts

For this course we offer a 30% discount for learners who work in the nonprofit, government, military, or education fields. 

Eligibility is determined by a prospective learner’s email address, ending in .org, .gov, .mil, or .edu. Interested learners can apply below for the discount and, if eligible, will receive a promo code to enter when completing payment information to enroll in a Harvard Online program. Click here to apply for these discounts.

Gather your team to experience Harvard Online courses and to enjoy the benefits of learning together: 

• Single invoicing for groups of 10 or more
• Tiered discounts and pricing available with up to 50% off
• Growth reports on your team's progress
• Flexible course and partnership plans 

Learn more and enroll your team ! 

Trending Courses

Health care strategy.

Learn from HBS Professor Leemore Dafny how to align the principles of business strategy with the unique challenges and structures of health care organizations to capture value, define your mission, and lead your organization to success.

Big Data for Social Good

Using real-world data and policy interventions as applications, this course will teach core concepts in economics and statistics and equip you to tackle some of the most pressing social challenges of our time.

Innovations in Teamwork for Health Care

In this course, experts from Harvard Business School and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health teach learners to implement a strategy for organizational teamwork in health care.

Explore All Courses

Learner Testimonials

On Data Privacy and Technology

"The course was informative on both current and future data privacy and technological innovation trends—the need for data privacy without inhibiting innovation. The team and instructors prompt critical thinking while broadening the understanding of data privacy beyond the frontiers. At the end of the course, I concluded that there was a need for a mass cultural shift towards ethical use of technology."

Joanita Nagaba Co-founder, ANJ Data Management Solutions Africa Ltd.

On Health Care Economics

“This is an amazing course. The professor did a fantastic job dissecting the complexities of healthcare into chewable chunks." 

Howard H. Dinh, MD, FACC Medical Director, Cardiac Services, Greater Sacramento The Permanente Medical Group and Chief, Cardiology Kaiser Permanente, South Sacramento

"I love the way the course is structured with real-world examples and the critical thinking sessions. It forces us to reflect upon what is happening around us. People who have an interest in cybersecurity, as well as those that would like to gain more general knowledge, would greatly benefit from this course."

Anand Narayan Account Executive, Lenovo Canada

On Data Science Principles

"This is a topic that people in any industry should have at least basic knowledge of in order to create more efficient and competitive businesses, tools, and resources."

Carlos E. Sapene Chief Executive Officer

On Data Science For Business

"This course had an amazing instructor, amazing examples, and an amazing user interface that made it easy for me to grasp the material and learn simultaneously with others around the world."

Shawn Carrington, Jr. Senior Executive Officer Perspecta, Inc.

• Harvard Business School →
• Doctoral Programs →

PhD Programs

• Accounting & Management
• Business Economics
• Health Policy (Management)
• Organizational Behavior
• Technology & Operations Management

Students in our PhD programs are encouraged from day one to think of this experience as their first job in business academia—a training ground for a challenging and rewarding career generating rigorous, relevant research that influences practice.

Our doctoral students work with faculty and access resources throughout HBS and Harvard University. The PhD program curriculum requires coursework at HBS and other Harvard discipline departments, and with HBS and Harvard faculty on advisory committees. Faculty throughout Harvard guide the programs through their participation on advisory committees.

How do I know which program is right for me?

There are many paths, but we are one HBS. Our PhD students draw on diverse personal and professional backgrounds to pursue an ever-expanding range of research topics. Explore more here about each program’s requirements & curriculum, read student profiles for each discipline as well as student research , and placement information.

The PhD in Business Administration grounds students in the disciplinary theories and research methods that form the foundation of an academic career. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program has four areas of study: Accounting and Management , Marketing , Strategy , and Technology and Operations Management . All areas of study involve roughly two years of coursework culminating in a field exam. The remaining years of the program are spent conducting independent research, working on co-authored publications, and writing the dissertation. Students join these programs from a wide range of backgrounds, from consulting to engineering. Many applicants possess liberal arts degrees, as there is not a requirement to possess a business degree before joining the program

The PhD in Business Economics provides students the opportunity to study in both Harvard’s world-class Economics Department and Harvard Business School. Throughout the program, coursework includes exploration of microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, probability and statistics, and econometrics. While some students join the Business Economics program directly from undergraduate or masters programs, others have worked in economic consulting firms or as research assistants at universities or intergovernmental organizations.

The PhD program in Health Policy (Management) is rooted in data-driven research on the managerial, operational, and strategic issues facing a wide range of organizations. Coursework includes the study of microeconomic theory, management, research methods, and statistics. The backgrounds of students in this program are quite varied, with some coming from public health or the healthcare industry, while others arrive at the program with a background in disciplinary research

The PhD program in Organizational Behavior offers two tracks: either a micro or macro approach. In the micro track, students focus on the study of interpersonal relationships within organizations and the effects that groups have on individuals. Students in the macro track use sociological methods to examine organizations, groups, and markets as a whole, including topics such as the influence of individuals on organizational change, or the relationship between social missions and financial objectives. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program includes core disciplinary training in sociology or psychology, as well as additional coursework in organizational behavior.

Accounting & Management  

Business economics  , health policy (management)  , marketing  , organizational behavior  , strategy  , technology & operations management  .

Doctoral Programs

In this section, phd in public policy.

• PhD in Political Economy & Government

PhD in Health Policy

Phd in social policy.

• Job Market Candidates

Health care and politics. Inequality and public policy. Economics and disruption.

You see today's most compelling global issues as complex, interrelated, and urgent. You believe that fresh ideas—and research to carry them through—are critical to building stronger communities and a more just world.

In collaboration with the  Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  (Harvard Griffin GSAS),  Harvard Kennedy School immerses you in rigorous learning that bridges academic disciplines and draws from leading faculties across the university’s graduate schools. When you pursue a doctoral degree at HKS, you are among extraordinarily bright minds, you’ll work with committed faculty members who are leaders in their fields, and you’ll have unparalleled access to resources across Harvard University.

Prepare yourself for a career in academia or policymaking that demands advanced knowledge of economics, political science, and social policy. Translate your ideas into action that can untangle our world’s unprecedented challenges. Join us.

Doctor of Public Health

Learn to translate knowledge into powerful results as the leader of a public health organization.

For more information on the DrPH Program , please visit our website ( here ). 

The Harvard Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) will prepare you for high-level leadership to make a difference in the fields of public health and health care. This first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary degree provides advanced education in public health along with mastery of skills in management, leadership, communications, and innovation thinking. This is accomplished within a highly collaborative, small-group learning environment. The DrPH Program is a three-year program (with an option to extend to a fourth year) and during this time, students will learn how to address complex problems of public health policy and use advanced analytical and managerial tools to lead organizational and societal change. You will learn the scholarship of translation, assembling scientific evidence and using it to achieve real results in the field. Also, you will gain hands-on experience working to achieve a specific public health objective under the guidance of Harvard’s world-renowned faculty.

The Harvard DrPH is planned as a 3-year academic program (with an option to extend to a fourth year).  The first two years of the Harvard DrPH involve full-time, on-campus study as part of a collaborative cohort of approximately 9 – 15 students. The academic training will cover the biological, social, and economic foundations of public health, as well as essential statistical, quantitative, and methodological skills you will need to address today’s complex public health challenges, which rarely fall within neat disciplinary boundaries. You will also shape an individualized course of study in your second year by selecting courses to deepen specific areas of expertise and build skills that you will apply during your third year capstone project.

The DrPH Doctoral Project is the culminating experience of the Harvard DrPH degree program, and the primary locus of the knowledge translation elements of the degree. The pedagogical intent behind the Doctoral Project’s design is to provide an opportunity for the DrPH degree candidate to practice and develop personal leadership skills while engaging in a project that contributes substantively to advances in public health or healthcare.  

The optional fourth year are for students who need more time to complete their Doctoral Project.

Your Future

As a Harvard DrPH graduate, you will be ready to lead. You will be equipped with experience gained through real-world case work and field work conducted at a variety of organizations. You will have the skills to possibly start new organizations or work from within to change existing ones. You will know how to translate public health research into effective policies, programs, and initiatives that dramatically improve individual and population health. You will be comfortable in a leadership role and confident in your public health expertise. And whether you choose to pursue a career in a nongovernmental organization, health ministry, government agency, health care provider, start-up, or more established private sector business, you will be prepared to make a difference.

If you aspire to a leadership position in public health—whether at a health ministry, government agency, consulting firm, health-related start-up, established corporation, nongovernmental organization, or international organization—the Harvard DrPH will equip you to meet your goals.

Our Community

As a DrPH student, you will work closely with Harvard’s renowned faculty through rigorous case discussions, simulations, and field experiences in a variety of major public health organizations. You will also collaborate with passionate, highly skilled classmates who bring diverse talents, backgrounds, and creative problem-solving skills to the classroom. The rich relationships you establish during this experience will become lasting sources of collaboration and support, along with the global network you will gain as a member of the Harvard alumni community.

Who Should Apply?

All candidates for admission to the Harvard DrPH should have, at a minimum:

• A master’s OR doctoral degree in the health sciences or in another related field or non-US equivalent.
• At least six years of full-time public health and/or public service experience in a relevant discipline .  Advanced degrees will not be considered in lieu of work experience as coursework will build directly on professional skills and experiences.
• Prior coursework in public health-related methods and in specific technical areas of public health is also beneficial.

Beyond the formal qualifications, we seek top applicants who demonstrate an appetite and vision to effect change, displaying the energy and creativity to have already moved along that path early in their careers. We also explicitly seek to admit students with interest and experience across a broad cross-section of public and private areas of public health and health care locally, nationally, and internationally.

All students admitted to the DrPH program, including international students, should complete the financial aid application process . For admitted students with financial need, 50% tuition scholarships are offered for the first two years of the program.