February 1, 1947
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics
Information Regarding Graduate Degrees
I. ADMISSION TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Application for admission to the Graduate School should be made directly to the Graduate School office in Farlow House, 24 Quincy Street.
II. REGISTRATION FOR GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRAMS
All graduate students, including veterans, are expected to register for full-time study, or four half-courses. Exceptions may be made on the basis of medical or physical reasons. Consult the Graduate School Dean or Secretary.
III. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE A.M. IN ECONOMICS
A. Plan of Study Plans of Study must be approved by the Chairman of the Department before the end of the first term in residence.
B. Residence Two full terms of advanced work with acceptable grades at Harvard are necessary to establish residence.
C. Languages A reading knowledge of one approved language (other than English) in which there exists a significant body of literature in the field of Economics is required. This requirement is satisfied by passing the written examination given by the Department in the first week of November and March. This requirement must be met before taking the general examination.
D. General Oral Examination
1. The candidate will be examined on four fields, as presented in the Plan of Study, selected from the groups below:
(a) Two from Group A, including Economic Theory.
(b) Two from Groups A, B, and C (not more than one from Group C).
Group A
(1) Economic Theory and its History, with special reference to the Development of Economic Thought since 1776.
(2) Economic History since 1750, or some other approved field in Economic History
(3) Statistical Method and its Application
Group B
(4) Money and Banking
(5) Economic Fluctuations and Forecasting
(6) Transportation
(7) Industrial Organization and Control
(8) Public Finance
(9) International Trade and Tariff Policies
(10) Economics of Agriculture
(11) Labor Problems
(12) Socialism and Social Reform
(13) Economic History before 1750
(14) Consumption Distribution and Prices
(15) Economics of Public Utilities
(16) Social Security
Group C
(17) Forestry Economics
(18) Any of the historical fields defined under the requirements for the Ph.D. in History
(19) Certain fields in Political Science listed under the requirements for the Ph.D. in Political Science.
(20) Jurisprudence (selected topics)
(21) Philosophy (selected topics)
(22) Anthropology
(23) History of Political Theory
(24) International Law
(25) Sociology. Certain fields defined under the requirements for the Ph.D. in Sociology.
2. Under certain conditions three fields of study may be offered for the oral examination. If the candidate is to be examined orally in three fields of study, he must present, in lieu of an oral examination on the fourth field, a full course on the graduate level offered by the Department followed by a seminar in the same field. The approval of the Chairman of the Department is necessary. Grades of at least B+ must be obtained in each course.
3. Preparation
(a) The fields of study are covered in part by formal course instruction, but supplementary reading must be undertaken to meet the requirements.
(b) Preparation for the field Economic Theory and its History will normally require two full courses in the field at the graduate level, or equivalent private reading. Candidates should consult the Chairman of the Department concerning their work in this field.
(c) In Statistics, Economics 21a, or its equivalent, is a prerequisite to graduate instruction. Either Professor Crum or Professor Frickey should be consulted.
(d) Usually three terms of graduate study at Harvard are necessary as preparation for the general examination, but a candidate who has been credited with graduate work of high order at another institution may be able to prepare himself in a shorter period.
4. Excuses from final course examinations
Candidates for the Master’s degree who are not candidates for the Ph.D. degree must take the final examinations in courses.
5. Quality of work
Candidates for this degree must give evidence, in their course records, of the capacity for distinguished work. Ordinarily, candidates whose records at Harvard do not average at least B will not be allowed to present themselves for the general examination.
6. Arranging the examination
The oral, or general, examinations are not set at any specified date. The arrangements for the examination must be made at least six weeks in advance of the date proposed by the candidate. Consult the Secretary of the Department, M-8 Littauer Center.
E. Application for the A.M.
Application for the degree must be filed in the office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 24 Quincy Street, by December 1 for a degree at Midyear; March 1 for the degree at Commencement. (August 1 if degrees are awarded at end of summer term.)
F. Special A.M. in Economics for Veterans
The only changes from the stated conditions given above are:
(1) On petition a candidate for a master’s degree may present himself for an oral examination in which quantitatively the requirement in Economic Theory is one that can be met in one year of graduate study.
(2) The requirements regarding the offering of Economic History or Statistics are eliminated.
It must be understood that the oral examination for this degree will not be accepted as part of the formal requirements for the Ph.D. degree.
A. Plan of Study Plans of Study must be approved by the Chairman of the Department before the end of the first term in residence.
B. Residence Two full terms of advanced work with acceptable grades at Harvard are necessary to establish residence.
C. General Oral Examination The candidate will be examined on four fields as presented in the Plan of Study. (See list of fields of study above.)
(a) Economic Theory
(b) Three from Groups A, B, and C (not more than one from Group C.)
IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PH.D. IN ECONOMICS
A. Residence
To establish residence for the Ph.D. degree, the Faculty requires not less than two full years of advanced work (four terms). To count toward this requirement the quality of the work i each course must be maintained at a high level.
1. Two terms (eight courses) must be taken during the academic year in residence at Harvard.
2. Graduate work completed in other departments of Harvard or at another institution may be offered in full or partial fulfilment of the other two terms required. Consult the Chairman of the Department.
B. Languages
The candidate must present a reading knowledge of two approved languages (other than English) in which there exists a significant body of literature in the field of Economics, one passed before taking the general examination, and both passed at least six months before the special examination. This requirement is satisfied only by passing the examination given by the Department of Economics in the first week of November and March.
The candidate may, if he chooses, offer in place of one of the required languages evidence of his capacity to read and understand the more elementary mathematical presentations used or usable in economics.
Such elementary methods are herein defined to include such knowledge of analytic geometry as is frequently given in the first year of college and such knowledge of differential calculus and integral calculus as is frequently given in a single-year course in college.
In terms of present (1947) courses in Harvard College, this means through Math 2.
Evidence that the student has this knowledge shall be furnished by the passage of an examination “in the reading of mathematical economics” to be set by an officer of this Department and held at the usual date or dates of the language examination. By exception, a pass grade in Math 2a and b at Harvard or Radcliffe will be accepted in place of the special mathematics examination. In unusual cases, the examiner may recommend that appropriate grades in similar mathematics courses elsewhere be accepted instead of the special examination.
C. Plan of Study
Every candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is required to submit to his Department, on a blank provided by the Department office, a plan showing his fields of study and his preparation in those fields. This plan of study must be submitted not later than the end of the first term of graduate work. The Department reserves the right not to approve any plan which seems unsatisfactory, even though the plan meets the formal requirements of distribution in the various groups. Candidates may present, for the consideration of the Department, reasonable substitutes for any of the fields named in the several groups.
1. The plan of study must include six fields, approved by the Chairman of the Department, selected as follows from the list on pp. 1-2 above:
(a) The three subjects in Group A are required, and
(b) Three from Group B, or
(c) Two from Group B and one from Group C.
D. General Oral Examination
1. The general oral examination for the Ph.D. is the same as the examination for the Master’s degree.
2. Excuses from final course examinations:
(a) Consult the Secretary of the Department in M-8 Littauer Center.
(b) Ordinarily candidates are excused from the final examinations in courses included in the fields presented for the general examination provided the general examination is passed after December 1 in the fall term and April 14 in the spring term and before the course examinations are held.
(c) Students must receive at least a grade of “good” in the general examination to be excused.
E. Fifth Field (write-off field)
The requirement regarding the fifth field of study in the Ph.D. program is usually fulfilled by the passing of the equivalent of a full year graduate course offered at Harvard and completed with the grade of B+ or higher. Seminars offered by the Graduate School of Public Administration are not acceptable for “write-off” purposes. The requirement also may be fulfilled by oral examination at the time of the general. One-half course must have been completed in the write-off field with a grade of B+ or higher before the general examination.
F. Thesis – written within the sixth (special) field
1. Every candidate for the doctorate is required to report to the Secretary of the Department, as soon as possible after his general examination, the subject of his thesis and the member of the Department under whom he intends to work.
2. Two bound copies of the thesis, the original of which may be printed or typewritten, with a carbon copy clear and legible, must be in the hands of the Chairman of the Department by December 1 and April 1 for degrees at midyear or Commencement, and August 1 for a fall degree.
3. The thesis must be accepted by the Department before the candidate can be admitted to the final examination.
4. The thesis must show an original treatment of the subject, and give evidence of independent research.
5. Every thesis must be accompanied by two copies of a brief summary, not exceeding 1200 words in length, which shall indicate as clearly as possible the methods, material, and results of the investigation. These summaries will be printed by the University in an annual volume.
G. Special Oral Examination
1. At present it is expected that one year of residence will elapse between the general and the special examinations. The preparation for the doctorate is regarded by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and by the Department as a continuous process. Ordinarily, the candidate must stand for the final examination within five years after passing the general examination.
2. Applications for the Ph.D. degree must be filed with the Graduate School (24 Quincy Street) and approved by the Administrative Board of the Graduate School before the final examination. The Graduate School requires that the application be filed by December 1 for the degree at midyear, and March 1 for the degree at Commencement (or August 1 if degree is awarded at end of summer term).
3. To arrange for the date of the special examination, consult the Secretary of the Department, M-8 Littauer Center, six weeks in advance of the proposed date, and before December 1, for the degree at midyear, and March 1 for the degree at Commencement.
4. The special examination will include an examination of the candidate on the thesis presented and also an intensive examination on the “sixth field” within which the subject matter of the thesis is included.
5. During the special oral examination, candidates are required to show an acquaintance with the literature in their special field in the two languages approved for their program.
H. For the doctorate in Economics at least three years devoted to advanced study are usually considered as the minimum period of preparation for graduates of colleges in good standing.
I. Candidates for the degree should be well grounded in the main outlines of European and American history, and should have had a general view of the nature and growth of political institutions and constitutional law.
J. Students who wish to pursue special plans of study for the Ph.D., or to work in fields not announced as fields in which the degree may be taken, should consult the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science, since in exceptional cases special arrangements may be made.
K. Special Ph.D. in Economics for Veterans
The only change from the stated conditions given above is that in the case of exceptional performance in graduate study, the requirements regarding the number of fields for the Ph.D may be reduced to five fields, but in each case this program must be voted by the Department.
V. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PH.D. IN BUSINESS ECONOMICS
The program of study for the degree will be made up of six fields chosen from the groups given below. Four (or under certain conditions, three) of these fields, including Economic Theory, which is required, will be presented for the general examination. Only two fields, including Economic Theory, may ordinarily be chosen from Group A. Fields other than those here stated may be offered. Emphasis is placed upon an integrated program. in all cases the program of study must be approved by the Chairman of the Department of Economics. For advice, see the Chairman of the Department of Economics. For advice, see the Chairman of the Department of Economics on courses relating to economics and the Secretary of the Doctoral Board at the Graduate School of Business Administration for business subjects.
Group A
(1) Economic Theory and its History, with special reference to the Development of the History of Economic Thought since 1776.
(2) Economic History since 1750.
(3) Public Finance and Taxation.
(4) Economics of Agriculture.
Group B
(5) Accounting
(6) Marketing
(7) Foreign Trade
(8) Production
(9) Money and Banking
(10) Corporate Organization and Finance
(11) Transportation
(12) Insurance
(13) Statistical Method and its Application
(14) Economics of Public Utilities
(15) Labor
Special Examination and Thesis
The procedure in general follows that outlined for the Ph.D. in Economics. The field for the special examination should ordinarily be chosen from Group B.
SOURCE: HARVARD UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES.
UAV 349.11 Box 13. Department of Economics/1930-1961 and some earlier/General Exams to Haberler
Graduate Degree Requirements.
