Offices & Services / Office of Academic Programs / Graduate Policies, Procedures and Forms / SM and ME Degrees

SM degree en route to the PhD

Ph.D. Candidates earning the S.M. degree en route

A Ph.D. student in SEAS or in another GSAS program may earn the S.M. degree en route to the Ph.D. in one of:

provided that their S.M. program plan satisfies the SEAS-wide and area-specific requirements in that subject area.  In particular, a SEAS Ph.D. student with a CHD-approved Ph.D. Program Plan can receive an S.M. in that same area with no further approval required, provided that the courses put towards the S.M. satisfy both the SEAS-wide and area-specific S.M. course requirements. In all other cases an S.M. Program Plan must be submitted together with the required supplementary statement through the Office of Academic Programs for approval by the CHD.

Note that transfer credit is not accepted toward the S.M. degree, even if it has been approved toward the Ph.D.  Harvard Ph.D. students in non-SEAS programs must consult with the Office of Academic Programs in order to pursue the S.M. en route.  Conferral of the S.M. is not automatic; students must apply to receive the degree in my.harvard by following the FAS Registrar's Office's instructions for a given cycle (for November, March, or May degree conferral). GSAS, the FAS Registrar’s Office and my.harvard refer to the S.M. en route (along with a similar A.M. degree in other programs) as the “masters in passing”.