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Area of Interest Law and Economics

Lawyers’ guidance of clients’ affairs – ranging from transactions to finance to personal and family arrangements – centrally involves the interaction of economics and the law. Similarly, much litigation and government regulation addresses problems that arise from this interaction. Harvard Law School’s longstanding leadership in teaching and scholarship in law and economics prepares students to be lawyers and helps to shape a wide range of public policies.

From Harvard Law Today

Hls professors, oren bar-gill.

William J. Friedman and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor of Law and Economics

Lucian A. Bebchuk

James Barr Ames Professor of Law, Economics, and Finance

Thomas J. Brennan

Stanley S. Surrey Professor of Law

John C. Coates

John F. Cogan, Jr. Professor of Law and Economics

Mihir A. Desai

Professor of Law

Jared Ellias

Scott C. Collins Professor of Law

Allen Ferrell

Harvey Greenfield Professor of Securities Law

Jacob Gersen

Sidley Austin Professor of Law

D. James Greiner

The Honorable S. William Green Professor of Public Law

Jon D. Hanson

Alan A. Stone Professor of Law

Louis Kaplow

Finn M. W. Caspersen and Household International Professor of Law and Economics

Mariana Pargendler

Beneficial Professor of Law

J. Mark Ramseyer

Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies

Hannah Shaffer

Assistant Professor of Law

Steven M. Shavell

Samuel R. Rosenthal Professor of Law and Economics

Robert H. Sitkoff

Austin Wakeman Scott Professor of Law

Henry E. Smith

Fessenden Professor of Law

Holger Spamann

Lawrence R. Grove Professor of Law

Kathryn E. Spier

Domenico De Sole Professor of Law

Nicholas Stephanopoulos

Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law

Cass R. Sunstein

Robert Walmsley University Professor

Roberto Tallarita

Crystal s. yang.

Bennett Boskey Professor of Law

Visiting Professors & Lecturers

Arevik avedian.

Lecturer on Law

Yas Banifatemi

Visiting Professor of Law

Bala Dharan

Robert B. and Candice J. Haas Visiting Professor in Corporate Finance Law

Oliver Hart

Harvard University Affiliated Professor

Mary D. Lewis

Aileen nielsen.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Law

Research Programs and Centers

Access to justice lab, center on the legal profession, foundations of private law, institute for global law and policy, john m. olin center: law, economics and business, program on behavioral economics and public policy, related courses.

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The department of Economics at Harvard University is committed to seeking out and mentoring scholars who wish to pursue a rigorous and rewarding career in economic research. Our graduates are trailblazers in their fields and contribute to a diverse alumni community in both the academic and non-academic sectors. We invite you to learn more about the PhD program in Economics . Have questions about applying? Please thoroughly check the GSAS admission website before emailing us at: [email protected] . 

Harvard does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability unrelated to job or course of study requirements, and we actively  seek applicants  from historically underrepresented communities. We hope you’ll consider applying. Immigration status does not factor into decisions about admissions and financial aid. For more information, see  Undocumented at Harvard . 

Apply to Economics @Harvard

Application Requirements

• Completed online application form (Must be completed by December 1st)
• Statement of Purpose
• Transcripts for all college/university degrees and courses Self-reported transcripts are accepted for both all programs at the application stage. Applicants must upload copies of his/her transcripts to the online application system. Hard copy transcripts will only be required if admitted to a program, prior to enrollment.
• Current GRE scores
• TOEFL or IELTS scores (non-native English speakers see details below)
• Three letters of recommendation (at least one from an academic source). Recommendation letters must be submitted online through the online application system. 
• Application fee 
• Writing sample (at least 15 pages in length)

All applicants are required to take the  General Test of the Graduate Record Examination  (GRE). Test scores are valid for five years (scores must be from no earlier than January 5, 2019 for Fall 2024 admission). Applicants are, however, advised to take the exam no later than mid-November. There is no minimum test score requirement. A department code is not required for score submission. Institution Codes for PhD Programs GRE: 3451

Financial Aid

All admitted students are awarded a financial package which includes tuition, single-person health insurance, living stipend for the first two years, teaching and research assistant stipends and a completion fellowship in the final year of the program.

International Applications

Adequate command of spoken and written English is required for admission. Applicants whose native language is other than English and who do not hold a Bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an institution at which English is the language of instruction must submit  TOEFL  or IELTS scores.

TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for two years. (scores must be from no earlier than January 5, 2022 for Fall 2024 admission). The committee prefers scores of at least 100 on the internet-based test.  Institution Codes for Toefl score reports PhD programs: 3451

Reapplicants

Applicants who applied last year are considered reapplicants. Those reapplying must submit a completely new application. The new application must include all required documents to be provided by the applicant - we will not re-use material previously submitted. These materials include an updated statement of purpose, transcripts, test score reports, updated letters of recommendation, the application fee, and any other supporting materials

Please note, Harvard University will accept no more than three applications from any one individual over the course of his/her lifetime.

Applying to more than one Program

Harvard has several PhD programs that may also be of interest to students considering applying to the PhD program in economics. These include Business Economics, Political Economy and Government, Public Policy, and Health Policy.  Many students in these programs have considerable overlap in their coursework with courses offered to PhD students in economics.   Many also have dissertation committees that include faculty members of the economics department. Please refer to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for applicable program deadlines.  (Deadlines have already passed for some programs this year but not for others.) We encourage those with interest in any of those programs to also apply to those programs. The economics department will make admissions decisions independently, so application to or admission to other programs will not adversely affect admissions decisions within the Economics department. If you opt to apply, please note, the Graduate School will not accept more than three applications from any individual during the course of his or her academic career. 

Economics Mentoring Program

Many students interested in an economics PhD experience disparate degrees of support in the application process. The Economics Mentoring Program (EMP, formerly known as AAMP) aims to mitigate these gaps by helping students from underrepresented groups connect with graduate student mentors in the economics PhD programs at Duke, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. These mentors can provide:

• Advice on graduate school and fellowship applications, including questions about the application process and feedback on application materials.
• Information about economics research, life as a PhD student or in an academic career, for students who are deciding whether a PhD in economics is the right choice for them.

The EMP aims to increase the pipeline of diverse talent in economics PhD programs and welcomes participation from all groups underrepresented in economics, including but not limited to: Black, Hispanic-Latin, Native American, low-income, and LGBTQ+ students, women, students with disabilities, and students who are the first in their families to go to college. The EMP welcomes participation among students at various stages of their economics studies, including undergraduates and college graduates. The EMP is open to students who are curious about the academic economics experience and interested in figuring out if it’s right for them.

Interested participants should fill out the application linked below. We will accept applications until July 22, 2024. Mentorship will begin over the summer and continue through Fall 2024. Mentees who prefer to meet for a single “coffee chat” may indicate their preference on the form. We will do our best to match all interested applicants with a mentor; however, demand may exceed the availability of mentors.

Please note that the EMP is a volunteer-based, student-run program. This program is not considered part of the admissions process for the economics PhD at Duke, Harvard, MIT, or Stanford nor will any student's participation in the EMP be considered by the graduate admissions committee at any school.

Please direct any questions to [email protected] . To join the program, please click the link below to fill out the form. For more information, please visit our website here

Website link: www.economicsmentoringprogram.com

EMP Application Form Link: https://forms.gle/tWvNRXRJQWEHhFn16

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Doctoral Student

Ria is a JD/PhD student at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. At HLS, she was a John M. Olin Fellow and the winner of the 2021 Victor Brudney Writing Prize. She previously studied Economics and Mathematics at Columbia University, where she was nominated for the Economics Department’s David Estabrook Romine Prize. Ria has also worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and as an investment banker at Lazard. Her research interests include corporate governance, empirical law and finance, and securities regulation.

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Areas of interest.

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The Harvard Department of Economics has long tried to use scholarship to find answers to some of the world’s most pressing questions including the future of work, ending global poverty, and improving the environment. We believe nothing should limit the economist’s imagination.

You will be part of a program that includes people working in many fields, such as finance, economic history, behavioral economics, political economy, and many more. The program will prepare you for a productive and stimulating career as an economist. You will attend seminars given by top scholars from both domestic and international communities and you will have access to over 13 million books and pamphlets from 90 separate library units at Harvard.

Examples of student research include how investor base composition is an important determinant of bond price dynamics and capital allocation outcomes in response to aggregate credit cycle fluctuations, and the long-term effects that temporary upstream steel tariffs on US manufacturing have on downstream industries.

Graduates have secured academic positions at prestigious institutions like MIT, Stanford University, and Yale University. Others have gone on to careers at organizations like the International Monetary Fund, Vanguard, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Amazon.

Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Economics , and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies .

Admissions Requirements

Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Economics .

Academic Background

Applicants should have an understanding of economics and have taken at least some economics courses beyond the principles level. Applicants should be able to demonstrate their ability to do research by either having done research previously or via experience as a research assistant. In the latter instance, a letter from the supervisor indicating the ability to do research is critical.

Writing Sample

A writing sample is required. It must be sole authored and no less than 15 pages.

Math Preparation

The minimum level of mathematical preparation to be considered for admission includes calculus and linear algebra and demonstration of proficiency with mathematics. Increasingly, successful applicants will have taken more mathematics classes. In particular, most successful applicants now take real analysis, although that is not a requirement.

Personal Statement

Not Accepted

Standardized Tests

GRE General: Required

Applying to More Than One Program

Harvard has several PhD programs that may also be of interest to students who are considering applying to the PhD program in economics. These include Business Economics , Public Policy , and Health Policy . Many students in these programs have considerable overlap in their coursework with courses offered to PhD students in economics. Many also have dissertation committees that include faculty members of the economics department.

We encourage those with interest in any of those programs to also apply to those programs. The Department of Economics will make admissions decisions independently, so application to or admission to other programs will not adversely affect admissions decisions within the department. However, please note that if you choose to apply to additional programs, you can only submit three applications to Harvard Griffin GSAS during the course of your academic career.

Campus Visits

The department arranges for campus visits for all admitted students and we cover a portion of the costs associated with these visits. We do not encourage visits prior to being admitted. Since the department receives an overwhelming number of applications, it’s simply more efficient to arrange meetings with faculty after students are accepted rather than before.

Theses & Dissertations

Theses & Dissertations for Economics

See list of Economics faculty

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

Undergraduate

Economics is a social science that covers a broad subject matter in seeking to understand the social world. Economics studies the behavior of social systems—such as markets, corporations, legislatures, and families—as the outcome of interactions through institutions between goal-directed individuals. Doing economic research involves asking questions about the social world and addressing those questions with data and models, employing mathematical and statistical tools whenever possible to aid the analysis.

The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree is designed for industry professionals with years of work experience who wish to complete their degrees part time, both on campus and online, without disruption to their employment. Our typical student is over 30, has previously completed one or two years of college, and works full time.

The Ph.D. program in the Department of Economics is addressed to students of high promise who wish to prepare themselves for careers in teaching and research in academia or for responsible positions in government, research organizations, or business enterprises. Students in the department are free to pursue research interests with scholars throughout the University. Faculty of Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Business School, for example, are available to students for consultation, instruction, and research guidance.