Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard

Secondary Field Requirements

Course Requirements

Students will be required to take four halfcourses, distributed as follows:

(i) One framing course. These are general courses offering an overview of STS theories and methods, as well as a broad orientation to the field. Students may take additional framing courses to satisfy requirements (ii) and (iii).*

(ii) One graduate level methods course. These are complementary courses that deepen students’ acquaintance with STS analytic approaches as applied to different domains of science, technology, and medicine.

(iii) Two half-courses of related interest. A full list of STS courses may be found here.

Other requirements

During their PhD studies at Harvard, students must present a talk in the STS Circle sponsored by the STS Program. This talk should demonstrate the student’s capacity to present an original, theoretically informed analysis of a problem at the intersection of science, technology and society. Proposals to present in the STS Circle should be accompanied by a note of approval from the student’s STS adviser. For students in the natural sciences, a capstone project, developed in consultation with the student’s advisor, may take the place of the STS Circle presentation.

Registration

Students should register for the Secondary Field with the STS Program at the Harvard Kennedy School by e-mailing sts@hks.harvard.edu for further information.

*Note: Students in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences may not satisfy the framing course requirement with a course offered by their home department.