Secondary Field in History of Science

Students enrolled in a PhD program in GSAS may earn formal recognition for completing a secondary field in History of Science. Central to the intellectual mission of the department is endeavoring to understand the sciences, technology, and medicine in their historical, cultural, and current contexts. We employ historical as well as sociological, anthropological, and other methodologies to illuminate how knowledge of various kinds has come to be configured as it is today. Our approach is broadly interdisciplinary, explicitly connecting the sciences, social sciences, and humanities—globally and across time periods.

We have long welcomed students from other disciplines into our seminars and colloquia. Students choosing to deepen their engagement with History of Science by pursuing a secondary field will achieve an understanding of the role of science and associated fields in society, be encouraged to enrich their perspective on current affairs and the development of the past, and be granted flexibility in following their particular interests in departmental coursework. We offer students access to a lively, engaged, and diverse scholarly community.

Applying

PhD students may apply to the Department of the History of Science to do a secondary field after completing one semester of study at Harvard. Interested students should meet with the History of Science DGS to discuss making a formal application to the department and to draw up a tentative plan of coursework to fulfill the secondary field requirements.

The application consists of:

  1. A statement of interest in the History of Science, discussing any background in the discipline and addressing what the student hopes to achieve with the secondary field. This statement may take the form of an email to the History of Science DGS with a CC to the HoS Graduate Coordinator.
  2. An emailed statement of recommendation/endorsement from a faculty member in the student’s home department.
  3. An emailed statement of support from the DGS in the student’s home department. (In situations where the DGS happens to serve as the student’s advisor one email endorsement is sufficient.)
     

Requirements

Requirements for the secondary field are:

Four courses in the Department of the History of Science, at least three of which must be graduate seminars (2000-level courses).

  • One of these courses may be HISTSCI 3003A (Historiography of the History of Science). Students in the Secondary Field are not normally permitted to enroll in HISTSCI 3003B.
  • One independent study (HISTSCI 3001) with a departmental faculty member may count toward the total of four courses.
  • Up to one graduate level course offered in History, Anthropology, Science, Technology and Society at MIT may also count toward these four courses.

All courses must be completed with a grade of B+ or higher.

In all cases, only courses approved by the history of science DGS in History of Science count toward the secondary field requirements.

Students should meet at least once with the DGS in History of Science to review their plan and progress.

See also the History of Science Secondary Field Requirements Worksheet.

The GSAS Secondary Field form, signed by the Student’s Home Department DGS and Secondary Field Department DGS, must be completed and submitted to the FAS Registrar’s Office by the Degree Application Deadline.