FAQ

No, concentrators can only pursue one of the 4 curricular programs (Tech Science, Data Science, Public Policy, Political Economy). 

No, these curricular programs are optional. They allow students with interests in these areas to focus their courses of study on particular themes, but they are not appropriate for every Gov concentrator, especially since they require additional coursework and limit the flexibility of coursework that can be taken for concentration credit. Concentrators are encouraged to speak with their concentration adviser about the pros and cons of pursuing these programs.  

No, study-abroad courses are not accepted for secondary-field credit. 

Students pursuing the curricular program in Political Economy can use Ec10a to meet the economics requirement for that program. Ec10 does not otherwise count toward the concentration requirements for Government. However, we encourage all students to consider taking additional non-concentration courses in related social science fields that provide a useful complement to their studies in Government. In addition, many Government concentrators pursue the secondary field in Economics, which requires Ec10. 

See also: Concentration Requirements

Possibly. Concentrators may petition to have a relevant MIT political science class count for Government elective credit. Before enrolling, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Government to discuss your academic plans.

Yes, students may meet the methods requirement by taking a course on statistical methods in the Statistics Department (e.g., Stat 100, 104, or 110). However, any student meeting this requirement through a non-Government course must take one additional Government elective. 

No. All Gov concentrators — even those with previous coursework in statistics — must take one course in statistical methods while enrolled at Harvard College. However, students with previous statistics experience may wish to start with Gov 51 rather than the introductory-level course Gov 50.

All concentrators are required to take at least one class in statistical methods. Most students will complete this requirement with Gov 50: Data. Students with previous experience in statistics (e.g., a 5 on the AP Statistics exam) may choose instead to take a higher-level course in Government, such as Gov 51, but all students must take at least one course in statistical methods for the concentration. Students may complete this requirement with a statistics course outside the Government Department (e.g., Stat 104 or Stat 110), but any concentrators meeting the requirement with a non-Government course are required to take one additional Government elective.  

See also: Concentration Requirements

Under Harvard’s new Gen Ed system, no departmental classes can count for Gen Ed credit. However, most Gov classes count for the divisional distribution requirement in the social sciences. In addition, some Gov classes count for the new Quantitative Reasoning with Data (QRD) graduation requirement; see the list here.

Yes, see the list here.  

No. Only courses in the Government Department, and a small number of outside courses taught by Government Department faculty, may be used toward the secondary field requirements. No HKS classes can be used for the secondary-field requirements. 

No. Only courses in the Government Department, and a small number of outside courses taught by Government Department faculty, may be used toward the secondary field requirements. Many of the courses outside the Department that concentrators take for elective credit (for instance, courses at the Harvard Kennedy School) cannot be used toward the secondary field. 

If you are interested in the secondary field, please review the requirements carefully, as no exceptions will be granted from those requirements.  

See also: Secondary Field

Yes, you may. Each year, whether due to having picked a topic that proves intractable to research or deciding that other commitments are more pressing, a small number (usually not more than 10%) of thesis writers abandon their thesis project. If you know you will not continue to write past the Fall term, complete the requirements for that semester’s Gov 99 and do not register for 99 in the Spring term (it is divisible for precisely this reason). However, if you register for the second half of Gov 99 and do not drop it by the Add/Drop deadline, you’ve committed to handing in a thesis in March. Please stay in touch with the Department and, if you have any inkling that you may not be able to finish the thesis, let us know as soon as possible. Under certain circumstances, we may be able to convert the thesis into Gov 91r: Supervised Reading and Research, if you so desire (and need the credit to graduate). 

See also: Honors & Theses

Gov 99 is meant to help you write the thesis in three main ways: 1) by providing deadlines to keep you on track and get you writing; 2) by focusing on peer-review of your work; 3) and by building a small and supportive community of individuals who are in the same boat as you are. 

The Department takes Gov 99 seriously, which is why only faculty members and the most experienced TFs are selected to teach this course. In general, you should think of it as playing a supporting role to the advice and mentoring you get from your primary adviser. A good way of thinking about this is that your primary adviser is helping you with the content of the project, and Gov 99 is (hopefully) helping you with more prosaic details (e.g., discussing how best to organize chapters, explaining what role a literature review plays, talking about how to effectively present data or cite sources, and so on). 

Note that the successful completion of Gov 99 in the Fall term is a requisite to continuing to write a thesis. Meanwhile, Gov 99 in the Spring term culminates in the physical submission of the thesis to the Department (but is completely independent from the grading of the thesis itself). 

See also: Honors & Theses

Yes. Please see concentration requirements.

See also: Honors & Theses

The “right” reasons for writing are many: the satisfaction of digging deep into a topic and seeing a long capstone project through; proving to a PhD admissions committee you “have what it takes” to become a professional academic; taking that last opportunity before finding a job to explore something you’re really passionate about; and yes, even just to get the highest level of honors you can. 

However, there are other ways to make your last year at Harvard memorable, and these may even be a better use of your time. The point is, only you can determine if writing a thesis is “right” for you. You shouldn’t write a thesis because you think you need to do so in order to get into law school or business school (you don’t), or because someone told you it is what everyone does (not true). If you do write a thesis, it should be because this is something you want to do for yourself. And if you decide that instead of writing a thesis you’d rather take great class you never had time for, devote more time to an extra-curricular activity, or even study for your LSATs or GMATs—that’s okay too. 

See also: Honors & Theses

Government is an honors-optional concentration and a thesis is required to get departmental honors (summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude in Government).  

Concentrators who don’t write a thesis can still graduate with “cum laude for the overall record” if they have a sufficiently high overall GPA (for May 2022 graduates, the cutoff was a 3.911 out of 4). Please refer to the Harvard College Handbook for Students for more details about this option. 

See also: Honors & Theses

If you take Social Studies 10a, it may count as one Gov elective, but not for a subfield requirement. If you take BOTH Social Studies 10a and Social Studies 10b, you may count those courses together as either the equivalent of Gov 97 OR for the subfield requirement in political theory, but not both.

You are limited to counting only one course for your Secondary Field and your primary concentration. However, you may double-count more than one Secondary Field course with other programs, such as Gen Ed or language citations. See the Secondary Fields website for more information. 

See also: Secondary Field, Courses

No, we do not give concentration credit for AP exams.  

Generally, students can count only one Harvard Summer School Government course, taught either on campus or abroad, towards their Government concentration requirements. We update the list of accepted Summer School classes each year. 

No, we do not accept these classes for Gov elective credit. 

There is a pre-approved list of Harvard Kennedy School courses for which Government concentrators will automatically receive Gov elective credit. However, the cross-registration form must still be signed by the Government DUS and turned in to the Registrar’s office in the Smith Center. Cross-registration forms are available here. Please note that Law School courses are not letter-graded and cannot be petitioned for Government credit. 

See also: Concentration Requirements, Courses 

No. You must take the subfield requirements for a letter grade. 

See here for a description of how to meet the subfield requirements.  

Because many of the programs Harvard offers or approves of are government related, it is extremely easy to study abroad as a Government Concentrator. See Study Abroad for more details. 

See also: Concentration Advising, Concentration Requirements 

Research assistantships and internships are publicized via the weekly “Events and Opportunities” email that is sent to Government concentrators. If you are not yet a Government concentrator and would like to be added to this mailing list, please contact us and we will add you. The OCS and Student Employment Office (SEO) also publicize these opportunities. 
 
If you are interested in doing research for academic credit, you should consider taking a Gov 92r, Faculty Research Assistantship for Credit. These opportunities will be publicized before the beginning of each semester, and allow you to participate in a guided research project with a Government faculty member. 

See also: Research Opportunities

Professors hold office hours weekly, and welcome students. You may want to contact the professor beforehand to see if making an appointment is necessary (there is an online list of contact information for the faculty, including office hours). Many students are intimidated by the idea of approaching a professor. Remember that you must be proactive in establishing a relationship with a faculty member; the faculty member most likely does not have time to seek you out, and has many other students. Most faculty members, however, tell us that they are disappointed that more students don’t visit them during office hours and that they would welcome talking to undergrads, so if you do make the effort, you will probably be met with enthusiasm by the faculty member. 
 
When you do meet with him or her, make sure you are prepared for the meeting – discuss what you want to research, why you want to work with the professor, or what advice you are soliciting and for what purpose. If you need some guidance on approaching a professor, you can talk to a staff member of the Undergraduate Program Office, particularly a CA.

The foundational courses are designed to provide you with a firm grounding in the fundamental concepts and themes of the subfield. If you are unfamiliar with the subfield, or intend to study it in greater depth later, you may find it useful to take the foundational course rather than a 1000-level course in order to ensure that you have a good overview of the subject matter. This breadth of study will give you a firm base for upper-level work in the subfield, and will help you if you need to take oral exams for your final honors determination. 

In addition to the CAs, we are always happy to talk to you in the Undergraduate Program Office in CGIS, where you can make an appointment to speak with us. The Peer Concentration Counselors can also give you an insider’s perspective on the concentration.  

See also: Concentration Advising 

Every House has a designated Concentration Adviser (CA) who acts as the departmental adviser for Government concentrators in that House. In most cases, your CA will be the Government Resident Tutor in your House. We make an effort to ensure that your CA stays in your House as long as possible, in the hope that you will have the same CA during your entire time at Harvard.  

Although your assigned CA is your “official” adviser, any CA will be happy to help you, and CAs are especially interested in talking with first-years about the concentration. 

See also: Concentration Advising 

Come by the Government Undergraduate Program Office and talk to the undergraduate program manager, one of the ADUSes, or the DUS about changing concentrations, or talk to one of the Concentration Advisers. They can help you think about your reasons for changing your concentration, review your student record to see which classes can count for Government credit, and help you figure out which classes you will need to take. Once you’re sure you want to switch to Government, they can help you fill out a Government Plan of Study form and an online Change of Concentration form. All Government classes you’ve taken can apply to the concentration requirements (with the exception of Gov 91r). If you want to get Gov credit for a non-Gov class (e.g. for Social Studies tutorials), you will need to contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval.  

Yes. We recommend that freshmen take Foundational (Gov 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) and/or 1000-level courses, as well as General Education courses taught by Government faculty. We generally do not recommend that freshmen take Gov 94 seminars, although it is possible for second-semester freshmen to enroll in a Gov 94 (Undergraduate Seminar) with the instructor’s permission. 

The Government department has many people you can talk to about the concentration. Concentration Advisers in the Houses can offer you guidance in your choice of concentration, and can provide information about different subfields and course selection. The Peer Concentration Counselors (PCCs), who are undergraduate Government concentrators, are also happy to talk to freshmen or potential concentrators. The Manager of Undergraduate Studies (Karen Kaletka), Assistant Directors of Undergraduate Studies (Dr. George Soroka and Dr. Gabriel Katsh), and the Director of Undergraduate Studies (Dr. Nara Dillon) can also answer many of your questions about the concentration. Please do not hesitate to contact us, either by dropping by the office at 1737 Cambridge Street, or via email or phone (617.495.3249). 

See also: Concentration Advising 

The main difference between Government and Social Studies is that Social Studies requires a thesis, while Government does not. Beyond that, you should think about how you want to approach your studies. The sophomore year looks quite different. In Social Studies, students take two semesters of Social Studies 10, a course focused on the texts of social science “greats.” In Government, students take Gov 97 in the spring of the sophomore year, a challenging course in which students choose their topic of interest while building on a common curriculum of learning how to research and write a research paper. Students can and often do similar work in both Gov and Social Studies, but Social Studies has a relatively greater emphasis on social theory and interdisciplinary research. A Social Studies concentrator is expected to take the initiative, in consultation with Social Studies advisers, in designing his or her own coherent plan of study that is organized around a “focus field” and culminates in a relevant senior thesis. Thus, Social Studies students often have a particular issue or problem that anchors their studies from sophomore through senior year. By contrast, Gov concentrators are free to count for their concentration requirements any Government courses that interest them. While some have very specific interests in a subfield or area of political science, some pursue several distinct “foci” (for example political philosophy and Middle Eastern politics, or American presidential politics and the political economy of development). 

Government graduates pursue work in graduate school (Master’s and Ph.D. programs), professional school (law, business), and the business, education, and non-profit worlds. Faculty and Staff in the Undergraduate Program Office and Concentration Advisers in the Houses are happy to talk to you about educational and professional opportunities for Government concentrators. The Office of Career Services is an excellent resource for information on careers, internships, and fellowships 

Government incorporates the combined knowledge and methodology of several disciplines – history, economics, philosophy, psychology, and sociology, among others – and applies them to the study of politics. The discipline has porous boundaries, and is therefore an extremely flexible concentration. It allows you to decide the direction of your studies according to your inclinations and interests: globalization, human rights, the U.S. Presidency, war and terrorism, area studies, political philosophy. Additionally, the study of Government will develop your writing and analytical abilities, and prepare you to be a cognizant and responsible citizen in our rapidly changing world. Its nearly universal applicability to different fields ensures that concentrating in Government will provide you with a base of knowledge and skills that will serve you well in whatever endeavor you choose after graduation.