Contact Information

Harvard University
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Economics
Littauer Center
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138

University Location and Description

The Economics Department is located in the Littauer Center for Public
Administration Building, just outside the gates on the North side of
Harvard Yard, and next to the Science Center on the Cambridge Campus of
Harvard University.

Type of Degree Offered

Admission to the program is limited to candidates preparing for the 
degree of doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in economics, and students who
seek the A.M. degree only cannot be admitted

Short History of the Program

The program has been in existence at least 45 years. The program can be
traced back to Edwin F. Gay, who later became the first president of the
Economic History Association.  Gay is considered by many to have been the
first true economic historian in the U.S.  He began teaching at Harvard in
1902.

Students

In the past ten years almost 20 graduates students have completed
their dissertations in economic history. They have gone on to a variety of
positions in academia, and both the private and public sector. Examples
include placement at Duke, Vanderbilt, Bates, Georgetown, Davis, UC Dublin,
Bank of France, George Mason, University Munich, Hebrew University, IM, etc.

Faculty

Jeffrey Williamson and Claudia Goldin carry out full time research in
economic history. Several other faculty members, among them David Cutler,
Ed Gleaser, Chris Foote, Michael Kremer, Dwight Perkins, Jeff Sachs and
Andrei Shleifer have made significant contributions in the field in the
recent past.

Required Courses in Economic History

Subject matter in Economic History is part of the oral exam, one
of the requirement for a Ph.D. degree.

Offered Courses in Economic History

Currently the department is offering the following courses:
Undergraduate, Fall 1999:
	Economics 1357. Historical Perspectives on American Economic Ascendancy
	Catalog Number: 7554, Claudia Goldin, half course (fall term).

Graduate, Fall 1999:
	Economics 2334. The Industrial Revolution 
	Catalog Number: 0124, Robert Allen, half course (fall term)


	SEMINAR: Economics 2339. Workshop in Economic History
	Catalog Number: 8183 , Claudia Goldin and Jeffrey Williamson, full course.

	Economics 2390a. The Structural Transformation in Historical Perspective
	Catalog Number: 4216, Dwight Perkins and Jeffrey Williamson, half course (fall term).

Graduate, Spring 2000:
	Economics 2330. The Development of the American Economy
	Catalog Number: 0123, Claudia Goldin, half course (spring term).

	SEMINAR: Economics 2339. Workshop in Economic History
	Catalog Number: 8183, Claudia Goldin and Jeffrey Williamson, full course, F., 2-4.
		

Seminar Series

The Harvard Economics department offers the oldest Economic History Workshop 
in the world.  It meets every Friday while Harvard is in session, 2-4pm.
Around 20-25 participants are usually in attendance, including economic historians
from the Boston area such as Coatsworth, Goldin, Williamson from Harvard; Costa,
McCants, Temin from MIT; Kauffman from Wellesley; Botticini from BU; Heim from 
UMass-Amherst; Rothenberg from Tufts; Carstentson from UConn; Brown from Clark;
Grossman from Wesleyan; Leibowitz from Umass-Lowell; Motomura from Stonehill; 
Zevin retired; and emeritus Landes;

General Department Information

A concentration in economics at the undergraduate level is preferred but not
required. Students will need a strong undergraduate training in mathematics,
particularly in linear algebra and calculus.  Knowledge of differential equations
and statistics is also very helpful.

All applicants are required to take the GRE examination and the Subject
Examination in Economics (you should take the GRE no later than October).
If English is not your native language, there are two acceptable ways to
demonstrate English proficiency: (1) Hold a degree from an institution at
which English is the language of instruction; (2) Score at least 550 on
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the
Educational Testing Service (ETS); Box 899, Princeton, NJ 08541.

Our Mailing Address Is:
	Department of Economics
	Littauer Center
	Harvard University
	Cambridge, MA 02138
	USA

Links

To request admissions material, send e-mail to: adm@hugsas.harvard.edu
or write to:
	Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
	Admissions and Financial Aid Office
	Byerly Hall
	8 Garden Street
	Cambridge, MA 02138
or call: (617)495-5396

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (http://www-hugsas.harvard.edu/admissions/)
offers some financial aid for the support of graduate study. The Department of
Economics (http://www.economics.harvard.edu/) offers teaching fellowships
to degree candidates to provide both financial support and teaching
experience.