Harvard University’s doctoral programs received high marks in the National Research Council’s Assessment of Research Doctoral Programs, published on Sept. 28. The council, which function under the umbrella of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine, rated approximately 5,000 programs in 62 disciplines at 212 institutions, assessing factors such as research productivity, student outcomes and diversity of environment.
Among the University’s high rankings, all four of the Division of Medical Sciences programs were the highest rated of all graduate programs in Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. These programs are: Biological and Biomedical Sciences, which ranked between one and two of 122 programs in Cell and Developmental Biology; Immunology, which ranked between one and six of 78 programs in Immunology; Neuroscience, which ranked between one and two of 94 programs in Neurobiology; and Virology, which ranked between one and four of 74 programs in Microbiology.
“The four programs in the Division of Medical Sciences strive continuously to maintain our curricular offerings, advising and mentorship, and student support activities at the highest levels of quality and relevance to the cutting edge of biomedical science,” said David Golan,
HMS dean for Graduate Education. “It is gratifying to see these efforts reflected in our National Research Council rankings.”
According to Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, “Such results no doubt validate the unparalleled work of our faculty in their efforts to train future leaders in biomedicine.”
For more information on the report, please visit the council’s website at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/Resdoc/index.htm. For specific questions regarding the nature of the analysis, visit the council’s FAQ page at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/Resdoc/pga_051962.
