Each year, several new students begin their studies of Solid Mechanics for PhD degrees at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.  The students come from all over the world.  We have no constraint on where they come from.

Faculty members in Solid Mechanics.   The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is not divided into departments, but faculty do self-assemble into programs.  Faculty members directly responsible for the program of Solid Mechanics are

• John W. Hutchinson
• L. Mahadevan
• James R. Rice
• Zhigang Suo
• Joost J. Vlassak 

Please look at the above websites, and feel free to contact us for any question. 

Application.  We will be delighted if you find that your interest matches with ours.  In the application form, please check the “Solid Mechanics” box.  In the statement of purpose, please indicate your experience or aspiration relevant to Solid Mechanics.  You only need a Bachelor degree to apply for admission as a PhD student.  Of course, if you do have a master degree, please tell us your experience in some detail.  We love Solid Mechanics, and appreciate people with similar enthusiasm for our subject. 

If you are interested in working with a particular professor, please mention in your statement of purpose the name of the professor and your reasons.  We read each statement of purpose with care, and look for good matches.  So, please help us.  

Mentioning the name of a professor does not bind you with the professor.  You can choose to work with anyone at Harvard once you are here.  Please learn more about application. 

Admission.  Individual faculty members can make recommendations, but cannot determine which student to admit. All students are admitted through the Graduate Admissions Committee in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, on a competitive basis. 

Financial support.  Every PhD student receives a fellowship, which is sufficient to cover all expenses to study and live in Cambridge.  The fellowship, however, is rarely offered to a Master student.  If your final goal is to obtain a PhD degree at Harvard, you may not wish to apply for admission as a Master student.  Instead, you may apply for admission as a PhD student:  you only need a Bachelor degree to do so. 

Your program of study.  We are flexible.  Once you come to Harvard, you and your advisor will work together to define a program of study specifically suitable to you. 

If you absolutely cannot wait to plan ahead, here is what you need to get started.  The PhD degree requires that you take 10 courses.  You may look at the catalogue of courses at Harvard.   Harvard students can also take courses at MIT.  Here is a very short list of Harvard courses popular among students of Solid Mechanics:

• Engineering Sciences 240.  Solid Mechanics
• Engineering Sciences 241.  Advanced Elasticity
• Engineering Sciences 242r.  Solid Mechanics:  Advanced Seminar
• Engineering Sciences 246.  Plasticity
• Engineering Sciences 247.  Fracture Mechanics
• Engineering Sciences 216.  Biological Dynamics
• Engineering Sciences 220.  Fluid Mechanics
• Engineering Sciences 262.  Advanced Hydrology and Environmental Geomechanics
• Earth and Planetary Sciences 263.  Earthquake Source Processes
• Earth and Planetary Sciences 201.  Physics of the Earth's Interior
• Earth and Planetary Sciences 204.  Global Sesmology
• Applied Mathematic 201.  Physical Mathematics I
• Applied Mathematics 202.  Physical Mathematics II
• Applied Physics 282.  Solids:  Structures and Defects
• Applied Physics 292.  Kinetics of Condensed Phase Processes
• Applied Physics 293.  Deformation of Solids

A short list of other Harvard faculty members who have strong interests in Solid Mechanics or closely related fields.  Once you come to Harvard to study Solid Mechanics, you are likely to encounter the following professors:

• Joanna Aizenberg (biophysics)
• Michael J. Aziz (materials science)
• Debra T. Auguste (bioengineering)
• Michael P. Brenner (applied mathematics, fluid mechanics)
• David R. Clarke (materials science, mechanical behavior of materials)
• David A. Edwards (bioengineering)
• Robert D. Howe (bioengineering, robotics)
• David J. Mooney (bioengineering)
• Richard J. O'Connell (theoretical geophysics)
• Kit Parker (disease biophysics)
• Shriram Ramanathan (materials science, mechanical behavior of materials)
• Frans Spaepen (materials science)
• Howard A. Stone (fluid mechanics)
• David A. Weitz (soft matter)
• George M. Whitesides (physical chemistry, bioengineering, soft matter)
• Robert J. Wood (microrobotics)

Questions and answers.  I'll try to anwser your questions if you post them as comments below.  I'll also update this list as questions come to me through phone calls and emails.  You can also direct your questions to Julia Holbrook (holbrook@seas.harvard.edu), Director of Graduate Admissions, of SEAS.

Q:  If I can obtain external funding, will my chance for admission improve?

A:  Yes.  Admissions are principally based on two factors:  (1) An applicant is competitive in the pool of applicants, without the consideration of funding; (2) A professor is willing to support the applicant.  By obtaining external funding, you help to resolve (2).

Q:  I attach my resume.  Can you tell me if I am likely to be admitted?

A:  Usually No. An applicant is admitted on a competitive basis within a pool of applicants.  It is hard for me to give you a useful reply without going through the pool.

Q:  My scores for the English tests are below the levels set by your school.  What is the chance for me to be admitted?

A:  Very low.  An applicant is admitted by a committee of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.  It takes an extraordinary effort for a member of the faculty to persuade the committee to accept an applicant with very low scores.