FAQs for Students

(Updated July 9, 2009)

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1. Are students expected or required to pursue a secondary field?
   • No. Secondary fields are entirely optional and may not be the best option for all students. A secondary field provides the opportunity for guided and recognized work in a field outside of the concentration. However, pursuing a secondary field will reduce the number of available electives and could prevent students from taking advanced work in their concentration, pursuing research, or spending time abroad. Students and their advisers should discuss why they want to pursue a secondary field before embarking on one.
2. Do secondary fields fulfill Core requirements?
   • In general, secondary fields do not fulfill Core requirements. However, in parallel with the policies on Foreign Language Citations, students who successfully complete a secondary field in German, East Asian Studies, Romance Languages and Literatures, or Slavic may receive credit for the Foreign Cultures requirement in the Core. Please contact the Core office for more information (http://my.harvard.edu/core).
3. When and how do students sign up for a secondary field?
   • After students declare a concentration, they may notify a program of their interest using the on-line secondary fields web tool. Some programs require that students notify them early; others have no such deadlines. Students should check the information listed under “Advising Resources and Expectations” for each program for more information.
4. Can students design their own secondary fields, similar to a special concentration?
   • No. Secondary fields must be sponsored by a department, concentration, or other curricular committee of the Faculty.
5. Can a student receive credit for more than one secondary field?
   • No, students may chose only one secondary field.
6. Can a student who is pursuing a joint concentration also do a secondary field?
   • Yes, but this policy is currently under review. Students and their advisers should carefully discuss the benefits and drawbacks of pursuing a joint concentration and a secondary field.
7. Do secondary fields appear on the transcript or diploma?
   • The successful completion of a secondary field will appear on a student's academic transcript, but will not appear on the diploma. Only the name of the department or concentration will appear on the transcript, not the specific subfield or specialty (if there is one).
8. Can courses in a student's concentration count for a secondary field?
   • Only one half-course may double count for a secondary field and concentration (or any other degree requirement, such as the Core, a foreign language citation, or the language requirement). Courses count first for concentration, and then one may be double-counted for a secondary field. If a secondary field requires a full-year course that is also required by the students concentration, the student may double-count that full-year course. (Revised September 2007)
9. If the wrong courses are marked "conc" on a student record, what should a student do?
   • Only a student's concentration may change the “Conc” flags on the student record. The student must contact his or her concentration, who must in turn notify the Registrar's Office in writing of any changes. If there are errors, the concentration is expected to fix the mistakes. However, concentrations have different policies around accommodating students who want to do a secondary field, and some combinations may not be possible. A student should check with his or her concentration about whether or not they are willing to change what counts for the concentration in order for the student to do a secondary field. Concentrations are not required to make such accommodations at this time.
10. Can courses for study abroad or other Harvard Schools count for secondary fields?
    • Each program has its own rules about whether courses from study abroad or other Harvard Schools can count. However, if a program does accept courses from study abroad, students must follow the procedures set out by the Office of International Programs in order to get credit (see http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~oip for more information). These procedures parallel those required for students to get concentration credit for study abroad.
11. Can a student pursuing an AB/AM count “bracketed” courses for the secondary field?
    • No. Only courses that count for an undergraduate degree can count towards the secondary field.
12. When and how do students formally file for a secondary field?
    • With the approval of the designated adviser in the secondary field, students will file the appropriate forms with the Registrar after the requirements for a secondary field have been completed. (In the case of second-term seniors, students may file the forms after enrolled in courses that will fulfill remaining requirements.) No secondary field may be added to the degree after the deadline published in the Handbook for Students (seventh Monday of the fall term for March degree candidates; seventh Monday of the spring term for May and November degree candidates). The deadline is firm; no exceptions will be made.