HDS at a Glance

HDS at a Glance

HDS students outside, hugging each other in greeting

Founded

Harvard Divinity School was established in 1816 as the first nonsectarian theological institution in the United States. (Read more: History and mission.)
 

Dean

Marla Frederick is a leading ethnographer and scholar focused on the African American religious experience. She became the eighteenth Dean of Harvard Divinity School on January 1, 2024.
 

Faculty, 2025-26

  • Voting Faculty: 35
  • Visiting Faculty: 17
  • Emeriti Faculty: 17
  • Additional Instructors: 55
    (Including 11 Denominational Counselors)
     

Degrees offered

Harvard Divinity School students also earned dual degrees from the Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, and Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
 

Total courses offered, 2025-26 

272
 

Student enrollment, Fall 2025

  • MTS: 156
  • MDiv: 130
  • MRPL: 9
  • PhD: 76 (The PhD in religion is offered jointly with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.)
  • Professional and Lifelong Learning (Summer 2025): 57
  • Summer Language Program (Summer 2025): 77
     

Master's degree student demographics, Fall 2025

  • Female: 57%
  • Male: 35%
  • Self-reporting other gender identities: 8%
  • Age range: 20–67
  • Average age: 29
  • Religious Traditions Represented: 35+
     

Master's degree student demographics by IPEDS race and ethnicity, Fall 2025

  • Asian: 8.9%
  • Black or African American: 8.3%
  • Hispanic: 5.0%
  • International: 22.4%
  • None specified: 3.3%
  • Other: 4.3%
  • White: 47.9%
     

Number of student organizations, 2024–25

43
 

Living alumni

6,800+
 

Research and special programs

Publications

HDS buildings

  • Divinity Hall
  • Harvard Divinity School Library
  • Rockefeller Hall
  • Swartz Hall (formerly Andover Hall)
  • Center for the Study of World Religions
  • Women’s Studies in Religion Program: The Carriage House
  • Jewett House (Dean's residence)