Who were the first female professors at Harvard?
Asked by: Deja Blanda | Last update: February 9, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (57 votes)
Dr. Alice Hamilton was Harvard's first female faculty member, appointed Assistant Professor of Industrial Medicine in 1919, though she faced significant restrictions, while Helen Maud Cam became the first tenured woman professor at Harvard in 1948, and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was the first woman to become a full professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (1956) and head a department.
Who was the first female professor at Harvard?
1919: Alice Hamilton, MD, becomes the first woman appointed to a faculty rank at Harvard.
When did Harvard start accepting females?
A more complex picture emerged Harvard's graduate Schools. The Harvard Graduate School of Education was the first to admit women in 1920. Harvard Medical School accepted its first female enrollees in 1945 — though a woman first applied almost 100 years earlier, in 1847.
Who was the first woman to get a PhD from Harvard?
Mary Whiton Calkins (Smith AB 1885) was the first woman to qualify for the PhD at Harvard.
Who is the most famous professor at Harvard?
There's no single "most famous," but top contenders include business strategist Michael E. Porter, cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker, Nobel laureate geneticist Gary Ruvkun, and legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein, alongside public intellectuals like Henry Louis Gates Jr., all known for significant impact, extensive citations, or broad public recognition, though fame is subjective.
The first female professor at Harvard taught what subject?
Does Trump have a Harvard degree?
No, Donald Trump did not graduate from Harvard; he graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 with a degree in economics after transferring from Fordham University. He attended Fordham for two years before moving to Wharton, an Ivy League institution, to complete his undergraduate studies.
Who is the highest paid professor at Harvard?
Harvard's highest-paid professors vary by year, but often include David J. Malan (Computer Science, known for CS50) and several from the Harvard Business School (HBS), with some earning over $1 million, especially when lump-sum retirement payments or deferred income are included. In 2023, HBS professors like Walter C. Kester and Rohit Deshpande received significant compensation, sometimes exceeding $2 million due to retirement incentives, while Malan also earned over $1.3 million.
Who was refused a PhD from Harvard?
Although she earned her PhD at Harvard under William James, Calkins was refused the degree by the Harvard Corporation (who continues to refuse to grant the degree posthumously) on the grounds that Harvard did not accept women.
What is Claudine Gay's salary at Harvard?
Former Harvard President Claudine Gay earned about $1.3 to $1.4 million in total compensation for 2023, which covered her brief presidential term and her prior role as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, including a significant salary bump as she transitioned to the presidency. Her pay package included a base salary (around $1 million), bonuses, and benefits like housing, reported in Harvard's annual tax filings.
What was Elle Woods' GPA?
In the film, Legally Blonde, Woods is a sorority sister living at the Delta Nu House at the fictional California University Los Angeles (CULA) (USC in the novel, UCLA in the musical) where she studies in Fashion Merchandising and maintains a 4.0 GPA.
Who was the girl who went to Harvard?
Elizabeth Murray (born September 23, 1980) is an American memoirist and inspirational speaker who is notable for having been accepted by Harvard University despite being homeless in her high school years. Her life story was chronicled in Lifetime's television film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003).
Why is Harvard called Radcliffe?
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard College. The college was named for the early Harvard benefactor Anne Mowlson (née Radcliffe) and was one of the Seven Sisters colleges.
What percent of Harvard is female?
Harvard University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,038 (fall 2024), with a gender distribution of 46.5% male students and 53.5% female students. At this school, 97% of the students live in college-owned, -operated or -affiliated housing and 3% of students live off campus.
Who is the most famous person who went to Harvard?
While "most famous" is subjective, Barack Obama, the 44th U.S. President and first African American president, is widely considered one of, if not the most, famous Harvard alumnus, graduating from Harvard Law School in 1991. Other top contenders include several U.S. Presidents, tech figures like Bill Gates (dropout) and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and influential business leader Ratan Tata.
Why did Ruth Bader Ginsburg transfer out of Harvard?
Her husband recovered from cancer, graduated from Harvard, and moved to New York City to accept a position at a law firm there. Ruth Bader Ginsburg had one more year of law school left, so she transferred to Columbia Law School and served on their law review as well.
Why was Mary Calkins denied her PhD?
In 1896 Münsterberg wrote to the president of Harvard that Calkins was, "one of the strongest professors of psychology in this country." A committee of six professors, including James, unanimously voted that Calkins had satisfied all the requirements, but she was refused a Harvard doctoral degree because she was a ...
Who is the richest Harvard alumni?
Harvard boasts many wealthy alumni, with Mark Zuckerberg often cited as the richest former student (though he dropped out) with vast wealth, while Michael Bloomberg (who earned an MBA) is frequently named the wealthiest graduate, alongside other major figures like Bill Gates (dropped out) and Ray Dalio, demonstrating the university's strong pull for billionaires across various fields.
Who is the highest paid president of a university?
The highest-paid university presidents often earn multi-million dollar incomes, with recent data from 2024-2025 showing top earners like Andrew Hamilton (NYU, ~$3.3M base), Sally Kornbluth (MIT, ~$1.8M), and Jay C. Hartzell (UT Austin, ~$1.4M base), alongside exceptionally high figures like former Penn President Amy Gutmann's 2021 total payout of nearly $23M, highlighting significant variation between base pay, bonuses, and total compensation at large private universities.
Who is the youngest person to ever graduate from Harvard?
Eugenie Carys de Silva is an academic known for being the youngest person to ever graduate from Harvard University. De Silva completed her master's degree in Intelligence Studies at age 16. Dr.
What celebrity dropped out of Harvard?
Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to pursue his software company, although he states “if things hadn't worked out, I could always go back to school. I was officially on leave.” Matt Damon was a member of Harvard's Delphic final club.
What's the lowest GPA Harvard has ever accepted?
There's no official minimum GPA for Harvard, but successful applicants typically have near-perfect GPAs (3.9+) in rigorous courses; however, exceptions exist for extraordinary applicants with lower grades (sometimes below 3.0) who compensate with incredible achievements, unique talents, or compelling personal narratives, though these cases are rare and often involve special circumstances like athletics or legacy.
How prestigious is a PhD from Harvard?
According to the QS World University Rankings and The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, it regularly secures a spot in the top 5, reflecting the university's dedication to quality research output and academic reputation.
How much do Harvard janitors make?
As of Dec 09, 2025, the average annual pay for a Harvard Maintenance Janitorial Cleaner in the United States is $34,575 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $16.62 an hour. This is the equivalent of $664/week or $2,881/month.
What is the most prestigious Professor title at Harvard?
The most prestigious professorship at Harvard is the University Professor, a title created in 1935 for a select few scholars whose work transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, granting them freedom to research across any of Harvard's schools and representing the highest academic honor for faculty. These appointments are reserved for exceptional individuals with groundbreaking, influential scholarship, with only around 25 such professors holding the distinction at any given time.
Who is the youngest Professor at Harvard University?
Noam David Elkies (born August 25, 1966) is a professor of mathematics at Harvard University. At age 26, he became the youngest professor to receive tenure at Harvard. He is also a pianist, chess national master, and chess composer.