A concentration within the College
Harvard says students choose a concentration, its word for a major. The pages read describe no separate application to Chemical and Physical Biology.
Undergraduate · Harvard College
Harvard Chemical and Physical Biology: biology through chemical and physical tools
Harvard College admits students to the College, and Chemical and Physical Biology is one of the concentrations they can choose once enrolled. Harvard describes it as the link between classical biology and the chemical tools and physical methods needed to understand complex biological systems. For an A-level or IB applicant, the useful question is how it differs from Molecular and Cellular Biology and from engineering routes. This guide makes no claim of a separate application to the concentration.
Official information · read 1 November 2026, no entry-year label
What Harvard says about Harvard Chemical and Physical Biology
Taken from the Harvard Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology's Chemical and Physical Biology undergraduate page, Harvard College's Concentrations page and Application Requirements page, read on 1 November 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Harvard's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Chemical and physical tools for biology
Harvard says the concentration links classical biology with the chemical tools and physical methods needed to understand complex biological systems.
An integrated problem-solving approach
A stated objective is to tackle biological problems with physical, chemical, quantitative and computational skills.
Chemistry features in the first-year gateway
Gateway courses include general chemistry, Foundations and Frontiers of Modern Chemistry and a life-sciences introduction.
Calculus is not an admission requirement
Harvard says it views math records holistically with no specific course required, and calculus is not required for admission.
The SAT or ACT is required
Harvard requires one of them; A-level and IB school reports carry predicted grades.
Official sources
- Harvard College: Concentrations (Liberal Arts & Sciences)college.harvard.edu
- Harvard Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology: Chemical and Physical Biology undergraduate pagemcb.harvard.edu
- Harvard College: Application Requirementscollege.harvard.edu
Read on 1 November 2026 on the Harvard Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology's Chemical and Physical Biology undergraduate page, Harvard College's Concentrations page and Application Requirements page, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Harvard's course catalogue, the full requirement lists, fees, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The concentration
What the Chemical and Physical Biology concentration teaches
Harvard's concentrations page says the concentration links classical approaches to biology with the chemical tools and physical methods needed to understand dynamic changes in complex biological systems, and its objectives include solving biological problems with physical, chemical, quantitative and computational skills. The department's page says graduates can supplement traditional biological techniques with chemical and physical methods in fields such as engineering, biomedicine and mathematics. First-year gateway courses combine mathematics, general chemistry and a life-sciences introduction; second-year courses include molecular and cellular biology and organic chemistry. This guide does not list the full requirements.
Is it the right concentration?
Chemical and Physical Biology beside Molecular and Cellular Biology
Harvard lists these as separate concentrations, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
Chemical and Physical Biology fits if
chemistry, physics and quantitative methods are the tools you want to bring to biology.
Molecular and Cellular Biology fits if
your interest is molecules, cells and tissues, which Harvard describes as the base of that concentration.
Biomedical Engineering fits if
you want to design systems for medicine. Avandy's Harvard Biomedical Engineering guide covers it.
Admission and testing
A College application, an SAT or ACT, and predicted grades
Harvard requires the SAT or ACT, and accepts other results such as the IB or A levels only in exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible. Schools on the IB or A-level curriculum are expected to send predicted grades. Harvard says calculus is not required for admission and no specific math course is required. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Harvard's.
Are you more drawn to chemistry and physics than to whole-organism biology?
The concentration is framed around chemical and physical methods.
Are mathematics, chemistry and a life-sciences introduction comfortable first-year courses?
They make up the first-year gateway list.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT with your A levels or IB?
Harvard requires one of them for first-year applicants.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Harvard's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Harvard's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 1 November 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Harvard has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Harvard for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the Chemical and Physical Biology entry on Harvard's concentrations page and the department page, and plan the SAT or ACT alongside your A levels or IB.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Harvard College or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Harvard College. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Harvard Chemical and Physical Biology?
The pages read describe admission to Harvard College. Students choose a concentration, Harvard's word for a major, once enrolled.
How is it different from Molecular and Cellular Biology?
Harvard lists them as separate concentrations: it describes MCB as rooted in molecules, cells and tissues, and CPB as linking biology with chemical and physical methods.
What do graduates use the chemical and physical methods for?
The department says they can supplement traditional biological techniques in fields as diverse as engineering, biomedicine and mathematics.
Do I need calculus before applying?
Harvard says calculus is not a requirement for admission and that no specific math course is required.
Do I need the SAT or ACT with A levels or the IB?
Harvard requires the SAT or ACT; IB or A-level results meet the requirement only in exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Harvard's wording with no entry-year label. Check Harvard's pages again when Harvard publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Harvard Chemical and Physical Biology
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology, how they weigh chemistry-led biology against cell biology and their SAT or ACT plan, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.