The Quantitative Reasoning with Data (QRD) requirement introduces students to mathematical, statistical, and computational methods that will enable students to think critically about data as it is employed in fields of inquiry across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

QRD courses meet the following criteria:

• Students should learn computational, mathematical, and statistical methods for analyzing data, drawing inferences, and making predictions to answer questions.
• Students should learn how to apply these methods to real data.
• Students should understand the limitations of these methods (for example, the role of approximating assumptions, overfitting, causal ambiguity). 

Students must fulfill the QRD requirement by completing a course approved for QRD. Students can consult the QRD website for more information, including a comprehensive list of QRD courses and of those without prerequisites. QRD courses offered this academic year can be found in the my.harvard course search.

Students can refer to the list of Summer 2024 Courses approved for QRD if they are interested in fulfilling the requirement through Harvard Summer School courses.

Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2019 can fulfill the QRD requirement by completing either one course that fulfilled the Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning requirement (to include courses in the departments of Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics) or one course in Quantitative Reasoning with Data. These students can consult a list of courses previously approved for Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning.

A course used to fulfill the QRD requirement may be taken pass/fail, with the permission of the instructor.  However, when the same course is being used to fulfill a concentration or secondary field requirement, there may be limitations on the pass/fail options.  Students should consult with their advisers before choosing this option.

A course taken to fulfill the QRD requirement cannot be counted towards the College's Divisional Distribution requirement.

There are no constraints regarding the timing of this requirement, as long as it is completed by graduation.

Please consult the Harvard College Handbook for students for more information on requirements for the Harvard College degrees.  Questions about the QRD requirement may be sent to qrd@fas.harvard.edu.