An Honest Assessment of the Harvard Extension School
Harvard. Yes, that Harvard. It is the oldest and perhaps the most recognizable university in the United States. The genesis is Harvard College, an extraordinarily selective undergraduate institution and schools for medicine, law, government, business, divinity, and more. In all, there are thirteen degree-granting schools that make up the university — one of which is the Harvard Extension School.[1] The Harvard Extension School is well-established, often misunderstood, and sometimes maligned. Online searches will return a mix of excellent factual resources, a range of opinions, and occasional abject misinformation. The following is another perspective informed by recent experience.
A LONG AND NOBLE HISTORY
The Harvard Extension School is rooted in the premature death of wealthy Boston merchant John Lowell Jr. in 1836. His estate specified the establishment of a trust to support free and open public lectures in Boston, leading to the birth of the Lowell Institute in 1839. After Abbot Lawrence Lowell became President of Harvard College in 1909, he formally established the University Extension at Harvard to further the vision of the Lowell Institute. The mission was to provide a quality Harvard education to under-served (non-traditional) student populations at a reasonable cost (no more than the “value of two bushels of wheat”). The school has successfully done so while also being an inventive leader of novel instructional programs. For example, it offered courses using FM radios in the 1940’s and then in the 1960’s it provided the opportunity for a Harvard education to U.S. Navy Polaris submarine crews while at sea. By the late 1970’s the university was also an early adopter of tuition assistance that allowed those who worked at Harvard to also study at Harvard. This especially benefited lower-paid staff; many of whom were recent immigrants. All of this has been accomplished in a manner consistent with the vision of relative affordability while providing education and degrees substantially equivalent to the Harvard College.
PARTICIPATION AND THEN MATRICULATION
In a traditional university degree program, a prospective student must clear the early hurdle of a lengthy admissions process before participation. At elite institutions, this is a formidable gate to pass. In contrast, many university continuing education programs are open enrollment and non-degree granting propositions. They create opportunities to serve broader communities but often trade open access for academic rigor and a limited opportunity to earn a degree.[2]
The Harvard Extension School applies a hybrid model that is open to all but enables interested candidates to earn their way to matriculated status. In most instances, if the student meets the basic prerequisites, they can register for a class at the school without matriculation. However, learners who want to become full-fledged Harvard students must apply after successfully completing three courses and earning the required grades for admission. For undergraduates, only 32 percent of those who want to pursue an undergraduate degree earn the grades for admission.
The Harvard Extension School admissions process bifurcates the learners who take generally open-enrollment classes without earning a degree from admitted Harvard students pursuing a degree. The former can say they took a class at Harvard, but referring to themselves as Harvard students is, at best, a gray area. The latter are proper Harvard students with full admitted degree candidate benefits. These include (but are not limited to) being issued a Harvard student ID card, convocation, academic advising, career services, access to libraries, Smith Campus Center, student employment, an opportunity to be a Faculty Aide, Harvard off-campus housing, fellowships, student organizations, and student discounts.
A HARVARD EDUCATION
The Harvard Extension School course catalogue is substantial and offers courses at undergraduate and graduate levels. Various course formats include traditional on-campus classes, remote synchronous learning, on-campus weekends, and totally asynchronous options.
The instructors are excellent; but if you expect to take classes with Michael Sandel, Roland Fryer, Lawrence Lessig, Michael Porter or Steven Pinker then you are likely to be disappointed. That said, accepted degree candidates may apply for Special Student Status and take up to two classes at Harvard College or another Harvard graduate school. So, if your life ambition is to take a course with your favorite celebrity professor there is a path to explore. More typically, fifty-two percent of Harvard Extension School instructors are Harvard affiliates, and the remainder are faculty from other schools and industry professionals. The professors for the courses I completed were a diverse mix of Harvard faculty, faculty from other institutions (including MIT), instructors who are themselves Harvard alumni, and industry practitioners currently employed at Harvard University. Overall, the quality of instruction was excellent. The professors shared an effective mix of subject matter expertise, smarts, pedagogy, and contemporary real-world experience.
One of the draws of renowned schools is the standard of the people you will be learning with. A capable and engaged cohort can bring depth and impact to any classroom conversation, providing additional insights and perspectives. Peers at the Harvard Extension School are generally older and more experienced. There are anecdotal reports of extension students outperforming their Harvard College counterparts. While I have no doubt this does happen from time to time, it’s not likely the norm. The reality is that because there are non-matriculated students in most classes it can be a mixed bag ranging from the ridiculously smart to sometimes not.[3] Harvard attracts very smart and accomplished people and, overall, the extension school student body is very capable.
Regardless of which group a student belongs to, they should expect to work. Courses are well-designed and typically include some combination of reading, discussion, writing papers, labs, group projects and presentations. There are likely a few gems to be found; however, I did not unearth any. One of the “lighter” classes I completed required the submission of ten papers for grade as well as a group project and presentation. Another course had a healthy dose of reading, the submission of a paper for grade, and a presentation — that was just within the first eight days of the semester. In other words, the workload was substantial, and expectations were high. Altogether, there were extra times spent with Teaching Assistants during office hours. There were cold calls. You learned that “after all, this is Harvard” meant you were most likely going to be modifying whatever plans you had scheduled for that weekend.
A HARVARD EXPERIENCE
While the Harvard Extension School does offer many online programs, the distinction should be made that “extension” is not synonymous with “online”. This line was a little fuzzier during the COVID pandemic when, for some period, all classes were taught remotely. For students simply taking an online course, this is a distinction without a difference. However, for matriculated students, a Harvard campus experience is an explicit part of the program (although specifics vary by degree). That may mean taking a semester-long course (or courses) on campus, taking remote courses with designated on-campus weekends, or some combination of both. In any event, the on-campus requirements provide opportunities for collaborating in person and access to the considerable experiences the physical university and local community offer.
There are many different Harvard experiences. Yours is not going to be like an undergraduate at Harvard College (or any of the other resident graduate programs). It’s virtually assured that you will not experience a Housing Day (complete with Housing Day mascots) or get punched into a Final Club, and it is highly unlikely that you will accomplish the “three things”.[4] However, numerous other Harvard experiences exist, many of which are also available to the public. Harvard Yard is an open campus and, on any given day, is filled with tourists and other visitors walking the Old Yard and taking pictures with the statue of John Harvard. Among the excellent possibilities open to the public also include the numerous museums, theaters, and sporting events.[5] To the matriculated, there are some quite remarkable opportunities such as events in Annenberg Hall or studying in the Widener Library’s wonderful Loker Reading Room (or study carrels in the vast Widener Stacks ).[6]
AN EXTRORDINARY GRADUATION AND HARVARD ALUMNI PRIVELEGES
Overall, it has been reported that less than 1% of all students who have enrolled in an extension school course have continued through to graduation. For those few who enroll, succeed, matriculate, and endure, there is the prospect of earning a fully recognized degree from Harvard University with all the associated rights and privileges.[7] That includes participating in the exceptional morning exercises in Tercentenary Theater. Afterward, each school holds separate diploma ceremonies where students walk across a stage with their peers. Graduation day is an extraordinary affair from beginning to end for the graduates — and for their guests.
When graduation is over you will be an alum of Harvard University. You will have earned automatic entry into the Harvard Extension Alumni Association and the Harvard Alumni Association (with numerous Special Interest Groups and events). You will also be eligible for other exclusive benefits such as membership in the many Harvard Clubs including the Harvard Club of Boston and the Harvard Club of New York City.
TENSIONS
There are a few issues occasionally voiced in the context of the Harvard Extension School.
First is whether the Harvard Extension School is the back door into Harvard. I’ve pondered both sides of the argument and arrived at a definitive answer of could be, but not really. There certainly is a path for a prospective student who was not accepted or otherwise had little hope of acceptance to another Harvard program to get a Harvard education. However, the question itself ignores the mission of the school to serve populations of capable students whose circumstances may be quite different than the “typical” Harvard student. The extension school supports a democratized model of learning and recognizes that not everyone has the same opportunities early in life, that people mature intellectually at different stages of life, and that quality lifelong learning should be enabled.
A more substantive argument is against those who carelessly or intentionally misrepresent their credentials in a way that could mislead the less informed. For example, stating that one earned a “bachelor’s” degree from Harvard could be interpreted in different ways. In practice, only Harvard College awards AB (Bachelor of Arts) degrees, and only Harvard Extension School awards ALB (Bachelor of Liberal Arts) degrees. Advertising an ALB degree as a “bachelor’s” degree, or an ALM degree as a “master’s” degree, is potentially misleading and (is considered by some to be) poor form.
A CRIMSON CONCLUSION
By any measure, the Harvard Extension School is an outstanding continuing education opportunity that, considering the context, is reasonably priced and convenient to a wide variety of learning situations. The curriculum provides considerable flexibility, and the course catalog can accommodate a wide variety of professional and personal curiosities. Student support — from advising, to skills development, to networking — is everything you would expect at an elite institution. That this experience just happens to come with the Harvard brand and the Harvard community are significant bonuses.
Prospective students considering putting in some time, casually doing some work, and collecting a credential will be relieved of those notions promptly. Those willing to accept a challenge, work smartly, and persist will seize an impressive opportunity to learn, earn a degree, and own an extraordinary life experience. Harvard is, most of all, an excellent place to learn.
[1] The Harvard Extension School is the degree granting school within the Division of Continuing Education.
[3] There are anecdotes of students who made up for modest abilities with prideful enthusiasm (e.g., showing up for a Zoom class in all manner of Harvard swag on their person and in their Zoom background). These were the exceptions and not the norm.
[4] There is little need to fret as these are probably more a combination of contemporary trend and lore than tradition.
[5] Some of my personal favorites included a concert at the remarkable Sanders Theater, a Hasty Pudding Theatrical at Farkas Hall, and numerous D1 Ice Hockey games at Bright Landry.
[6] While the Widener experience is not to be missed, it can also be distracting. An adjacent and more traditional alternative can be found at Lamont Library.
[7] There are also other school-specific alumni organizations and opportunities in addition to the Harvard Alumni Association.
