Hello, I am a former community college student who graduated from the University of California Berkeley. I spent only two years at Berkeley. I now have a career but I would like to apply for a masters program at Harvard. The thing is, I can’t actually attend in person because of my work obligations, but I would understandably be very ecstatic and willing to claim Harvard for the rest of my life. The two-year program would actually match my two years at Berkeley. However, just being online really makes me feel like an imposter.
1 Like
If a college offers degrees by taking only online courses, you can say you have this degree.
I was going to join the Harvard Club in my city to give myself the connections and I was going to fly to Boston a few times a semester for recruitment events and whatnot. Maybe I’m overthinking this lol.
Earning a master’s degree could add to the depth and diversity of your educational background, and you would have the right to claim this degree in the form that it is offered. Personally, however, I wouldn’t view completion of an online master’s program as being inherently more impressive than your in-person experiences at community college and UCB, in which you appear to have performed quite well. Nonetheless, the overall progression of such a sequence may be inherently impressive and could expand your career opportunities.
Damn court of public opinion really is saying I have to move to Boston to take the same classes 
Who said that?
Contact Harvard and find out what’s what…
Is this through Harvard Extension? A lot of people use Harvard Extension so they can say they have a Harvard degree, but the degree is an MLA I believe, which signals it is from the Extension. Graduate Degrees | Harvard Extension School There is a residency component to this.
If you are referring to a different program, let us know.
You already have prestige on your resume from UC Berkeley. I would choose a program that offers you needed skills and connections, and it certainly doesn’t have to be Harvard. In fact, it might be better to do a program closer to where you live and work in terms of networking, unless you are able to easily move for opportunities. Cost might be more affordable too.
It’s not extension. I have 7 years work experience in the field but I want to get into consulting for firms working in the space so there is utility in the master’s. But to be really honest, I really want to go to Harvard for obvious reasons lol.
I don’t think it is exactly that, but . . .
Harvard is very adept at turning its strong brand name into net revenues of various sorts. Meaning it has a lot of programs where people get to associate themselves with Harvard for which it charges a lot of money.
But in various circles, this is very well-known. Which then somewhat undermines the value of what those people sometimes think they are purchasing.
Of course if you get out of that program in substance what you want, and it is worth the cost for that reason, then great.
Just be wary about thinking you can easily purchase “prestige” from these sorts of programs offered by Harvard Inc.
2 Likes
It’s not anything related to the extension school. Post pandemic some Harvard Grad schools started offering fully online options.
I found this Harvard Business School Online Courses & Learning Platforms (hbs.edu) Is there a degree offered? I can’t find one so maybe I am looking in the wrong place. Courses appear to be $1750. I PM’ed you
Forget Harvard for a minute.
What gap in your training/background/learning/competencies are you trying to fill with a Master’s degree?
Start there. I know a LOT of people who end up aggravated and frustrated because the Master’s (whether from Harvard or Oxford or Clown College) did not accomplish the reboot they hoped for.
This isn’t summer camp- i.e. a pleasant way to pass your time. If it doesn’t make sense for you professionally, it won’t matter whether it’s Harvard or online or whatnot.
MBA’s for example- the core value is in the networking. Showing up on a random Tuesday for a CEO roundtable and then the wine and cheese reception afterwards to ask questions. An adjunct professor whose day job is CFO of a really cool startup and wants to spend the next three class sessions with the students participating at a pitch day. Getting selected for a consulting gig where you spend every Friday at a local company troubleshooting their production issues and coming up with solutions.
Many online MBA’s teach the content (managerial accounting, blah blah blah) but without the CONTEXT and the networking. So students really aren’t getting their money’s worth unless they just want to fill in the blanks on some content issues (which frankly you can get from a textbook or by downloading some open-source courses available to everyone).
What are you trying to accomplish?
5 Likes
THIS!
If it’s just to say you have some degree from Harvard, that is not a good enough reason.
3 Likes
I second that. I personally know two people who spent a lot of time, energy and money getting an MBA from UChicago and Wharton (respectively) expecting that the prestigious name would give them a career boost. It did not! And these were in person programs - the real deal.
In other words a degree from Harvard won’t automatically give you a career boost. You will get many opportunities but it’ll ultimately be up to you how effectively you take advantage of and leverage these opportunities. Plus, your prior work experience, skill sets, domain knowledge, etc all play a part in big career moves.
2 Likes
You better make sure what the school offers from an access POV to those taking online classes. Is access to campus activities…career and otherwise - even available ? You noted flying in a few times per semester.
My friend did that in the exec mba at Michigan but that’s how the program was structured.
When I see people who lost Harvard on linked in - and it’s always a certification - I hope it was worthy content wise but it doesn’t make me think - wow.
I’d think that Clown College’s highly selective admission process (in which 50 applicants are accepted from thousands, according to its site) would indicate a level of prescreening that would be generally propitious for its graduates. As noted, outcomes from even a highly selective program such as as this cannot be presumed to be automatic, however. Moreover, the Harvard master’s program is unlikely to be as selective as Clown College.
The online degree is a legitimate degree conferred by Harvard University, and you will earn the right to claim whatever is printed on that degree, same as your Berkeley degree. I think your trouble is caused by the verb you want to use. You want to say, “I went to Harvard.” Instead, you say, “I earned my (name-of-degree) from Harvard.” Your resume will not use “went,” it will simply state what’s printed on your degree.
I started a thread several years ago, Harvard Through The Back Door, discussing how people viewed the Extension program, not the program you’re talking about, but the underlying issue is the same.
Our son is now living in MD finishing his master’s online from Georgia Tech. He attends real-time classes via Zoom and works on projects in teams and confers with his classmates and professors via Zoom, phone, chat, and e-mail. His diploma will make no distinction as to the method used to complete the program as walking the campus is not a degree requirement.
1 Like
Right, but my comment was not limited to the extension school, and not to online options.
Again, I do not think the issue is online per se. The issue is many people know that Harvard has a lot of different ways for people to associate themselves with the Harvard name. So, you cannot assume that any way of associating yourself with Harvard is going to do a lot for you.
But, if the program in substance is a good program for you, then that could still be a good idea for you.