Is Harvard Extension School Worth It? | What is Harvard Extension School?

This video will examine the Harvard Extension School and talk about its relationship to Harvard University. Many people actually don't know that Harvard has a continuing education division which offers some tremendous programs for those who might not be able to get into some of their other programs or cannot commit to the requirements to attend some of the other programs that are offered by the school. If you have attended the Harvard Extension School or have any thoughts or opinions, I would love to hear them in the comment section below! Thanks for watching! Remember to LIKE and Subscribe!

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT an expert by any means. The opinions and views in the video are solely my own and you should seek professional advice before making career related decisions.

[Hyphenated]

People have received degrees at the HES, Bachalors and Masters, and gone on to other programs of even higher study MA and Ph.D's in other institutions. This is a GREAT school and an even GREATER Idea.

[Leigh_Wolf]

Outstanding program, especially for folks in their late 20's early 30's who are working full-time.

[BlackKettleRanch]

There are people who have graduated from HES and went on to Ph.D. programs at Harvard. They are now professors at Harvard.

[MichaelJMilton]

Went to HES and now completing my PhD at UMaine in May.

[sharonharden]

My son went to Wesleyan University in CT for two years, hated it, worked as a computer programmer in San Francisco for two years, and then completed his degree (2 years) in computer science at Harvard Extension. He worked hard. Outperformed the Harvard students in the class. Got straight As. Received a prize at graduation ($2000, I think). And he got a job at Bloomberg in NYC through the Harvard career fair. Yes! Online education is a real option. You are required to take the majority of courses with actual Harvard professors with Harvard college students. If you can't afford traditional college but still want a world class education, go to the Harvard Extension School. I went to UCLA and Georgetown Law and am considering getting a masters degree in sustainability at the extension school.
May 2023 Update: He now works as a software programmer at Google. Got hired right before the hiring freeze. So don’t go into debt getting an education.

[Spenceramaa]

Just completed a math course as a distance student with them this past Spring in anticipation of applying for my PhD. HES was the only school (and I checked thoroughly) to offer this particular course online in a way that could provide me a transcript (necessary to show grad schools my level of ability and hopefully my dedication). I would never have had this opportunity without them.

Beyond that, the course was phenomenal. The camera work was excellent, even zooming in on specific notes on the board if they were a little bit too small, and pausing to give enough time to record everything accurately. The TA sections were all posted as well.

As for drawbacks, it was frustrating that after the first half a dozen assignments, I stopped receiving explanations behind right/wrong answers on homework assignments, and just received a grade instead. I'm certain I could have asked, as the TAs were great at communicating quickly and efficiently, but for me it was too time-consuming to pursue them for every problem as I work full-time and am on a complete 12 hour time difference (Beijing vs Cambridge). The exams also had this issue- I received my grade, but didn't know what I got right or wrong and never saw a breakdown. This was particularly an issue because I could never see the exam paper again (whatever proctor the school remotely approves for you in your area must keep the exam for 30 days and then destroy it) so I couldn't fix my errors for successive tests.

Luckily, this didn't end up affecting my grade at all, but during the class I really worried that it might. Again, I'm sure I could've gotten the information I wanted had I chosen to pursue it, but it didn't seem worth my time as I had so much else to do for my day job and was already dedicating full weekends just to the class as it was.

Nevertheless, I'm going to take another class with them in the fall, as these downsides are greatly outmatched by the upsides of the course quality, production quality, resume-boosting, and straight up knowledge gain (uniquely) provided by HES (in my case). I do feel the appropriate level of mastery of the subject as if I had attended the course in person, if not more so only because I could re-watch lectures and pause/play at my own pace.

Final note- if you do take a course with them and have to submit assignments, DO NOT use google chrome as you will be unable to upload. I believed my first couple assignments to be sent successfully, but it was simply a browser error and they never received them. Luckily, the TAs/Professor were very understanding (in fact, I was convinced it was a VPN problem for a while, and thus misdiagnosed the error), and allowed me to resubmit following the deadline because they could see my upload attempts. Following that third week, I submitted the following 12 weeks' worth of assignments through Internet Explorer without issue. Also, you'll likely need to scan documents rather than take pictures of them- there are some great scanner apps out there which I used for this purpose.

[TheEmperoroftheUni]

I saw another video where one guy who attended HES and got invited to OXFORD to pursue his medical degree. OXFORD. And another guy is going on to the Kennedy School. KENNEDY SCHOOL! A few students I talked with said that after they graduated they were on the radar of a lot of jobs, and the HES career services work with you. It is absolutely worth it. You put in the work and you get recognized. No brainer. I recommend it. It is not cheap, but it is 100...one thousand percent worth it.

[Oberon]

You mentioned that attending classes during summer school gives you the chance to take classes with Harvard College students. That's true, and it is a great opportunity, but I wanted to point out that many of the Extension School courses are just Harvard College courses that you register for through HES. I've taken a handful of these myself, and it's been very interesting to sit in classes with Harvard College students and see what their experience is like.

It has also given me some insight into the question of whether Harvard College classes are more difficult than classes offered only by HES. In my experience, which I acknowledge is limited, there is no clear pattern. One of the classes I took -- data visualization -- required an immense amount of time and energy just to stay afloat. Another was really very easy. These were both regular Harvard College classes, I just happened to register for them through HES. Likewise I have had both tremendously challenging and some less-challenging courses that are offered only through HES.

[BuddyGreenbloom]

I LOVE it. And all the edX schools. I use it for professional development and intellectual curiosity. It's everything you describe and what's more, you can audit for free if you simply want KNOWLEDGE. :)

[Oberon]

Oh, also -- you mentioned that some of the courses are taught by industry professionals. One of my professors was an industry professional. He teaches at the Naval War College and has worked at high levels in Washington for most of his career. The amount of insight he was able to give us into how Washington works was amazing. I was worried that not being a full time Harvard professor would be a drawback but my experience has been the opposite.

[bobbymorton]

I want to study math at the extension school after Bud's Navy Seal training. I visited the campus it's like living in your own mansion of a dorm room. Lots of love and knowledge arriving soon!!!

[dwaynekennemore]

Hey Alonzo, I can answer: although graduates of the Extension School have been admitted to and succeeded at each of the other schools in Harvard for graduate study, they don't transfer to the College. If you attend HES for undergraduate study you simply get your degree there. I am pursuing my master's degree in software engineering at HES and I think it's a gem of a program!

[mibraliy]

Excellent program. Well worth it in my opinion. Took a course in Real Estate, learned a great deal. Great professor, great learning experience. I definately think going for extension degree will be worth it, and one should feel proud to be part of such a program and rightfully call themselves Harvard Graduates if they complete it.

[BlackKettleRanch]

My degree at HES is requiring 52 credits with Harvard instructors. That's approximately 13 courses, depending on whether you take all 4 credit classes or 2 credit classes.

[itsallagame]

I know for what my dad told me because they have hired a few people that got a degree and another a certificate that it is a good faculty. However, it is more for mature students or young people who did not have the opportunity to go to college or university because of monetary reasons or having to work from an early age or in some cases people who have turned their life around. It is frowned upon on young students who try to get in as a back through door into Harvard and of course, they don´t get in. Nevertheless, Harvard and each company do their due diligence and scrutinize the history of each applicant. Suffice to say, many end up getting into an MBA or other Masters at Harvard or MIT.

[travishimebaugh]

Been an HES student for almost a year now. Tuition is pretty high and there are about a dozen little stipulations you have to get out of the way before you qualify for any financial aid, and you will probably need to take a course with mandatory 100% attendance rates, which, for me, totally defeated the purpose of taking courses online at your leisure.

[Romi]

Hey guys, please could someone tell me how long does it take to finish a master's degree at HES (International Relations)? I've read on their website that you have 5 years to finish it but what's the minimum? Can it be done in 2 years? I'm currently studying for BSc Politics and International relations (University of London)

Thank you

[shujayethossain]

Hi,
Are the courses taken at HES transferrable to other Harvard graduate schools like HKS & HBS and other universities in the country?

[lordlovesmith]

After I’m finished with my Bachelor’s of science degree i am going to HES for my masters

[tyshawnkey]

Hey, I'm looking to gain some foundational knowledge of environmental policy/law to make a pivot sect pivot in my current career. I'm looking into the different extension school programs, and came across HES. Does anyone know if you can pay on a payment plan? Or do all payments have to be made in full?