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Harvard Business School

Written by  Piyush Bhartiya, MBA

Published on Fri, February 14, 2020 1:05 PM   Updated on Thu, September 3, 2020 2:46 PM   14 mins read

Harvard University, an Ivy League Research University, is regarded for its supremacy in research and learning. It has 12 chief academic subdivisions providing a degree. These units include Harvard Business School, Harvard College, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard Graduate School of Education, etc. Harvard Business School is regarded among the top business schools in the world.

Harvard Business School or HBS is located in Boston, Massachusetts. It offers full-time MBA courses, programs related to management, and many other courses. It was established in 1908. In addition to the full-time MBA program of 2 years, there is also a provision for dual degree courses by means of other Harvard colleges.

HBS believes in the wholesome development of students by throwing them practical challenges one may encounter as a leader. Students at HBS get hands-on experience by means of case study. In this method, students learn to tackle real-life problems with the best possible solutions. In addition to their own course, students can engage themselves with more than 70 clubs in HBS.

  • HBS is one of the most prestigious business schools in the entire world.
  • The experiences are transformative in every aspect. 
  • Interaction with a diverse group of students helps the individual to develop traits necessary for a growth mindset.
  • A plethora of departments is offered at HBS including finance, entrepreneurship, accounting, General Management, marketing, and many more.
  • The rate of employment after completion of this course rises up to nearly 77%.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ONLINE

Harvard Business School Online provides a platform to learn important business concepts in an engaging manner. A survey was conducted in which three out of four students said “HBS online is more impactful than other business programs. The learning model for HBS online has three major aspects- Active, Case-Based, and Social. The coursework is completed as per the student’s own schedule keeping in mind the regular deadlines. This ensures progress and regular growth.

The active aspect of HBS online ensures that this course distinguishes itself from other passive lecture courses. The students engage themselves in new activities and situations. Polls, problem-solving exercises, and short essays are the key features that cover active learning. The students are put into real-world cases thus teaching them life-lessons. Discussion among peers will help you to learn furthermore. Thus, the social aspect is also fulfilled by Harvard Business School Online. People learn from each other mistakes or experiences, respect other’s points of view and in turn, get a broader outlook on the world.

  • Harvard Business School Online platform is growing at a great rate. 
  • It improves self-confidence and self-esteem.
  • It creates an engaged community of learners.
  • It is supremely known for its pre MBA course – Credentials of Readiness i.e CORe.
  • More than 40,000 students have completed a course from Harvard Business School Online.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL FEES

The annual cost of attendance is huge when it comes to Harvard Business School. For those, who require financial aid, scholarships are provided. The annual fees structure as proposed by HBS considers two suppositions- a nine month academic year and a moderate student lifestyle. If you stay for summer programs, extra expenses and charges will be added for those three months as well. The following chart shows the cost of attendance for a student enrolled in a HBS program:

COSTSSINGLEMARRIEDMARRIED WITH ONE CHILDMARRIED WITH TWO CHILDREN
TUITION$73,440$73,440$73,440$73,440
HUHS STUDENT HEALTH FEE (SHF)$1,206$1,206$1,206$1,206
STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN (SHIP)$3,922$3,922$3,922$3,922
HUSHP FOR STUDENT SPOUSES/DEPENDENTS$0$8,118$12,432$14,600
COURSE & PROGRAM MATERIALS FEE $2,550$2,550$2,550$2,550
ROOM & UTILITIES (9 MONTHS)$14,130*
($1,570/mo)
$22,050**
($2,450/mo)
$28,350***
($3,150/mo)
$28,350
($3,150/mo)
LIVING EXPENSES (9 MONTHS)$16,570
($1,841/mo)
$20,890
 ($2,321/mo)
$25,890
($2,877/mo)
$30,890
 ($3,432/mo)
TOTAL$111,818$132,176$147,790$154,958
COMPUTER (VARIABLE; NOT INCLUDED IN ABOVE BUDGETS)$1,500$1,500$1,500$1,500

*based on average area market rate for 2 bedroom apartment w/roommate
**based on average area market rate for 1 bedroom apartment
***based on average area market rate for 2 bedroom apartment

SOURCE: HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

MBA FROM HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Harvard Business School offers world-class experience while pursuing an MBA. People get a chance to turn their passion into a career. It is a stepping stone towards their dreams. Numerous clubs pave way for your all-round development. The resources and facilities provided are of top-notch quality.

MBA at Harvard Business School offers a rich, active classroom experience. The classroom is less of a lecture theatre and more of a forum for healthy debates and discussions. It offers global experience through its FIELD program. Students are fortunate enough to meet HBS alumni who can guide them even better. Some of the key features are-

  • Excellent academic profile 
  • Good scores in English language proficiency tests for developing skills like public speaking and group discussion
  • Have a clear vision of your career goals
  • Possess leadership potential
  • Impressive career progression

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL MBA REQUIREMENTS

Harvard Business School is a great destination for any MBA aspirant. Harvard is exceptionally well at screening all these applicants and squeeze out the best possible minds. You need to clear hurdles that can make your academic profile stronger than others. It is also important that you have the potential to bring something new or unique to the table that distinguishes you from others. Some of the requirements are:

  • Undergrad GPA close to 4 or more
  • Stellar scores in GRE/GMAT
  • Great performance in IELTS/PTE/TOEFL
  • Strong Resume
  • Good quality convincing essay

HOW TO GET INTO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

A lot of factors are responsible for your admission to Harvard Business School. HBS picks the best technical minds among all the applicants. So it is important that you are proficient in technical skills while pursuing your undergrad degree. Your GMAT and GRE scores hold great importance. Your essay on ‘Why Harvard’ needs to be unique and convincing enough. Three-year work experience after graduation is favorable for the candidate. Your leadership skills should be clearly visible through your applications.

ADMISSIONS IN HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Harvard Business School has a three-step procedure for admissions. A non-refundable application fee of $250 must be paid by all the applicants. For the first step, you need to submit a written application.  This application consists of all the materials required for the assessment of the aspirants.  All these materials are submitted through online mode and the deadlines for the same are announced by the official website. The materials required for submission include:

  • GMAT/GRE scores
  • TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores
  • Essay
  • Transcripts
  • Recommendation letters
  • Resume
  • Signed acceptance of HBS Admissions Policies

The next step, after proper consideration of submitted applicants, is the interview. Invitation to the interview round does not guarantee admission but is an important step for reviewing your application. These interviews may be scheduled on campus or through online mode. Students are required to submit a written reflection after the completion of the interview round which is the third step of the application process.

FREE ONLINE COURSES FROM HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Harvard University provides a number of free online courses. These courses can be audited by students residing in any corner of the world. These courses provide proper guidance and study materials to help students ace that program. Following is a list of some of these courses offered by Harvard:

  • Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies
  • Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market
  • Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs
  • Improving your business through a culture of Health
  • CS50’s Computer Science for Business Professionals
  • Innovating in Health Care
  • Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles
  • Contact Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract
  • Practical improvement Science in Health Care: A roadmap for getting Results

COURSES IN HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

Several courses are offered by Harvard Business School during the four semesters. The learning techniques extend beyond the theoretical and factual concepts. They help in the wholesome development of students. During the first year, each and every student pursue the dangerous course to develop a rock-solid foundation of general management. These include the required curriculum and FIELD. The required curriculum involves:

  • Finance 1 (FIN1)
  • Financial Reporting and Control (FRC)
  • Leadership & Organizational Behavior (LEAD)
  • Marketing
  • Technology & Operations Management (TOM)
  • Short Intensive Programs (SIPs)
  • Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE)
  • Strategy (STRAT)
  • The Entrepreneurial Manager (TEM)
  • Finance 2 (FIN2)
  • Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA)
  • FIELD Global Immersion (FGI)

For the second year, elective courses are offered to build the functional skills learned as a part of the required curriculum. These courses are offered in the following departments:

  • Accounting & Management
  • Business, Government & the International Economy
  • Entrepreneurial Management
  • Finance
  • General Management
  • Marketing
  • Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Strategy
  • Technology & Operations Management

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ALUMNI

Harvard Business School alumni include some of the most exceptional personalities throughout the world. All these alumni hold a noteworthy position in some form of the other. They include billionaires, entrepreneurs, political leaders, and so on. They are offered many advantages also. They have access to the offers made by various bodies. Free access to libraries and health services is another service provided to them. Some of the notable alumni of Harvard Business School include:

  • George W.Bush
  • Michael Bloomberg
  • Mitt Romney
  • Robert Kraft
  • Sheryl Sandberg

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL INDIAN ALUMNI

Harvard Business School has produced reputed personalities over the world. The list also has some of the notable Indian personalities who managed themselves to get into this prestigious school. Most of them hold positions in multinational corporations, politics and entrepreneurship. Here’s a list of famous Indian alumni from HBS:

  • Ratan Tata
  • Ashish Nanda
  • Jayant Sinha
  • Suhel Seth
  • Rahul Bajaj

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Harvard Business School Executive Education aims for leadership development in students. It provides a unique learning environment to accelerate your career. It acknowledges leadership challenges, business objectives, and professional development goals. It facilitates you to evolve and develop your personal leadership manner. These opportunities are a result of field-based research involving more of practice and actionable learning.

This program focuses on Leadership, change, and innovation. The challenges here are real-life based, accompanied with diverse peers. Thus, this program helps in improving your decision-making and multi-tasking skills. It also builds everlasting bonds with peers from various domains.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ACCEPTANCE RATE

Harvard Business School filters and selects the best technical and creative minds. The acceptance rate for Harvard Business School is 12%. With this acceptance rate, it won’t be wrong to say that getting into Harvard Business School is no cakewalk. But, this does not mean that your chances of getting into HBS is impossible. There are other factors which are not taken into account while considering this statistic. It depends on your profile and potential. So, working hard on these aspects can increase your chances.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

HBS offers a large number of scholarships, grants, and financial aids to its students. These are provided on a financial basis only and not on a merit basis. These are grants which are not to be paid back. The average scholarship is $84,000 for two years. The financial aid package is an amalgamation of the scholarship awards, savings, and a student loan. The scholarship is provided by considering your income for the last three years and your assets. Students who have received employer loans are not qualified for HBS scholarships. The following are the types of financial aids provided to the students of HBS:

  • Tuition assistance – provided on a need basis; helps students to afford the tuition fees
  • Summer Fellowships- provides opportunities to meet summer internship goals.
  • Career Support and Exploration- provides assistance in loan repayments and interest- free loan alternatives.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PhD

The streams in which doctoral degree is provided by HBS are:

  • Ph.D. in Business Economics
  • Ph.D. in Business Administration
  • Ph.D. in Health Policy Management
  • Ph.D. in Organisational Behaviour

The doctoral students pursuing a Ph.D. from Harvard Business School have to face critical situations in Business Management. They are trained under various aspects ranging from management, markets, finance, and organizations. There is access to top-notch resources for doctoral students. Apart from this, there are huge research facilities accompanied by fellowship and stipend.

The focus area for this doctoral program includes Economics, organizational behavior, and other aspects. The duration for the Ph.D. course generally lasts for more than 2 years. It is a full-time course conducted on campus.

  • The doctoral program enrolment starts from the month of September and the deadline is in December or January.
  • GMAT scores are considered for assessment.
  • Financial aid is provided.
  • The program is fully funded.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PLACEMENTS

HBS offers some of the best packages to its students. It is to be kept in mind that the range of these packages vary as they depend upon the skill set of the person. However, the average salaries are an indication of employment opportunities HBS provides its students with. Also, these packages vary depending upon specification chosen by the applicant You can check the placement statistics, the average salary of a Harvard Business School graduates in specific departments on the official website of Harvard Business School. Link

  • As per the statistics of 2019, the median salary rose up to $148,750.
  • More than 55% of the batch of 2019 received the signing bonus.
  • There was employment in every sector, the majority being in Financial Services followed by Consulting and Technology.
  • Most of the students found employment in the United States.

Some of the recruiters include A.T. Kearney, Amazon, American Express, Alpine Investors, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Facebook, YouTube, Yelp, Xiaomi.

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY

To apply for Harvard Business School, there are certain eligibility criteria that you need to fulfill. Student applications are assessed based on these criteria or qualifications.

A four-year undergraduate degree or any degree equivalent to it is a must for applying to HBS. Equivalent degrees consist of three-year graduate programs.

GMAT or GRE test results play a major role for the evaluation of applicants. The candidates also need to take a standardized English language proficiency test such as IELTS, PTE or TOEFL. There is no certain cut-off in these tests if you want to apply for HBS. However, considering the past trends, a score of or above these are only considered for applications-

  • IELTS- 7.5/9
  • PTE-75/90
  • TOEFL-109/120

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ADDRESS

HBS is located in Boston, Massachusetts. It has its premises situated opposite to Harvard Stadium, across the Charles River. Following are the address details to contact HBS-

MBA Admissions

Dillon House
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
+1.617.495.6128
Email: [email protected]

Executive Education

Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
+1.800.427.5577
(outside the U.S., dial +1.617.495.6555)
Email: [email protected]

Harvard Business School Online

Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
Email: [email protected]

Doctoral Programs

Wyss House
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
+1.617.495.6101
Email: [email protected]

FAQs

✅ Is Harvard Business School Online part of Harvard University?

Ans. HBX is the online platform for Harvard’s Business School to provide online education. HBX was rebranded to Harvard Business School Online recently. This is an indication that online learning is gaining ground.

✅ Are Harvard Business School Online courses worth it?

Ans. HBS online provides a better impact on its students when compared to other similar programs. As per the reviews shared by people who took this course, it helped many learners in their recruitment. Some received a promotion. So, you must complete the course with dedication and you can achieve the desired outcomes.

✅ Is work experience necessary for an MBA at Harvard?

Ans. Work experience is not mandatory for Harvard. But a learning experience of 3 to 4 years never hurts! If you have a spectacular academic profile, you can give it a shot. Although, candidates with work experience may get preferred over you since they may happen to have better leadership and analytical skills.

✅ What is the duration of Ph.D. courses at Harvard?

Ans. It takes 5 years on average, for students to complete their doctoral courses in HBS. It is absolutely worth it because of the fellowship and stipend provided.

✅ Does Harvard prefer GRE or GMAT?

Ans. As stated by the school, they do not prefer either GRE or GMAT. A good score in either of the two can land you into Harvard. However, they convert your GRE score into GMAT for easy comparison of all the applicants.

About the Author & Expert

Avatar

Piyush Bhartiya

Author • MBA • 20 Years

Piyush values education and has studied from the top institutes of IIT Roorkee, IIM Bangalore, KTH Sweden and Tsinghua University in China. Post completing his MBA, he has worked with the world's # 1 consulting firm, The Boston Consulting Group and focused on building sales and marketing verticals for top MNCs and Indian business houses.

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