Harvard University Extension School
School info
4
Overall Quality
Reputation
4.4
Food
3.5
Clubs
3.2
Facilities
4.3
Internet
4.2
Location
4.3
Opportunities
4
Safety
4.1
Social
3
Happiness
4.3
Basic Information
Location
- Cambridge, MA
Institution Overview
- Public/Private: Private extension school
- Established: 1910; 114 years ago (1910)
- Founder: John Lowell Jr., A. Lawrence Lowell
Academic information
Degree Courses
- Over 900 courses
Key Area
- Harvard Extension School does not have specific key research areas of its own
- as it is primarily a continuing education school focusing on liberal arts and professional disciplines. However
- here are some broader areas where students can engage in research through their thesis projects and other academic work: Liberal arts
- professional disciplines
- pre-medical studies
- museum studies
- online and hybrid learning. For more specialized research areas
- students often engage with other Harvard schools and institutes
- but these are not unique to the Extension School itself
Student and Staff Numbers
- Students: Over 20,000 students
- Undergraduates: 795
- Postgraduates: 3,100
Notable Alumni
- Renee M. Greene
- Peter Thielen
- Diane Smith
- Rory Cowan
- Latanya Sweeney
10 FAQs about this University from
Reddit
Students talk about this school
Good reviews
Overall 5
I am a sr. mgr. and a Director for a Fortune 100 company working on a master's in the Extension School. Most of my classmates are extremely educated and highly successful including doctors, attorneys, professionals, etc. After four years in the program, I am overly impressed as the education is first-rate with mostly HU professors. I am HU proud!
Overall 5
Not an easy ride, you have to work hard and prove yourself but if you do, the rewards are endless. This is the best-kept secret in upper education. Excellent support, encouraging advisement staff, amazing multicultural inclusion, excellent education staff.Top-notch all the way around. Incredibly affordable considering it's an Ivy League institution
Overall 5
An overall great experience! Loved having classmates from around the world. Many of my group projects had members fromn3 or 4 different countries. The only people who thinks the reputation is lower than the rest of Harvard are a minority of pretentious college grads. It has opened many doors and the reputation and networking have been huge!
Overall 5
The highest quality education. My investment is well worth it.
Overall 5
The extension school is perfect for people in transition. I left the military and was behind the curve in terms of both school and academic testing. Taking classes to earn my way in, rather than prepare for test, etc., was perfect. The Extension School uses Veterans Benefits. I graduated and now have Harvard Profs giving LOR for Ph.D , perfect!
Overall 4.9
In short, HES is 100% Harvard. Many initial courses contain enrolled students from Harvard University, HBS, and HES with the same instructor, material, and exams. Well worth it. It takes dedication, hard work, and an interest in learning the material to succeed.
Overall 4.9
I recently finished my Masters in Museum Studies. The opportunities are endless. First, you have access to an incredible amount of resources, including other professors, and Harvard's fantastic research facilities. The libraries are second to none. The campus is amazing. The list of Harvard Clubs makes the alumni networking incredible.
Overall 4.7
It's Harvard University, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! HES is one of the HU schools, and the only part-time program that can be done mostly or even fully online. You can have a mix of courses from Harvard profs, HKS profs, practitioners, and profs from other colleges. HES has the most interesting courses with the most flexible program.
Overall 4.5
Interesting that we are in this pandemic and universities are rethinking the in-person model. Harvard was already ahead of the curve. You do miss out on the in-person interaction but that is possible through online-hybrid courses and the on-campus requirements.
Overall 4.5
Had big career gains after graduating from Harvard
Bad reviews
Overall 0.9
The division of cont ed at Oxford states honestly that we offer open enrollment courses that not related to any college of University, but the Extension School strives to convince of their pertinence to University and even offer diplomas without a major to get your money. Very unethical and cynical.
Overall 1
You should know that this school is made difficult on purpose so they can draw your pockets while you are under impression of prestigious name. Nothing is really prestigious here or ethical, teachers are rude and extremely unconventional; many admitted students do not understand for what Harvard is called best; not for academic system for sure..
Overall 1.1
The academic system is certainly not adequate to the highest in the country ranking
Overall 1.1
Certainly inadequate to the U.S. News ranking academic system...
Overall 1.3
There is nothing of extraordinary here as I expected to see. Any education is a life changing and when you are not a cash source for the school, you'd just feel better off Harvard campus. The make you work hard on purpose so that you would't go far...
Overall 1.4
Harvard has turned out to be an evil, manipulative, deceitful, anti-American, anti-free speech, anti-Constitution woke, indoctrination camp. Veritas is dead at Harvard. It's the worst investment I could have made. They lied the whole way.
Overall 1.4
It is a good school to study and for extra curricular activities
Overall 1.4
It is wrong in many ways to attend a school before you are accepted by that school.
Overall 1.7
The reputation of the Extension School is significantly lower than the rest of Harvard, and deservedly so. The quality of the instruction is low, while the cost of tuition is high. This is Harvard's version of a diploma mill. They don't care about the students - they only care that people pay them a lot of money for mediocre classes.
Overall 2
Some professors, or at least mathematics professors, are presumptuous, arrogant, and unprofessional. If they do not like you, they make you feel unwelcome and hated. You are also a pariah on campus as this is a school for people who failed to actually go to a real college and are willing to pay money.