Harvard Business School

Faculty

A total of 197 full-time faculty members at Harvard Business School work across the school’s 10 academic units. These scholars and practitioners teach courses and staff the school’s eight global research centers and 14 initiatives, which cover topics from business history to U.S. competitiveness.

Curriculum

One of the hallmarks of HBS’s MBA program is its extensive use of the case method, in which class discussions revolve around assigned readings based on real-world business problems.  Professors also use computer simulations, problem sets, and group assignments to help convey course material.

HBS divides its first-year class into 10 sections of roughly 90 students apiece, with each section constructed to mirror the class’s diversity; the students in each section take all of their first-year classes together.  To allow students to collaborate with classmates from outside their section, every incoming student is also assigned to a learning team of six to seven people from different sections.  Throughout the first year, these learning teams meet regularly to prepare for in-class case discussions and collaborate on graded projects.
Harvard’s MBA curriculum takes place across four semesters of 15 to 18 weeks each, referred to as Fall and Winter Terms.  All students spend the first two semesters of the MBA program taking 11 courses, known as the Required Curriculum or “RC” for short.  Following a three-day orientation period, Fall Term of RC classes begins in early September, featuring five semester-long courses that focus on issues businesses face internally.  Fall Term ends in mid-December.  Spring Term, which lasts from the end of January through late May, is comprised of five semester-long courses that examine how an organization interacts with external groups in a variety of social and economic contexts.  Since 2011, an additional part of the RC has been a yearlong course called Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD).  FIELD is made up of three modules on leadership development and globalization.

In the second year, known as the Elective Curriculum (EC), students may take up to five full-term courses per semester; in the 2016-2017 academic year, EC students could choose from over 120 full-time electives across 10 subject areas in addition to 17 field learning opportunities.   Unlike most MBA programs, HBS does not offer any formal majors or concentrations, instead allowing students to shape their second-year curriculum however they see fit.  Though HBS students may not study abroad, EC students can cross-register for up to two courses at Harvard University graduate schools or at several other institutions in the Boston area.  In addition, HBS’s required Immersion Experience Program allows students to gain global exposure through short-term experiential learning opportunities in countries such as China, Peru and South Africa.

Other MBA Degree Options

In addition to its 22-month full-time MBA program, HBS offers a joint JD/MBA program with Harvard Law School, an MD/MBA program with Harvard Medical School, and a DMD/ MBA with Harvard School of Dental Medicine. HBS also offers an MBA/Master of Public Policy and an MBA/Master of Public Administration in International Development in conjunction with the Harvard Kennedy School.

College students hoping to attend HBS in the near future can apply during their senior year via the 2+2 Program. Students accepted through 2+2 are granted advanced admission to the full-time MBA program upon completing two years of professional work experience in an HBS-approved position.

Required Courses at HBS

Term I

• Finance I
• Financial Reporting and Control
• Leadership and Organizational Behavior • Marketing
• Technology and Operations Management • FIELD Foundations
• FIELD 2

Term II

• Business, Government, and the International Economy Strategy
• The Entrepreneurial Manager
• Finance II
• Leadership and Corporate Accountability
• FIELD 3

Degree Offerings at HBS

Full-time MBA Program
Joint Degree Programs
MBA/MPP, MBA/MPP-ID, JD/MBA, MD/MBA, DMD/MBA
http://www.hbs.edu/mba/academic-experience/joint-degree-programs/Pages/default.aspx

Doctoral Programs
Doctorate of Business Administration: Accounting & Management, Management, Marketing, Strategy, Technology and Operations Management
Ph.D.: Business Economics, Health Policy (Management), Organizational Behavior
http://www.hbs.edu/doctoral/

  Get all of this info to read on the go! Download the Harvard Business School Snapshot PDF.

  Get all of this info to read on the go! Download the Harvard Business School Snapshot PDF.

  Get all of this info to read on the go! Download the Harvard Business School Snapshot PDF.

The Class Profile

Admission to HBS is highly competitive, as the school accepted just 11% of those who applied to the Class of 2018, with the entering class totaling 934 students.  The median GMAT score of first-year entrants was 730, and the middle 80% of the scores ranged from 690 to 760.

The average student in the Class of 2018 was 27 years old upon matriculation.  Forty-one percent of the class of 2018 majored in economics and business administration for their undergraduate degree; other popular majors were science/technology/engineering/math and humanities/social sciences at 38% and 21%, respectively.  Prior to attending HBS, 15% each of the most recent entering class worked in the venture capital/private equity, consulting, and high tech/communications industries, while 11% came from a financial services background.  Consumer products, energy, government/education/non-profit, and healthcare/biotech contributed 7% each of students in the Class of 2018. Students also hail from industries including manufacturing, the military, and other services.  Thirty-two percent of the Class of 2018 claims international citizenship from a total of 68 different countries.  In addition, women comprise 43% of the first-year class, and 25% identify as members of a U.S. minority group.

Application Procedures

Applicants can apply to HBS during one of three admissions rounds; these deadlines are typically in early September, January, and April.  In addition to filling out an online application regarding their biographical information and career history, applicants must submit an essay, a résumé, two letters of recommendation, and transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate academic institutions attended.  The school also requires applicants to submit GMAT or GRE scores and a TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score if needed, as well as a $250 application fee and a signed acceptance of the school’s admissions policies.  Harvard’s MBA Admissions Board conducts interviews on an invitation-only basis, and interviews are required for admission to the program.  HBS also introduced a post-interview reflection exercise.

Application Checklist

• Data Forms
• Acceptance of HBS Admissions Policies
• GMAT/GRE and TOEFL/IELTS/ PTE Score(s)
• Résumé
• Application Fee
• Recommendation Letters
• Academic transcripts
• Essay

  Get all of this info to read on the go! Download the Harvard Business School Snapshot PDF.

The tuition for the Class of 2018 is $63,675.  HBS estimates, though, that with additional expenses such as rent and textbooks, single students will pay approximately $102,100 for the year.  The school offers need-based fellowships to help students fund their education. To be considered for these awards, students must fill out the FAFSA and a financial aid application that is made available on the HBS Intranet after admission to the program.  HBS students can also finance their studies through The Harvard University Employees Credit Union allows international students at HBS to take out loans without a U.S. co-signer.

Program Tuition (per year)

• Tuition $63,675
• Program Support Fee (books, etc.) $7,960
• Room & Utilities (9 months, single) $12,150
• Board, Personal, Other (9 months, single) $14,597
• University Student Health Fee $1,088
• Student Health Insurance Plan $2,630
• Total $102,100

  Get all of this info to read on the go! Download the Harvard Business School Snapshot PDF.