Online MBA Harvard Business School – Degree or Certificate? (2023)

Harvard Business School online is one of the top Ivy League colleges and a prestigious university that every student aspires to obtain a degree from. Many students want to seek an online MBA course from Harvard but at the moment it does not offer a full-time MBA degree in the online mode, although it offers a Management Graduate Programme in the blended online mode, in addition to a number of online and blended certification programmes related to business and management.

This blog covers the entire details of the business management courses offered by Harvard in the online and online blended modes.

Does Harvard Business School Offer an Online MBA?

Although Harvard has started initiatives to extend online and blended educational facilities to students, at the present, it does not offer full-time MBA courses in online mode. So, students wanting to pursue a degree MBA course in online mode from Harvard should be wary of fraud or fake sources that guarantee or promise admission, as Harvard does not have any online MBA programs.

However, if you are desirous of getting an educational qualification from the globally renowned university, you can seek one of the other online course options provided by Harvard:

1. Harvard Online (HBX) offers fully online certification courses to individuals in areas related to business administration and management (e.g. business analytics, financial accounting, etc). These courses are of 6 to 8 weeks duration and can be pursued by any person above the age of 18 years conversant in English and wishing to grow one’s knowledge and scope in management.
2. Harvard Division for Continuing Education (DCE) offers Graduate Certificate Programmes to students in the fields of business communication, business economics, data analytics etc. These courses can be pursued by students in the online blended mode, as 70% of the course is completed online.
3. Harvard Division for Continuing Education (DCE) also offers a Graduate Degree Programme in fields like finance and management which help students to grow their knowledge base and experience in fields related to business and management. These courses are offered in the blended online mode, with 70% of course completion occurring online, along with a few campus classes. Upon completion of this course, the student will be awarded with a degree certificate.

These courses, although not the equivalent of an online MBA degree, have been designed with similar academic comprehensiveness and focus areas, which will enable the students pursuing them to expand their existing knowledge base and business management skills and be better equipped to excel in the world of business management.

Also Read | Top Online MBA Colleges In India

Are the Online Certificate MBA Courses from Harvard Worth It?

If you are wondering if it is worth it to pursue a management degree or a certification course in the online mode from Harvard, and if it is actually of use for career development, here are some of the reasons which make the Harvard degrees worth it.

• Highly Relevant Specializations

Although not offering a full-time online MBA, the Graduate Degree Programme in Management and the online certification courses by HBX and DCE provide specializations in very relevant and highly demanded areas of business administration and management such as Corporate Finance, Business Analytics, Financial Accounting, Strategy Execution etc.

• Prestigious Qualification

Added to that is the valuable and prestigious addition of a qualification and certification from the Harvard School of Business (HBX or DCE), which definitely provides you with an additional advantage and edge in professional ventures.

• Innovative Online Support

The university extends the support of high-quality education to students, crossing the boundaries of states and nations with the help of innovative virtual learning facilities combined with personalized support and feedback to students. The university also offers the option to students to choose the time slots for course completion and taking examinations, allowing greater flexibility, especially useful for working professionals.

• Hassle-free Enrollment

Another striking feature of the certification courses offered by Harvard University are that the admission and enrollment to the courses are extremely easy and hassle-free. No separate application fee is required for applying to these courses and a student is eligible to apply if they are above 18 years of age and conversant in English. The university confirms the admission of the applicant in a period of 7 days. This means that interested candidates can very easily enroll themselves and pursue the certification courses from HBX and DCE.

• Financial Aid

Students enrolling themselves in the degree courses can also avail financial aid in the form of grant funds for payment of tuition fee by students, which enables students to afford the costs of higher education.

Online Management Courses Offered by Harvard University in Business Management

#1 Online Business Certificate Courses from Harvard Business School Online (HBX)

The HBX offers courses in the fields of business, management, strategizing, financing etc.which are valued and demanded in business administration sectors. These courses are offered to students completely in the online mode and need to be completed in a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Students, freshers, working professionals or any other candidate interested in the fields of business management and above 18 years of age can pursue this course.

These courses are designed to provide students with easy access to learning principles and lectures virtually while letting them gain more practical insights and insights through interactive capstone assignments, group discussions on case studies etc.

The details of these courses are provided below:

In addition, students can further benefit by combining or taking consecutive courses in an 18 months period to avail additional certifications:

#2 Graduate Certificate Programmes from Harvard Division of Continuing Education

These courses are offered by the Harvard DCE which is specifically dedicated to providing distance and online blended education to students in a variety of disciplines. Harvard DCE offers a number of certification programmes in business and management to students and working professionals. This course is provided to students in the blended mode with both online and on-campus options.

So although the majority of the course is completed online, around 30% of course completion takes place on campus. Students can choose from a list of various useful courses and cover the course over a period of 3 years in a flexible format. The university provides the facility of choosing and appearing for the examinations flexibly to students. There is no application procedure and students can start pursuing the course right away. To qualify, the student needs to complete 4 courses within a period of 3 years.

The course details are provided below:

#3 Graduate Degree Programme by Harvard Division for Continuing Education

The Harvard DCE also offers a graduation degree in management to students in the online blended mode. Students can seek admission to this course based on their performance in 3 specific courses in Harvard Extension.

This course involves the students completing 12 courses (average of 1-2 Courses per semester) after which they are awarded a degree: ‘Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, field: Management’. The mode of delivery is blended, with about 70% of course completion occurring virtually and with a limited number of on-campus classes.

The course details have been provided below:

About Harvard Online and Extension School

Harvard online Business School extended its educational finesse to offer courses, certifications and degrees to students in the online form, called Harvard Business School Online (HBX) in 2014. The Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE) is another venture of HBS to offer students, working professionals and others interested in pursuing educational courses and programmes across a variety of disciplines. Both these ventures enable students and professionals residing in various nations to get access to elite educational support as well as a chance to get qualified from a well-known and globally acclaimed university.

The courses offered at Harvard Online and Harvard DCE include courses in subject areas such as business management, leadership, finance, business strategizing, arts, life sciences, psychology, technology etc. The learning pedagogy involves an innovative virtual learning support, along with personalised feedback and support, flexibility in completion of course and taking examinations along with the academic guidance from the world-class faculty of Harvard.

Online MBA Universities To Offer Online Degree Course In India

Students wishing to complete an online MBA degree course from India in either the online, distance or blended mode can consider the following accredited universities: