When it comes to universities, Harvard is one educational establishment that needs no introduction. One of the oldest in the US, Harvard has educated 7 US Presidents, along with major literary and intellectual figures. The main campuses of Harvard University can be found in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while the business school is now located on the other side of the Charles River, in Allston, Boston. Founded in 1908, it attracts thousands of applications from men and woman to its three main types of study programs. These are:
Doctorate: A high level degree which enables the holder to teach in their field of knowledge. Harvard offers either a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or Doctor of Philosophy (Phd) in 9 areas. These include marketing, strategy, organisational behaviour, business economics and management. This course requires 2 years study at the university, and 4 to 5 years in total to complete the course. Harvard received just under 1000 application in 2010, with just 4% accepted.
MBA: Masters of Business Administration is a two year degree course, with the first year dedicated to required study elements, such as business modules in finance, strategy, negotiation, operations and leadership. Business practice modules and MBA standards in communications are taught, and then applied in the second year, where students can tailor their study. There is a choice of 96 courses in ten different areas. In 2010, 9,524 applications were received, with just 11% being accepted.
Executive Education: This is a collection of programs which can be open to anyone, or privately designed for individual businesses. Their aim is to improve on the capability and performance of staff, through leadership and management development sessions, that can run from 2 days to 9 weeks. In 2010, 8,670 people were admitted to these courses, which cover areas like health care and science, technology and operations management, and leadership/change.
All these courses are designed at the highest level, and admissions tutors have a series of requirements for interested students. They are looking for the right type of person both in terms of character/skills, and qualifications. The student must have the budget for study too. A rough rundown of 2010 MBA expenses includes $48,600 for tuition, $10,800 for room and utilities, and $1,166 for health fees, with total costs around $79,400.
Studying at one of the worlds top business schools doesn’t come cheap, but can lead to a wealth of opportunities. A high percentage of students have secured a position before graduation, a testament not just to their hard work, but the quality of the course as well.
Harvard hasn’t just made its mark with academic courses, it also runs a publishing company, where faculty members can publish around 35 books each year, and a further 300 academic papers. Example book titles include ‘Delegating Work’, ‘Harvard Business Review on Pricing’ and ‘Corporate Communications and Public Relations’.
It’s easy to see why Harvard has one of the best global reputations, and its business school is frequently ranked in the Top 5 schools of its kind.