Ivy League masters. Fair pricing

[sanantone]

We all know that there aren't a lot of online degree programs at Ivy League universities.  There are a bunch at Columbia, however, tucked away in the Dept. of Education (Teacher's College).  I didn't dig through the costs but they're probably pretty high and so we'll get the normal requisite comments of "I'd never pay that much for an MEd...etc."  Regardless of that, these online degree programs have been around for quite a while, so somebody is buying them.
Online Programs | Academics | Teachers College, Columbia University

They also have a lot of online engineering programs, but they're ridiculously expensive. I think people normally get their employers to pay for them, but you have to be working for a very profitable organization that can afford to pay $72k for a master's or $100k for a doctorate. Columbia also has a School of Professional Studies that's similar to Harvard Extension, except Columbia's SPS programs have normal degree titles. 

The Harvard extension school has been around for over a hundred years. It’s for non traditional students.  The courses are taught by the same Harvard professors and faculty. $25k for a masters is a good price.

$35k for an extension degree that employers know is an extension degree....er.... I don't know if I'd say that's a good price, but it's a lot cheaper than Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Most of the courses can be taken with Harvard professors, but the Extension School also has instructors who do not teach at the other Harvard colleges.

[newdegree]

A lot of other great options that are not IVY League schools and some are even cheaper with good reputations. If you are stuck on IVY league schools then by all means go to Harvard "Extension" school but employers may not respect it as much because the degree is in extension studies at the extension school as opposed to a local state university that grants masters in engineering or masters of science in software engineering. Weight out the options and what works for you go for it.

Just remember NYU and the University of California Berkeley are not ivy but are listed among the best schools in the country... Just look at school rankings , program rankings, and cost as I am sure you can find some good deals even possibly distance learning.

[Pats20]

Nah. I’m not stuck on ivy. I’m a firm believer in getting the most bang for your buck and sometimes things that are more expensive are the best value. Im not an expert but I believe the best masters program is the one you can get in to, afford, and finish. I was referring to the earlier post of $25k for their masters in English. I didn’t think that was a bad price for Harvard ext.

[Silvious]

$35k for an extension degree that employers know is an extension degree....er.... I don't know if I'd say that's a good price, but it's a lot cheaper than Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Most of the courses can be taken with Harvard professors, but the Extension School also has instructors who do not teach at the other Harvard colleges.

Doesn't have to be $35k. I'm looking out for H's affiliate jobs, those would qualify one for $40 per course at HES, so one would finish it off at 2 courses per year for 5y (or 2 course per sem for 2y through joining the union) and pay $400 - received salaries (for 5y working@H it might worth over 2000% ROI).

[collegecareerstudent]

We all know that there aren't a lot of online degree programs at Ivy League universities.  There are a bunch at Columbia, however, tucked away in the Dept. of Education (Teacher's College).  I didn't dig through the costs but they're probably pretty high and so we'll get the normal requisite comments of "I'd never pay that much for an MEd...etc."  Regardless of that, these online degree programs have been around for quite a while, so somebody is buying them.
Online Programs | Academics | Teachers College, Columbia University

They also have a lot of online engineering programs, but they're ridiculously expensive. I think people normally get their employers to pay for them, but you have to be working for a very profitable organization that can afford to pay $72k for a master's or $100k for a doctorate. Columbia also has a School of Professional Studies that's similar to Harvard Extension, except Columbia's SPS programs have normal degree titles. 

The Harvard extension school has been around for over a hundred years. It’s for non traditional students.  The courses are taught by the same Harvard professors and faculty. $25k for a masters is a good price.

$35k for an extension degree that employers know is an extension degree....er.... I don't know if I'd say that's a good price, but it's a lot cheaper than Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Most of the courses can be taken with Harvard professors, but the Extension School also has instructors who do not teach at the other Harvard colleges.

Let me correct you right there. You aren't paying for an extension degree- you're paying for a Harvard degree which happens to be from the extension school. Even the Crimson staff this year largely run by the undergrad college penned a piece this year that stated the way the degrees are advertised is not congruent with what we study. We don't study extension studies- there is no such discipline. I think we will see this addressed in the future.

There are certain classes that cost 1000 dollars and scholarships for teachers etc that can bring the cost down dramatically. Also on the course search tab, you can elect to filter by Harvard instructors only and take them exclusively if that's the desire. While it's true some employers may have a bias, plenty don't. I'm currently taking classes- and already making good money in EdTech in China largely because I promised to finish my degree from Harvard if hired.

Ever since this pandemic and the campus being shut down and other Harvard schools relying on the extension school to teach all of their graduates, including Harvard College undergrads, the attitude has mostly shifted anyway. Can't have the undergrads of 2020, and 2021 being told they didn't go to "Real Harvard".

Harvard's Medical School and Graduate School of Education now also have fully online degree programs that are permanent and here to stay. Cornell does have online degrees if you're willing to dig. Brown does have a few as well. Penn does online bachelors degrees with a few online masters. Columbia has a huge amount in their professional studies division, I believe it's called.

Also, if Harvard Extension isn't one's dream school, if students take one of the MIT MicroMasters online, they can choose to go to MIT instead, and get an MIT degree for about 35k with a mandatory summer residency. It's not ivy league but it's close enough. I hope this helps! There are options out there, and if those aren't your style, or you already have a bachelors and masters, the certificate programs are amazing!

[sanantone]

We all know that there aren't a lot of online degree programs at Ivy League universities.  There are a bunch at Columbia, however, tucked away in the Dept. of Education (Teacher's College).  I didn't dig through the costs but they're probably pretty high and so we'll get the normal requisite comments of "I'd never pay that much for an MEd...etc."  Regardless of that, these online degree programs have been around for quite a while, so somebody is buying them.
Online Programs | Academics | Teachers College, Columbia University

They also have a lot of online engineering programs, but they're ridiculously expensive. I think people normally get their employers to pay for them, but you have to be working for a very profitable organization that can afford to pay $72k for a master's or $100k for a doctorate. Columbia also has a School of Professional Studies that's similar to Harvard Extension, except Columbia's SPS programs have normal degree titles. 

The Harvard extension school has been around for over a hundred years. It’s for non traditional students.  The courses are taught by the same Harvard professors and faculty. $25k for a masters is a good price.

$35k for an extension degree that employers know is an extension degree....er.... I don't know if I'd say that's a good price, but it's a lot cheaper than Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Most of the courses can be taken with Harvard professors, but the Extension School also has instructors who do not teach at the other Harvard colleges.

Let me correct you right there. You aren't paying for an extension degree- you're paying for a Harvard degree which happens to be from the extension school. Even the Crimson staff this year largely run by the undergrad college penned a piece this year that stated the way the degrees are advertised is not congruent with what we study. We don't study extension studies- there is no such discipline. I think we will see this addressed in the future.

There are certain classes that cost 1000 dollars and scholarships for teachers etc that can bring the cost down dramatically. Also on the course search tab, you can elect to filter by Harvard instructors only and take them exclusively if that's the desire. While it's true some employers may have a bias, plenty don't. I'm currently taking classes- and already making good money  in EdTech in China largely because I promised to finish my degree from Harvard if hired.

Ever since this pandemic and the campus being shut down and other Harvard schools relying on the extension school to teach all of their graduates, including Harvard College undergrads, the attitude has mostly shifted anyway. Can't have the undergrads of 2020, and 2021 being told they didn't go to "Real Harvard".

Harvard's Medical School and Graduate School of Education now also have fully online degree programs that are permanent and here to stay. Cornell does have online degrees if you're willing to dig. Brown does have a few as well. Penn does online bachelors degrees with a few online masters. Columbia has a huge amount in their professional studies division, I believe it's called.

Also, if Harvard Extension isn't one's dream school, if students take one of the MIT MicroMasters online, they can choose to go to MIT instead, and get an MIT degree for about 35k with a mandatory summer residency. It's not ivy league but it's close enough. I hope this helps! There are options out there, and if those aren't your style, or you already have a bachelors and masters, the certificate programs are amazing!

I'm not seeing the correction. It's an Extension Studies degree from the Harvard Extension School. I'm aware that there's no such thing as extension studies; Harvard just doesn't want their HES students to get mixed up with the rest of their students because they're elitist, and they have a reputation to protect. Regardless of what you study, you still have that stupid name on the diploma.

Princeton is the only Ivy League school that doesn't have any online degrees. The rest of the Ivy Leagues have online programs. Penn, Harvard, and Columbia offer programs out of their extension or professional studies campuses, but they also offer online programs from their other schools, so those graduates can't be distinguished from the others. Even if you happen to go to Columbia's SPS, at least they won't brand you with some bizarre degree name. You can earn a normal Master of Science. Columbia offers many, many degree programs outside of SPS. Harvard's online MPH, which has been around for a while, is offered out of the School of Public Health. 

MIT is better than most Ivy League schools. 

This isn't in reference to you, but I think some need to get out of the mindset that the Ivy League or Ivy Plus schools are the best at everything. If you familiarize yourself with your field, which you should be doing, you'll find that many state universities and even some lower-ranked private universities are in the top 10 for a particular field.

[collegecareerstudent]

We all know that there aren't a lot of online degree programs at Ivy League universities.  There are a bunch at Columbia, however, tucked away in the Dept. of Education (Teacher's College).  I didn't dig through the costs but they're probably pretty high and so we'll get the normal requisite comments of "I'd never pay that much for an MEd...etc."  Regardless of that, these online degree programs have been around for quite a while, so somebody is buying them.
Online Programs | Academics | Teachers College, Columbia University

They also have a lot of online engineering programs, but they're ridiculously expensive. I think people normally get their employers to pay for them, but you have to be working for a very profitable organization that can afford to pay $72k for a master's or $100k for a doctorate. Columbia also has a School of Professional Studies that's similar to Harvard Extension, except Columbia's SPS programs have normal degree titles. 

The Harvard extension school has been around for over a hundred years. It’s for non traditional students.  The courses are taught by the same Harvard professors and faculty. $25k for a masters is a good price.

$35k for an extension degree that employers know is an extension degree....er.... I don't know if I'd say that's a good price, but it's a lot cheaper than Columbia's School of Professional Studies. Most of the courses can be taken with Harvard professors, but the Extension School also has instructors who do not teach at the other Harvard colleges.

Let me correct you right there. You aren't paying for an extension degree- you're paying for a Harvard degree which happens to be from the extension school. Even the Crimson staff this year largely run by the undergrad college penned a piece this year that stated the way the degrees are advertised is not congruent with what we study. We don't study extension studies- there is no such discipline. I think we will see this addressed in the future.

There are certain classes that cost 1000 dollars and scholarships for teachers etc that can bring the cost down dramatically. Also on the course search tab, you can elect to filter by Harvard instructors only and take them exclusively if that's the desire. While it's true some employers may have a bias, plenty don't. I'm currently taking classes- and already making good money  in EdTech in China largely because I promised to finish my degree from Harvard if hired.

Ever since this pandemic and the campus being shut down and other Harvard schools relying on the extension school to teach all of their graduates, including Harvard College undergrads, the attitude has mostly shifted anyway. Can't have the undergrads of 2020, and 2021 being told they didn't go to "Real Harvard".

Harvard's Medical School and Graduate School of Education now also have fully online degree programs that are permanent and here to stay. Cornell does have online degrees if you're willing to dig. Brown does have a few as well. Penn does online bachelors degrees with a few online masters. Columbia has a huge amount in their professional studies division, I believe it's called.

Also, if Harvard Extension isn't one's dream school, if students take one of the MIT MicroMasters online, they can choose to go to MIT instead, and get an MIT degree for about 35k with a mandatory summer residency. It's not ivy league but it's close enough. I hope this helps! There are options out there, and if those aren't your style, or you already have a bachelors and masters, the certificate programs are amazing!

I'm not seeing the correction. It's an Extension Studies degree from the Harvard Extension School. I'm aware that there's no such thing as extension studies; Harvard just doesn't want their HES students to get mixed up with the rest of their students because they're elitist, and they have a reputation to protect. Regardless of what you study, you still have that stupid name on the diploma.

Princeton is the only Ivy League school that doesn't have any online degrees. The rest of the Ivy Leagues have online programs. Penn, Harvard, and Columbia offer programs out of their extension or professional studies campuses, but they also offer online programs from their other schools, so those graduates can't be distinguished from the others. Even if you happen to go to Columbia's SPS, at least they won't brand you with some bizarre degree name. You can earn a normal Master of Science. Columbia offers many, many degree programs outside of SPS. Harvard's online MPH, which has been around for a while, is offered out of the School of Public Health. 

MIT is better than most Ivy League schools. 

This isn't in reference to you, but I think some need to get out of the mindset that the Ivy League or Ivy Plus schools are the best at everything. If you familiarize yourself with your field, which you should be doing, you'll find that many state universities and even some lower-ranked private universities are in the top 10 for a particular field.

What I'm saying is, in the future, I think they will correct the degree names to reflect the actual fields of study. At other schools, no one really cares if you went to a professional education or continuing education division, they just say you went to that school and completed a strong course of study. This extends past extension though. Some of the undergrads look down upon the graduate schools as well- I don't know why- graduate school is by far more difficult. I've definitely been attacked by a college grad- but that's a story for another day. Karma worked that one out for me in the end. So, yes, there will be some complications- but if they can be overcome.

I'm also saying that the situation is fully navigatable and it won't necessarily hurt you if you market yourself appropriately. I'm pretty aggressive and keep up to date copies of CVs ready, am always looking at the EdTech market, and am ready to sell myself for an opportunity and I think those types of skills will help people more than any piece of paper can- BUT I really don't want to dissuade someone from going to the extension school if they can cut their costs and get things done. Due to the pandemic, the extension school has allowed certain online classes to count for on campus, so I'm taking advantage of that too. I fully intend to come to campus post degree to take more classes and have the full experience, but there's a huge cost savings right there for people if they play their cards right. Under normal circumstances, students can also choose to elect to take all of their classes on campus.

If you do think MIT is better than a lot of Ivy's, the MicroMasters programs are definitely worth watching, and for 28-35k per degree, that's a total steal of a deal for a masters degree!

Ivy's aren't the best at anything except maybe some types of research depending on the institution and certain types of signaling. I definitely wanted to go to Harvard but didn't want to bankrupt my parents and didn't really consider it for undergrad. I really thought the extension school was the best thing. I was obsessed with it before I even knew of any stigma, to be honest, so it was a 10 year dream of mine as a former refugee to go. I saw Homeless to Harvard on Lifetime when I was a teenager and could identify with that, so that's how my obsession began hahaha.

Anyway, having taken several courses now, I can say- you do pay quite a bit but what you get out of it is really up to you, just like any degree program but it can be intimidating because some of the students really are brilliant.