The Harvard Extension School

[Jonathan Whatley]

How writing intensive were the courses, in particular, the graduate courses? […] I just want to know what is expected so I am not shocked when I first come in.

Here's what you want to do:

Identify courses that can apply to your degree program, by course code and title. See Degree Course Search.

On the main public catalog-style descriptive page for each course at extension.harvard.edu, like this one, there will often be a link at the bottom to the course website/syllabus. If it's a course that all be offered in Fall 2014, a syllabus should be up now or within the next few weeks; here's a page where Fall syllabi and websites from across HES are indexed; as I write this includes many but not all Fall courses.

What about January, Spring, or Summer School courses whose 2014-15 syllabi won't be up for a while? Often past year's syllabi are available. Search either site:harvard.edu or the entire Internet using the course code (e.g., GOVT E-108) and you may well find a recent year's syllabus.

Of course in either case the syllabus can change by the time you take the course, but all this can give you a representative idea of course organization, reading, and work requirements.

[corpsole2]

Well, the syllabus isn't as clear as TESC's course syllabi. I remember the capstone course description being much more descriptive.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Well, the syllabus isn't as clear as TESC's course syllabi. I remember the capstone course description being much more descriptive.

Keep reading syllabi in your program; others should be fuller and more explicit than the PS research methods example above.

[clep3705]

For a history master's degree, History Master's Program | Harvard ALM Graduate Degree says "Three must be courses that meet only on campus, taken over two semesters". That greatly adds to the cost of the degree. If three courses could be taken in one semester (preferably a summer), the total cost would be much less. The on campus Harvard experience is something not to miss, but cost must be considered. Are there lower priced options, ways to spend shorter amounts of time on campus?

[Jonathan Whatley]

For a history master's degree, History Master's Program | Harvard ALM Graduate Degree says "Three must be courses that meet only on campus, taken over two semesters". That greatly adds to the cost of the degree. If three courses could be taken in one semester (preferably a summer), the total cost would be much less. The on campus Harvard experience is something not to miss, but cost must be considered. Are there lower priced options, ways to spend shorter amounts of time on campus?

The January term, 3 intensive weeks during January each year, counts as a semester. You can take up to 4 semester hours in each January term. Course selection is limited, but typically there seem to be one or two courses each from history and government, some number each from management, psychology, and journalism, etc.

Also, as rebel100 has written about, HES has been rolling out hybrid courses, which "combine an intensive weekend class on-campus with online lectures throughout the semester," and I believe should count toward on-campus requirements. (I qualified this because I can't speak to the requirements for every HES degree.)

[cookderosa]

lot's of academic writing in the courses I took. but that's a good thing. (I took graduate coursework in psychology and biology) Mostly, lot's of reading. If you're looking at a course syllabus, you should check the text requirements. One class I opted NOT to take had more than 10 books required. Just throwing that out there.

[corpsole2]

lot's of academic writing in the courses I took. but that's a good thing. (I took graduate coursework in psychology and biology) Mostly, lot's of reading. If you're looking at a course syllabus, you should check the text requirements. One class I opted NOT to take had more than 10 books required. Just throwing that out there.

OK, will do.

[corpsole2]

I talked to an Enrollment Advisor at Harvard Extension yesterday, and he gave me some great tips on what to do next. I just need to line up some financing now for the first three courses.

[cookderosa]

I talked to an Enrollment Advisor at Harvard Extension yesterday, and he gave me some great tips on what to do next. I just need to line up some financing now for the first three courses.

Pull up the pdf file for the degree you want to work on and start using the archives to find courses that meet each requirement. BE SURE to double check that you'll be able to complete them. For instance, if you were doing biology (which is what I was working on) you'd have to take a field course. Here's the thing, field courses are not offered in the summer, online, or Jan session....full semester only. That's a problem for me. Also, you have to be sure that ONLINE OPTION classes don't exceed the new guidelines. It doesn't even matter if you take the class on campus, if it has an online option, it counts toward online- so again, be sure you can do what you need to do in the location you can. Finally, the sequence can make you crazy. Proseminar has to fit in front of enrollment. My degree plan, had I gone forward, would have required 1 summer + 1 full semester on campus. If I opted to switch to History of Science and Medicine, I could have done it in 1 summer on campus. I still might someday when my family has no memory of the time and money I spent on my last degree!

EDIT: someone in an earlier thread suggested 3 summer classes at one time, but I'm 99% sure they still cap you at 8 credits which is either 1 science or 2 non-science in a summer session, making that suggestion non-viable. Summer session is the only session that allows you to stay on campus, but depending on your location, you could commute. Trains, planes and automobiles are all options.

[Jonathan Whatley]

EDIT: someone in an earlier thread suggested 3 summer classes at one time, but I'm 99% sure they still cap you at 8 credits which is either 1 science or 2 non-science in a summer session, making that suggestion non-viable. Summer session is the only session that allows you to stay on campus, but depending on your location, you could commute. Trains, planes and automobiles are all options.

Correct. Clarification: The 8-credit summer science courses are mostly or all undergraduate full-year basic science sequences, like General Chemistry, Biology, etc. Most or all of these can't be taken for graduate credit, so wouldn't count towards an ALM. There are numerous 4-credit science courses offered in the summer, some of which are available for graduate credit.