I posted some of this already when I started, but I'll play anyway :o)
I'm taking an abnormal psychology course at Harvard
Welcome to Harvard University and toying with the idea of going for the degree w/psychology concentration. I'm not 100% sure yet, there are a few sticking points that I'll share later in the post.
How did I register?
Harvard University offers open enrollment courses to anyone through their Extension (community education) college. You don't even need a degree to register. You simply sign up and pay the fee. These courses can be taken for no-credit, undergrad bachelor level credit, or master's degree graduate level credit. The BEST THING is that you don't fill out an application, and you don't need to send transcripts. Sweet!
How do you earn a degree? / Is it distance learning?
In a nutshell (for the long version, go to
Welcome to Harvard University and read all the details for yourself) you must take 3 classes in the degree program you wish to complete with a B or better and then you can apply to the program to earn a master's degree. (so, the CLASSES are open enrollment- but you must apply for the DEGREE program after you prove yourself in the classes). One of those 3 must be what's called the PROSEMINAR. It's a face-to-face only class. In my case, if I continue, the PROSEMINAR will be my 6th class.
The master's program does not take transfer credit, but some of the courses are offered online. You need 10 in all, and 5 can be online. Of the remaining 5, one is your thesis requirement- which you don't really need to be on campus for, so realistically, you can complete 6/10 of your degree at a distance. The remaining 4 courses must be completed on campus, but can be completed through the Harvard Summer School. There is one exception (first fly in the ointment) which is the FIELD SEMINAR requirement. So far, I can not find that the field seminars have ever been offered in the summer. That doesn't mean they won't ever be- but if they are not, than that means 1 summer school session plus one full 16 week session.
For summers, they offer on campus housing for those sessions. Dorms are about $5000 for the 8 weeks. Summer session tuition is also higher, at about $2400 per class (4 cr.)
How long is it? What is your pace?
You have 5 years from start to finish. My pace is 1 per semester, and I plan to complete 2 summer sessions (14 weeks in all) in Cambridge starting the 2010 summer. I'm waiting until the very last possible moment to worry about the field seminar. In fact, I'm not thinking about it at all. IF I get through the 3 courses, and IF I get accepted, and IF I get through the thesis proposal, and IF my thesis gets accepted- I'll enroll and fly back and forth.
It's not cheap. Each graduate level course is $1700, and some have a lot of books (my class has 3, but one I looked at required 14 books). Another fly in the ointment- You can't apply for financial aid unless your in the degree program- so the first three classes (minimum) are out of pocket no matter what. One you get in, you can use student loans like anyone else. In all, your looking at about $18,000 for a master's degree. I find the cost very reasonable, but not all will agree. To each his own, but I spent about double that for my culinary degree- and that was in 1988-1990.
What's the degree?
ALM
The Latin translation is Master of Liberal Arts
Your degree would be: Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies.
Your transcript would have your concentration. (there are many to choose from)
The FAQ suggests you can list it on your resume this way:
Harvard University, Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, concentration in X
*note* there are many programs, but all of them are "in extension studies" with a concentration in something.
Distance question again
Harvard isn't really doing "distance" learning the way more experienced (or online) schools do it. It's really an after thought for them. Like "oh, you missed a lecture, well, we can put it online for you- and you can turn in your homework electronically...oh, since we are doing that anyway, let's call it distance learning" but they really only have a few classes that are exclusively online (mine isn't one of them). My class offers what they call "distance option" which really just means you can turn things in electronically. You don't get any special privilege, in fact, the class is on Tuesday, but lecture isn't uploaded to the web until Thursday- so technically, I get 2 fewer days to do my weekly homework than the on campus students.
How hard is it?
This class isn't as hard as I thought, but it's hard. There is a lot of work and the semester is long (Sept 15 - Jan 20) this one lasting more than 16 weeks. I'm glad I'm only taking 1 course this semester. Two might be a handful depending on your specific course. Here is what my load is for this class, and this is on the light side- some of the classes are VERY crazy and make this look like cake:
a weekly reading assignment of about 100-150 pages.
a weekly response paper, 2 pages length - 14 papers assigned
a weekly forum requirement, 2 questions - 28 questions assigned
a weekly video lecture (2 hours)
weekly lecture notes (slides) to be printed out for lecture
an optional weekly movie related to the subject
2 hours study pool (participate in experiments)
mid term exam - 2 hours proctored locally
final exam - 3 hours proctored locally
term paper - 10 to 15 pages, APA style, 10+ references
Do you feel like you are missing out?
Something I wish I could do on campus is the study pool. You must complete 2 hours before the close of the term. This can be done online or in person. I have done my experiments on line, but it would be awesome to do them on campus. There are a lot of interesting ones listed, and if you are in the Boston area, you can earn $ for participating.
The forum replaces the in-person section discussions that go on. There are 175 people in my class, and many do the discussions in person, so I'm missing that for sure.
What about exams?
Then for exams, you have a mid term and final which are to be proctored. Huge down side- they have to be taken on the same day/time as everyone else, they are very strict in that way. Proctor must fax them back in after your test. (I just took my midterm, it was pretty intense)
Is it grad or undergrad?
Now, this is just my class. I am taking PSY1240 Abnormal Psychology. If you sign up for a different class, your requirements will vary. Also, within one class, you may have people with different requirements. For example, if you take it for undergrad credit, you don't have to do the term paper. Grad students have their papers graded by the professor, undergrads by the teaching assistant. You'll find some classes are restricted to only undergrads, or only grad students, but nearly all are open to both.
Where are the online courses listed?Can I see your syllabus
If you are interested, go to the Harvard site, and enter the "continuing education" link. Search for a class, and many will allow you to view the syllabus or even preview a lecture and/or visit the class web site. If you want to preview a lecture and can't find one, send me a pm and I'll help you.
What is the degree plan for the psychology concentration?
The format is open, so you get to choose the 10 classes you would like to fulfill your degree requirement- there isn't a "list" of classes for your major. There are requirements that you're better off looking up yourself- certain number of courses must be taught by Harvard professors, one must be writing intensive and outside your concentration, one must be a field seminar, etc. There is a pdf you can print out for any major that has the specific requirements, but as long as you can plug in the proper classes you can use any class you want.
Also, they add and remove classes like crazy- so if you see a class today, it might never run again. That said, there are likely to be dozens of new classes added each semester,so there are a lot of opportunities to get an exciting blend. ALL the cool psych classes are (so far) only on campus. There are tons. There are only (so far) 4 psych classes offered online that count for the degree- and they are (in my opinion) more boring- and a little harder than the on campus options (not an accident I'm sure).
What about the thesis?
This has major fear factor for me. If I don't enroll, it will be because of the thesis. The proposal alone (according to the HES website) should be about 20 pages long and must contain
original research! So, I don't know how adequately prepared I will be to actually DO original research. That remains to be seen. Also, there are a lot of details that must work themselves out for me to do research here in Illinois with an advisor and resources in Mass. I' don't have a plan at this point.
Someone on my Harvard Extension forum posted stats, and it's something like 50% of those who enroll in the degree program will graduate. That doesn't include people like me- who are taking a class without being in the degree program. Even though I'm a student, I'm not "enrolled" because I have not met the 3 course requirement yet. Even if I keep going, I won't be able to be enrolled until after I get on campus for a summer session.
I wanted to say this:
ANY OF YOU HERE CAN GO TO HARVARD. ANY OF YOU. (not the same as saying it will be easy or you'll finish LOL but you can TRY!!)
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