New from Harvard Extension School

[ThatBankDude]

@ThatBankDude you're wrong:

https://www.extension.harvard.edu/about-us

The first line says 'We are Harvard' and they state 'We are a fully accredited Harvard School'

Even the harvard.edu mentions it in their 'distance education' programs:

https://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/fr...e-learning

The school is a part of Harvard just like any other school within Harvard and was founded before quite a bit of schools within Harvard.

So where will I tell them I went? MIT? Yale? WGU?

If they ask I'll say I went to Harvard. If I show them my diploma it'll have 'Harvard' written on it. Not Yale, not Colimbia not Penn Foster. Harvard. End of Text.

The diploma itself is differentiated from others that Harvard issues in that it states "Masters of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies." Is the school a part of Harvard like the others? Yes. Is the school respected like the others? Not so much. Personally, I do not want the fact that I pursued my education online to be differentiated from others who earned their degree on campus. In my opinion, Harvard does just that.

[jsd]

Things seem similar among Penn's online or blended graduate degrees. For instance, the engineering department has an online master's on CourseRA, but it's a Master of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) for students from a non-CS background. Again, a differently titled degree from on-campus students.

This program is titled the same way as their on-campus Masters of Computer and Information Technology (found here: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/prospective-st...e/mcit.php ) and they both come from their School of Engineering and Applied Science. They do not differentiate online student from on-campus students on the degree or transcript.

[sanantone]

I'd rather take that money and go to UPenn and get the same degree as everyone else. After reading a Dallas forum, I've learned that more people than expected know that Harvard Extension is a "special" school.

Which Penn online or hybrid degree is "the same degree as everyone else?"

Penn's College of Liberal and Professional Studies, Penn LPS, is a separate unit for adult students within Penn like HES is within Harvard University. The Penn LPS online undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS), which doesn't seem to be offered elsewhere within Penn.

Whereas the HES undergraduate program has a rich schedule of evening and intensive on-campus courses alongside online courses, Penn is eliminating evening and weekend on-campus classes for LPS adult undergraduates and replacing them with the BAAS, an online degree with two short residencies "similar to orientation days." There's one admission pathway based on prior transcript review, and a "prove your way in" pathway based on taking open enrollment courses, and that's like HES.

Things seem similar among Penn's online or blended graduate degrees. For instance, the engineering department has an online master's on CourseRA, but it's a Master of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) for students from a non-CS background. Again, a differently titled degree from on-campus students.

I take the fair point that some people will prefer a program where online and on-campus students are awarded the same degree from the same academic unit. I'm not seeing where Penn does things differently from Harvard in that respect. There could be some other program within Penn where online and traditionally admitted on-campus students are awarded the same degree.

Actually, I would spend less at a school that is ranked higher in its field than an Ivy League school i.e. Georgia Tech or University of Texas for computer science.

With Harvard Extension, you also have to factor in the cost of being in Cambridge for face-to-face classes.

Also fair points!

The MCIT is also available on campus.

https://www.cis.upenn.edu/prospective-st...e/mcit.php

In addition, I believe UPenn has a blended PhD.

[Jonathan Whatley]

The issue with saying "I went to Harvard" is that you actually would not have gone to Harvard. The Harvard Extension School is an open admissions aspect of the school and lacks to admissions rigor that other schools within the university have. Does it fall under the branding of Harvard? Sure.

Courses are open enrollment, but degree programs are not open admission. HES degree program admission requires "academic distinction in… initial degree courses."

However, the school itself made a post on their website I believe showing the proper way of listing the school on their resume as "Harvard Extension School" since I am sure a lot of people were doing "Harvard University" creating a false credential.

This is very mistaken. Harvard University is not a false credential. The current HES résumé and cover letter guide shows sample résumés with several recommended options:

• Harvard University Extension School
  
• Harvard University, Extension School
  
• Harvard University (see the listing for the graduate certificate in Jim Wang's résumé, and an individual course in Susan R. Smith's)
  

Like Harvard College, GSAS and others, Harvard Extension School falls entirely within the regional accreditation of Harvard University. While omitting Harvard University and only listing Harvard Extension School wouldn't be wrong, there's the risk that an automated résumé screening wouldn't match "Harvard Extension School" with the accredited university of which it's a unit.

You're right that the Extension School occasionally lays down the law to remind people not to misrepresent the school, but you're wrong about the form of the misrepresentation. Harvard Extension School is a subset of Harvard University and Harvard. No misrepresentation there. It is a problem if someone misrepresents Harvard Extension School as a different academic unit, such as Harvard College or Harvard Business School. It is a problem if someone misrepresents a program like the Bachelor of Liberal Arts (offered by HES) as a different program, like the Bachelor of Arts (offered by Harvard College).

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This program is titled the same way as their on-campus Masters of Computer and Information Technology (found here: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/prospective-st...e/mcit.php ) and they both come from their School of Engineering and Applied Science. They do not differentiate online student from on-campus students on the degree or transcript.

That's a plus, then, for students for whom that's important.

So Penn differentiates in some programs (the BAAS from LPS vs. the BA from the College of Arts and Sciences traditional students earn) but not others (MCIT). But the same is true of Harvard (differentiated: the ALB from HES vs. the BA from Harvard College; not differentiated: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health offers the MPH in several fields predominantly on campus, but the MPH in Epidemiology is blended for all students).

[armstrongsubero]

@Jonathan Whatley you are correct. I couldn't say it better.

[posabsolute]

Not that rabbit hole again...

I for one super happy they accept MITx micromasters, what a great "low cost" way to start your journey! I think it's awesome, and they give you 4 credited courses!

[cookderosa]

Edit to say- same thread different day.

[alexf.1990]

@sanatone good point. I was considering the masters in EE at University of Colorado at Boulder for 20k, but this Harvard Extension degree is 22k more...

Harvard Extension School offers a need-based grant that gives 50% off its tuition during the Spring and Fall, and one free class during the summer. The HES masters programs can be spaced out to last 5 years. If you stretch the program out to take the maximum number of free summer courses, you can get the out of pocket cost down to $15k for the masters degree. Some programs also have enough elective courses to allow you to earn a graduate certificate or two while you complete the master program. I haven't found a hard cut off number for the HES grant, but I've heard of people making 50k per year getting the grant.

[sanantone]

@sanatone good point. I was considering the masters in EE at University of Colorado at Boulder for 20k, but this Harvard Extension degree is 22k more...

Harvard Extension School offers a need-based grant that gives 50% off its tuition during the Spring and Fall, and one free class during the summer. The HES masters programs can be spaced out to last 5 years. If you stretch the program out to take the maximum number of free summer courses, you can get the out of pocket cost down to $15k for the masters degree. Some programs also have enough elective courses to allow you to earn a graduate certificate or two while you complete the master program. I haven't found a hard cut off number for the HES grant, but I've heard of people making 50k per year getting the grant.

Five years!?!

[ReyMysterioso]

I got a job interview for a good opportunity with the corporate hq of a 9-state, $18B company in which the only education discussed was "Wow. I didn't know Harvard had a distance program like that. I may have to think about doing that myself!" It seemed to be the thing that really got their attention. Extension or not. That brand really tracks. Especially the farther you get outside of the Northeast. I have only run into one person who was not impressed and gave me a "yeah but." (And that guy was an uppity ivory tower ivy professor.)
Your mileage may vary.