See Also
Admission
To be admitted to the ALM Program a student must meet the following criteria.
Possess a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree. Students from other countries must possess a diploma or transcript that is at least the equivalent of the bachelor’s degree in the United States, as determined by the ALM Office (see Acceptable Foreign Degrees). If outside evaluation is necessary, the documents are referred to an independent evaluator, who charges a nominal fee. An individual already holding a graduate degree may earn the ALM provided the two degrees are in different fields. Prospective candidates are not allowed to count more than three courses toward the ALM degree before their bachelor’s degrees have been earned.
Complete three courses (12 credits) for graduate credit, including the appropriate proseminar, at Harvard Extension School or Summer School with grades of B or higher. One of the three courses must be in the intended field of concentration. These 12 credits must count toward the ALM and are included in the 40 credits required for the degree. Students unable to pass the proseminar after two attempts may not attempt the proseminar in another area or degree program.
- For students in the social sciences (except psychology) or in the biological sciences field of anthropology and archaeology, we strongly recommend that one of the three courses be the analytical reasoning course SSCI E-107/W, which is expected to be offered in the 2009–10 academic year.
- For students in the literature and creative writing concentration, one of the three courses should be a creative writing course.
Maintain good academic standing (defined as a B average or a 3.0 cumulative GPA).
Demonstrate English language proficiency. Students whose native language is not English and who have not completed a four-year bachelor’s degree in an English-language curriculum must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and earn
- 250 on the computer-based test and 5 on the writing section,
- 600 on the paper-based test and 5 on the Test of Written English, or
- 100 on the Internet-based test and 25 on the writing section.
Test scores must be sent directly to the ALM Office from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). In some instances, an international student who has completed a four-year bachelor’s degree in an English-language curriculum may be required to pass the TOEFL, depending on the language requirements at that institution. The Harvard Extension School TOEFL institution code is 3458 and the department code is 02.
- Be in good financial standing with the Division of Continuing Education (Harvard Extension School and Summer School).
