See Also
Degree Requirements
To earn the ALM, students must meet the following general requirements:
- Complete nine courses and a thesis (40 credits):
- The area proseminar
- Six in the field of concentration, at least one of which is a seminar
- Two electives outside the field of concentration; one must be a seminar or writing-intensive course
- The master’s thesis
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Earn a grade of B– or higher in each course (B or higher in the three required for admission) and maintain an overall average of B in all ALM courses, which can only be earned at Harvard Extension School, Harvard Summer School, or as Special Students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
- Complete eight of the 10 courses with Harvard instructors. Courses marked with the HI attribute in the degree course search fulfill this requirement.
Literature and creative writing concentrators: Complete CREA E-100r, four additional courses in creative writing, and three in English or any foreign literature, one of which must be a seminar.
In the fields of biology and psychology, one graduate-level course in statistics must be completed at the Extension School or the Summer School with a grade of B or higher before submission of the thesis proposal. STAT E-50, STAT E-102, or an approved Summer School course fulfills this requirement. For biology concentrators, this course may count either as a field course or an elective. For psychology concentrators, it counts only as an elective. Before commencing any ALM coursework, students who have already completed a graduate-level course in statistics elsewhere with a grade of B or higher may petition to waive this requirement by passing the ALM statistics exam. Those receiving a waiver take another course as a field course or an elective, depending on your field.
Specific degree requirements are further detailed in this section. See the Requirements Summary for an easy reference and downloadable worksheets.
Writing-Intensive Courses
Writing-intensive courses at Harvard Extension offer students the opportunity to develop their writing skills in the context of a particular academic discipline, and they all feature common elements. Students:
- Develop core writing skills, as defined by the instructor, in the discipline of the course
- Complete multiple writing assignments of varying lengths, at least two of which must be revised
- Produce a minimum of 10 to 12 pages of writing, exclusive of the required revisions, over the course of the term
- Meet at least once in individual conference (in person, by phone, or electronically) with the instructor or teaching assistant to discuss writing in progress
- Receive detailed feedback on their drafts and revisions, on both content and expression
Selecting Courses
To see how current course offerings fulfill requirements, use the degree course search.
