This page contains content from the 2008–09 academic year. For current information, visit the Harvard Extension School website at www.extension.harvard.edu.
Master’s Degree in Management
This program offers great opportunities for graduate study: a stimulating academic environment, an enriching mix of students from all over the world, and a professional focus—practical ideas and skills that can be taken back to the workplace.
— Arnold M. Howitt, Executive Director, Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Designed for students who have at least two years of work experience, the Master of Liberal Arts in Management provides you with the opportunity to study management within the context of the global economy. Through specialized study and case analysis, you acquire practical skills that can be immediately applied in the workplace or can help you take that next step in your career.
Degree Requirements
To earn the Master of Liberal Arts in Management, meet the following requirements:
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Complete 12 courses (48 credits), fulfilling the distribution, concentration, and capstone requirements (requirements detailed below).
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Complete six on-campus-only courses (24 of the 48 credits) at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School.
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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 a 3.0 GPA in courses taken for graduate credit at Harvard Extension School or Summer School. See Academic Standing and Enrollment.
- Complete six of the total courses with Harvard-affiliated instructors.
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Complete all requirements within five years of the date of admission or, if the application is delayed, the date of completion of the third prerequisite course. If you are unable to complete the degree within five years, you are retired from the program.
How to Select Courses
To see how current course offerings fulfill requirements, you can use the degree course search.
Distribution Requirement
Complete eight courses distributed across the five fields, as follows:
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Field I: management, marketing, and operations—two courses, including at least one marketing course
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Field II: organizational behavior and human resources—two courses, including either OBHR E-100 or OBHR E-110
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Field III: accounting and finance—two courses, one accounting and one finance
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Field IV: selected information systems management courses—one course
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Field V: communication in business—one course
Concentration Requirement
You take at least four courses from one of the following eight concentrations. Courses taken to satisfy the concentration requirement may also be counted toward the distribution requirement. You may select only one concentration.
- Management and Operations
- Marketing Management
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resources
- Finance and Control
- Information Systems Management
- International Management
- Communication in Business
- Managing Nonprofit Organizations
Selecting courses: Use the degree course search to select courses that fulfill requirements.
Capstone Requirement
During your final semester in the program, you take MGMT E-599 Strategic Management Capstone Course. It includes a capstone case analysis for which you apply your understanding of the major functions of management. MGMT E-599 may not be used to satisfy the concentration or distribution requirement.
Only candidates in good academic standing may enroll in the capstone course. Because the course is meant to synthesize the information you have learned in the program, it must be taken in the final semester of the program.