Admission

While Extension School courses are open enrollment, degree programs are not. You must meet admission criteria, including grade and GPA requirements, and apply to earn the degree.

Admission criteria

• Possess a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree.

  • Students from other countries must present documentation, in the form of a transcript, that their degree is at least the equivalent of the 4-year 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 2 degrees are in different fields. Prospective candidates are not allowed to count more than 3 courses toward the ALM degree before their bachelor’s degrees have been earned.

• Complete 3 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 3 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 2 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 1 of the 3 courses be the analytical reasoning course SSCI E-107/W, or GOVT E-1005.
  • For literature and creative writing concentrators, 1 of the 3 courses should be a creative writing course.
  • For clinical psychology concentrators, the courses must be the proseminar, STAT E-150, and a course with a clinical focus, such as PSYC E-1040 or PSYC E-1610. After completing the 3 preadmission courses, applicants must meet with the research advisor in behavioral science and present a statement of intent regarding their field placement work. In some circumstances, the advisor may recommend that the applicant enroll in the psychology concentration rather than in clinical psychology.
  • For general psychology concentrators, one of the 3 courses must be STAT E-150.

• Maintain good academic standing (minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA).

  • You can request via e-mail that an advisor calculate your pre-degree GPA and offer advice about future registration. Log in to online services, choose “Degree Program Admissions,” then “Pre-Admission GPA Confirmation.”

• Demonstrate English language proficiency. Students whose native language is not English and who have not completed a 4-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
  • 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. In some instances, an international student who has completed a 4-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 Harvard University, with no disciplinary or administrative procedures pending.