Degree Requirements

General requirements

To earn the ALM, you must:

• Complete 10 courses, including a thesis (40 credits).
  • The area proseminar
  • 6 in the field of concentration, at least 1 of which is a graduate seminar
  • 2 electives outside the field of concentration; 1 must be a graduate seminar or writing-intensive course
  • The master’s thesis
  • Note: Course requirements vary for the concentrations in biology, clinical psychology, literature and creative writing, psychology, and history of science, technology, and medicine. See requirements below.

• Earn a grade of B– or higher in each course (B or higher in the 3 required for admission) and maintain an overall average of B (3.0) 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 8 of the 10 courses with Harvard instructors. In fields in which fewer Harvard instructors may be offering courses, students should choose electives that are taught by Harvard instructors. Courses marked with the HI attribute in the degree course search fulfill this requirement.

• Spend at least 2 semesters in residence during which you complete the proseminar, field seminar, and at least 1 other on-campus-only course at Harvard Extension School or Summer School. No more than 6 online or online-option courses may be counted toward the degree. Summer School study abroad programs do not count toward the residency requirement, although students may count a maximum of 8 credits from a study abroad program toward other ALM degree requirements.

Find courses that satisfy requirements

Use the degree course search.

Field-specific requirements

Literature and creative writing field

For this field you must complete CREA E-100r, 4 additional courses in creative writing, and 3 in English or any foreign literature, 1 of which must be a seminar.

Psychology, clinical psychology, and biology fields

For biology concentrators, a graduate-level course in statistics must be completed at the Extension School or Summer School with a grade of B or higher before submission of the thesis proposal. STAT E-50, STAT E-102, and STAT E-150 fulfill this requirement. For biology concentrators, this course may count either as a field course or an elective.  For psychology and clinical psychology concentrators, who must take only STAT E-150 to fulfill the degree requirement, the course counts only as an elective. If you have taken a graduate-level statistics course elsewhere, before beginning any ALM course work, you may apply to take the stats waiver exam. A transcript, sent from the university registrar to the ALM Office, must show that you earned a grade of B or better in the course. You may not take a stats course elsewhere after commencing course work towards the ALM degree in lieu of STAT E-150 offered through the Harvard Extension School. Those receiving a waiver take another course as a field course or an elective, depending on their field. 

History of science, technology, and medicine

The requirements for this redesigned concentration have been revised as follows:

• 1 proseminar
• 2 history of science courses*
• 2 history courses*
• 2 science courses in student's chosen research field**
• 2 courses drawn from the approved list of electives**
• A thesis 

* Of these 4 courses, 1 must be a seminar. One may be SSCI E-107/W (Advanced Analytical Reasoning). Only 1 can be a distance-only or distance-option course.

** Of these 4 courses, 1 must be a seminar or a writing-intensive course.

Clinical psychology field

You must complete:

• The proseminar
• STAT E-150
• 6 psychology courses: 1 of which must be a graduate seminar and 4 of which must have a clinical focus (including PSYC E-1240 and the field placement course PSYC E-380, see below)
• 2 courses in human psychology
• 1 elective course in 1 of the following: neurobiology, medical anthropology, psychological approaches to literature, or an upper-level course in statistics or psychology research methods (not SSCI E-100a)

Field placement in psychology. PSYC E-380 is a limited-enrollment course required of all clinical psychology concentrators and an optional field course for psychology concentrators. Candidates must have completed at least 6 courses toward the ALM degree to enroll.

Participants devote 150 hours to work in a laboratory or human services setting of their choosing. Because the fieldwork takes place in a research, clinical, or agency setting, most placements require some of the hours to occur during normal business hours. Enrolled students can expect to spend more concentrated time during the January semester break, both in the classroom and orienting to the field, followed by weekly work in the field and biweekly seminar meetings.

If you are interested in this course, you must begin discussing specific placement options no later than October 1 and must apply for permission to enroll by November 1. Note: it is expected that you will be actively involved in identifying and arranging the actual placement.

See the Requirements Summary for an easy reference and downloadable worksheets.

Government and international relations fields

Effective with applications completed after September 1, 2012, government and international relations concentrators must complete 1 graduate-level course in statistics at the Extension School (STAT E-50, or STAT E-150, GOVT E-1005, or GOVT E-2001) or the Summer school (STAT S-100) with a grade of B or higher before submission of the thesis proposal. 

If you have taken a graduate-level statistics course elsewhere, before beginning any ALM course work, you may apply to take the stats waiver exam. A transcript, sent from the university registrar to the ALM Office, must show that you earned a grade of B or better in the course.  You may not take a statistics course elsewhere to fulfill this requirement after commencing course work towards the ALM Degree. Those receiving a waiver take another course as an elective.