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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.

Note: the admission requirements have recently changed. If you have met the former admission requirements, we will accept your application through the fall. You must apply between July 15 and August 15, 2011, or between October 15 and November 30, 2011. If admitted by January 15, 2012, you will follow the former degree requirements as well. A guide to the former requirements will be available for download by late June.

To apply to the program:

  1. Complete the 3 preadmission courses at Harvard.
  2. Meet all other admission criteria.
  3. Submit your application materials.

1. Complete the 3 preadmission courses at Harvard.

Earn a B or higher in 3 required graduate-level Harvard courses as described below. The courses count toward the program once you are admitted and can be completed online.

See the degree course search, which is the only accurate way to choose courses that count toward the degree.

Tip: you can take up to 4 courses a semester, but we recommend you take only 1 until you have a better sense of the workload and time commitment involved. Also, the test of critical reading and writing skills is required for ENVR E-210. Take this test, by the priority deadlines: July 17, 2011, for the fall term and November 13, 2011, for the spring term.

If you don’t meet the minimum GPA after completing three preadmission courses, speak with an admission advisor before registering for more courses. It may not be in your best interest to continue to register for courses in an attempt to raise your GPA.

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

2. Meet all other admission criteria.

  • Possess a regionally accredited bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. Ordinarily 3-year foreign degrees are not equivalent. We highly recommend that you have your foreign undergraduate degree evaluated by the Center for Educational Documentation (CED), prior to registering for Extension School courses to ensure that you are eligible for the degree. CED’s general evaluation will confirm if your degree is equivalent to a US bachelor’s degree.

  • Have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 in all degree courses already completed at Harvard Extension School or Summer School.

  • Demonstrate English language proficiency.

  • Be in good academic and financial standing with Harvard University, with no disciplinary or administrative procedures pending.

If you already hold a graduate degree, you may earn the master’s degree provided the 2 degrees are in different fields.

3. Submit your application materials.

We admit students to the program 3 times a year. You should submit your application during the term you anticipate completing your preadmission courses and all other admission requirements. 

Your 5-year deadline to complete the entire degree starts at the completion of the third degree course (i.e., any course that can count toward the degree). It is crucial you register for the preadmission courses as your first 3 courses and apply to the program as soon as possible.

See How to Apply for more information.

International students

The Extension School does not issue I-20s. But you may be able to earn the degree through online courses and Harvard Summer School on-campus courses. See Online Course Options.

Financial aid

Before you apply and are admitted, you can work with Student Financial Services to secure private funding to cover the cost of the first 3 courses required for admission. Learn about financial aid for nonadmitted students.

Once you apply and are admitted, you may be eligible for a number of loan and grant programs. Learn about financial aid for admitted candidates.