Harvard Business School Online Courses

Harvard Business School: prestige and influence

There are few names more famous in the business world than that of Harvard Business School. Founded over a hundred years ago, it has been consistently voted as not only the top business school in America, but the world.

Of particular fame is its MBA program, which has over 90,000 alumni worldwide. It was actually the world’s first MBA course, originally offered in 1908!

Famous alumni

HBS has produced many of the movers and shakers of today’s society. 

Among their alumni they have massive political names such as Michael Bloomberg and George W. Bush. Other big figures in the business sphere include Henry Paulson, one-time CEO of Goldman Sachs, and Anne Moore, the first female CEO of the company that publishes TIME magazine.

HBS online: what can you learn?

Harvard Business School provides one of the most fully-featured and in-depth online complements to its standard learning of any business school. 

Their courses all focus on three core qualities that set them apart from other online programs.

Active

Harvard Business School’s online courses are more than pre-recorded lectures. Instead, they contain regular activities to stimulate learning and keep you engaged.

Social

Online learning is often isolating. This is a problem, because discussion and debate are one of the best ways to stimulate your thinking on difficult topics. As such, HBS places great emphasis on talking over material with your fellow classmates.

Case-based

More than other subjects, business can’t just be learned from a textbook. 

It requires real-life experience, and that’s why each HBS online course is centered around case studies that show you the actual paths of successful business leaders.

What courses do they offer?

HBS’s online courses typically last between one and two months.

They focus on the nuts and bolts of advanced business management and strategy. Common areas include management, logistics and financial accounting.

Here are some example course titles:

• Sustainable Business Strategy
• Negotiation Mastery
• Leading with Finance
• Business Analytics

What qualifications are available?

While HBS online doesn’t offer MBA qualifications, there are two primary ways to show your progress. 

Each completed course grants a Certificate of Completion; three of these in specific subjects allow you to take the Credential of Readiness exam, a highly-esteemed item on any resume.

What payment options are there?

Payment for all courses can be made online, but many loans and scholarship options are also available for those unable to afford the full fee directly.