Harvard Extension vs SUNY Empire State

In terms of reputation and name brand, which would be better a ALB from Harvard Extension or a BA from SUNY Empire State? Or would they be seem as the same, both just adult completion degrees from well established B&M schools?

I know this kind of question is totally subjective and personal but that's what I really wanna know, specially from the american members here.

 

Harvard > SUNY

 

Harvard, but two caveats.

1. Impossible to complete an entire program at a distance.
2. Dont dare take more than one class at a time if you work full time. Extension does not equate with lower standard. The extension is (in)famous for its rigor in terms of amount of work.

A

 

I disagree with number 2 because I think it's fairly ridiculous. There are several threads dedicated to Harvard Extension vs. Harvard. I do agree that it seems some people think Harvard Extension = Easy Mode DL Degree which is sad. MC seems to peg a few good key points and I agree either choice would be good.

My personal choice would be Harvard because...well...it's Harvard. If you have the money then I say go for it.

 

I'm aware that Harvard beats SUNY (or any other University in the world for that matter) in brand recognition.

But the Extension school has some strong detractors (specially on the web) so I'm wondering if because of that the reputation would be more like a State school, like SUNY.

 

Yes, I do have the money and I'm in the curious position of being able to do a seocnd undergrad degree there (because my brazilian undergrad was evaluated as a 3 year degree, not 4) something that you can't normally do at WES.

But I'd have to spend a semester (or two summer there) - I'm more worried about that time there than the money.

That's why I'm wondering if SUNY-ESC wouldn't be a acceptable alternative (keep in mind that I don't really NEED this second degree, it's more for self-esteem issues, so it's doesn't make sense to enroll in one of the Big Three, but only in something with a little bit more name recognition).

 

If it's simply for personal reasons then I vote Harvard all the way. We only live once man and while SUNY is an excellent school you just can't beat the Harvard name. I have seen the threads bashing on HES but I think all agreed in the end that the only people who really know the difference are people like us who frequent these types of discussions.

 

No I don't think you're ridiculous I just think the argument is played out.

 

I don't think it is - actually the reason for this thread is that I had some thoughts very similar to your second point.

 

Harvard

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the degree come from Harvard and NOT the Extension School?

I think it's in the name of the degree that the word 'extension' appears.

 

Educated opinion:

I have two employees going to HES in the Info Tech program at the masters level. They are getting drilled and on review of the work they're doing (as I'm curious like that) my opinion as an IT professional with 15 years in the field a B&M degree, an online degree, and finishing an online MBA from UMass, I can clearly advise that the program is far more rigorous than anything I've gone through (Northeastern U, WGU, UMass) on a class by class basis.

Now that's not saying that HES is as rigorous as Harvard College or that all programs at HES are the same way. I'm sure there's a huge range that these courses fall within, but the thing about detractors and supporters and their arguments is context, and that's often either not present, or the biases aren't clearly defined within the arguments given.

Will HES make you go hmmm? Yeah probably but people have work experience to offset that. Will a degree from HES make you competitive for normal Harvard programs, yes it will and there are plenty of examples of people going on to Doctoral work at high quality T1 schools with a masters from HES.

I've taken care to remove biases from this post, but for the record, I respect the HES programs. Would I rather go to Harvard GSAS, yeah of course.


A

 

You're right, but if you ask Harvard to validate your degree as part of a background check, they'll make it very clear that the degree is in Extension studies.

A

 

I know people who have completed more than one class at the HES while working full-time with no problem. The key is not taking more than one writing intensive course at a time. Now granted, these weren't classes in the ALM-IT program, which I have heard are challenging, but the OP was discussing getting a second bachelors so it's apples and oranges.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I'd vote on the OP going to Harvard, though I might be biased since the school signs my pay checks.

 

Even so the extension school is just one of several colleges in Harvard. I think that if you polled people outside of DL forums they wouldn't have a clue what the difference was. I still think someone should list their degree exactly how Harvard requires you to on resumes, although I'm not really sure what that is.

 

So it seems that even though HES has a lot of detractors most people would value a Harvard degree (even if it's the less prestigious of all Harvard degrees) more than a SUNY degree.

Interesting.

I think right now my question is more about a trade off between time and brand value: as some noted above, I'd have to complete one semester on-campus (or two summers, or four january sessions).

So, would a HES degree a worthy compensation for the time (it's cliche, but time IS money...lol) spent in Cambridge?

Yeah, I know that I'm the only person that can actually answer this question for myself, but it's always interesting to hear what other people think.

 

I really find a lot of wisdom in Maniac's advice. I think it should be re-read incase you missed it. It's like when you see someone wearing a Rolex and driving a Ford. Uhhh, yeah. The Rolex is a fake. That guy couldn't convince you his watch is real, even if it is...but, if you see a guy driving a BMW, you assume it's real (even if it's not).

The Rolex analogy isn't to suggest HES isn't "real" because it is!! But it's a BIG brand to carry. I loved my semester there, and with unlimited resources, I'd finish that degree. I promise you that if you put Harvard on your resume, 100% of the people who look at your resume WILL notice.


I think with your education/experience/training, you have to create a picture of You the brand. You need an upward trend, and sometimes that means a high profile degree...and other times it means blending in. Neither is right for everyone, but one is more right for you than the other. Only you can answer that!!

Edit- maybe +/-90% of the people here know what HES is. I'm guessing that +/-90% of the world does not!