Harvard - Strategic Management Certificate

Hi,

I just graduated with my bachelors in Business - Finance and my company will help pay for any additional education I choose to take. Currently I am debating between another bachelors in Economics or the Harvard Strategic Management Certificate (which are graduate level courses). At this time I do not want to pursue a Graduate Degree.

My goal is purely for educational purposes and to enrich my knowledge. Any suggestions or opinions?

Thanks,

Larry

 

In my own humble opinion there is virtually no value added in a second Bachelors degree.

 

The Harvard certificate sounds far more interesting, would likely yield a more useful network of contacts and would look terrific on a resume. So there!

 

Harvard, no contest.

 

Sounds like graduate level courses is the way to go. Because the Harvard Cert would be online only, can someone tell me about the quality of the teachers and material being taught? Are there other recommendations for other certifications else where?

 

For those who do not know what certificate the OP is talking about, here is a link:
Strategic Management Certificate | Strategic Management Training at Harvard

Understand something about the HES certificate in strategic management. While the courses are high quality, you get NO Harvard alumni status with it. As such, you have no access to the Harvard alumni network. This is in contrast to the HES degree programs, which grant full Harvard Alumni status.

The second thing to realize about the Strategic Management certificate in particular is that if you decide to continue on an get the masters degree in management from HES, NONE of the courses taken for the certificate can count for the the masters in management.

Lest you think that I have a negative opinion regarding the certificate, let me assure you that I do not. In fact, I am STRONGLY considering going for the strategic management certificate after completing my ALM in IT at HES next Spring. The reason is because of the outstanding quality of the instructors AND the direct applicability of the courses to starting and growing a business.

Personally, I am really looking forward to taking "Strategic Management for Growth Companies" as well as a few of the marketing courses. I have been extremely pleased with the quality of instruction that I have received and trust HES to provide me with the additional tools I need to further my business aspirations.

 

I almost forgot to answer your original question. If the choice is between a second bachelors and the HES Strategic Management certificate, I would definitely got for the certificate. I agree with Kizmet that there is virtually no added value to a second bachelors degree in most cases.

 

Agreed, especially on the 2dn BA degree portion. The only way I could see earning a second Bachelors was if a person was earning an engineering degree to supplement their liberal arts degree.

 

You can pick and choose your classes at HES. They specify who is teaching them and in what environment.

To get the most form your 5 courses be picky....go with Harvard Instructors unless there's a compelling reason to take a non Harvard Instructor (HES draws from all the Harvard Colleges and brings in select outside professors). There are usually old Syllabi and plenty of reviews for every class. You know the Certs are 5 courses...5 more plus a little time on campus and you have an ALM Degree.

There is no way I would go back for a second BA/BS unless it was truly a career changer like Cory mentioned.

 

I noticed some of the classes for the Strategic Management Certificate are undergrad also. Can you mix and match undergrad and grad level classes?

 

Many HES courses are available for graduate or undergraduate credit, with graduate students doing additional, graduate-level work.

 

I noticed that but some are undergrad only.

 

I looked into their web development cert. It looked like it was going to be extremely expensive, I can't remember how much. I suppose having the name "Harvard" on your resume is worth the expense, but it was not worth it for me, late in my career path as I am.

 

That's not exactly true. No current HBS professors teach at HES. There are a couple of instructors at HES with HBS Professor Emeritus status, but no active faculty.

 

Welcome back....

 

I emailed them and here is the response:



Professional certificates offer students an opportunity to gain recognition for graduate-level work in a specific field. This does mean that all 5 courses must be completed for graduate credit to be eligible. See professional certificates to learn more about the requirements.

The certificate will read, "The Harvard Extension School hereby certifies that student name has met the requirements for and was awarded a certificate in _______,” followed by the date of the award. The certificate bears the signature of the Dean of the Extension School and the appropriate program head, and its receipt is noted on your official transcript.

If you would prefer to take courses at the undergraduate level, you will not earn a professional certificate. However, you will still be able to request your official transcript. This document will indicate any courses from the Extension and Summer Schools that have been completed, and the grades received in courses taken for credit.

I hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact our office with future questions.