Is Harvard Extension School Degree Applicable Toward a Doctorate, Ph.D in the Future?

I guess Shrewsbury Street is supposed to be pretty cool. At one end is UMass Medical Center and at the other end is the DCU Center. In the middle there are lots of shops and restaurants. Probably not cheap to live there. I found this:

Shrewsbury Street

Sorry, I don't know anything about the train.

 

I think it's a bit over an hour one way. I only took it once or twice (usually I take a different train line closer to home). It's a nice ride and Worcester is certainly cheaper than Cambridge/Boston (though of course, it comes with its own downfalls). You can look up the daily schedules on the mbta website.

 

not sure aboiut the answer to your questoin, but i've often fantasized about whether a harvard alm could be a ticket for admission to a hsarvard phd.

 

No need to fantasize, the answer it easily found on the Harvard website. From the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
"In general, only applicants holding the BA or equivalent, with distinguished undergraduate records, are admitted. Faculty recommendations and the applicant’s statement of purpose are carefully weighed. Research papers, publications, and other original works may also be considered by the admissions committees during their evaluations."

And so you see, a Masters degree is not required for application and would be considered as gravy in an applicant's admission package. Beyond that, I would safely assume that the school respects it's own conferred degrees.

 

Hi all, so i'm back and wanted to update that I've found a worthwhile job in Cambridge and will most likely take the job offer, however the overall goal here is of course the Extension School. With that being said, I'm wondering how many of my classes are required to be taken in person, and the # of rest classes allowed to be taken online?

1) Proseminar in person
2) Anthro Class in person
3) Anther field class in person

(I believe its like 9-12 classes in total to get the MLA degree, of course with time added with the thesis, but even with this I can imagine that after the initial meeting with a thesis advisor and instructor, I can then communicate with them through email back and forth no? I ask only because going the route of moving to Cambridge means living away from my girlfriend for the next 12 months, something of which we've both agree on but here I am asking for more in depth information.

So far, the plan is to take 3 classes (proseminar, 2 anthro classes) in the fall, 1 in the winter (1 winter class allowed right?), 3 in the spring 2016 , 2 summer 2016.... If I can tackle the in-person requirements first, I would love to get all that done outta the way so I can then move back home outside of Massachusetts and communicate with my thesis advisor that way....

 

Congratulations!

Locate and plan to spend time at three places in Cambridge:

1. The COOP (Harvard/MIT bookstore, but one of the finest bookshops generally in the country).
2. The Curious George toy shop (necessary if you have kids, still uplifting if you don't).
3. Peet's Coffee (nearby, open well before the first classes of the day).

And an honorary fourth, which I suppose is technically outside Cambridge, but cool enough to demand inclusion, is:

4. The Museum of Science (on the Charles, good for when you need to step outside your current situation - also, the original T. Rex., now posted outside the doors, is a surprisingly good listener).

These may not be listed in the admissions materials, but they are actually quite helpful to have near campus when you are there.

 

Thank you! I'll be sure to check all those places out! :You_Rock_Emoticon:

As for the topic at hand:

I read that the Anthro program needs 9 courses to take. I'm not sure if that includes the proseminar or not. Also states that of the 9 course requirement, 3 classes have to be done on the Harvard campus. So concerning whether the proseminar counts as one of those three or not, I can imagine I can knock out that 3 course requirement in one or two semesters. I mention this because I would then assume that during those 2 semesters in Cambridge, I can initiate a relationship with an academic advisor or faculty for my thesis project... and presumably continue the relationship via email and the occasional flight out to Cambridge.

honestly, living in cambridge for Fall 2015, Winter and Spring 2016 and then taking the rest of the classes (say 3-4) online living back home w/ my girlfriend on the West Coast sounds ideal...

...Assuming of course i can work on my thesis project with my advisor through electronic means.

Thanks All! This is coming a reality!

 

It is maybe a little off topic, but I found a post by Harvard Law School a little offensive.

Harvard Extension School résumé guidelines are bogus

The only thing I like about Harvard Extension School because it is relatively cheaper than Columbia University's CVN programs, and Stanford University.

 

Again, you do know that you don't necessarily have to move there to get the residency done. They have hybrid courses now that only involve 2-3 days in Cambridge http://www.extension.harvard.edu/academics/courses/course-catalog?f[0]=field_course_format%3AOnline%20with%20a%20required%20on-campus%20weekend follow the link....under "format" choose "online couses with in required on campus weekend", under "credit status" choose "graduate"....proseminar may have to be done over a full semester in Cambridge.

 

Wowzers...LOL

 

Great commentary

 

I found degree planning for HES to be harder than necessary. For starters, they don't reliably offer the same courses each semester, so you can plan to take ABC next fall, but just plan - don't count on.
I don't have a link saved (and it probably wouldn't work if I did) but several years ago when I was seriously considering this degree, I found a thesis guide. It was either a link or pdf, but it had the full timeline. I know 100% for sure you can complete your thesis as a distance student, but there were lots of hoops that led up to that point. If I remember, you had to complete portions of your degree first, approval check points as you went, and it was long- maybe 9 months to a year for the whole shebang? Anyway, whatever it was, the point is that there IS a document that has the timeline in it- try and find it.

Congratulations, I was just thinking about this thread the other day and wondered if you'd started. Good luck!! Keep posting.

 

Good luck with everything! Wouldn't it be better just to apply to PhD programs in the Boston area now? It's pretty common to admit someone with a bachelor's degree. Sometimes they offer conditional admission to applicants who don't quite yet qualify. Boston has so many universities that it's worth a try. The Harvard degree is great, but there are probably more expedient routes to a PhD.