Certificates are the fastest-growing post-secondary credential in the United States because learning is a lifelong pursuit.
To stand out from the competition, you need to continue to update your skill set to land that next promotion or navigate a successful career change.
To support your aspirations, we offer several undergraduate certificates and 40+ graduate certificates in the most sought-after professional fields:
- Management and Finance
- Information Technology
- Sustainability
- Life Sciences
- Education
- Social Sciences
- Global Studies
- Arts and Literature
Our certificates prepare you for long-term career success by offering you critical technical skills and the theoretical context behind those skills, providing both breadth and depth. This is a winning combination with nearly 90 percent of our certificate earners reporting that they are confident their certificate has prepared them for their next step!
You don’t have to wait to complete the certificate to gain immediate benefits. What you learn in class today, you’ll apply on the job tomorrow. Indeed, many certificate students report receiving a promotion or a new job while pursuing their certificate.
Who are certificate students?
- Most — 78 percent — are working full-time while pursuing a certificate.
- The average age of a certificate student is 36.
- Fifty-three percent of certificate students have a master’s, PhD, or other advanced degree.
- Most pursue a certificate for professional reasons, but many are exploring personal interests or preparing for further studies.
Read on to learn how to get started, track your progress, and successfully earn a certificate from Harvard Extension School.
Getting Started
No formal application is required to pursue a certificate, but you can track your progress each semester by using our online Certificate Tracker (see below).
Follow these three steps to get started:
- Find one of our undergraduate or graduate certificates that interests you.
- Browse the current certificate course offerings on the DCE Course Search and Registration platform:
- Under Search Classes, scroll to Browse by Degree, Certificate, or Premedical Program.
- Select Undergraduate Certificates or select Graduate Certificates.
- Choose the specific certificate to explore program courses.
- Register during one of our enrollment periods (fall, January, spring, or summer). When you register, be sure to select the appropriate credit status: undergraduate credit (UN) for our undergraduate certificates and graduate credit (GR) for graduate certificates.
NOTE: Graduate certificates are not available at the undergraduate level. You must take all your certificate courses for graduate credit to earn a graduate certificate.
Can I earn a certificate online?
Our certificates are designed to be completed online; a few certificates may have on campus course options.
I’m an international student. Can I take courses on campus?
Our certificates are designed to be earned completely online. However, if you would like to study on campus, you may request an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for full-time study in the summer at the Harvard Summer School.
See the international student guidelines for Summer School for more details.
Note: I-20 Certificates of Eligibility for the F-1 student visa are not available for on-campus study during the fall and spring semesters, because of the part-time nature of the Harvard Extension School. If you obtain an I-20 from Harvard Summer School for an F-1 visa, it is not possible to continue studying on the F-1 at Harvard Extension School.
Grade Requirements
Students must earn a grade of B, B+, A-, or A in a certificate course in order to have it count toward the certificate. Courses in which a student has earned a grade of B- or below cannot be counted toward a certificate.
Repeat Courses
Repeat courses are identified by their subject and course number (for example, MGMT E-4000 Organizational Behavior and MGMT S-4000 Organizational Behavior are the same courses) and occasionally by a notation in the course description (for example, “Students may not take both ECON E-1600 and ECON S-1615 for degree or certificate credit”).
Because repeating course content has limited educational value, certificate credit is not awarded for the same Harvard course for which undergraduate or graduate credit has already been received.
Therefore, you must choose an alternative course to fulfill a certificate requirement if:
- You earned a grade below the minimum B required for your certificate,
- You completed a certificate course outside of your three-year certificate timeframe, or
- You completed a course at the undergraduate level with us here at Harvard, even if you earned a passing grade.
If you find yourself needing to fulfill a specific certificate requirement that has no alternative course options, please reach out to the Certificates Office to discuss your options: Graduate_Certificates@Extension.Harvard.edu or Undergraduate_Certificates@Extension.Harvard.edu.
If you choose to repeat a course, it will appear on your official transcript, but will not count toward the certificate.
If you are earning your certificate as part of your degree studies, please also pay attention to the degree-specific repeat policies for the ALM or ALB degrees.
Three-Year Requirement
Students must complete courses within three years from the first day they start taking applicable courses toward their certificate. See the chart below for specific start and completion semester information.
| Starting Semester | Completion Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | Summer 2027 |
| Spring 2025 | Fall 2027 |
| Summer 2025 | Spring 2028 |
Medical Leave of Absence
If you have documented health or medical issues that require a modification of, or reasonable accommodation to, our three-year completion requirement, then you should proactively work with the Accessibility Services Office (ASO) to request a medical leave.
The ASO will help make appropriate arrangements for the duration of the leave as well as plans to return and ensure compliance with all academic rules. The ASO will engage in an individualized and interactive assessment, which may require consultation with others at the University, as appropriate. With prior permission, the ASO may also require consultation with your health care providers.
You should contact the ASO as soon as a health or medical issues arises, as HES does not ordinarily alter academic policies after the fact.
Extensions to the three-year requirement are not ordinarily granted beyond one additional year, as successful completion of courses within a certain period is a fundamental academic requirement.
Returning from a Medical Leave of Absence
To return from a medical leave of absence, the ASO will require documentation that the circumstances that led to your leave have been satisfactorily addressed and you are ready to resume your studies.
The ASO will engage in an individualized and interactive assessment, which may require consultation with others at the University, as appropriate. With prior permission, the ASO may also require consultation with your health care providers.
The ASO will make the decision whether to allow you to return and determine the conditions for your return based on (1) the best available objective medical evidence and (2) consultation with others at the University, which may include the Harvard University Health Services, the Dean of Student Policy and Governance, or the Administrative Board, as appropriate.
Medical Leave Registration Policies
If you request a medical leave while currently registered for courses, the Accessibility Services Office will work with the Registrar’s Office to determine a fair and equitable resolution to your registration status, which may include a drop for a refund, if early in the term, or late withdrawal grade, if later in the term.
Tracking Your Certificate Progress
The Certificate Tracker and Request Form — available through online services — will help you keep track of the courses you have taken that are eligible to count towards your certificate of interest.
Monitor your progress by logging in to online services and choosing the Certificate Tracker and Request Form. This form will confirm the courses that count toward the certificate, the courses for which you are currently registered, and the courses that you’ve completed.
Requesting Your Certificate
Once you have successfully completed all of the requirements for your certificate, you may log in to the Certificate Tracker and Request Form to request your certificate. You will confirm the courses that you will apply toward the certificate and submit your request.
After your request is reviewed, approved, and awarded you will receive information about how to access your electronic certificate through our certified electronic credentials site.
Once you have applied courses toward one certificate, they can no longer count toward another certificate. No adjustments can be made after a certificate has been awarded.
Be sure to request your certificate within 30 days of the release of your final grade in your last certificate course (see calendar for dates). This will ensure that you receive your credential in a timely manner.
If you request your certificate after this 30-day deadline, but before the 6-month petition deadline (see below), it will be awarded as part of the next conferral cycle at the end of the subsequent semester.
Requests submitted more than 6 months after completing the last course must be accompanied by a petition to the Harvard Extension School Administrative Board explaining the reason for the delay.
Will all the courses listed be offered every year?
Certificate required courses are offered each year, but the elective offerings do change slightly because of new offerings and instructor availability.
Can I substitute a course that is not listed on the certificate course search?
No. Only those courses specifically listed in the certificate course search can be counted toward the certificate. We do not accept course substitutions or transfer credit.
Continuing on to Earn a Bachelor’s
Undergraduate certificates are stand-alone academic credentials that allow you to broaden your knowledge, update your professional profile, and explore new fields of interest. Earning a certificate can be a great first step to exploring a new field of study. Undergraduate certificates stack to our Bachelor of Liberal Arts (ALB) degree—that is, your certificate courses may also meet degree requirements.
Plan ahead
If you think you want to pursue this path, make sure to do your research. You will need to plan ahead to ensure your certificate courses count toward your specific degree requirements. If you know you would like to pursue an ALB degree, we encourage you to apply to the degree program first and earn your certificate along the way.
It’s important to keep the following in mind:
- ALB degree students must hold a high school diploma or equivalent earned at least five years prior to enrolling in any ALB degree-applicable courses. If you do not meet this requirement, your undergraduate certificate coursework will not stack toward our bachelor’s degree.
- Prospective ALB students may not be enrolled as an undergraduate, degree-seeking student at another institution at the time of admission or during your Extension School degree candidacy.
- Use both the certificate course search and degree course search to see which requirements your courses meet for each credential.
- If you already possess a bachelor’s degree, you are not able to pursue another at Harvard Extension School.
For more information please see the ALB degree requirements website.
Continuing on to Earn a Master’s
Graduate certificates are stand-alone academic credentials that allow you to broaden your knowledge, update your professional profile, and advance your career.
Earning a certificate can also be a great first step to exploring a new field of study. Most of our certificates stack toward at least one Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) degree. The courses you take to earn a certificate may count toward a graduate degree.
Plan ahead
If you think you want to pursue this path, make sure to do your research. You will need to plan ahead to ensure your certificate courses count toward your specific degree requirements.
If you know you would like to pursue a degree program, we encourage you to apply to the degree program first and earn your certificate along the way.
It’s important to keep the following in mind:
- ALM degree students must hold a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a degree conferral date that precedes enrollment in graduate-level courses taken at Harvard Extension School. If you do not meet this requirement, your graduate certificate coursework will not stack toward one of our master’s degrees.
- Not every certificate course counts toward a degree. Use both the certificate course search and degree course search to see which requirements are met through your courses.
- We recommend you complete the degree pre-admission courses, if they are part of your certificate.
- ALM Degree Programs:
- Have five-year completion deadlines
- Require a Harvard On-Campus Experience
- May require a certain number of courses to be taught by instructors with a current Harvard University teaching appointment
- Undergraduate certificates do not stack to our ALM Degrees.
For more information please see your specific degree requirements website.
How do certificates differ from degrees?
Certificates offer concentrated academic pathways — 3 to 5 courses to complete — for students looking to enhance a specific set of skills or fill a knowledge gap. Earning a certificate demonstrates to employers your proficiency in a topic, as well as your determination and discipline to succeed academically. You are awarded a certificate upon completion.
Our ALB and graduate degrees are a more comprehensive, long-term academic commitment. You must complete specific admissions requirements and application to pursue a degree.
How do certificates differ from certifications?
A graduate certificate is not a certification. Certification is usually awarded by an industry-recognized party or organization to recognize an individual’s specialized knowledge or skill. It indicates mastery as measured against industry standards and is usually listed as a credential on a business card. Harvard Extension School does not offer certification in any field.
In contrast, certificates are awarded by educational institutions for completion of coursework in a certain body of knowledge. This award is usually listed on one’s resume as part of their education.
Earning Multiple Certificates
If you plan to pursue multiple certificates, keep in mind that your courses can only count toward one certificate. Each certificate is carefully designed to include a distinct set of courses to ensure its academic and professional value.
Financing Your Certificate
We have a variety of payment options available to you. You may register for courses without an initial payment. Full payment of tuition and fees is due by the payment deadline (see calendar).
Visit our Paying for School page to learn more about the payment options and other funding resources.
Resources for Certificate Students
As a certificate student you gain access to numerous resources to aid in your success.
Certificate Advising
When you have questions about the process of earning your graduate certificate, know we are here. We offer weekly Open Virtual Office Hours where students can drop in and ask questions. Visit the site for dates and more information, or email us at Graduate_Certificates@Extension.Harvard.edu for graduate certificate questions or Undergraduate_Certificates@Extension.Harvard.edu for undergraduate certificate questions.
Career Resources
We are here for you and your success. Certificate students have access to the Career and Academic Resource Center (CARC), where you can participate in online webinars on career planning and academic skills. CARC offers monthly call-in career counseling for all certificate students. You can also participate in our annual virtual Harvard Extension School Career Fair, held during the spring semester.
Library Access
As a certificate student, you have access to a multitude of library resources through the Harvard Library system. Visit our Library Resources page to learn more about all that is available to you.
Additional Student Resources
Visit our Support and Services page for additional resources such as computer labs, writing center, and the Math Question Center.
