Harvard Business School - Harvard University
Harvard Business School: world-renowned institution with a world-class MBA program. Harvard, located in Boston, MA, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., founded in 1636.
Harvard Business School is well-connected worldwide, with 80,000 alumni across 167 countries. These alumni include some of the most powerful business leaders and elected officials in the world. Harvard is generally considered to be the most prestigious business school in the world.
The 2-year MBA program enrolls around 1,000 students per class, making for one of the larger MBA student bodies. Harvard Business School values authentic hands-on education, which is why the school utilizes the case method to give students relevant problems to tackle. In addition, there is a huge emphasis on mastering how to work in teams, so many projects are built to be completed by a team of experts. This is applied through field study teams that evaluate current organizations.
Harvard Business School Overview
- School Rank: 5th for business schools
- Course Duration: 2-year full-time MBA
- Median GMAT: 730
- GMAT range: 590-790
- Verbal Range: 28-51
- Quantitative Range: 32-51
- Median Verbal GRE: 163
- Range: 147-170
- Median Quantitative GRE: 164
- Range: 146-170
- Approx. Class Size: 1010
- Tuition Cost: $73,440 per year
- Estimated Total Yearly Cost: $111,542
- Average Age of Students: 27
- 96% received job offers (Class of 2021)
- Location: Boston, MA, USA
Degrees Offered
The Harvard MBA program does not offer specific majors, instead allowing students to choose electives from 10 different subject areas. Those areas include:
- Accounting and Management
- Business, Government & the International Economy
- Entrepreneurial Management
- Finance
- General Management
- Marketing
- Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
- Organizational Behavior
- Strategy
- Technology & Operations Management
There are several joint degree options for Harvard MBAs:
- Harvard Kennedy School: MBA/MPA-ID
- Harvard Law School: MBA/JD
- Harvard Medical School: MBA/MD
- Harvard School of Dental Medicine: MBA/DMD
- Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences: MBA/MS
What Makes Harvard Business School Unique?
Beyond its world-class reputation, the Harvard Business School MBA program has many factors that make the program unique. First, the structure of the 1st year core curriculum is such that every student takes the same courses for the entire year. The 90-student group system facilitates close relationships, as each section takes all the classes together.
And while the school is composed of smaller sections, HBS enrolls one of the largest student bodies of any top MBA programs. This creates more opportunities for collaboration and contributes to a large global HBS network.
The crux of the core curriculum is the case method. This teaching practice turns each class into a story with a protagonist facing tough business decisions, as opposed to a lecture-style class structure. The FIELD component of the core curriculum gives students the opportunity to travel internationally and apply business skills in real-world scenarios.
MBAs can choose from a variety of extracurricular clubs, including athletic, cultural, artistic, and professional groups. HBS student groups also host conferences on many hot-button topics, including energy & environmental protection, ethics of technology, investment, systemic racial issues, and much more. Getting involved in the process of planning and executing these conferences is an excellent way to build leadership skills. Plus, it looks great on your resume.
What is the Harvard Business School Campus Like?
Situated along the Charles River in Boston, the Harvard Business School campus is made up of brick buildings, tall trees, and large green spaces. HBS is the only top MBA program in the U.S. with a residential campus, as 65% of HBS students live in Harvard University dorms or apartments. This facilitates a strong sense of community at Harvard within the vibrant city of Boston. In addition, Harvard has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, with 16 LEED certified buildings.
Notable Alumni
- Michael Bloomberg, Founder and CEO of Bloomberg
- Ann Sarnoff, CEO of Warner Bros
- Steve Bannon, Former White House chief strategist
- Elaine Chao, former US Secretary of Transportation
- Robert Kraft, billionaire sports investor, owner of the New England Patriots
- Mitt Romney, Republican Senator and former presidential nominee
- Stephen Schwarzman, Co-founder of Blackstone Group
- George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. President
- Sheryl Sandberg, CFO of Facebook
- Henry Paulson, Former US Secretary of the Treasury & CEO of Goldman Sachs
Harvard Business School Employment Report
Each year, the Harvard Business School Employment Report covers career data for MBA graduates. The following data is based on the Class of 2021:
- 74% sought employment
- 96% Received an Offer
- 92% Accepted an Offer
- 23% Did not Seek Employment
- 12% Company Sponsored or Already Employed
- 8% Starting Own Business
- 3% Other
- Median Base Salary: $151,000
To find out what the prospects are for you to break into consulting from Harvard Business School, see our breakdown of the school’s employment report here.
Conclusion
Harvard Business School is one of the most selective and prestigious graduate schools of business in the world. If you get in, your lifetime earnings boost should make the initially daunting $112K total annual cost of tuition, room, and board seem less significant. If you’re applying for top MBA programs, work with our expert team to optimize your resume today.