Would a degree in the Harvard Extension be as well recognized as the mainstream Harvard?

Answer 1

You should define what your degree means - not the other way around. When determining what you degree means, consider not only what it means to you (your life and career goas), but to those who might use your resume to assess your qualifications. The best way to do this is to ask mentors, prospective employers, or the like. Can you say you went to Harvard? Yes. The same way that the students from the college, medical, business and government schools all say they go to Harvard without specifying which division, you can certainly do it as well. However, it is intellectually fraudulent for you to not clarify, if asked, that you went to Harvard Extension School and not Harvard College. There is nothing to be ashamed of. The extension school is excellent and that leads me to my second point. I also think it's shady to say you "went to Harvard" if all you did was take an executive education certificate course and you were never matriculated as a degree-seeking student. The admissions process is very different and you should anticipate being asked questions about that. If what you're asking is if the quality of the Harvard Extension School is up to par with that of Harvard College, then I would say the answer is a qualified yes for several reasons. - You can graduate from the HES with a pedigree education of having been taught only by Harvard faculty. - You can cross-enroll and take up to two classes per semester at Harvard College. - Many of the same professors that teach at Harvard College also teach the same course at the Extension School. It is qualified because the learning experience is not equivalent to the residence programs. This is because a great deal of the educational experience of the residence programs comes from your classmates and not just the professors. Ultimately, this question is not as important as important as whether you can maximize your time at the extension school and truly take advantage of a world-class education.