FAQs

To choose the right Professional & Executive Development program for you, consider your career goals, desired skills, available time commitment, preferred learning format, and level of experience. Program pages provide audience profiles and learning outcomes to help guide decisions.

We also created two guides to help you make the right decision:

• How to Choose a Leadership Development Program
• How to Choose a Professional Development Program

Harvard Professional & Executive Development serves professionals around the globe seeking leadership and management skills.

Our programs are designed for working professionals, managers, executives, and lifelong learners seeking to build new skills, strengthen leadership capabilities, or advance their careers through Harvard’s academic expertise.

Leadership experience requirements vary by program. Some programs are designed for emerging professionals, while others are intended for experienced leaders and executives. Individual program pages provide detailed audience and eligibility information.

Yes, you may participate if you are changing careers or are between jobs. Many participants enroll to gain new skills, explore career transitions, or prepare for leadership opportunities in new industries. Program descriptions can help determine which offering best aligns with your goals.

To enroll in our programs, participants must meet the following criteria:

• English proficiency: Proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English is required to fully participate in class discussions and interactive group work.
• Relevant work experience: A bachelor’s degree is encouraged, but participants may also demonstrate compelling, substantial, and relevant professional experience.
• Minimum Age: Participants must be at least 18 years old.
• Program-Specific Requirements: Some programs may have additional prerequisites. Please refer to the specific program page and the “Who Should Enroll” section to determine fit.
• Health Insurance (On-Campus Programs Only): Participants attending on-campus programs must have valid health insurance that covers major medical emergencies and hospitalization in the U.S. Proof of coverage is required before arrival. Harvard is not responsible for any medical expenses incurred during the program.

Harvard DCE Professional & Executive Development may refuse registration to anyone who has been required to withdraw from another Harvard school or course.

Time commitments vary by program. Most program pages include session schedules, and participation expectations so learners can plan accordingly.

There are two program formats: on campus and online. You can decide whether you want to travel to Harvard’s campus to attend an in-person program, or attend an online program no matter where you are in the world.

Please note that in order to protect the privacy of our participants and the intellectual property of our presenters, on-campus and online programs will not be recorded by Harvard for participant purposes. Sessions may not be recorded by participants with their personal devices unless directed by the instructor.

To get the most out of your experience regardless of format, check out our guides:

• How to Get the Most from Online Learning
• 4 Tips for Live Learning Success

After completing a program with Harvard Professional & Executive Development, you will receive one Certificate of Completion upon completion of, active participation in, and full attendance during a program (on-campus or online). Grades are not assigned, and the programs do not count toward a degree.

You can also explore your options to pursue a Certificate of Leadership Excellence, which are specifically designed for leaders with the desire to advance their business management and leadership skills.

Yes, many participants choose to showcase completed credentials on professional profiles, résumés, and LinkedIn. When you add your credential to your Linkedin profile, we also strongly encourage you to tag us @professionalexecdevharvarddce.

You will receive more information about displaying your credential upon completion of a program.

There are a broad range of skills you can expect to gain from a Harvard Professional & Executive Development program.

The skills vary by program and topic area but often include:

• Leadership development
• Communication
• Innovation
• Artificial intelligence
• Negotiation

Explore our full list of program offerings to learn more about specific skillsets and industry-specific expertise.

Programs are designed to empower participants to apply their learnings immediately.

Curriculum connects insights from leaders in the field with practical workplace application, helping participants implement new strategies, frameworks, and approaches as soon as possible.

For more information, check out our guide on Presenting What You Learned From a Professional Development Program.

Participants pursue professional development for many reasons, including leadership advancement, skill development, career transitions, and organizational impact.

Hear from one of our participants, who took four courses to earn the Certificate of Leadership Excellence in Management Development.

Program costs vary, based on length and format. Please see each specific program page for its cost.

The on-campus program fee covers:

• Instruction
• All program materials
• Full breakfast
• Full lunch
• Coffee and snack breaks
• Cocktail and Networking reception
• Certificate of Completion

The online program fee covers:

• Instruction
• All digital program materials
• Digital Certificate of Completion

Online payment via credit card is the quickest way to secure your seat. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis, and your seat is not confirmed until your tuition has been received in full.

Credit cards or e-checks are the preferred form of payment. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted at the time of registration.

If online payment is not an option for you, we can provide you with a tuition invoice after you create a participant profile in our registration portal. Once you have completed this step, please email us at ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu to request an official invoice. Please note we require you email us as written confirmation is mandatory for processing this request.  We will respond in 1–2 business days as we closely monitor emails.

Payment by wire transfer is also accepted, however the processing of a wire transfer must be initiated at least eight weeks prior to the start of the program. Therefore, we highly recommend that you pay first with a credit card in order to ensure your seat in the program and then, if possible, seek reimbursement from your employer. When your wire transfer or check has been received and applied to your account, you will receive a registration confirmation email. Please note that since many programs do fill quickly, often forming a waitlist, it is possible that the program may fill before your payment is received.

Since programs often fill quickly, we recommend completing payment online whenever possible. Often participants pay with their personal credit cards and later seek reimbursement directly from their employer in order to ensure a seat in the program.

Yes, select discounts are available to Professional & Executive Development participants.

We offer the following discounts, but please note that discounts cannot be combined:

• Individuals attending more than one program: You pay full price for the first program registration and receive a 10% discount on any additional programs. To take advantage of this discount, please email ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu for further instructions.
• Groups from the same organization: Groups of two to three individuals from the same organization receive a 6% discount. For groups of four or more individuals, a 10% discount is extended to all participants.

To take advantage of the group discount, please email ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu for further instructions. For all the above we require you email us as written confirmation is mandatory for processing this request.  We will respond in 1–2 business days as we closely monitor emails.

Please note: We typically do not allow more than six participants from one organization in a single program. This is to encourage diversity of industry and experience in the classroom.

Bulk discounts and exclusive offerings: If your organization wants to send more than 20 individuals to our programs, please email, kathryn_wight@harvard.edu for additional discount opportunities. If you are interested in a program that is specifically for your team, see our exclusive offerings.

Harvard Professional & Executive Development programs are non-credit, non-degree programs; therefore, are not eligible for Federal Student Aid.

Harvard employees: Harvard Professional Executive Development programs are not covered by Harvard’s Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP).

Read our guide to requesting funding for professional development from your employer.

You may cancel free of charge until 14 days prior to the start of the program.  If you paid via credit card you may cancel directly through the registration portal. For all other cancellation requests, please write to ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu.

If you need to cancel within the 14 days of the program start, you may either choose to apply your tuition to any future program within one year, or be assessed a 50% cancellation fee. If you do not cancel and do not attend the program, you forfeit the entire payment.

To apply your tuition to a future program that has space available, please write to ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu to request an electronic voucher.

Participants may not cancel after a program begins.

Please note for all the above we require you email us as written confirmation is mandatory for processing this request.  We will respond in 1–2 business days as we closely monitor emails.

Programs may be added or canceled throughout the year. If a program is canceled, Harvard Professional & Executive Development will refund the program tuition in full but are  not responsible for travel, accommodations, or other expenses incurred by the participant.

Inclement Weather Cancellations 

Harvard Professional & Executive Development programs are rarely canceled because of inclement weather. If they are canceled, a notice is posted on the homepage the day of cancellations. Participants are notified by email.

You may also refer to the following for announcements:

Harvard Professional & Executive Development: (617) 998-8500

If Cambridge institutes an emergency parking ban during a winter storm, a notice will appear on the City of Cambridge website.

No, Harvard Professional & Executive Development does not partner with agents to book groups of participants, nor do we offer any commission for referring participants to our programs.

We deal directly with individual participants. Any agency offering services to clients vis-a-vis Harvard University may only serve to assist applicants in the process of completing registration forms, and may not in any way represent itself as an agency of Harvard University. All registrations and payments must come from the individual participants or their organizations.

To register for a Professional & Executive Development program, follow these steps:

1. Select a program offering and select the date of your desired program from the drop down menu on the program page. Please be sure to check that you have selected the correct dates and program format.
2. Click the “Register Today” button and a new tab will open on the program page within our registration portal.
3. Click the “Add To Cart” Button and you will be prompted to either log in or create a new account. Once an account has been created you will be prompted to check out.
4. In the shopping cart, you may add in any applicable discount codes, then click “Continue to Check Out”. You will be brought to the payment portal to complete secure payment via credit card or e-check.
5. Once payment is complete you will be sent a registration confirmation, and Canvas invitation via email. Any important information for your upcoming program will be located on this program Canvas page.

If you are on a waitlist, everyone on the waitlist will be notified if a space opens. Open seats will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and full payment by credit card will be needed to secure your spot in the program.

The chances of being offered a seat off of the waitlist are unpredictable, but often not very high. We recommend looking at our other program offerings and registering for an alternative program. You will remain on the waitlist for your first choice program, and please be assured that we will still reach out to you immediately in the event that a seat becomes available.

Program content is developed by our Harvard-affiliated industry experts, exclusively for Harvard Professional & Executive Development. We regularly incorporate feedback from participant evaluations into future offerings, and content is routinely updated as best practices evolve.

The schedule, format, and delivery of all our programs is carefully designed by a dedicated team of education professionals in the Harvard Division of Continuing Education to foster human connection and achieve optimal learning outcomes for all regardless of attending online or in-person.

The typical schedule for an on-campus program:

• Check-in and breakfast begin at 8 a.m. and our programs start at 8:30 a.m.
• Participants get a one-hour lunch break and short breaks in the morning and afternoon.
• On the first day, participants will have an opportunity to join a networking reception that runs from 4:15 p.m. until 5 p.m.
• The final day of the program will end at 4:30 p.m.

Professional & Executive Development does not have an official dress code. Participants dress in varying levels of formality, but as a general guideline we suggest wearing office or business casual attire. The weather is often unpredictable in Massachusetts, so make sure to check the weather ahead of time. You may also want to bring a sweater or jacket/blazer to accommodate for potential variations in room temperatures.

Harvard Professional & Executive Development is part of the Harvard Division of Continuing Education and the University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It adheres to the policies outlined on the DCE Community Life page. If participants have any complaints regarding programs, instructors, or staff, they should contact ExecDev@dce.harvard.edu for assistance.

Please contact our Accessibility Services Office at 617-998-9640 or Accessibility@Extension.Harvard.edu if you have questions about accommodations for documented disabilities, permanent or temporary injuries, as well as chronic conditions.

Our offices and classrooms are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. All programs, online and on-campus, will take place in Eastern Time Zone. Please plan your attendance and any necessary travel accordingly.

Harvard University has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education to operate its distance education programs under the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), a voluntary agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education.

Participant Complaint Procedures for Online Students

Participants enrolled in online courses at the Harvard Division of Continuing Education (DCE) who are residents of states other than Massachusetts, and when such state is a SARA participating state, may submit complaints regarding their courses in accordance with the following school-specific complaint procedures:

1. Students must first attempt to resolve their complaint by working with the course instructor or program delivery coordinator.
2. If participants are unable to resolve their complaint with the instructor, participants are encouraged to share their complaint with DCE by writing to ExecDev@dce.Harvard.edu. Complaints should include relevant identifying course information, a detailed description of the complaint or inquiry, and an account of any actions already taken to resolve the matter. Efforts will be made to determine the appropriate course of action, and the participant will be notified within 10 days following the receipt of a complaint.
3. If the attempt to resolve the complaint via these internal school processes fails, participants enrolled in online courses may exercise further complaint processes as detailed on the Harvard University State Authorization of Distance Education site.

Harvard University will not in any way retaliate against an individual who reports a perceived violation of Harvard policy, state, federal, or local law. Further, Harvard will not tolerate retaliation by any employee or participant.

According to US State Department guidelines, visitors may use the B-1 visa for brief stays, usually less than six months, to participate in scientific, educational, professional, or business conventions, conferences, or seminars, or to undertake independent research. See the Harvard International Office’s B visa guidelines.

For the most current visa information, check the US Department of State website periodically. Consult the US embassy or consulate in your country to determine the appropriate visa category and necessary documentation. We recommend that you list “professional development” rather than “school” or “study” as your reason for coming to the United States.

Once you have registered and paid in full, you may request a letter of participation for visa purposes. Requests may take up to ten business days to process. To make your request, email ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu. Please note we require you email us as written confirmation is mandatory for processing this request.  We will respond in 1–2 business days as we closely monitor emails.

If you are currently a resident in Ukraine, please contact us at ExecDev@DCE.Harvard.edu about enrollment.

Fluency in both written and spoken English is a mandatory requirement for participation in all Professional & Executive Development programs. All program activities — including lectures, discussions, group work, presentations, and reading materials — are conducted exclusively in English.

We expect participants to be able to:

• Understand complex ideas presented verbally and in writing.
• Speak clearly and contribute meaningfully to group discussions and presentations.
• Read and interpret advanced-level program materials.
• Collaborate effectively with peers in English.

Please note: To maintain the high level of engagement and collaboration expected in our programs, the use of electronic translation tools, recording devices, personal interpreters, or any form of translation assistance during sessions is strictly prohibited. Our learning model relies on real-time dialogue, shared insights, and spontaneous exchange — elements that are significantly disrupted by translation tools or assistance.

Full participation requires the ability to communicate clearly and confidently in English without support. Participants who are unable to do so, or who attempt to use translation aids during the program, may be asked to withdraw in order to protect the quality and integrity of the learning experience for all involved.

Our offices and classrooms are based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. All programs, online and on-campus, will take place in Eastern Time Zone. Please plan your attendance and any necessary travel accordingly.