Executive Education

If you suspect that Harvard Business School sets a high bar for its programs, and high expectations for its participants, you are correct. Our Executive Education programs demand a great deal from both the faculty who create and deliver the courses and the business professionals who take them. We encourage applications from established or emerging leaders who have been recommended by their organizations. Once accepted, executives are immersed in an active education that will challenge their assumptions, disrupt their ordinary ways of doing business, and introduce them to new and unexpected ways of thinking. By participating, they will prepare for the next steps in their careers and lives demonstrating leadership here, in their classes and among their peers. Most important, they will return to their organizations with fresh ideas, new business skills, and a greater capacity for addressing the challenges their companies will face.

Harvard Business School Executive Education is not for everyone. Those who accept the challenge, however, will find unique rewards with lasting impact for their companies and careers. Participants can expect a carefully integrated mix of lectures, presentations, business simulations, small group discussions, and the hallmark HBS case-study method. The following characteristics illustrate the unique qualities of the HBS Executive Education experience:

Business Case Method: Active Learning, Practical Insights

One of the most distinctive features of Harvard Business School is its use of the business case method, an active learning model that teaches participants how to assess, analyze, and act upon complex business issues. Rooted in real-life experiences, the business case method develops analytical skills, sound judgment, and the leadership potential within each participant. More on the case method.

Global Curriculum: International Perspectives for an Interconnected World

Our growing economy requires business leadership across national boundaries and among teams that reflect many cultures and interests. In addition to courses that specifically address global business challenges, all Executive Education programs include course material rooted in practices and issues that span the world. More on our global curriculum.

Participant Mix: Learning and Leading Among Qualified Peers

Given the active, participatory nature of HBS Executive Education programs, with whom you learn is as important as what you learn. We deliberately structure our programs to assure a vibrant mix of participants that represent diverse functions, industries, and geographic regions. Many participants build connections and friendships here that last decades, even lifetimes. More on our participant mix.

HBS Faculty: World-Class, Full-Time

All Executive Education courses are taught by full-time faculty from Harvard Business School, no exceptions. Our faculty are noted for their contributions to field-based research, their commitment to teaching, and their closeness to business practice. They are renowned for their ability to draw upon practical business wisdom and to engage participants in provocative, life-changing class activities that expand their abilities as managers and leaders. More on our faculty.