A New Path

Setting New Professional Directions

When it comes to your career, do you know what you want and how to go about attaining it?

In today's dynamic new economy, a clearly defined vision and well-articulated career strategy are imperative for women seeking to set a new professional direction. Whether you desire to reenter the workforce after taking time off or wish to reenergize your career after working in the same field for several years, this life-changing program will equip you with the skills, strategies, and tools you need to revitalize your career development efforts and achieve both personal and professional growth.

What You Can Expect

With an eye to the complex challenges resulting from the evolving economic landscape, this unique program helps professional women rejuvenate their careers, sharpen their competitive skills, and explore and define new career directions. A New Path is appropriate for "on-rampers" who are contemplating a return to the workforce after a significant period away and for currently employed professionals who seek the skills, vision, and strategy to take their careers in a different direction.

Your Course of Study

This weeklong leadership development program includes interactive cases in accounting, finance, strategy, leadership, and marketing, as well as exercises and workshops that focus on entrepreneurship, negotiations, and career development. By working with coaches and teams, you will create customized, action-oriented plans that lead to new career decisions and professional and personal fulfillment.

Who Is Right for the Program

The program is designed for women with significant professional experience who are seeking to return to the workforce, recharge their careers, or take their professional lives in a new direction.

What You Can Expect

Advancing your career in a struggling economy requires a thorough understanding of how your skills, talents, and goals can add significant value to a prospective employer's business. This program, designed for professional women who are ready to follow a new career direction, provides timely strategies and effective tools for reaching the next career stage in good times and bad. Its carefully structured agenda includes interactive sessions on topics such as self-assessment, career visioning and goal setting, academic enrichment in business fundamentals, and updating key business skills.

Taking Your Skills to the Next Level

Engaging in this comprehensive program will empower you to:

"I left A New Path with an action plan, a global network, and a much better sense of the importance of life balance. The Career Leader feedback helped me break through self-sabotaging barriers, and the business refresher classes examined opportunities provided by the social media revolution. I am delighted not to have missed this life-changing opportunity."
Virginia B. Kleinrock, APR [Principal], The Kleinrock Group: Strategic Development Communications, U.S.

"The program boosted my confidence in my ability to move forward in creating my own business. While I have not been formally trained in business, this program exposed me to the business fundamentals I need—finance, financial forecasting, marketing, and entrepreneurship. My coach and Board of Advisers helped me to understand the value of my ideas to the marketplace—and we continue to stay connected through regular email and telephone contact."
D. Crystal Byndloss, U.S.

Your Course of Study

A New Path incorporates classroom discussions, case studies, team interaction, individual counseling, and web-based tools to facilitate self-assessment and personal discovery, as well as to update business skills and knowledge. At the heart of this leadership training program are regular meetings with your Board of Advisers—an intimate group of peers and faculty coaches who share perspectives, provide insights, and enable you to formulate your own personal plan of action. Topics include:

Business Fundamentals for Successful Managers: Finance, Marketing, Negotiations, Leadership, Strategy, and Entrepreneurial Effectiveness

Career Planning and Job Search Strategies

"It was an amazing week, and A New Path gave me the confidence to step out and start my own business. Despite starting my business in the middle of a recession, I am having an absolute blast and haven’t had a single regret in making the decision. In a sign that I am probably suited to starting my own business, I am actually really energized by the risk and the uncertainty—it’s an incredibly fun challenge to try to make this all work."
Megan Donnelly [President], Quabbin Advisors, LLC., U.S.

Who Is Right for the Program

A New Path is designed for women across diverse industries who are facing a significant career transition or career development challenge. This program is appropriate for both on-rampers who are contemplating a return to the workforce after significant time away and for employed professionals who are looking to develop a more comprehensive career vision and strategy. The program is geared for professional women who may be considering a variety of career options: from full-time to part-time to flex-time employment, and from for-profit businesses to new ventures to nonprofit organizations. Significant professional experience within either for-profit or not-for-profit organizations is recommended.

Past Participants Represented:

Industries Nationalities
5% Chem/Pharm/Bio 15% Asia/Pacific
5% Communications 19% Europe
6% Consumer Products 2% Latin America
15% Financial 64% North America
2% High Tech
3% Manufacturing
21% Nonprofit Services
4% Other Services
30% Professional Services
3% Raw Materials/Energy
1% Real Estate/Construction
2% Retail Services
3% Utilities/Telecommunications

"When I applied for 'A New Path,' I was at a crossroads: I could continue to run a business that was doing well yet consuming all my time, or I could follow my heart and pursue my dream of writing a book. The juxtaposition of the stress of the business and the creativity necessary to write resulted in a tug-of-war and a no-win scenario. Not only did the program masterfully provide the business refresher I needed, but it also delivered the personalized coaching that helped me move toward a more satisfying and profitable future. I learned how to map out a plan to free my time, which allowed my business to prosper without intensive hands-on management from me. Thanks to the program, I've been given the tools to handle those 'stuck times.' To say that I'm grateful would be an understatement!"
Vicki Armitage [Owner/President], Vicki’s Dance Centers, U.S.

Meet the Program Faculty

Harvard Business School Executive Education programs are developed and taught by a core faculty of HBS professors who are skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Faculty leverage their business expertise and field-based research to create new knowledge and enduring concepts that shape the practice of management. The result is a teaching team that exposes participants to multiple perspectives, challenging their thinking on many levels. For more detailed biographies, click on each faculty name.

Timothy Butler, Senior Fellow and Director of Career Development Programs, MBA Program Administration. Faculty cochair of "A New Path: Setting New Professional Directions."

Amy J.C. Cuddy, Assistant Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets Unit.

John A. Deighton, Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Marketing Unit; and faculty chair of "Taking Marketing Digital" and "Marketing Strategies for Profitable Growth—China."

Myra M. Hart, MBA Class of 1961 Professor of Management Practice, Retired.

Janet J. Kraus, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration and instructor for the MBA elective Building Businesses in the Context of a Life. Faculty cochair of "A New Path: Setting New Professional Directions."

Christine Sullivan, Director, Alumni Career and Professional Development.

Luis M. Viceira, George E. Bates Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Finance Unit.

"As my career went through a recession, I pondered how to give it a lift and decided to attend the HBS program, 'A New Path.' Since then, my confidence level has skyrocketed. I received the promotion for which I had been waiting three years, and with a tremendous increment in my salary. Not long afterward, I moved to a higher role and responsibility for about five months, and then a headhunter recruited me for a telecommunications competitor company in March 2010. I recently founded a consulting company, Microsolutions Consulting Limited, and have a queue of consulting jobs. By providing windows of opportunities to climb the management ladder of my organization, the program enabled me to transition from employee to entrepreneur."
Mercy Maduabuchi [Customer Project Quality Manager], Alcatel-Lucent Nigeria Limited, Nigeria

Admissions

Because a diverse participant mix is an important part of every HBS Executive Education program, we look for candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds to enrich the learning experience.

Fees, Payments, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.

No payment is necessary until you have been accepted into an HBS Executive Education program. After admission notification, we will send you an invoice via email; payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Payment is required prior to the program start date. We accept payment by company check, bank wire transfer, or credit card (American Express, MasterCard, Visa). Details are included on the program invoice.

If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Due to program demand and the volume of preprogram preparation, cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

Requirements

Although there are no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on professional achievement and organizational responsibility. We look for professionals who have demonstrated business talent and leadership potential.

Language Proficiency

We deliberately design our programs to encourage individual growth and to foster productive interaction among participants. For that reason, proficiency in written and spoken English is essential. If English is your second language, or if you have less than one year's experience working in an English-speaking environment, HBS requires a brief statement documenting proficiency in English-language skills, both conversational and written. This may include a list of the English-language certification programs that you have completed; the degrees you have earned at English-speaking colleges and universities; or the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The Admissions Committee also may request a telephone interview.

Application Process

HBS must receive your application and all required documents in order to prepare the application for review by the Admissions Committee.

To apply, you may use our online form or download an application. You also may request a brochure by mail.

If you submit your application online, we will promptly acknowledge receipt of your submission via email. In the unlikely event that an email acknowledgment is not received, please contact the Admissions Committee by email: exed_admissions@hbs.edu, phone: +1-617-495-6226, or fax: +1-617-496-1731.

If you choose to submit a printed application, be sure to type or print legibly and sign your application. Send the application to the address or fax number listed on the form. Mailed or faxed applications are processed and acknowledged promptly upon receipt via email.

Complete Your Application

Please answer all questions thoroughly—the Admissions Committee will only consider completed applications. After reviewing your application and making the necessary edits or corrections, print or copy the application for your records.

Meet the Deadlines

We request applications at least four weeks in advance of the program start date. Early application does not guarantee admission. Programs often fill to capacity, so early application is recommended.

Notification of Acceptance

We acknowledge receipt of all applications and maintain all application information in strict confidentiality.

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, the Admissions Committee selects a class that balances each participant's experience, the scope of his or her current responsibilities, and the type of organization.

The Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications four months before the start date, and qualified candidates are admitted on a rolling, space-available basis. Once the review process has begun, applicants are notified within three weeks via email regarding Admissions Committee decisions. If your application is received within three weeks of the program's start date, the Admissions Committee will notify you of their decision as soon as possible.

Need help?

For further assistance, contact our client service specialists at: 1-800-427-5577 (outside the U.S., dial +1-617-495-6555).