Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Harvard Division of Continuing Education is a division of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences focused on lifelong learning and education beyond the traditional residential undergraduate model. Its programs serve a broad population that includes adult learners, working professionals, international students, retirees, degree-seeking students, and people taking individual courses for intellectual interest or career development. Rather than operating as a single conventional school, the division brings together several distinct educational units with different audiences, formats, and academic purposes. Its best-known component is Harvard Extension School. Established in 1910, the school provides open-enrollment courses that can be taken online or in person, with part-time daytime and evening study options. Learners may take individual classes for personal enrichment or professional advancement, pursue undergraduate and graduate certificates, or apply through a formal admissions process for the Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies or Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies. This combination of open access, structured credentials, and selective degree admission gives the Extension School a role that differs from both Harvard's traditional residential schools and informal online course platforms. The division also includes Harvard Summer School, whose origins date to 1871. It was the first academic summer session established in the United States and offers an intensive seven-week program. Its catalog includes roughly 300 daytime and evening courses across more than 40 disciplines, attracting students of different ages from throughout the United States and from more than 100 countries. Courses draw on instructors from Harvard, other universities, and the private sector, allowing the program to combine conventional academic study with a broad summer-learning format. Harvard Professional & Executive Development, established in 2011, addresses the needs of working professionals through short, noncredit programs. Its courses are designed to deliver concentrated, practical instruction in a small-group setting, often within a period of several days. The subject areas include leadership, business, innovation, marketing, negotiation, and communication. In the division's wider lifelong-learning portfolio, this unit emphasizes immediately applicable skills rather than academic degrees or extended programs of study. The fourth major component is the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement. Created in 1977, it offers older adults, including retirees, opportunities to explore subjects through peer-taught study groups. The institute is built around participatory learning and intellectual exchange rather than conventional professional credentials. Its participants have ranged from people in their fifties to people in their nineties. The division is led by a Dean of Continuing Education and University Extension, who is appointed by and reports to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Dean of Harvard Summer School reports to the Dean of Continuing Education. Through these units, the division extends Harvard-branded teaching to learners who may not follow the university's standard residential admissions path, while retaining connections to Harvard faculty, academic disciplines, and university governance.

The institutional history represented by the Harvard Division of Continuing Education is rooted in Harvard's long-running effort to make university teaching available beyond the conventional residential student body. The oldest major program now associated with the division is Harvard Summer School, founded in 1871. Its creation established an academic summer session at a time when organized university study outside the regular academic year was still unusual in the United States. The program developed into a recurring intensive session offering courses across many fields and welcoming students from varied backgrounds and locations. A second important strand began with the creation of the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement in 1977. The institute was designed for retirees and other older adults who wanted to continue studying after their principal working years. Its model centers on peer-taught study groups, allowing participants to contribute as well as receive instruction. The program broadened the meaning of continuing education beyond career preparation by treating intellectual exploration and community learning as continuing activities throughout later life. Harvard University Extension School was founded in 1910. It expanded the university's extension mission through courses intended for nontraditional students, including people who could not attend Harvard as full-time residential students. Over time, the school developed a mixed structure: individual courses could be taken through open enrollment, while students seeking formal undergraduate or graduate degrees had to complete an admissions process. The school also introduced certificate pathways, creating intermediate credentials for learners who wanted a coherent program of study without necessarily pursuing a degree. The Extension School's delivery model evolved to include both campus-based and online instruction. Part-time daytime and evening scheduling supported students balancing education with employment or other responsibilities. Its degree offerings became the Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies and Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies. These programs connected the extension model to formal Harvard credentials while preserving the division's focus on adult and nontraditional learners. In 2011, Harvard established Harvard Professional & Executive Development. This unit addressed a different form of continuing education: short, noncredit instruction for professionals who wanted targeted skills rather than a long academic program. Its programs were structured around concentrated teaching, often over only a few days, with the atmosphere of a small course rather than a large conference. The subject portfolio included leadership, business, innovation, marketing, negotiation, and communication, reflecting the needs of people seeking to complement existing education and professional experience. The present Division of Continuing Education brings these strands together within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It encompasses Harvard Extension School, Harvard Summer School, Harvard Professional & Executive Development, and Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement. The units retain distinct missions, calendars, and learner populations, but share a broad commitment to education across the life course. The division's organization is led by a Dean of Continuing Education and University Extension, appointed by and reporting to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Dean of Harvard Summer School reports to the Dean of Continuing Education, while teaching is drawn from Harvard, other higher-education institutions, and the private sector. In this form, the division functions as Harvard's principal institutional platform for continuing, summer, professional, and retirement education.

• 2011

  Harvard Professional & Executive Development is established

  [1]Harvard Division of Continuing Educationen.wikipedia.org

  Harvard creates a unit for short, noncredit professional programs designed to provide concentrated instruction and practical skills for working professionals.

• 1977

  Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement is created

  [1]Harvard Division of Continuing Educationen.wikipedia.org

  The institute begins offering older adults opportunities for continued study through peer-taught groups and collaborative learning.

• 1910

  Harvard Extension School is established

  [1]Harvard Division of Continuing Educationen.wikipedia.org

  Harvard creates the Extension School to provide university education for nontraditional students through courses that can be taken individually or as part of certificate and degree pathways.

• 1871

  Harvard Summer School is founded

  [1]Harvard Division of Continuing Educationen.wikipedia.org

  Harvard establishes what is described as the first academic summer session in the United States, creating the historical foundation for its later summer-education operations.

Harvard-branded lifelong learning that combines access to individual courses with certificates, part-time degrees, summer study, professional development, and peer-led learning for older adults.

• Continuing education and part-time degree study · 1910

  Harvard Extension School

  Founded in 1910, Harvard Extension School serves nontraditional students through online and on-campus courses, including open-enrollment individual classes, part-time daytime and evening study, undergraduate certificates, and graduate certificates. Students seeking formal degrees enter through an admissions process and may pursue the Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies or Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies. The school supports both personal enrichment and career-oriented learning.

• Summer academic education · 1871

  Harvard Summer School

  Harvard Summer School offers an intensive seven-week academic session with approximately 300 daytime and evening classes across more than 40 disciplines. It attracts students of different ages from the United States and abroad. Its courses are taught by faculty from Harvard and other universities, as well as instructors from professional fields.

• Professional and executive education · 2011

  Harvard Professional & Executive Development

  Established in 2011, Harvard Professional & Executive Development provides short, noncredit programs for working professionals. The format emphasizes concentrated, skills-based instruction in a small-group course environment. Its subject areas include leadership, business, innovation, marketing, negotiation, and communication.

• Retirement and peer-led education · 1977

  Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement

  Created in 1977, the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement supports older adults and retirees who want to continue studying. Its distinctive model uses peer-taught study groups, emphasizing shared intellectual exploration and participation rather than professional credentials.

1. 1Harvard Division of Continuing Educationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Harvard Division of Continuing Educationdce.harvard.edu