1.23 Pregnancy, Childbirth & Adoption during Business School

1.0 Academic Information & Policies

Medical Leave Policy and Resources for Students Giving Birth While Enrolled at HBS

  • Students who will be giving birth should contact MBA Student & Academic Services (sas@hbs.edu) for guidance on how to balance this special time of life with their academic requirements. The School understands that new mothers may require more flexibility in class attendance around the time of birth. With that in mind, the absence guidelines for students who have given birth are as follows:

Course Type

Excused Class Sessions Allowed
RC case-based course 6 class sessions
FIELD Immersion and Joint Degree seminars 2 class sessions
EC case-based long course (28-session course) 6 class sessions
EC case-based short course (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) 3 class sessions
  • Prior to their child’s arrival, expectant mothers are encouraged to contact their faculty members to discuss their plans for absences following the birth. Faculty understand, of course, that plans may change.

  • All absences resulting from the birth should be reported into the Student Absence Notification Tool using the “Maternity Leave” option in the menu.

  • Students who feel they need more absences than what is stated above should contact MBA Student & Academic Services to discuss their options.

  • Video recordings of missed classes will, as a matter of course, be sent to students who are on maternity leave so that they can review the content covered in missed class sessions. Students are responsible for all assignments and content covered in the classes they miss. Assignments, papers, and exams for students taking maternity leave will be graded just as they are for all other students in a course. Students should contact faculty as needed for help with the assignments and course material covered during their leave.

Parental Leave Policy and Resources for Students Experiencing the Birth of a Child or Adoption While Enrolled at HBS

  • Students who are adopting a child or whose partner will be giving birth during the academic year should contact MBA Student & Academic Services (sas@hbs.edu) for guidance on how to balance this special time of life with their academic requirements. The School understands that new parents may require more flexibility in class attendance around the time of the child’s arrival. With that in mind, the absence guidelines for students taking a Parental Leave are as follows:

Course TypeExcused Class Sessions Allowed
RC case-based course 3 class sessions
FIELD Immersion and Joint Degree seminars 1 class sessions
EC case-based long course (28-session course) 3 class sessions
EC case-based short course (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) 2 class sessions
  • Prior to the child arriving, students are encouraged to reach out to their faculty members to discuss their plans for taking a Parental Leave. Faculty understand, of course, that plans may change.

  • All absences resulting from the birth or adoption should be reported into the Student Absence Notification Tool using the “Parental Leave” option in the menu.

  • Students who feel they need more absences than what is stated above should contact MBA Student & Academic Services to discuss their options.

  • Video recordings of missed classes will, as a matter of course, be sent to students so that they can review the content covered in missed class sessions. Students are responsible for all assignments and content covered in the classes they miss. Assignments, papers, and exams of students taking parental leave will be graded just as they are for all other students in a course. Students should contact faculty as needed for help with assignments and course material covered during their leave.

Remote Attendance and Maternal and Parental Leave

Following the usage of the allotted excused absences noted above, students returning from Maternal or Parental Leave may choose to attend their classes remotely. This period of remote attendance may not exceed four weeks for students returning from Maternity Leave and two weeks for students returning from Parental Leave. When attending classes remotely, the expectation is that students will be fully present and engaged for the full duration of the class sessions and adhere to all classroom norms. Students will be required to have their camera on and be available to participate during class sessions when they are attending remotely. Students will be credited with having attended class and not be marked absent when attending remotely with their camera on. If, during this period of remote attendance, a student needs to be absent from class, including when they are unable to login with their camera on for the full duration of the class for any reason, they must report their absence into the Student Absence Notification Tool using an item in the dropdown menu other than Maternity/Parental Leave that best matches the reason they will be absent.

After the allotted amount of excused absences and remote attendance have been used, students should plan to return to regular in-person class attendance and report their absence into the Student Absence Notification Tool per the Attendance Policy. When needed, they may report “Dependent Childcare for illness, medical appointments, or other emergency childcare needs" if absences related to their child arise. Should a situation arise that causes a student to miss multiple days of class, students should email attendance@hbs.edu to discuss their options, including the possibility of remote attendance.

Extended Maternal or Parental Leave of Absence

Students may choose to take time off for a semester or more to spend time with their growing family. Students who are considering a pause in their studies in the MBA Program before graduation may request a Leave of Absence through the Registrar’s Office and in consultation with other officers of the University, as appropriate.