Course Planning Resources
- Spring 2024 Course Schedule
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The list posted below is from Spring 2023 and may be used to get a sense of the courses offered last spring. A list of Spring 2024 courses will be posted here in early January 2024.
Spring 2023 Courses Open to Cross-Registration
It is important to note that some HBS courses will not be open to cross-registrants while others may be open but are in high demand from HBS students and therefore may not have space available for cross-registrants.
- Fall 2023 Course Schedule
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This is the list of Fall 2023 courses accepting cross-registrants. This list will be updated regularly during the month of August, as additional courses are added to it as our faculty make their final determinations regarding cross-registration for their courses this Fall. Please check back periodically through late August for updates.
Fall 2023 Courses Open to Cross-Registration
It is important to note that some HBS courses will not be open to cross-registrants while others may be open but are in high demand from HBS students and therefore may not have space available for cross-registrants.
- HBS Course Catalog: Elective Curriculum 2023-24
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Online catalog describing course content and term(s) offered. Please note that Q1 and Q3 are the equivalent of Fall 1 and Spring 1, respectively, and Q2 and Q4 are the equivalent of Fall 2 and Spring 2, respectively. Courses listed as Q1,Q2 or Q3,Q4 are full-term courses. Also note that cross-registration is permitted only in 2nd Year MBA Elective Curriculum courses.
Please visit the HBS Faculty Directory where you may examine faculty biographies and find contact information.
- Harvard Course Catalog: Elective Curriculum 2023-24
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Online course catalog for classes across Harvard University.
- Academic Calendar 2023-24
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The Academic Calendar indicates the days on which classes are held at HBS. This version of the calendar is for the exclusive use of non-HBS students. If you are enrolled in the MBA program, please login to MyHBS for all of your calendar and course schedule information.
Please note that the HBS calendar may differ from that of your home school. Please determine in advance of submitting a petition if you will be able to attend all HBS class meetings as attendance at all class sessions is required. - What is the X/Y Schedule?
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The Academic Calendar at HBS is broken into the X/Y schedule. That is, most HBS courses fall on either an X day or a Y day.
X classes meet on Monday, Tuesday, and some Wednesdays.
Y classes meet on Thursday, Friday, and some Wednesdays.
Some classes at HBS meet just one day per week. Those classes are denoted in the Course Schedules found at the top of this page and in the my.Harvard course catalog with the letter of their meeting day (M,T,W,H).
Please note that some classes may meet in a different pattern during the first week of classes. Please refer to the respective term's Course Schedule above for further detail.
- About Wednesdays
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If you are enrolled in a class at HBS that meets on the X or Y schedule, you will need to know if it is an X class or a Y class and on which Wednesdays your course will meet. That information may be found by looking at the Academic Calendar. X days are red and denoted with an X, Y days are blue and denoted with a Y, and you will see that some Wednesdays are denoted as X while others are denoted as Y. A given Wednesday will only be an X or a Y; it will never be both. You are expected to be in class on all Wednesdays when your course is meeting, as indicated on this calendar.
- Auditors and Harvard Fellows (ALI, Nieman, Loeb, etc.)
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Those interested in auditing may enroll in HBS classes, pending faculty permission and the availability of seats, after all students taking courses for credit have been assigned their enrollments. Auditors must attend class in person. The process for auditing is as follows:
- Determine your eligibility. To be eligible to audit an HBS MBA course, you must be:
-enrolled in a Harvard University graduate program
-a current Harvard Fellow (ALI, Nieman, Loeb, etc) or a current Harvard University Post Doc
-enrolled in a graduate program at MIT or at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University
Undergraduate students, Harvard Extension School students, alumni, Harvard University TAP participants, and partners/family of students are not eligible to audit. - Research your courses of interest. HBS courses that are open to auditors will say so in the course description found in the my.Harvard course catalog.
- Reach out to the faculty member teaching the course in which you are interested in order to request permission to audit. In some cases you may be asked to forward your CV/Resume to the faculty for review.
- After permission is granted, you are required to fill out a poll: https://hbs.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cwM1GWC1YnwLNNr
The link for this poll will be active as of September 5, 2023.
Please note that receiving faculty permission to audit does not guarantee enrollment in the course. Approved auditors are enrolled on a space available basis after all enrollments for students taking courses for credit have been settled. - After completing the poll, you will receive an automated email with temporary login credentials that may be used to access the HBS Canvas site as well as further instructions.
- Formal Auditor enrollments for Fall 2023 will be processed, and enrolled students will be sent a set of personalized login credentials late in the day on September 15, 2023. Auditors will be charged a course fee in the following amount for each course into which they are enrolled: $100 per 1.5 credit course; $200 per 3 credit course. Should an enrolled auditor later choose to drop the HBS course, the course fee will be refunded for courses dropped by the HBS drop deadline. Courses dropped after the HBS deadline will incur the full course fee.
Note for Harvard Fellows: Fellows of Harvard University are eligible to cross-register in HBS courses as auditors only and may not enroll in HBS courses for credit. Please follow the steps above to request permission to audit an HBS course.
- Determine your eligibility. To be eligible to audit an HBS MBA course, you must be:
- Case Method Workshop
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To familiarize yourself with the case method, by which all HBS courses are taught, please plan to attend the HBS Classroom and Case Method Workshop led by Professor John Macomber. The Fall 2023 session will be held on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 from 3:30-4:30pm in Aldrich 207, or participants may join via Zoom at https://hbs.zoom.us/j/96943981158?pwd=N1UvMklrL2NLblFOb1ZCYnpheEJFUT09
Information on the Spring 2024 session will be posted here closer to January.
The HBS Classroom: Inside the Case Method - HBS Campus and Buildings
View details about the Cross-Registration petition process.
Questions? Email mbacrossreg@hbs.edu.
Last Updated
Sept. 13, 2023