Business School Profiles

Harvard Business School (HBS) prides itself on inviting students into learning. Their case study method and section-based course structure engages students from the start and prepares them for real world challenges. The curriculum is geared towards general management practices.

Upon arrival at HBS, students are assigned to a section, a group of ninety students with whom they will complete the Required Curriculum.  Section mates take their first-year classes together, sharing cases, classroom facilities, and their own faculty teams. The section engages students and helps them to forge lasting friendships. It's one of the formative and defining experiences offered at HBS.

HBS faculty prepare for classes by conducting individual case review, writing notes and lessons plans, and collaborative analysis among colleagues. Teaching takes priority over every other obligation including research, writing, and administrative duties.

Students are also assigned to a six-person Learning Team, composed of students from different sections. These teams collaborate on graded projects in first-year courses. Learning Teams serve as grounds for sharing ideas, raising questions, and introducing issues inspired by the cases. Regular discussions help students deepen analyses, improve communication, and enhance teamwork.

HBS pioneered the case study method and continues to use it. Case studies engage students in business conflicts developed from real events. The method immerses students in the challenges that require analyses with limited information within complex circumstances. Students are expected to argue for a decisive course of action that must also be defended.

More than 50 percent of students participate in field-based learning. A team of three or more students work closely with a sponsoring organization and a faculty advisor. Projects may involve a product launch, new business development, or research. Recent projects include Disneyland, Cybersmith, BMW, Nike, Children's Hospital Boston, African Communications Group, and the New England Conservatory of Music.

Pre-Term
With no official required Pre-Term, HBS advises student to have developed a common vocabulary of skills and terminology in key areas before they start class. Students must have an understanding of accounting, finance, and quantitative methods before matriculation. Some students may be asked to use additional resources, such as local courses or reading, or to attend the on-campus Analytics Program to further develop their capabilities in these skill areas.

Core
HBS's required curriculum forms the first year of study and establishes a common foundation in business, including finance, marketing, leadership, negotiation, operations, and strategy.

Finance I
This course examines the role of finance in supporting the functional areas of a firm, and fosters an understanding of how financial decisions themselves can create value.

Financial Reporting and Control
Recognizing that accounting is the primary channel for communicating information about the economics of a business, this course provides a broad view of how accounting contributes to an organization.

Leadership and Organizational Behavior
This course focuses on how managers become effective leaders by addressing the human side of enterprise.

Marketing
The objectives of this course are to demonstrate the role of marketing in the company; to explore the relationship of marketing to other functions; and to show how effective marketing builds on a thorough understanding of buyer behavior to create value for customers.

Technology and Operations Management
This course enables students to develop the skills and concepts needed to ensure the ongoing contribution of a firm's operations to its competitive position. It helps them to understand the complex processes underlying the development and manufacture of products as well as the creation and delivery of services.

Business, Government, and the International Economy
This course introduces tools for studying the economic environment of business to help managers understand the implications for their companies.

Strategy
The objective of this course is to help students develop the skills for formulating strategy. Particular attention is paid to competitive positioning; understanding comparative costs; and addressing issues such as cannibalization, network externalities, and globalization.
   
The Entrepreneurial Manager
This course addresses the issues faced by managers who wish to turn opportunity into viable organizations that create value, and empowers students to develop their own approaches, guidelines, and skills for being entrepreneurial managers.

Negotiation
This course focuses on developing negotiation skills and analysis. At its core are carefully structured negotiation exercises.

Finance II
This course builds on the foundation developed in Finance I, focusing on three sets of managerial decisions:
    • How to evaluate complex investments.
    • How to set and execute financial policies within a firm.
    • How to integrate the many financial decisions faced by firms.
   
Leadership and Corporate Accountability
In this course, students learn about the complex responsibilities facing business leaders today. Through cases about difficult managerial decisions, the course examines the legal, ethical, and economic responsibilities of corporate leaders. It also teaches students about management and governance systems leaders can use to promote responsible conduct by companies and their employees, and shows how personal values can play a critical role in effective leadership.

During the second year, students choose from a range of electives building on basic concepts developed the first year. This portion of the program enables students to integrate the functional skills learned in the first year into an understanding of the firm as a total enterprise. Students may take up to five courses per semester—and also have the opportunity to register for courses in other graduate programs.

HBS offers students an international Immersion Experience, which combines the case method of teaching with field study projects in a country of interest. It's available to students during their January break.

There are also 80 international alumni clubs in 30 countries. Alumni can also gather each year for the HBS Global Leadership Forum, during which fellow business leaders and special guests focus on timely business issues. Global Research Centers are located in 6 regions to support research. Career Treks allow students networking opportunities with executives at international locales.