Harvard Extension School Students Rally for Degree Name Change

[Jonathan Whatley]

One potential issue is that no matter how a graduate represents their degree, an outside credentialing body can make their own determination. Say you have a Master of Liberal Arts "in Extension Studies" in the transcripted field of study Biology, and it's part of your application to work as a biology teacher. Will your school board and your state teacher licensing body deem the degree a degree in the subject of Biology, or in the subject of "Extension Studies?" The answer is rarely if ever transparent to interested candidates before they apply. (Deeming the subject "Liberal Arts" is unlikely. They wouldn't deem a "Master of Arts in History" a degree in "Arts," they'd deem it a degree in "History.")