Fastest & Cheapest Way to Complete ALM in Management – Health Care (Harvard Extension

[Jonathan Whatley]

Hi everyone,

I’m a hospital director focused on the management side of operations. It’s always been a dream of mine to earn a degree from Harvard, especially with the long-term goal of moving into higher leadership roles in healthcare.

I’m currently looking into the ALM in Management – Health Care at Harvard Extension, and I’d love to connect with anyone who has gone through the program or is currently enrolled.

My main priorities are speed, flexibility, and affordability — I work full-time and long hours, so I’m trying to be smart about this. A few things I’d really appreciate help with:

• What’s the fastest possible timeline to complete the ALM realistically?
  
• Has anyone successfully transferred in 8 credits (2 courses) to save on cost and time? I’m considering ASU Universal Learner and UMass Global.
  
• Can most of the coursework be done online, and are there any non-proctored course options?
  
• For those who’ve finished the degree — how do you typically present it on LinkedIn or résumés? I know it’s through Harvard Extension, but I’d still love to reflect the Harvard name professionally.
  
• Any tips for scholarships, financial aid, or using FAFSA?
  

This means a lot to me personally and professionally, and I just want to make sure I’m planning things in the most efficient and realistic way.

Thank you so much for any guidance or experiences you can share!

I was a Harvard Extension non-degree student and president of a student society in an adjacent field.

There's no "ALM in Management – Health Care" program at Harvard Extension. There is an ALM in Extension Studies, Field: Management. Every HES ALM has that "in Extension Studies notation" but is often listed without it, as in "ALM in Management."

It's a general management degree. There's no specialization in health care. Looking at courses applicable to that ALM in Management from the current academic year, there is no course whatsoever with health, bio*, or medic* in the title.

It's a great general management degree and maybe it would work for you! You might also look at the ALM in Biotechnology, which is designed to combine management and life science courses. The Extension School also offers some related graduate certificates, such as Biotechnology Management, and Health and Society.

ALMs can all be completed online with a brief on-campus intensive at Harvard. The details of the on-campus intensive vary for each degree program.

No ALM accepts ANY transfer credit from a source outside Harvard, except that a few MITx MicroMasters can attain de facto transfer credit through an "admissions pathway" to certain specific ALM programs. The MicroMasters might actually be harder rather than easier than the corresponding HES courses. Also, ASU Universal Learner does not offer graduate credit.

Each ALM is 12 courses x 4 credits = 48 credits. During each Fall and Spring term, you can take up to 4 courses per term, although that would be a demanding, full-time-student schedule. During the Harvard Summer School Summer term, you can take up to 2 courses. Additionally, there's a short January term during which you can take one course, though there might or might not be a J-term course offered in any given year that can fit in to one of your degree requirements. Working as a full-time student, you could potentially take 12 courses in 1.5 years. But I wouldn't plan on that, especially while also being employed full-time.

There are basically no internal scholarships for these programs at Harvard Extension. Federal financial aid is not available for the pre-admission courses you'd have to take to earn your way in, but may become available for later courses.

A Harvard Extension School degree is also a Harvard University degree. But never, EVER represent it as a degree from a different school within Harvard, such as Harvard College or Harvard Business School. Never represent it by a different title, such as Master of Arts or Master of Business Administration.