Pursue a Career Pathway
Students who select a career pathway course will come away with fresh perspectives on a field of work they might want to pursue. In each course, students explore an academic topic in depth while working on projects that are mirrored in the real world.
Guests in the classroom will both advise students and provide insights on their own career paths. Throughout the course students will reflect on what they have learned about their skills, interests, and future goals. At the end of a course, students will come away energized about possible areas of study as well as potential career paths, and will have built valuable team-building and leadership skills.
Career Pathway courses are capped at between 15-25 students.
2022 Career Pathway Courses
Animal Transgenesis: A Laboratory Primer
This lab-based course uses the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to introduce students to modern molecular biology methods. Students isolate genomic DNA and perform standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inverse PCR, in addition to learning DNA primer design. The class opens up the possibility of making novel scientific discoveries, and generating data and resources that can be used by practicing scientists.
Becoming a Brain Scientist: Neuroscience and Psychology Research
This course is an introduction to how psychologists and neuroscientists formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and collect and analyze data. Each student is matched with a research mentor in a Harvard laboratory. Students meet weekly as a group to explore topics of interest to researchers in biological science, neuroscience, and psychology.
Beginning Journalism
This course provides a thorough introduction to reporting, writing, and the ethics of journalism. Students learn how to recognize good stories, gather facts through in-person interviews, develop sources, and write news, feature, and opinion articles. Throughout the course students shadow a practicing journalist and welcome journalist guests into the classroom.
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Do you have an idea for a startup? This course is designed to teach fundamental principles and best practices for creating and scaling a successful entrepreneurial venture. The course is highly experiential and action-based. Students form teams around common interests and the venture creation process is walked through step by step, culminating in a pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists.
Start-Ups from the Perspective of Business and IP Law
This course introduces students to the intersection of start-ups and intellectual property (IP) law. Students gain experience in presenting “shark tank” pitches, writing a contract, performing business analysis, preparing and conducting depositions, and constructing a legal argument. Upon completion, students are able to perform legal research relevant to start-ups during their funding and growth periods.
Focused Areas of Study
Delve into a topic you are passionate about by taking one or two courses in these specially-designed clusters. Maybe you are committed to human rights but aren’t sure how that would translate to a college major, or you know you are interested in medicine but you’d like to explore issues of health through multiple academic lenses.
These courses will help you explore the possibilities of academic study at the college level. In fact, 89% of past attendees said the courses they completed at Harvard helped them identify what they wanted to study in college.
Course descriptions for 2022 will be available in December. The full course catalog will be available mid-January.
Browse Courses by Topic
Arts, Writing, and the Humanities
Computer Science, Math, and Engineering
Foreign Languages and Literatures
Sciences
Study of Societies, Past and Present
Learn from Harvard Professors
Our courses are taught by Harvard faculty who teach the same courses to Harvard College students during the academic year or by visiting scholars who hail from respected institutions around the world.
Enjoy a Flexible Schedule
Whether you choose to enroll in one or two courses, you will have some flexibility to schedule your days. Classes are held in the mornings, afternoons, or evenings.
The program spans seven weeks, and most courses meet for six weeks, with a final exam, paper, or project during the seventh week.
Earn College Credit
At the completion of the program, you may request a transcript listing your coursework, grades, and number of credits earned.
Choosing the Right Courses for You
We can help you choose courses that will match your interests and goals. Connect with us after admission, and we’ll advise you every step of the way.
Our office is open Monday – Friday, 9 am to 5 pm EST. Contact us or email us to set up an advising appointment.
