The award of the degree of Master in Business Administration certifies that a candidate has demonstrated the knowledge, capabilities, integrity, and understanding that form the foundation for continued leadership. Specifically, this achievement implies the following three conditions for the award of the MBA degree:
- The candidate must possess the basic intellectual capacity to have benefited from the academic work of the MBA Program, and to continue to grow in professional competence throughout his or her career.
- The candidate must have acquired a body of knowledge, skills, and techniques appropriate to the practice of business administration.
- The candidate must have demonstrated—by a commitment to the work, a sense of responsibility to colleagues and others, and a capacity to work effectively alone and with others without detailed supervision, as outlined in the HBS Community Values and the MBA Honor Code — that the candidate is prepared to use this body of knowledge, skills, and techniques in a manner befitting a professional administrator and responsible business leader.
Each graded course in the MBA Program receives a specified number of credits. To receive the MBA degree, students must complete all courses in Terms 1 and 2 of the Required Curriculum (RC), and the equivalent of 30 credits of courses in the Elective Curriculum (EC). Specific credit determinations are described below. The HBS MBA is a STEM-designated degree program. Students in Joint Degree programs will have alternative requirements; please check Joint Degree program guidelines for specific requirements.
Required Curriculum
The following courses comprise the Required Curriculum for the Class of 2026 (all RC courses are worth 3 credits and graded on the Category I-IV scale unless otherwise noted):
| Term 1 | Term 2 |
|---|---|
| Finance 1 (FIN1) | Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE) |
| Financial Reporting and Control (FRC) | Data Science and AI for Leaders (DSAIL) 1.5 credits |
| Leadership and Organizational Behavior (LEAD) | The Entrepreneurial Manager (TEM) |
| Marketing (MKT) | FIELD Global Capstone (CAP) |
| Strategy (STRAT) | Finance 2 (FIN2) |
| Technology and Operations Management (TOM) | Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA) |
| Purpose of the Firm 1.5 credits, graded Pass/Low Pass/Fail |
Elective Curriculum
30 total elective credits are required for the MBA degree, or as required by the student's Joint program requirements. Please see Section 1.9 for course registration policies.