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Introduction to Credential of Readiness (CORe)
CORe INCLUDES
Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, Financial Accounting, + final exam
Save $1,700 with this 3-course bundle
Designed to help you achieve fluency in the language of business, CORe is a business fundamentals program that combines Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting with a final exam.
10-17
weeks
8-15
hours per week
3 Courses
plus exam
Self-Paced
with regular deadlines
This course earns you a Credential of Readiness from HBS Online. What you earn.
Overview
Syllabus
Enrollment
Stories
FAQs
Key Concepts
Who Will Benefit
Add value to your organization and take your career to the next level with a deeper understanding of essential business concepts.
Participating in a Harvard Business School Online course enabled Sheneka to gain greater clarity about her professional future and advance her career.
Sheneka Balogun
Director of Recruitment and Project Accountability at Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workplace (GMACW)
Get ready for your MBA or other graduate program with the online courses that Harvard Business School offers to incoming students to prepare for the MBA classroom.
While I originally enrolled in CORe to determine if I wanted to pursue an MBA, I ended up using the knowledge I gained from CORe to interview for and land my current job.
Kali Pfaff
Operations Strategist at University Hospitals of Cleveland
BA, Communications, Kent State University
Get ready for the real world. Stand out from the crowd and impress during interviews as you prepare for your next opportunity. You can also earn undergraduate academic credit for CORe in select course starts.
By learning these essential business skills, I now feel more prepared to advance scientific discoveries; raising capital, leading a team, developing strategic partnerships with established pharmaceuticals, and other crucial activities are now even clearer to me because of CORe.
Enrique Garcia-Rivera
Pursuing a PhD in Chemical Biology in Boston
BSc, Interdisciplinary Sciences (Chemistry, Biology & Mathematics), University of Puerto Rico
PhD candidate, Chemical Biology, Harvard University
What You Earn
Credential of Readiness
Learn More about what you earn
Syllabus
Download full syllabus
40
hrs
Course – 5 Modules
Business Analytics
Beginning with basic descriptive statistics and progressing to regression analysis, you’ll implement analytical techniques in Excel and apply fundamental quantitative methods to real business problems—from performing A/B testing on a website to using sampling to check warehouse inventory.
Highlights
Learn about the basics of population sampling. Start with the question you are trying to answer first before determining what population needs to be sampled.
Explore how Walt Disney Studios uses data to recognize trends and inform business decisions in the movie industry.
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Modules
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Describing and Summarizing Data
-
Sampling and Estimation
-
Hypothesis Testing
-
Single Variable Linear Regression
-
Multiple Regression
Featured Exercises
-
Determine sample size based on population
-
Design and perform hypothesis tests with P-value
-
60
hrs
Course – 5 Modules
Economics for Managers
Economics for Managers will enable you to drive critical business decisions. Explore how businesses approach pricing strategy, evaluate market demand, and differentiate their offerings, and how you can apply those learnings to successfully compete in a variety of business environments.
Highlights
How do managers determine demand to inform pricing strategy?
Step into the shoes of Jim Holtzman, CEO of Ace Ticket, and learn about pricing strategy for super bowl tickets.
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Modules
-
Customer Demand: Foundations
-
Strategies for Assessing and Increasing Demand
-
Suppliers and Cost
-
Markets
-
Competition and Differentiation
Featured Exercises
-
Develop effective pricing strategies
-
Apply conjoint analysis to understand what customers value most
-
Indentify sources of competitive advantage
-
60
hrs
Course – 7 Modules
Financial Accounting
Learn key accounting concepts and principles to illuminate financial statements and unlock critical insights into business performance and potential. Explore how managers, Wall Street analysts, and entrepreneurs leverage accounting to drive strategic decision-making.
Highlights
Learn about the basic accounting equation organizations use to gauge performance.
Examine how Green Mountain Coffee evaluates business performance and potential using financial statements.
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Modules
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The Accounting Equation
-
Recording Transactions
-
Financial Statements
-
Adjusting Journal Entries
-
The Statement of Cash Flows
-
Analyzing Financial Statements
-
Accounting for the Future
Featured Exercises
-
Discover how balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements are developed
-
Predict future revenue, expenses, and cash flow
-
Understand key metrics in valuation like time value of money, terminal value, net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period
-
3
hrs
2 weeks
Exam
The CORe final exam is a three-hour, multiple-choice, closed book assessment created by HBS faculty and delivered via the HBS Online course platform. The exam is offered to participants after successful completion of the program during defined time periods following the last module deadline.
Free E-Book
Your Guide to Preparing for Business School
Access your free e-book
Free E-Book
Advance Your Career with Essential Business Skills
Access your free e-book
Free CORe Flowchart
Which Version of HBS Online's Credential of Readiness (CORe) Program Is Right for You?
Access Your Free Flowchart
Our Difference
The Most Engaging, Interactive Way to Master Business Essentials
Get hands-on practice interpreting Analytics and implementing analyses to solve real business problems.
Get hands-on practice interpreting Analytics and implementing analyses to solve real business problems.
Description of silent animated video above: People walking on the street transitions into data points on a map
Learn how to craft successful business strategy through the power of Economics.
Learn how to craft successful business strategy through the power of Economics.
Description of silent animated video above: Bar graph transitions into prices associated with sweaters and songs on iTunes
Explore key Accounting concepts and principles to unlock critical insights into business performance and potential.
Explore key Accounting concepts and principles to unlock critical insights into business performance and potential.
Description of silent animated video above: Assets equals liabilities and owner's equity
Immerse yourself in real-world business scenarios alongside a global community of peers through our Active, Social, Case-Based learning model. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program will be added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
Immerse yourself in real-world business scenarios alongside a global community of peers through our Active, Social, Case-Based learning model. Learners who successfully complete an HBS Online program will be added to the HBS Online Community's Official Networking Group and gain exclusive access to events and other networking opportunities.
Description of silent animated video above: User types a question into peer help to be answered by fellow students
About the Professors
V.G. Narayanan
Financial Accounting
Thomas D. Casserly, Jr. Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
“Financial Accounting covers the fundamentals of accounting and the application to business management. Its goal is to give you a sound understanding of basic accounting, which is essential to successfully communicate in the business world, regardless of the job function you’re performing.”
Bharat Anand
Economics for Managers
Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration for Harvard Business School and Harvard University’s Vice Provost for Advances in Learning
“Economics for Managers is a course that we hope will give you much more confidence and a lot more fun in applying some deep economic principles to fascinating problems in business and management.”
Jan Hammond
Business Analytics
Jesse Philips Professor of Manufacturing and Senior Associate Dean for Culture and Community at Harvard Business School
“In this world of big data, basic data literacy—the ability to analyze, interpret, and even question data—is an increasingly valuable skill. Business Analytics is designed to help you develop that expertise.”
Dates & Eligibility
Starting
Mar
26
17 Weeks + Exam $2,500 + applicable international taxes
Exam Period: 8/11/24 – 8/15/24
Application deadline March 18
View weekly calendar
Starting
May
21
10 Weeks + Exam $2,500 + applicable international taxes
For credit ($4,080)
Exam Period: 8/18/24 – 8/22/24
Application deadline May 13
View weekly calendar
Starting
Jun
18
10 Weeks + Exam $2,500 + applicable international taxes
Exam Period: 9/15/24 – 9/19/24
Application deadline June 10
View weekly calendar
Starting
Jul
16
17 Weeks + Exam $2,650 + applicable international taxes
Exam Period: 12/1/24 – 12/5/24
Application deadline July 8
-
- Scholarships available
-
- Free application
-
- No documentation required
-
- Confirmation within one week
All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.
Learn about bringing this course to your organization.
Learner Stories
94%
increased knowledge of business terminology
My MBA was great, however, in five weeks we did not cover nearly as much content as with CORe, so this was a quintessential supplement.
Anastassia Nefedova
Working on a cloud-based product expansion in Central and Eastern Europe for Microsoft and based in Munich, Germany
BSc,International Hospitality Management, Marketing Major Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne
MBA, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Concentration, SDA Bocconi School of Management
I had never experienced such an immersive platform online, and could argue that it was more effective at building and solidifying knowledge than some of the in-class courses I took in college.
Ryan Dumlao
Electrical Engineer in Pharmaceuticals, pursuing an MBA in the fall of 2016
BS, Electrical Engineering, University of California, San Diego
MS, Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles
Read more learner stories
* Source: 2022 surveys and course data
All FAQs
CORe FAQs
CORe is offered with multiple durations of study—ranging from 10-week cohorts to extended 17-week cohorts. However, the course content and program requirements are identical regardless of the program length. Our goal in offering different program lengths is to give learners different options to balance the program’s rigors with their particular lifestyle and responsibilities.
The median time required to complete the program is approximately 150 hours, though this learning time varies widely. Some participants spend more time on the platform to enhance their understanding of course concepts and share insights with peers. This time includes all coursework on the platform, including written reflections and quizzes, as well as engagement with peers. This does not include review work outside the platform or preparing for and taking the three-hour CORe final exam.
In the standard versions of CORe—10-week and 12-week cohorts—you should be prepared to spend more time per week on the program. Although we have smoothed out the workload as evenly as possible, you should expect that some weeks will require more work than others.
During the January, May, and September CORe cohorts, we offer an undergraduate credit option through the Harvard Extension School. When you start your application, you can select whether you are seeking admission for the for-credit or non-credit option of CORe. The course content, deadlines, and grading process are all the same whether you choose to enroll in the undergraduate credit ($4,080) or credential-only ($2,500) version of CORe.
By enrolling in the undergraduate credit option of CORe, you will be enrolled at Harvard Extension School (January or September CORe cohorts) or Harvard Summer School (May CORe cohort) and eligible for student privileges like a Harvard University ID number (to access online library resources), free career and academic webinars, a Harvard Gmail account, and education tax credit and loan deferments.
Upon successful completion of CORe, undergraduate credit option participants will earn eight undergraduate credits from Harvard Extension School (January or September CORe cohorts) or Harvard Summer School (May CORe cohort). Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School are fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges—the same accreditation as all other schools at Harvard. Harvard transfer credit is accepted by institutions around the world, but it is always up to the accepting university to determine transferability. Successful undergraduate credit option participants will also receive a Credential of Readiness certificate from Harvard Business School Online, and an official transcript will be made available to verify your mastery of the program’s content.
The Harvard Extension School graduate program in the field of management or finance offers an accelerated admission pathway for students who pass CORe (in the for-credit or non-credit offering).
Financial aid and financing options available for CORe program participants also vary depending on whether participants have elected the undergraduate credit option or have enrolled in the non-credit version of the program. More information is available on the .
CORe participants may be eligible for financial aid based on demonstrated financial need. To receive financial aid, you will be asked to provide supporting documentation. Please refer to our page.
Successful completion of CORe will help you prepare for an MBA program. While applicants to the MBA Program at HBS will have an opportunity to inform the Admissions Board of non-degree preparatory coursework (including CORe), this is one of many application elements and will be considered in the larger context of a holistic selection process.
The Harvard Extension School graduate program in the field of management or finance offers an accelerated admission pathway for students who pass CORe (in the for-credit or non-credit offering).
Please refer to our Policies page.
You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program and prepare for the final exam. Access to course materials and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program. At the end of each course module, you will be able to download a PDF summary of the module’s key takeaways. At the end of the program, you will receive a PDF compilation of all of the module summary documents.
Once you've earned your Credential of Readiness, list it on your resume along with the date of completion like this:
Harvard Business School Online
CORe: Credential of Readiness, [Grade]
[Cohort Start Month and Year]
List your credential on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" with the language from the Credential Verification page:
School: Harvard Business School Online
Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program]
Degree: Other; CORe Credential of Readiness
Field of Study: Leave blank
Grade: "Pass," "Pass with Honors" or "Pass with High Honors" as applicable
Activities and Societies: Leave blank
For the program description on LinkedIn, please use the following:
Description: CORe (Credential of Readiness) is a 150-hour certificate program on the fundamentals of business from Harvard Business School. CORe is comprised of three courses—Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting—developed by leading Harvard Business School faculty and delivered in an active learning environment based on the HBS signature case-based learning model.
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