Reviewing the Innovation of Harvard Business School: 100 Years of Success

September 18th, 2009

School Harvard business Review

History and Review of Harvard Business School For anyone considering a graduate business school, you have most likely looked in to Harvard Business School. Harvard Business School is one of the graduate schools associated with Harvard University. Located across the river from Boston’s Harvard University, the business school is one of the most prestigious schools in the country.

Beginning in 1908 with only 59 students, HBS has now grown to almost 2000 students and a faculty of 220. Now the business school offers Master’s, executive and doctorate programs for those wanting to increase their educational understanding of the business world.

Harvard Business School MBA Program The MBA program is the foundation of HBS. However, since its formation over 100 years ago, there have been dozens of other programs added. The MBA program features a two year extensive learning environment which is highly selective. The student body in the MBA program is highly diverse with 33 percent international students and 40 percent females.

The course is divided into required courses and electives. The required courses include technology and operations management, marketing, financial reporting, leadership, organizational behavior, finance, government, business, international economy, negotiations and corporate accounting. This list is not extensive to the courses.

There are 96 different electives to choose from outside the required courses. Each class typically carries 900 students and the grading system is on a curve. Instead of the standard A,B,C,D system, the top 10 percent receive a 1, the middle 80 percent receive a 2 and the lowest 10 percent receive a 3.

The Innovation of Executive Programs Apart from the MBA program and the 9 different doctoral programs HBS offers, there are also over 60 different Executive programs for those wanting to continue their education. Executive education is management training programs for those in specific fields of study. This can include marketing, finance, technology, operations and anything else related to the business world. These courses are usually only a couple of weeks long and help business professionals to further excel in their career.

Famous MBA Alumni: CEO’s, Presidents and Founders From the extensive list of success stories from people who graduated from HBS, it’s clear to see that the school is one of the best in the country. Some of the successful business owners who started their journey at Harvard Business School include Susan Decker, the founder of Yahoo, Michael Lynton, the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Orin C Smith, the CEO of Starbucks, Meg Whitman, the founder of eBay, Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors, and George W Bush, the former President of the United States.

Other alumni went on to become famous authors, movie producers, chairmen, politicians, chief of staff and businessmen. You may be surprised by how many CEO and founders of successfully run companies started at Harvard Business School.
You never know, maybe one day it will be you.