12 Harvard Business School online courses | Explained

Online courses have seen a surge in interest since the Covid pandemic forced people to work and study at home. A few years on, and studying online remains a viable option for those looking for a flexible format that fits around a busy lifestyle, and to learn in the comfort of their own home.

The most common way to attend business school online is via an Online MBA, where you can learn the fundamentals of business through an in-depth curriculum covering areas ranging from human resources to financial accounting. However, you can also find opportunities to study more specialized short courses at many of the world's top institutions. 

Today, Harvard Business School offers a wealth of courses on its online learning platform—covering topics such as entrepreneurship, digital transformation, sustainability, analytics, and finance—any one of which could prove useful in reaching the next step in your career.

Here are 12 of the most beneficial Harvard Business School online courses you can currently enroll in: 

12 Harvard Business School online courses

1. CORe (Credential of Readiness)

Price: $2,650

Duration: 10 or 17 weeks, 8-15 hours per week

HBS’ flagship online course, CORe is a full introduction to business from arguably the most famous business school in the world. It consists of three courses in Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting. 

This program is marked by its flexibility, with different durations and start dates throughout the year. Students are assessed through online coursework throughout the year before a three-hour, multiple-choice exam at the end of the course.

You’ll analyze case studies on companies including Walt Disney, The New York Times, and PepsiCo, applying your business knowledge to come up with solutions. The course is aimed at recent college graduates, those considering an MBA, and mid-career professionals with solid business fundamentals.

2. Entrepreneurship Essentials

Price: $1,850

Duration: 4 weeks, 6-8 hours per week

For anyone looking to get a head start with building your own business, the Entrepreneurship Essentials course from HBS is the perfect way to begin. 

You’ll learn how to identify business opportunities, assess the market, validate ideas, raise capital, and refine a business strategy.

It’s aimed at students, aspiring entrepreneurs, and early-stage entrepreneurs.

3. Sustainable Business Strategy

Price: $1,850

Duration: 3 weeks, 7-9 hours per week

This innovative course is perfect for anyone considering a career in sustainable business—a key area for companies across the globe. 

Taught by Rebecca Henderson, a HBS professor and research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, the course examines change-driven business models, industry disruption, business as a catalyst for change, and how to be a purpose-driven leader. 

Case studies are taken from Unilever and Walmart among others, and the course ends with students developing a personal plan for the action they can actually take to create change. It’s ideal for purpose-driven professionals, CSR and consulting professionals, as well as leaders and entrepreneurs.

4. Alternative Investments

Price: $1,850

Duration: 5 weeks, 6-7 hours per week

With a global economic downturn affecting workers across almost all industries, plenty of people are looking for ways to make their money go further.

The HBS Alternative Investments program is the ideal starting point for exploring the world of investing. You’ll study areas as diverse as hedge funds, real estate, private equity and private debt. The ultimate aim of the short course is to give students the confidence to assess investments themselves.

The course is taught by three professors at HBS—so you know you’ll be getting a rigorous course—and offers three start dates in April, June, and August. 

5. Negotiation Mastery

Price: $1,850

Duration: 8 weeks, 4-5 hours per week

This short course offers budding managers the chance to explore negotiation strategies with Michael Wheeler, a Harvard alum who has taught negotiation at HBS since 1993. 

Each of the four modules focuses on a different aspect of negotiation, with company leader interviews complimenting the syllabus. 

The course is built partially around your personal goals, which you’ll set at the beginning of the course, and includes reflection at the end on how you will use your skills in future negotiation opportunities.

6. Management Essentials

Price: $1,850

Duration: 8 weeks, 4-7 hours per week

The perfect intro course for anyone looking to move into graduate business education, Management Essentials (part of CORe) aims to turn students into skilled management professionals.

Alongside intensive case studies exploring events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the 2010 Chilean Mining Rescue, students will also explore decision making, successful change processes, and how to manage a growing business. 

Whether you’ve just moved into a management role or aspire to be a CEO one day, this course will provide you with the foundation you need for a management career. 

7. AI Essentials for Business

Price: $1,850

Duration: 4 weeks, 5-7 hours per week

Get acquainted with AI and its impact on modern businesses with this streamlined HBS course.

You’ll study the ever-shifting AI landscape, its diverse range of potential uses, how to implement it within an organization, and the ethics behind it.

Whether you’re an aspiring business leader or simply interested in how AI is shaping business, this course offers a solid introduction to a rapidly-evolving world.

8. Business Analytics

Price: $1,750

Duration: 8 weeks, 5 hours per week

With more data at our fingertips than ever before, learning how to interpret it is proving to be the biggest challenge for businesses. This Business Analytics course will introduce you to data analysis techniques and understand how they can drive better decision-making.

The course is taught by one of Harvard’s senior associate dean for culture and community, Janice Hammond, and teaches concrete skills such as exploring data sets, analyzing variables, and implementing analytical skills in Excel. 

With the ability to study at your own pace, enrolling in this course means you’ll mainly learn through practical analysis and case studies. 

9. Global Business

Price: $1,850 

Duration: 4 weeks, 6-8 hours per week

Pandemics, wars, economic downturns—the factors affecting global businesses in the last few years are long and varied. Understanding how these events can shape your own business will be key to its survival.

The Harvard Global Business course examines these issues in greater detail. It’ll help you build a solid foundation in macroeconomics, including areas such as fiscal and monetary policy, cross border investment, and the role of governments in business. 

You’ll learn in part through watching interviews with company leaders, exploring the effects of environmental change, political risks, and government spending on businesses. 

10. Winning with Digital Platforms

Price: $1,850

Duration: 5 weeks, 6-7 hours per week

Some of the biggest businesses in the world today are digital platforms - so understanding the secrets behind their success can give you a huge competitive advantage.

You’ll study what digital platforms actually are, how they create and capture value, how to launch a successful platform business of your own, and learn how to compete against platform companies.

Whether you’re an aspiring leader, a mid-career professional, or a budding entrepreneur, this course will give you the tools you need to understand a vital part of the modern business landscape.

11. Launching Tech Ventures

Price: $1,850

Duration: 5 weeks, 5-6 hours per week

It might surprise you to learn that for every successful tech startup, there’s a tried-and-tested framework behind it. That’s one of the many things you’ll study during the Launching Tech Ventures course at HBS Online.

Built for founders as well as investors and those working at tech startups, the course also teaches you how to put together a profitable business model, how to boost your chances of raising valuable capital, and peek behind the curtain at the world of venture capital (VC).

It is offered via a flexible, self-paced format, with one enrollment date in April.

12. Sustainable Investing

Price: $1,850

Duration: 6 weeks, 5 hours per week

Like Alternative Investments, this course focuses on how to maximize investment opportunities. However, students will learn how to do this through the lens of sustainable impact. 

Enrolling in the program means you'll learn about the key ESG factors that influence investment decisions, how to measure impact as well as profit, and how to avoid issues such as greenwashing. 

It’s an ideal jumping-off point for investment professionals, early-career professionals, and employees working in key areas ranging from consultancy to financial advisory services.

Applying for HBS Online Courses

All Harvard’s online courses require the completion of a brief application where you’ll be asked for some personal background information and which varies slightly for each program. The majority of applications are accepted.

You can also get tuition assistance for the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, as well as the Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting certificate programs.

This article was originally written by Abi Lister in 2023 and updated in April 2025.