Evaluation of Progress

Program Requirements

Please consult the appropriate portions of the GSAS handbook as well as the HBS Doctoral Degree Requirements to learn about program requirements.

• Business Administration

• Business Economics

• Organizational Behavior

• Health Policy

Students must adhere to all policies in the GSAS handbook; certain policies are modified in the departmental requirements listed above. The HBS Doctoral Programs Office works closely with GSAS to ensure each student is satisfactorily meeting academic progress.

Grading

Grade and examination policies follow GSAS requirements, with a few exceptions. A summary follows.

Acceptable letter grades are A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E. E is a failing grade.

In general, GSAS students may not take classes pass/fail. However, the small number of HBS Doctoral courses offered on a pass/fail basis are permitted.

Incomplete grades (INC) are granted to graduate students only at the discretion of the instructor. If a student receives an INC, the student must complete the work of the course before the end of the next regular term. For example, if a student receives an INC during the fall term, the student must complete the coursework during the subsequent spring term by submitting work before the final day of the spring term. Even if the student’s registration status during the term is "leave of absence," the student must complete coursework during this time frame. However, the only exception is if the student is given an earlier deadline by the instructor.

If the work is not submitted within the required time frame, the INC becomes a permanent grade, unless the student has petitioned successfully for an extension (pdf):

• INC grades incurred in cross-registered courses in another school are subject to GSAS rules and deadlines unless the other school’s deadlines are earlier.

• Extensions must be approved both by GSAS and by the other school.

• Incomplete grades cannot be changed once a final degree has been awarded.

• Students who receive an E or a permanent incomplete (INC) or absent (ABS) may retake the class for credit, however, both grades will appear on the transcript

Students enrolled in MBA classes must receive a I or a II, in order for the class to count towards MBA course credit. If a student receives a III or IV, the student will need to enroll in an additional MBA course. You may refer to this brief guide to category grade designations to better understand MBA course grading.

Courses taught at HBS fall into three categories:

• Doctoral Course (1 ATA): A doctoral course requires a minimum of 32 hours of class teaching time, regular assignments (e.g. written assignments, problem sets), and a final exam or final paper. A course is typically part of the required curriculum and is taught every year or every other year. The content must allow for easy transition from one instructor to another. The syllabus must include a well-crafted reading list that is not solely based on instructor’s research interest. Students typically take this course to fulfill a requirement. Grades are typically based on a letter scheme (A-E).

• Doctoral Seminar (1/2 ATA): A doctoral seminar requires between 18 - 30 hours of class teaching time. Content may be based on a single research topic or stream and may be specific to an individual instructor’s interest. The syllabus must contain a reading list and requires a final exam or final paper. Regular assignments are not required, but should be assigned as necessary. Students typically take this course to fulfill an elective requirement or to support their research interests. Grades are typically based on a letter scheme (A-E).

• Doctoral Workshop: A workshop may also be characterized as a lab or discussion group. It is typically held once a week, but may meet as little as every other week. A faculty coordinates or facilitates student, faculty, and guest presentations. Students should enroll, but grading is typically pass/fail. Students generally take this course to support and inform their research.

Evaluation of Progress

An informal evaluation takes place at the end of each year of the program. The Doctoral Programs Office works with each student’s advisory committee to evaluate performance and review grades and examination results to determine if one has demonstrated sufficient potential to warrant continuance in the program. The committee will also consider other activities as reported by students in the Annual Planning report, in which students are required to provide a report of their research, presentations, and other activities. For more information, see the page on Research and Conference Budgets.

First Year

• Students are expected to take a full course load. In the first year, this amounts to 7 or 8 required courses. The faculty advisor must approve a student's course schedule. Students must maintain a B average per term.

• Students should attend seminars when their course schedules allow.

• Furthermore, students are encouraged to conduct research with faculty.

Second Year

• Students in their second year continue their course work, completing requirements and taking electives in their fields. Students must maintain a B average per term.

• Faculty advisors and the Doctoral Faculty Coordinators will co-author or guide students in the drafting of the Second Year Paper, a publishable quality paper the students must present at the end of their second year.

• The Special Field Exam should be scheduled by January 31st.

• The Special Field Exam should be completed no later than August 1st.

• There will be an evaluation at the end of the year based on the completion of their courses and exams.

Third Year

• Complete all required course work and all required exams in order to focus on their dissertation research and prospectus.

• Conduct research on a second paper when preparing a three paper dissertation.

• Complete the teaching requirement or make arrangements to complete the teaching requirement in year four.

• Have an approved Dissertation Proposal by June 30th.

Fourth and/or Fifth Year

• Conduct dissertation research, following the path outlined in the dissertation proposal.

• Manage submission process of research papers.

• Meet with the Dissertation Committee to prepare for the job market and dissertation defense.

• Present at research conferences.

• Conduct dissertation research, typically finishing a third paper.

• Apply for Academic positions in the summer (Marketing) and fall.

• Interview at conferences, if typical for the student's unit.

• Participate in job market interviews.

• Negotiate job market offers and accept a position in the late winter or spring.

• Defend dissertation by April 15th.

Criteria for Evaluation and Satisfactory Progress

The faculty has held that a consistently “satisfactory” performance is unsatisfactory overall. Each student must show solid performance and exhibit outstanding abilities both academically and as a member of the academic community in order to obtain affirmative interim evaluations and recommendation for the degree.

The Doctoral Programs aim to ensure that each student obtains a high quality education and completes one's program within a reasonable period of time. To this end, the Doctoral Programs Administration, the student’s program chair, and other faculty involved in the student's program review the student’s progress on an ongoing basis. Each student's performance is considered on its own merits, and considerable attention is paid to one's strengths and needs.