Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School educates business leaders through its two-year residential MBA, doctoral, executive education, and online certificate programs, serving approximately 53,000 annual learners globally using case-method pedagogy and a proprietary digital platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1908
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Harvard Business School does
Harvard Business School (HBS), founded in 1908 as the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, is the constituent graduate business school of Harvard University, operating from a 40-acre, 37-building residential campus in Boston, Massachusetts. HBS runs four core product lines: a two-year full-time residential MBA program (1,878 enrolled in FY25), seven PhD programs funded for five years, Executive Education (12,256 participants in FY25, delivered on-campus and virtually), and Harvard Business School Online, a self-serve certificate platform (38,917 online learners in FY25) that launched the CORe+ program in January 2026 and the Harvard Business Analytics Program in collaboration with Harvard SEAS and FAS. The school's pedagogy is anchored by the case method (introduced 1924) and a suite of proprietary digital platforms, and it is increasingly integrating generative AI tools — custom GPTs for course feedback, AI-facilitated oral exams, and AI-generated avatars for asynchronous classrooms. HBS does not directly disclose revenue; income derives from MBA tuition (with need-based scholarships averaging $47,000 per year), executive education fees, online certificate pricing, Harvard Business Publishing's global licensing of cases and books, and endowment/alumni contributions. The institution supports an 86,000-member alumni network, 270+ full-time faculty, and 1,450+ staff, and is governed as part of Harvard University under the President and Fellows of Harvard College, with Srikant M. Datar serving as Dean since 2021.
Harvard Business School firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Harvard Business School
- Legal name
- President and Fellows of Harvard College
- Website
- https://hbs.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1908
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Harvard Business School educates business leaders through its two-year residential MBA, doctoral, executive education, and online certificate programs, serving approximately 53,000 annual learners globally using case-method pedagogy and a proprietary digital platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Harvard Business School industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Business Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Business and Secretarial Schools (611410), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- MBA & Executive MBA Programs (EDAHAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Management Research Institutes & Doctoral (PhD/DBA) Programs (EDAHAHAO), Executive Education & Corporate Programs (Non-degree) (EDAHAHAN), Business & Management Research Universities (EDAHABAE), Online Professional Schools (MBA/MPA/MPH/Etc.) (EDAHALAE)
Keywords
Where Harvard Business School is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Harvard Business School business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- MBA Tuition: Two-year full-time residential MBA program with tuition and fees. Need-based scholarships available averaging $47,000 per year. Financial aid available for both domestic and international students.
- Executive Education Programs: Programs for individuals and organizations designed to help experienced executives expand their global perspective and lead at a higher level. Both on-campus and virtual options available.
- Online Certificate Courses: Harvard Business School Online offers certificate courses led by award-winning faculty for business professionals seeking to master essential business concepts.
- Harvard Business Publishing: Wholly owned subsidiary of Harvard University formed in 1993, publishing cases, books, articles and educational materials globally.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Need-based scholarships for MBA students |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Online certificate courses |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels12 records
Harvard Business School product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Harvard Business School delivers graduate business education, including the two-year residential MBA, doctoral (PhD/DBA) programs, non-degree Executive Education for individuals and organizations, and a portfolio of online certificate courses via Harvard Business School Online. The school is also a major producer of business research and the Harvard Business Review, and licenses its case collection worldwide through Harvard Business Publishing.
Product overview
Harvard Business School offers a portfolio of educational products and programs: the core MBA Program (two-year full-time residential), Doctoral Programs (seven PhD programs), Executive Education (for experienced executives), and Harvard Business School Online (certificate courses including CORe+ launched January 2026 and the Harvard Business Analytics Program). The school also produces numerous podcasts including Cold Call, IdeaCast, Managing the Future of Work, Deep Purpose, Founder Mindset, Dealcraft, The Parlor Room, Climate Rising, Skydeck, Think Big Buy Small, and Women at Work. These offerings are delivered through case-based pedagogy and structured interactive learning.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MBA Program Two-year residential Master of Business Administration degree for early-career professionals, taught using the case method, with required first-year curriculum (RC, FIN, MOR, etc.) and second-year elective clusters.
- Doctoral Programs (PhD and DBA) PhD and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) research degrees for scholars pursuing academic careers in management disciplines.
- Executive Education Non-degree programs for individual executives and custom programs for organizations, including the Owner/President Management (OPM) Program, Advanced Management Program, and bespoke company-specific programs.
- Harvard Business School Online Online certificate courses for individual learners and "Solutions for Organizations" for companies, including CORe, the Harvard Business Analytics Program, Sustainable Business Strategy, Leading with Finance, and other certificate tracks.
- Harvard Business Publishing Publishing division licensing the HBS Case Collection, Harvard Business Review, and business books to educators, students, and corporate training programs globally.
Quantifiable outcome
- HBS MBA graduates earn median salaries over $245,000 three years after graduation
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Harvard Business School
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Harvard Business School technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature4 records
Harvard Business School partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Northeastern UniversityminorBoston financial study partnered with Northeastern University and Harvard Business School, giving 15 young workers funds to invest in Roth IRAs to measure impact on financial behavior.
- Bank on BostonminorCity-sponsored initiative leading a Boston financial study with HBS and Northeastern University, giving young workers funds to invest in Roth IRAs.
- Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH)minorAcademics from BIMTECH published a Harvard Business Cases case study examining the unprecedented negative crude oil price event on April 20, 2020, focusing on MCX futures contract.
- IIM BangaloreminorAcademics from IIM Bangalore collaborated on Harvard Business Cases case study examining negative crude oil price event on MCX futures contract.
- SELCO IndiaminorHBS Immersive Field Course visited SELCO India in January 2026 to study how decentralized renewable energy addresses India's reliability gap while supporting decarbonization goals.
- Wharton SchoolcoreWharton's global partnership expansion mentioned alongside HBS Online CORe+ launch as leading business schools expanding executive education globally.
- MIT Sloan School of ManagementcoreMIT Sloan highlighted for AI-powered personalized learning pathways alongside HBS as leading institutions transforming executive education.
- MITminorBoston Creator Accelerator provides mentorship access to institutions including MIT and Harvard Business School for Greater Boston entrepreneurs.
- Suffolk UniversityminorBoston Creator Accelerator co-founded by NBA players provides mentorship access to Suffolk University alongside HBS for Greater Boston entrepreneurs.
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied SciencescoreCollaboration for Harvard Business Analytics Program - an online certificate program designed for business leaders including MBA graduates seeking to modernize analytics skills.
- Harvard Faculty of Arts and SciencescoreJoint collaboration for Harvard Business Analytics Program offering online certificate program for business leaders seeking analytics modernization.
- Rock Center for EntrepreneurshipcoreArthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship supports HBS mission to educate leaders who make a difference through entrepreneurial perspective, supporting startup bootcamp and entrepreneurship programs.
- Harvard Business PublishingcoreWholly owned subsidiary of Harvard University formed in 1993, serving as the world's leading case publishing house distributing HBS case studies globally.
- Boston Consulting GroupcoreP&G partnered with Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group for employee AI upskilling programs, and BCG co-authored research on AI productivity.
- Seef PropertiesminorSeef Properties launched specialized training programs in partnership with Harvard Business School to develop Bahraini workforce in leadership and management skills.
- Various Fortune 500 CompaniescoreCompanies using HBS research and case studies for market research applications of generative AI and LLMs as synthetic customer simulation tools.
- Harvard Business School OnlinecoreOnline learning platform established in 2013 offering certificate courses led by award-winning faculty for business professionals seeking to master essential business concepts.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Harvard Business School competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania): Wharton is HBS's closest direct peer — both are elite Ivy League business schools offering two-year residential MBAs, executive education, and online programs, and competing for the same applicant pool, faculty, and corporate recruiter relationships.
- Stanford Graduate School of Business: Stanford GSB is a direct competitor to HBS for top MBA applicants, offering a similar two-year residential general management program with comparable executive education and a strong alumni/VC ecosystem.
- MIT Sloan School of Management: MIT Sloan competes with HBS in MBA, executive education, and online certificate programs, with particular strength in analytics, technology, and AI — areas where HBS is now investing via the Harvard Business Analytics Program.
- Columbia Business School: Columbia Business School competes with HBS for MBA applicants, executive education participants, and Wall Street recruiting relationships, with a comparable two-year residential MBA and large executive education portfolio.
- Chicago Booth School of Business: Chicago Booth is a top-tier direct peer offering a two-year residential MBA with a flexible curriculum, executive education, and a strong research tradition — competing with HBS for faculty, students, and FT rankings position.
- Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern): Kellogg is a direct competitor in MBA, executive education, and online programs, with particularly strong positioning in marketing and management — categories HBS also competes in.
- INSEAD: INSEAD competes globally with HBS for international MBA applicants and executive education participants, with a one-year MBA format and campuses in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that overlap with HBS's global research footprint.
- London Business School: LBS is a leading global direct competitor to HBS in two-year MBA and executive education, with strong appeal to international applicants and a comparable global alumni footprint.
- Yale School of Management: Yale SOM competes with HBS for MBA applicants and executive education participants, with a smaller scale but a similar focus on general management and nonprofit/social enterprise leadership.
- Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley): Berkeley Haas competes with HBS in MBA, executive education, and online programs, with particular strength in technology and entrepreneurship — areas increasingly central to HBS's positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Harvard Business School social profiles
Digital presenceHarvard Business School financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Harvard Business School leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Harvard Business School funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Harvard Business School M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments12 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Harvard Business School
What does Harvard Business School do?
Harvard Business School delivers graduate business education, including the two-year residential MBA, doctoral (PhD/DBA) programs, non-degree Executive Education for individuals and organizations, and a portfolio of online certificate courses via Harvard Business School Online. The school is also a major producer of business research and the Harvard Business Review, and licenses its case collection worldwide through Harvard Business Publishing.
Is Harvard Business School a public or private company?
Harvard Business School is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Harvard Business School founded?
Harvard Business School was founded in 1908. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Harvard Business School based?
Harvard Business School is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Harvard Business School make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. MBA Tuition is the primary driver. The others are executive Education Programs, online Certificate Courses and harvard Business Publishing.
Who are Harvard Business School's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), Stanford Graduate School of Business, MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia Business School, Chicago Booth School of Business, Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern), INSEAD, London Business School, Yale School of Management and Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley).
Does Harvard Business School have an API?
No public API is recorded for Harvard Business School.
What industry is Harvard Business School in?
Harvard Business School's product category is Business Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAHAB, MBA & Executive MBA Programs, with a secondary code of EDAHAHAO, Management Research Institutes & Doctoral (PhD/DBA) Programs. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 2731.