3. Student Conduct and Responsibility

2.18 Special Students

With the permission of the program director, individuals may enroll as non-matriculated students in certain courses at Harvard University. Such students may wish to explore new disciplines or build skills and knowledge that could enable career advancement. Special students pay for the courses at the current per-credit basis that is defined annually, are officially registered, and participate in coursework as a conventional master’s student would.

Special students may obtain an official registrar's transcript of courses and grades received, but are not candidates for any degree at Harvard University. Individuals denied admission to a master’s program at HMS ordinarily cannot apply as a special student within the same academic year.

Special students do not have priority for limited-enrollment courses. Official registration in any course is subject to the approval of the course’s instructor.

Special students who later apply, and are admitted, to the HMS Master’s degree program in which the required courses were taken may petition for appropriate academic credit earned as a special student to be applied toward satisfying the requirements of the master’s program. (See Section 2.11, Credit for Work Done Prior to Matriculation)