Course Selection and Registration
The liberal arts and sciences are the core of a Harvard College education. In your courses, you will encounter new ways of understanding and new ways of knowing. You will develop tools for critical thinking and reasoning, preparing you to take on challenging and complicated problems.
Background video of aerial view of Harvard University and other b roll video of the inside of campus buidlings
Course selection is a balance between pursuing your academic interests and exploring new academic areas, while keeping requirements and academic policies in mind. Each semester, you will discuss your course selection with your academic advisor who will lift your advising hold so you can enroll in courses.
Academic Planning Tools
Academic Advising Report (AAR): Your Academic Advising Report shows your progress toward fulfilling Harvard College requirements, indicating whether a requirement, such as the Language Requirement or a General Education category, has been met. You can view and download your advising report at my.harvard.edu.
What If? Report: The What If? Report allows you to run a simulated advising report that shows your degree progress based on the courses you have already taken and what requirements would be left based on the requirements of a new concentration.
Four-Year Academic Plan Template: This template is a tool to aid in multi-year academic planning. We encourage you to use this planning template as a tool for your conversations with advisers across your four years.
Placement Recommendations
Take the Placement Exams
Report any scores from the College Board (AP, SAT II)
Review your Placement and Test Scores Report which can be found in the “Documents” section of my.harvard. Course recommendations, including your Expository Writing and your language requirement status, are included in this report.
Review the Placement Exam Advising Resources for information about how to connect with relevant advising around your course recommendations.
Tools for Course Selection and Registration
My.Harvard Course Search: Use the my.harvard course search to browse courses and add them to your Crimson Cart for the upcoming term. Your advisors can see what courses you have in your Crimson Cart. There is no limit to how many courses you can have in your Crimson Cart.
Syllabus Explorer: The syllabus explorer allows you to search course syllabi, including previous versions of a course, and will show you courses that are similar to ones you have found. This is a great tool to use to search for a particular topic and see what classes turn up.
Q Score Reports: Undergraduates complete course evaluations, and this feedback is available to students via the Q reports. When reviewing the Q reports for a course, remember that the experience students had in a previous version of a class may differ from how you might experience the class. In my.harvard, courses with available evaluations will show a link to “View Q Score Report” and you can also navigate to the full Q website.
How to Enroll in Courses
Step 2
Discuss course selection with your academic advisor who will lift the “advising hold”.
Cross Registration
Students who wish to enroll in courses offered by Harvard’s professional Schools or MIT may do so at my.harvard.edu and should visit the Registrar’s Office website for instructions. In addition to submitting an online petition, first-year students are also required to send a statement of interest by email to their Resident Dean. The statement should explain why the student wants to cross-register, how the course fits into the student’s curricular plans, and why no other courses within the FAS will meet those needs. In order to cross-register, a student’s academic record must be satisfactory. Exceptions must be approved by the Resident Dean.
Please see the Harvard College Handbook for Students for more information.