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Professional Development
Priority Application Deadline: September 3, 2026
In accordance with Harvard University policy, Professional Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education affirms the right of all individuals to equal treatment in education without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.
As a leader in higher education, you face numerous challenges related to resources. You must secure and manage funding under constantly evolving conditions, make decisions about how to allocate resources wisely, and address the needs of a range of stakeholders, from resource-dependent students to faculty, institutional leaders, and even the general public. Meanwhile, revenue trends, growing expenditure pressures, volatile government policy, and increasing competition make the job of managing resources even more precarious. A growing number of institutions face existential financial threats as the higher education landscape becomes more uncertain and complex.
Higher Education Finance for Academic Leaders (FIN) was developed to help leaders understand and navigate the daunting challenges they face in relation to securing and managing resources. You will learn the fundamentals of financial management and frameworks that will enable you to analyze the larger funding context and anticipate future developments. We will discuss key levers available to leaders and examine real-world examples from a broad range of colleges and universities to draw lessons for our work. We will also consider approaches to managing the needs and involvement of stakeholders, from working to earn buy-in with faculty and staff to improving how we communicate our resource story and critical financial decisions with broader audiences. The program welcomes interest and applications from all practitioners in the field, from those who are new to finance issues to those who lead finance-related functions and seek to broaden their expertise and improve their engagement with colleagues across the institution.
Building financial literacy can help you better strategize on how to attract revenue and direct resources to advance your mission. We also seek to improve your ability to communicate effectively with faculty, staff, donors, trustees, and other stakeholders about the financial health and strategic priorities of your institution to help build trust and support.
This on-campus program will help higher education leaders learn key concepts and tools related to higher education financial trends and resource management so you can lead strategically and improve your institution’s financial stability.
There will be a mandatory Virtual Foundations Session on Friday, November 13, 2026, from 1—3:30 p.m. (ET). The session is designed to equip you with the essential knowledge and resources needed for a successful start to your on-campus experience.
During this program, you will:
Bridget Long is an economist who focuses on college access and success. Her research has examined the effectiveness of financial aid, postsecondary academic supports, and institutional policies. From 2018 to 2024, she served as Dean of HGSE and led the school through a major academic redesign, the pivot to remote education, the introduction of the first online degree program, and a successful fundraising effort to increase student financial aid.
Jonathan “JP” Paul is the Chief Regional Operations Officer at OneGoal, a national organization focused on transforming postsecondary advising to ensure all students can define their futures. He previously led strategic financial planning as Assistant Vice President for Finance at Harvard University and has held leadership roles at institutions including Teach For America, Relay Graduate School of Education, and Achievement First Schools.
This program is ideal for higher education leaders whose expertise is outside of financial management but who need to better understand financial concepts, trends, and strategies. It is also valuable to financial managers who wish to gain a deeper understanding of economic trends and challenges in higher education and who seek to communicate and engage better with non-financial administrators.
This program welcomes applications from both individuals and teams. First-time applicants need to create a Professional Education account to apply.
Individuals: Click the "Apply" button at the top of this page to log into your Professional Education account and access the application page. Proceed with the individual form until submission.
Teams:
Step 1: Designate one participant or as the Coordinator.
Step 2: Upon the submission of the team application, all team members will receive an email notification with a link to their personal application form. Team members should complete their forms promptly. Once all team members submit their forms, the application is considered complete and ready for review by the Admissions Committee.
Invoices: Invoices will only be available upon your acceptance.
The tuition covers all instructional materials, a daily continental breakfast and lunch, and beverages and light refreshments during our scheduled breaks between sessions.
Travel, lodging expenses, and most dinners are not included in this fee. We have blocked a limited number of rooms in select hotels in the Cambridge/Boston area. The daily rates for these hotels typically range from $250 to $375 per room, plus applicable taxes. Once your applicants are accepted into the program, they will receive detailed information about these hotel options.
Tuition assistance is available for this program on a need and application basis. Tuition assistance is granted based on participant and institutional needs. Requests for tuition assistance do not affect an applicant's prospects for admission. You may access the tuition assistance application after you have submitted your program application. Tuition assistance applications should be submitted at least one month prior to the final application deadline.
This program counts toward the Executive Certificate in Higher Education Leadership. Complete this program and two additional qualifying programs within 36 months to earn a distinguished credential designed to strengthen your leadership capacity and help you meet the evolving challenges of higher education.Learn more about the Executive Certificate in Higher Education Leadership.