Orientation Guide: Core Business Essentials Jul 8 2026

Orientation Guide: Core Business Essentials

Our team is delighted to welcome you to the cohort and looks forward to getting started soon! Read on or utilize the navigation buttons to view key program dates, learn details about earning the credential, and review technology requirements and support channels to ensure your success in the program.

Course Calendar

Course Syllabus (PDF)

Accessing Your HBS Online Course
Program Overview
Technology and Support
Policies and Eligibility
Withdrawals and Deferrals

Accessing Your HBS Online Course

You will receive an email from the HBS Online team on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) with a unique link to access the course. In the week prior to the start of the program, you can expect a couple of emails from the HBS Online Engagement team with tips for getting started and planning for a successful course experience.

In the program, you complete the coursework on your own time while meeting the required final deadline. There is no set time to log in. All course material is delivered through our innovative online platform; there are no additional materials required. Learn more about what you can expect to see when you log in to the online platform where learning is active, social, and case-based.

Program Overview

Core Business Essentials is a 17-week online business fundamentals credential program from Harvard Business School. The program combines three courses—Business Analytics, Business Strategy, and Financial Accounting—with curated workplace dynamics lessons and a capstone project to equip learners with fluency in the language of business and the confidence and capabilities to make an immediate impact. Participants who successfully complete the coursework and the capstone project will earn a Credential of Core Business Essentials as well as Certificates of Completion for the three individual program courses including Course 1, Course 2, and Course 3.

Financial Accounting with Professor V.G. Narayanan will teach you the fundamentals of financial accounting from the ground up and how to apply your understanding of financial statements in a wide range of business settings.Topics covered include: Recording Transactions, Financial Statements, and Adjusted Journal Entries.

Business Analytics with Professor Janice H. Hammond, prepares you to make confident, data-driven decisions by interpreting statistical results, evaluating trade-offs, and applying insights to real business problems. The course focuses on building your judgment in using data and predictive insights effectively.

Business Strategy with professors Felix Oberholzer-Gee and Marco Iansiti will equip you with a simplified framework to immediately create value for customers, employees, and suppliers while maximizing returns and competitive edge.

Course Capstone and Activities

Throughout Core Business Essentials, you will complete four activities that build toward your Capstone project. Each activity will help provide practical application for your work. You will conclude the activities by uploading your Capstone workbook to the course platform.

Requesting an Exception

HBS Online has a process by which you may request an exception to our course policies due to extreme circumstances and life emergencies. Please see more details in our Requesting an Exception to Our Policies section on our Support Portal.

A Note About Faculty and Guest Experts

Our courses have been developed by some of the most renowned HBS faculty and guest business experts. While you will not have direct, real-time interactions with faculty and experts, you will hear from them throughout the course via short videos that explain key concepts and guide you through cases, exercises, and other interactive learning elements. As much as we expect you to learn from faculty and experts through this highly engaging learning environment, we expect you to learn as much (if not more) from your own thoughtful participation and from your peers. Additionally, please note that all HBS Online faculty and experts featured in our courses are not available to communicate with learners directly or participate in learner-organized events. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to beginning your program!

Technology and Support

Technical Requirements

Our courses are designed with specific technological standards in place. Please review our technical requirements before the course begins:

Supported Devices

Courses on our course platform are designed to work on an internet-connected desktop, notebook computer, or mobile device. We highly recommend a reliable internet connection for the rich media content on the platform.

Supported Browsers

Be sure to access the course using an updated version of your web browser. Please note that a broadband internet connection is highly recommended to access the rich media in the program.

Technical Requirements

Support

Throughout the program, we hope that you will engage with your peers as you ask and answer questions about the course concepts. However, if you encounter any issues with the course, the HBS Online Support Team will be available for any questions you may have. In order to ensure you stay up-to-date with course announcements and information, please make sure HBSOnlineSupport@hbs.edu is added to your safe sender list and/or address book. We will be in touch with reminder emails that outline module release dates, deadlines, and special announcements.

Disability Accommodations Information

Harvard Business School Online welcomes participants of all backgrounds and abilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), a person is considered to have a disability if that individual (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of having such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

If you are looking to apply for disability accommodations for your course, please first review our Requesting a Disability Accommodations article. Active communication is essential to our accommodations process. Late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request as, generally, retroactive requests will not be approved.

Should you have questions, please contact the Accommodations Team as soon as possible and they will be happy to assist you.

Policies and Eligibility

Honor Code Policies

Though we do not expect that participants will always be able to provide a correct response to every question, you are expected to answer in your own words and to the best of your ability, which is an essential component of the HBS Online learning process. Skipping questions by providing insufficient responses such as Yes, Okay, or other one-word responses is considered incomplete participation.
Citations are expected to be applied to your responses whenever you include outside information that is not from your personal knowledge, such as a website or Generative AI. This includes facts, statistics, definitions, and company information such as descriptions, earnings, and accounts. Please review the HBS Citation Guide for assistance with citing your sources. Improper citations or unauthorized use of Generative AI are considered a violation of the HBS Online Honor Code and are strictly prohibited. For more information regarding responses, properly cited sources, and acceptable Generative AI use, please consult the Academic Honesty Guidelines page.

Active Engagement and Contributions

We expect you to engage with your peers to uphold the social components of the course.
Throughout the course you will be able to see the reflections and insights from other participants. We encourage you to read and interact with these posts. While we do not have a specific number that we expect from each participant, we value the quality of each contribution.
To foster a supportive online learning environment, you must uphold the HBS Online Community Values throughout Core Business Essentials.

Credential Eligibility

Credential eligibility is determined within 30 days of the final deadline of the course.
Successful completion of the program will result in the issuance of a credential as well as individual certificates for each of the program's courses—Course 1, Course 2, and Course 3
Certificates are available in digital and printed formats. Please visit our Certificate Guidelines page for a detailed overview of the certificate process, and our Certificates, Credentials & Credits page to see what your certificate will look like.

Take Your Learning a Step Further

Learning Tracks enable you to immerse yourself in a particular subject area and develop deeper insights and expertise to take your career to the next level. Those who successfully complete three courses from their selected Learning Track within 18 months will earn a Certificate of Specialization.
Participants who are working towards a credential can apply their coursework toward the following Certificates of Specialization:
Are you interested in this immersive offering? Visit our FAQ page to learn more about Learning Tracks.

Withdrawals and Deferrals

You may request a withdrawal with refund up to 24 hours after the start of the program, or an enrollment deferral at any time before your program starts, and up to one week after the start of your program. For further information, please refer to our program policies.

If you are a company-sponsored participant enrolled in a program through your organization, you may not defer or withdraw with a refund. If you wish to withdraw, please contact the appropriate representative at your organization so they may inform HBS Online.

Program Policies

Still can't find what you're looking for? Please refer to the HBS Online FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), or visit the HBS Online Support Portal for any questions, comments, or concerns about your Harvard Business School Online experience.

Site Map

Orientation Guide: Core Business Essentials

Contents

Accessing Your HBS Online Course

Program Overview

Course Capstone and Activities

Requesting an Exception

A Note About Faculty and Guest Experts

Technology and Support

Technical Requirements

Support

Disability Accommodations Information

Policies and Eligibility

Honor Code Policies

Active Engagement and Contributions

Credential Eligibility

Take Your Learning a Step Further

Withdrawals and Deferrals