Harvard launches "deferred MBA" program

Harvard Business School unveiled an initiative today that will conditionally guarantee college undergraduates a place in its MBA program.

The initiative, which the school described as a "first-of-its-kind deferred MBA admissions program," is called HBS 2+2, and it's designed to reach out to qualified college students, especially those who may not typically consider business as a career path, the school said.

HBS 2+2 will "give undergraduates a guaranteed place in a future Harvard Business School MBA class, contingent upon their graduation from college and the successful completion of two years of approved work experience," the school said.

Undergraduates will be eligible to apply by July 1 after the conclusion of their junior year in college, the school said.

The school said it plans to help students admitted to the program find jobs for the two years between college graduation and their start at the business school, the school said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)