Course page on 2026-10-08 lists start dates of Nov 4 2026, Jan 13 2027 and Mar 17 2027. source
HBS Online's Leadership Principles is a five-week, $1,949 case-based course that leaves you with a Harvard certificate and no engineering content. It suits a manager whose employer reimburses brand-name credentials and who wants general leadership vocabulary. Check whether your employer pays, because for the same money Reforge covers a year of engineering-specific material.
The facts
| Category | Engineering management |
|---|---|
| Website | online.hbs.edu/courses/leadership-principles |
| Based | Boston, MA |
| Format | online-self-paced |
| Programs | Leadership Principles (faculty Joshua D. Margolis and Anthony Mayo), Counts toward Certificate of Specialization in Leadership and Management (three courses) |
| Length | 5 weeks (35-40 hours over 5 weeks at 7-9 hours per week; cohort start dates with self-paced work.) verified |
| Tuition | $1,949 $1,949 listed on the course page. verified |
| Financing | upfront, employer Refund policy not stated on the course page; HBS Online publishes a separate policy. Certificate of Completion on finishing. |
| Admission | basic assessment HBS Online requires a short application; the page describes the audience as early and mid-career professionals and new leaders. |
| Stack | Self-assessment, Team leadership, Case studies, Peer feedback |
Outcomes
This program does not publish job-placement or salary outcomes. Treat any number you hear from admissions as unverifiable.
Interview-prep depth
1 / 5
Course description; business-school case method, not engineering.
Whatever the program covers, the interview itself is free to prepare for here: coding patterns, system design, practice prompts, company guides.
What a careful reader should know
Included as the brand-name comparison point. The content is not engineering-specific, and the 'activity every three to five minutes' format is a platform feature, not a mentorship. The certificate counts toward a three-course specialization, which is where the cost compounds.
Sources (1)
This directory takes no lead fees or placement payments from any program. Where a program runs an affiliate scheme we say so on its page and mark the link. Facts carry a badge: verified means we read it on a primary source on the date shown, reported means a third party said it, unknown means nobody we trust has published it.
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