In this piece, Dania Hassan reflects on her journey at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and challenges the misconception that an education degree leads only to classroom-based careers. Drawing on her background in business, she describes how HGSE’s interdisciplinary curriculum and cross-registration opportunities allowed her to design a highly customized academic path.
Dania Hassan (she/her)
I am currently enrolled in my final semester of my Ed.M. Program in Human Development & Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Most people assume that pursuing a degree in Education means that I want to work for a school. Well… that’s not exactly the case! It really depends on the kinds of courses you hand-pick for yourself. HGSE offers courses across many disciplines, including statistics & computing, psychology, media and the arts, law, neuroscience and cognition, and more. On top of that, it offers students the opportunity to cross-register not only with all other schools at Harvard but also with other schools in the same geographic area, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The possibilities of making your own course combinations are (metaphorically) endless!
At HGSE, you kick off your Ed.M. by being enrolled in foundation courses. These courses help you learn pertinent topics such as how humans acquire information, how evidence can be used, and how equity and opportunity can make a great deal of difference in someone’s life.
Then comes the fun part: making your first-ever full-load semester course selection! Since I have experience in the FMCG industry, my foremost priority was to dive deep into how the human mind thinks and functions. I took courses from professors who specialized in Brain and Cognitive Sciences; these classes covered topics such as “Neuroscience” and “Curiosity in Learning and Development”. Sitting through these classes not only helped me gain profound insight into how I think, but also into how my stakeholders at work think, what drives their curiosity, and which parts of my business pitches can grab their attention quickly.
During the same semester, I also got a chance to cross-register for a class at MIT called “Principles of Neuroengineering”. Yes, the class was absolutely daunting at first – especially for someone who had no background in “neuro” or “engineering”. But I took some of the most important lessons of my entire life from this class: how to ask questions and how to construct solutions, one step at a time. I’d recommend every business and non-profit consultant to take that class. Oh, and our final project in that class earned us an “A”. Flex moment, indeed.
I am currently in my final semester and am undergoing the process of understanding numbers better than ever, through courses in Strategic Finance, Data Analytics, and Economics. And yes, all of these courses are offered at HGSE. Our school supports many careers that extend beyond the classroom.
Apart from my academics, I have had the chance to intern at a historic building called Memorial Hall, Harvard Athletics, and now at HGSE’s Development Office! I have also been a regular attendee at various intercultural and interfaith events across Harvard, which helps me understand the beautiful diversity around me. I also got to celebrate my first-ever Thanksgiving in 2025, followed by a 5AM Black Friday haul, with my HGSE best friends!
I am completing my degree this May and hope to rejoin the workforce with greater depth, knowledge, and perspective than ever before. My parting advice to prospective HGSE students is to reflect deeply on HGSE’s motto: “Learn to Change the World.” Learning for the sake of others would truly give your journey at Harvard a purpose.
Coming to HGSE was probably the best decision of my life, and I hope it turns out to be the same for you!
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