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These celebrities enrolled in Harvard’s certificate programme

SOURCE: ANGELA WEISS / AFP
Katie Holmes enrolled in Harvard’s executive education programme, The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports in 2017.

Oct 6 | 3 minutes read |

By U2B Staff 

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Should you enrol in a certificate programme? Certificate programmes can be completed a lot more quickly than diplomas or degrees; they typically take weeks or months to complete compared to years for the latter. They can be useful if you’re looking to bolster your knowledge and skills in a specific area of study. 

Such courses are handy in an era where the skills needed to succeed changes quickly, or if you’re looking to pivot into a new career without spending too much time in school again. 

They allow you to upskill quickly, and there’s always the option for you to develop your expertise further upon completion by topping up with another certificate programme, or a postgraduate course, depending on your goals. 

Many celebrities have also turned to certificate programmes and executive education programmes to help them level-up. Unsurprisingly, programmes by Ivy Leagues are among those that attract many celeb students, including renowned institutions like Harvard. 

Here are some celebrities who opted for Harvard’s certificate programmes:

Ja Rule


The American rapper famously tweeted his certificate of completion of a four-week long Harvard Business School Online course in Entrepreneurship Essentials that costs US$1,050.

The course is ideal if you’re an aspiring or early-stage entrepreneur. It introduces students to the entrepreneurial journey, from finding an idea, to gaining traction in the marketplace and raising capital for your venture. 

You’ll also learn an overarching framework to evaluate opportunities, manage start-ups, and finance ventures that have been taught to thousands of Harvard Business School MBA students over the past 30 years.

According to Harvard, learners need to commit approximately seven to eight hours per week to complete the course.

Tyra Banks


Banks has broken several glass ceilings as a supermodel, including being the first woman of African-American descent to be featured on the covers of GQ and Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions.

She pivoted from her career as a supermodel to unleash her entrepreneurial spirit to become a TV show creator, producer, and host with the reality-competition series America’s Next Top Model and her Emmy Award-winning The Tyra Banks Show.

Banks decided to get further her entrepreneurial education with a certificate programme by Harvard Business School. According to reports, she completed Harvard’s nine-week course in the university’s Owner/President Management Program.

Harvard’s website notes that the executive programme is designed for business owners or founders who meet criteria such as holding a significant equity stake in the firm and are actively involved in the business operations, to name a few. Students will learn about analysing and pursuing business opportunities, how to develop a business strategy and execute it, among others.

Ciara 

 

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A post shared by Ciara (@ciara)


The American singer also took up Harvard’s executive education programme, The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports.

According to Harvard’s website, the course will help students uncover new approaches for driving revenue and success in today’s entertainment environment. 

“Through an up-close examination of why some creative businesses thrive while others fail to survive, you will learn when to make smaller versus blockbuster bets, the best way to capitalise on market disruptions, and how to establish long-term competitive advantage,” it said.

The course is less than a week-long and costs US$10,250.

Katie Holmes

 

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A post shared by Katie Holmes (@katieholmes212)


Not unlike Ciara, Holmes also enrolled in Harvard’s executive education programme, The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports in 2017.

Holmes is known for many of her high-profile acting work but has also dabbled in a fashion line, among other things. The course will help students develop and execute more effective business strategies, useful people such as Holmes who want to branch out their careers.

    
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