Individual Course

Fundamentals of Writing: A Harvard Framework for College Success

Course Length

5 weeks

4–5 hours per week

Featuring faculty from:

Harvard Faculty of Arts & Sciences

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Class:

Certificate Price:

$ 650

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Prepare your student for college-level writing now.

This Harvard-designed online course—led by professor and prize-winning author Dr. Martin Puchner and featuring current Harvard students—gives high school writers a clear, confidence-building path to college-ready essays. Learners will choose topics they care about, follow a proven step-by-step process, receive practical checklists and examples, and learn to consider the use cases for AI in their writing practice. Writers will learn how to choose a topic, frame arguable claims, gather and organize evidence, draft with intent, and revise for precision and impact. By the end, learners will hold a completed essay and a repeatable method they can rely on throughout their academic career—so their ideas come through clearly, credibly, and in their own voice.

Instructor-Paced

Harvard Online

Industries:

Education
Other Non-profit

Learning Outcomes
Write Essays To Be Proud Of
Learning Outcomes
Understand How College Writing Works
Learning Outcomes
Understand AI’s Place in the Writing Process

Learn from real case studies
Do it on your own time
Get a certificate, add it to your resume
Be part of the Harvard Community

Syllabus

This course gives gives writers the tools they need for success in college and beyond. Participants will learn how to choose a topic, frame arguable claims, gather and organize evidence, draft with intent, and revise for precision and impact. By the end, learners will hold a completed essay and a repeatable method they can rely on throughout their academic career—so their ideas come through clearly, credibly, and in their own voice.

Download Full Syllabus

Writing as Thinking

Writing as Research

Writing as Writing

Writing as Revision

FAQs

Are there discounts available for this course?

Do you offer discounts for learners from the education or non-profit fields?

Yes, for this course we offer a 30% discount for learners who work in the nonprofit, government, military, or education fields.

Eligibility is determined by a prospective learner’s email address, ending in .org, .gov., .mil, or .edu. Interested learners can apply below for the discount and, if eligible, will receive a promo code to enter when completing payment information to enroll in a Harvard Online program.

Apply for a Discount

I heard about a beta for this course, but I don’t see it listed on the course page.

What are the application requirements?

What are the learning requirements and how are grades assigned?

Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely manner. This will mean meeting each week’s course module deadlines and fully answering questions posed therein. This helps ensure participants proceed through the course at a similar pace and can take full advantage of social learning opportunities. In addition to module and assignment completion, we expect you to offer feedback on others’ reflections and contribute to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the course requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the course.

More detailed information on course requirements will be communicated at the start of the course. No grades are assigned for Fundamentals of Writing. Participation will either be evaluated as complete or incomplete.

What are the technical requirements and minimum bandwidth needed to participate in Harvard Online programs?

This course is designed to work on an internet-connected desktop or notebook computer running either the Chrome or Firefox browser. Tablet computers and smartphones are not supported for programs on the course platform at this time. A broadband internet connection is highly recommended to access the rich media in the program.

The course platform allows you to engage with the content and watch the course videos with bandwidth of at least 750 Kbps download speed. At this speed, you may experience video buffering and some slowness. Videos can be viewed in HD, or "high" quality with a minimum recommended bandwidth of 2 Mbps download speed. Your browser performance will also affect your experience on the platform. To avoid browser-based issues and to ensure the best experience, we recommend that you update your browser to its latest version.

What do I receive upon completion of the course?

What materials will I have access to after completing this course?

You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program.

At the end of the course, you will be able to download a PDF summary highlighting key concepts that were introduced throughout the course. We hope the summary document will serve as a helpful resource after you finish the course.

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Past Participant Discounts

Learners who have enrolled in at least one qualifying Harvard Online program can receive a 30% discount, automatically applied to the Program Fee upon time of payment.

Learners who have earned a verified certificate for a HarvardX course hosted on the edX platform are eligible to receive a 30% discount using a discount code. Please check your email for a code or contact us.