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Phd in public policy.

The PhD in Public Policy prepares qualified candidates to shape the direction of public policy research and to train the next generation of researchers, teachers, and leaders. It also qualifies individuals to perform high-level policy analysis in both national and international organizations.

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PhD Program in Public Policy Reunion

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Engage with the intellectual community at Harvard and reconnect with alumni of the PhD program in public policy. We invite you back to campus for a day of stimulating symposia, engaging events, and opportunities to connect with fellow alumni of the PhD program in public policy, faculty, and students. The day will feature Harvard Griffin GSAS Dean Emma Dench, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Doug Elmendorf, AM ’85, PhD ’89,  and former Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow, PhD ’78; panels on US-China relations, climate and sustainability, and reflections on career paths; and an update from faculty regarding how the program has evolved over the years.

Register Here!

This event is open only to alumni of the PhD program in public policy and their guests.

Questions? Email [email protected] .

Friday, April 5

8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m., check-in and registration.

Fireside Room, Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall 8 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138

9:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.

Welcome from emma dench and doug elmendorf, am '85, phd '89.

Common Room, Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall 8 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138

9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.

Reflections on the harvard phd in public policy with lawrence s. bacow, phd '78, 10:00 a.m.–10:45 a.m., panel on us-china relations.

Moderator: Anthony Saich , Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Panelists:  

• Meghan O’Sullivan , Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
• Rana Mitter , S.T. Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School  

11:00 a.m.–noon

Panel on climate and sustainability.

Moderator: Joseph E. Aldy , PhD '05, economics, Teresa and John Heinz Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School  

Panelists:   

• Karen Fisher-Vanden , PhD '99, Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics, and Public Policy, Penn State
• B. Kelsey Jack , PhD '10, Associate Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara  
• Charles Taylor , Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School  

12:15 p.m.–1:15 p.m.

Luncheon .

The Commons, Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall  8 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138

1:15 p.m.–1:45 p.m.

Discussion with the faculty chair and program director, phd program in public policy.

Common Room, Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall  8 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138

• Robert Stavins , PhD '88, economics, A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development, Director of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Program in Public Policy and the Doctoral Program in Political Economy and Government, Harvard Kennedy School 
• Nicole Tateosian, Director, Doctoral Programs for Public Policy, Political Economy & Government, and Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School  

2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

Reflections on diverse career paths.

Moderator: Julia Minson , Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Panelists :  

• Sheila Olmstead , PhD '02, Dean Rusk Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin  
• Jonathan Borck , PhD '08, Vice President, Analysis Group and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
• Will Dobbie , PhD '13, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School  
• Lauren Russell , AB '12, PhD '23, Economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors

3:15 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Closing remarks by robert stavins, phd '88, 3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m., connect and reconnect: closing reception.

Graduate Student Lounge, Student Center at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Lehman Hall 8 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138

This informal session will provide an opportunity to connect and reconnect with current students and alumni. 

Speaker Biographies

In order of appearance 

Dean of the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics

Emma Dench was born in York, grew up near Stratford-Upon-Avon, and studied at Wadham College, Oxford (BA Hons Literae Humaniores), and at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford (DPhil in Ancient History). Before taking up a joint appointment in the Departments of the Classics and of History at Harvard in January 2007, she taught classics and ancient history at Birkbeck College, University of London. She has been a Craven Fellow at the University of Oxford, a Rome Scholar and a Hugh Last Fellow at the British School of Rome, a Cotton Fellow, a Member of the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and a Visiting Professor of the Classics and of History at Harvard, and a Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellow.  

Dench is the author of  From Barbarians to New Men: Greek, Roman, and Modern Perceptions of Peoples from the Central Apennines , Romulus’ Asylum: Roman Identities from the Age of Alexander to the Age of Hadrian , and “Imperialism and Culture in the Roman World” for the Cambridge University Press series Key Themes in Ancient History. Other current projects include a study of the retrospective writing of the Roman Republican past in classical antiquity.  

While at Harvard, Dench received a Harvard College Professorship in recognition of “outstanding contributions to undergraduate teaching, mentoring, and advising,” a Marquand Award for Excellent Advising and Counseling, and an Everett Mendelsohn.

Doug Elmendorf, AM '85, PhD '89

Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Doug Elmendorf has been dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School since 2016. He had been a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution after serving as the director of the Congressional Budget Office from January 2009 through March 2015. He had previously been a senior fellow at Brookings, assistant director of the Division of Research and Statistics at the Federal Reserve Board, deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department, senior economist at the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, and an assistant professor at Harvard University. In those policy roles, Elmendorf worked on budget policy, health care issues, the macroeconomic effects of fiscal policy, Social Security, income security programs, financial markets, macroeconomic analysis and forecasting, and a range of other topics. He earned his PhD and AM in economics from Harvard University and his AB summa cum laude from Princeton University. 

Lawrence S. Bacow, PhD '78

Professor of Public Policy and President Emeritus, Harvard University

Lawrence S. Bacow was the 29th president of Harvard University. Widely recognized as one of higher education’s most respected leaders, Bacow’s tenure at Harvard has been marked by the creation of a range of academic initiatives, advocacy for public service, diversity and access to opportunity, and steady leadership of the University through the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since taking office in 2018, Bacow has marshalled academic and financial resources to advance the University’s teaching and research mission, creating new interdisciplinary collaborations on issues such as climate change, inequality, global health, the future of cities, as well as new initiatives in science and technology.  The  Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery  initiative, the  Harvard Quantum Initiative , the  Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence , the Bloomberg Center for Cities, and the  Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability  were all established under Bacow’s tenure. He also expanded the role and operation of Harvard’s office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging and created a new vice provost for climate and sustainability and an associate provost role for student affairs.  For more information about Bacow, you can visit his webpage here . 

Anthony Saich

Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Anthony Saich is director of the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia and Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School.

Saich was a trustee member of the National Committee on US-China Relations (2014-20), is a board member of AMC Entertainment Inc. and International Bridges to Justice, and was the chair of the China Medical Board (2015-2019). He was the representative for the Ford Foundation’s China Office from 1994 to 1999. The work at the Foundation included programs on legal representation, reproductive health, poverty alleviation, and international affairs. Prior to this, he was director of the Sinological Institute at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Saich's current research focuses on politics and governance in post-Mao China and philanthropy in China. His most recent books include From Rebel to Ruler. One Hundred Years of the Chinese Communist Party (2021); Finding Allies and Making Revolution. The Early years of the Chinese Communist Party (2020); Governance and Politics of China (Fifth edition, forthcoming); Institutional Change and Adaptive Efficiency: A Study of China’s Hukou System Evolution (2023). Visit his webpage for more information .

Meghan L. O’Sullivan 

Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Meghan L. O’Sullivan is the Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School and director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Her scholarship is at the nexus of traditional disciplines, with particular expertise on how the energy transition and geopolitics intersect. O’Sullivan has served in multiple senior policymaking roles and has advised national security officials in both Republican and Democratic administrations. She is a member of U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s Foreign Policy Advisory Board. Between 2004 and 2007, she was special assistant to former President George W. Bush and was deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan during the last two years of her tenure. O’Sullivan has been on public company and nonprofit boards. She is senior director at the strategic consulting firm Macro Advisory Partners and is the chair of the North American Group of the Trilateral Commission.

Rana Mitter

S.T. Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School  

Rana Mitter is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author of several books, including Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II (2013), which won the 2014 RUSI/Duke of Westminster’s Medal for Military Literature, and was named a Book of the Year in the Financial Times and Economist . His latest book is China’s Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism (Harvard, 2020).  His writing on contemporary China has appeared recently in Foreign Affairs , the Harvard Business Review , The Spectator , The Critic , and The Guardian .  He has commented regularly on China in media and forums around the world, including at the World Economic Forum at Davos. His recent documentary on contemporary Chinese politics "Meanwhile in Beijing" is available on BBC Sounds.  Mitter is coauthor, with Sophia Gaston, of the report “Conceptualizing a UK-China Engagement Strategy” (British Foreign Policy Group, 2020).  He won the 2020 Medlicott Medal for Service to History, awarded by the UK Historical Association.  Mitter previously taught at Oxford, and is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Joseph E. Aldy, PhD '05

Teresa and John Heinz Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Joseph E. Aldy is the Teresa and John Heinz Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, a university fellow at Resources for the Future, a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a senior advisor at the Lazard Climate Center. His research focuses on climate change policy, energy policy, and regulatory policy. He also serves as the faculty chair of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government Regulatory Policy Program. In 2009-2010, he served as the special assistant to the president for Energy and Environment at the White House. Aldy also served as a fellow at Resources for the Future, codirector of the Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements, codirector of the International Energy Workshop, and worked on the staff of the President's Council of Economic Advisers. He earned his doctorate in economics from Harvard University and MEM and bachelor’s degrees from Duke University. 

Karen Fisher-Vanden, PhD '99 

Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics, and Public Policy, Penn State

Karen Fisher-Vanden is distinguished professor of environmental and resource economics and public policy as well as director of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) at Pennsylvania State University. Fisher-Vanden holds a BS in mathematics/computer science and a BA in economics both from UC Davis, a MS in management science from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, and a PhD in public policy from Harvard University. She was a lead author of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report Working Group III, a previous member of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) Product Development Advisory Committee, and lead author of a congressionally mandated CCSP report on global change scenarios. She is president of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) where she previously served on the board of directors and was a member of the EPA science advisory board on economy-wide modeling. Her areas of research include economic and integrated assessment modeling for climate change impacts and policy analysis. Fisher-Vanden has led a number of large externally funded research programs and is currently codirector and principal investigator of the Program on Coupled Human and Earth Systems (PCHES), a large Cooperative Research Agreement with the US Department of Energy.

B. Kelsey Jack, PhD '10

Associate Professor, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara  

B. Kelsey Jack is an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, with a joint appointment in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and the Department of Economics. Prior to UCSB, she was an assistant professor in the Economics Department at Tufts University for seven years, and a postdoctoral associate at MIT, with the Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative (ATAI) at J-PAL. She holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University. Her research is at the intersection of environmental and development economics, and focuses on the interplay between poverty and natural resources including water, energy, and land. She is a faculty research fellow at the NBER, an associate editor at the American Economic Review and Econometrica, and serves on the boards of J-PAL and BREAD. 

Charles Taylor

Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School  

Charles Taylor is an assistant professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University. An economist researching the environment, agriculture, climate change, and migration, his work often uses satellite data to answer policy questions. He received the Wallace E. Oates Outstanding Dissertation Award in environmental economics. Taylor held positions at The Earth Partners, a sustainable land investment company; McKinsey & Company; and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He is the cofounder of Drylands Natural Resource Centre, a farmer-owned cooperative. He earned a BA from the University of Virginia and a PhD in sustainable development from Columbia University, and was previously a Ciriacy-Wantrup fellow at UC Berkeley. Taylor's research website can be found here .

Robert Stavins, PhD '88

A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development, Director of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Program in Public Policy and the Doctoral Program in Political Economy and Government, Harvard Kennedy School

Robert Stavins is the A. J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development at Harvard Kennedy School, director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, director of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Program in Public Policy, cochair of the Harvard Business School-Kennedy School Joint Degree Programs, and director of the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements. He is a university fellow of Resources for the Future, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, an elected fellow of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vice chair of the board of directors of Resources for the Future, and coeditor of the Journal of Wine Economics . He was founding editor of the Review of Environmental Economics and Policy , chair of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Economics Advisory Committee, and lead author or coordinating lead author of the Second, Third, and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. His research has focused on diverse areas of environmental economics and policy and has appeared in hundreds of articles in scholarly journals and in more than a dozen books. Stavins has been a consultant to US administrations, members of Congress, environmental organizations, the World Bank, the United Nations, state and national governments, and private foundations and firms. Stavins holds a BA in philosophy from Northwestern University, an MS in agricultural economics from Cornell, and a PhD in economics from Harvard.

Nicole Tateosian

Director, Doctoral Programs for Public Policy, Political Economy & Government, and Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Nicole Tateosian joined the Harvard Department of Economics in 2004 as graduate student coordinator working with the PhD students in economics as well as students in the joint programs of political economy and government and business economics. In 2009, Tateosian transitioned to the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) where she assumed the role of director of doctoral programs overseeing the public policy and political economy and government PhD programs.  An additional program, the social policy PhD program, was added to her responsibilities in 2021.  She earned a bachelor's degree in political science and subsequently pursued a master of arts in American studies, both from Trinity College.

Julia Minson

Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School  

Julia Minson is an associate professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is a decision scientist with research interests in conflict, negotiations, and judgment and decision-making. Her primary line of research addresses the “psychology of disagreement”—How do people engage with opinions, judgments, and decisions that are different from their own? She explores this theme in the context of disagreement around hot-button, identity-relevant topics, such as conflicts around politics, professional decision-making, and lifestyle choices.  She is particularly interested in simple, scalable interventions to help people be more receptive to views and opinions they strongly oppose. Minson also studies group decision-making to uncover the psychological biases that prevent managers, consumers, and policy makers from maximizing the benefits of collaboration. This includes research on underweighting of advice, "wisdom of crowds," and overconfidence. Much of Minson's research is conducted in collaboration with the graduate and postdoctoral members of MC²—the Minson Conflict and Collaboration Lab. At the Kennedy School, Minson is affiliated with the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, the Center for Public Leadership, and the Taubman Center for State and Local Government. Minson teaches courses on negotiations and decision-making as part of the Management, Leadership and Decision Science area as well as through HKS Executive Education. She is the organizer of the HKS Conflict Management and Depolarization speaker series sponsored by the Center for Public Leadership and the Management Leadership and Decision Sciences Area.  Prior to coming to the Kennedy School, Minson served as an adjunct lecturer at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where she taught negotiations at both the MBA and the undergraduate levels. She received her PhD in social psychology from Stanford University and her AB in psychology from Harvard University .  

Sheila Olmstead, PhD '02 

Dean Rusk Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin  

Sheila Olmstead is a professor and the Dean Rusk chair at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin (UT), a university fellow at Resources for the Future (RFF) in Washington, DC, and a senior fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in Bozeman, MT. Her research examines questions at the intersection of economics and environmental policy in areas such as water pricing, water markets, water quality valuation and regulation, the impacts of flood risk on property markets, the environmental impacts of energy development, and carbon capture and storage. From 2016–2017, Olmstead served as the senior economist for Energy and the Environment at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. She is currently a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board. Before joining UT in 2013, Olmstead was a senior fellow (2013) and fellow (2010-13) at RFF as well as associate professor (2007-10) and assistant professor (2002-07) of environmental economics at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Olmstead is president-elect of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) where she has also served as vice president and a member of the board of directors. She was editor of the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists , as associate editor of Water Resources Research , coeditor and member of the scientific advisory board of Environmental and Resource Economics , and book review editor of Water Economics and Policy . Olmstead holds a PhD in public policy from Harvard University, a master's in public affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in political and social thought from the University of Virginia. 

Jonathan Borck, PhD '08

Vice President, Analysis Group and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Jonathan Borck specializes in the application of statistics and economics to topics in business and public policy. In his professional career at Analysis Group, he has testified in disputes involving sampling, statistics, lost profits, and damages in matters before federal courts, state courts, and arbitration panels. He has directed projects in areas such as antitrust and competition, technology and digital platforms, health care, mortgages and housing, and the environment.  Over the past 10 years, Borck has taught API-201, the core course in probability and statistics in the MPP program, at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Will Dobbie, PhD '13

Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Will Dobbie is a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and coeditor of the Review of Economics and Statistics . His research studies the causes and consequences of poverty in America to understand how we can give individuals from all backgrounds a better chance of success. His recent work has examined racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, the labor market consequences of bad credit reports, and the long-run effects of charter schools. Dobbie received his PhD from Harvard in 2013. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, he was a professor at Princeton University. He is a recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the Jonathan Edwards Bicentennial Preceptorship at Princeton University, the W.E. Upjohn Institute Award, and the Distinguished CESifo Affiliate Award.

Lauren Russell, AB '12, PhD '23 

Economist, Federal Reserve Board of Governors

Lauren Russell is an economist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Her research centers on US racial inequality with a focus on the criminal legal system. Her recent work documents the evolution of criminal background checking in the United States and investigates how the increasing availability of criminal record information to employers starting in the 1970s impacted the labor market outcomes of historically disadvantaged groups. Russell graduated from Harvard in 2023 with a PhD in public policy. While in graduate school, she was a dissertation scholar at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and a research fellow at the Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity at Duke University.

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Harvard Ph.D. Program in Health Policy

• Political Analysis

Concentration Chair:  Professor Benjamin D. Sommers

This concentration is intended for students who wish to do research on the relationship between politics and health policy. Students will study theories of political participation, legislative organization, interest group formation, and political communication. Applied topics of study include public opinion, political ideology, public health law, and the media; the interplay between executive, legislative, and judicial branches; and the role of federalism including state and local government in influencing health policy outcomes. The research methodologies utilized in this track include quantitative statistical methods appropriate for large-scale databases, survey methods, and qualitative or mixed methods. Graduates of this concentration typically pursue careers in teaching, conduct research on the politics of health care, and/or become involved with government, professional, and consumer groups on research projects related to the politics of public policy in the public health and health services fields.

Political Analysis Curriculum Guide

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• Methods for Policy Research
• Core Course in Health Policy
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Environmental Science & Public Policy

Join our community and form lasting connections with students and faculty from interdisciplinary academic interests

Explore Field Work

Immerse yourself in local culture, sail a vessel under the Gulf Coast sky, explore the flora and fauna of Florida, and much more

Interact with Harvard faculty through coursework, seminars, events, and field trips

The ESPP concentration encompasses a wide breadth of subjects, allowing you to immerse yourself in your academic interests.

Become well-versed in the broad, interconnected issues of environment and public policy through coursework and seminars

Welcome! The concentration in Environmental Science and Public Policy is designed to provide a multi-disciplinary introduction to current problems of the environment. It is founded on the premise that the ability to form rational judgments concerning many of the complex challenges confronting society today involving the environment requires both an understanding of the underlying scientific and technical issues and an appreciation for the relevant economic, political, legal, historical and ethical dimensions.

Information for Prospective Concentrators

Watch this  video  for a faculty message about choosing ESPP as a concentration. Visit the  Board of Tutors  page to find a list of ESPP faculty which includes their home department, research interests, and email address. ESPP faculty are happy to be contacted via email by prospective students. Interested in declaring ESPP? Please visit  here for instructions.

Please make an appointment (via window on the right) with Lorraine to discuss declaration. Pre-concentrators are encouraged to reach out to us as early as freshman year--you will be added to our email list and learn about events and fields trips. 

Want to Learn More about ESPP? Talk to a Current Student!

ESPP concentrators who have agreed to be contacted by prospective students to answer questions about ESPP and share their stories and interest.

Fred Asare-Konadu ‘ 24

Winthrop House |  He/Him

[email protected]

ESPP Interests: There are few things ESPP related that I don't love to talk and learn about. One of my main focuses as of late has been evaluating the role of the private market in the climate transition, most specifically finding ways to align the interests of companies with what is best for our climate. Through my courses I have also enjoyed discussing sustainability, climate responsibility and overall climate injustice. I would be happy to talk about anything previously mentioned, along with general questions about ESPP and course work and how it balances with other academic / extracurricular interests.  

Robin Greene ‘ 24

Mather House | He/Him

[email protected]

ESPP Interests:  I am interested in everything from nutrient cycling and biogeochemical processes to environmental justice and social ecology! ESPP has given me the resources and support to study these issues from both a scientific and political perspective. Outside of the Harvard sphere, I use ESPP frameworks to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and I am studying abroad this fall in Lisbon, Portugal. Always happy to chat about anything, ESPP-related or otherwise! 

Alexandra Kassinis ‘24 

Pforzheimer House | She/Her

[email protected]

ESPP Interests: I am interested in the intersection of environmental issues and health, especially the impacts of climate change on food security, water resources and migration. Outside of the classroom, I am involved in the Harvard Undergraduate Clean Energy Group and the Harvard Global Health Institute. Happy to talk about all things ESPP, anytime! 

Eliot House | She/Her

[email protected]

ESPP Interests: I am primarily interested in the intersection of environmental science and public health. As an ESPP concentrator and pre-medical student, I frequently encounter the overlap in these subjects and the potential implications for the future of healthcare. Management of natural resources, air pollution, and endocrine disruptors are just a few examples of the subjects I am most interested in studying. Feel free to reach out if you want to chat or have questions about ESPP!  

Quincy House | She/her

[email protected]

ESPP interests: I'm really passionate about a wide range of topics, including concepts like fairness in our surroundings, the interconnectedness of societies and nature, and how our environment and economy interact. ESPP has been an incredible foundation for me, offering the tools, guidance, and flexibility to delve into the crossroads of these subjects. This journey has also led me to explore Global Health and Health Policy as a secondary focus. Through ESPP, I've gained not only a strong belief in the synergy of science and politics but also the courage to tackle them. I even had the amazing experience of teaching physics in southern Vietnam last summer! I'm always up for a chat about ESPP and all the exciting experiences it has brought my way! 

Winthrop House | She/Her

[email protected]

ESPP Interests: I am interested in the interplay between policy and the private market in the context of the clean energy transition. It’s exciting to see how well designed policies can align corporate interests with climate benefits and accelerate solar energy adoption. I would love to talk about policy dynamics, innovative clean energy solutions, and the potential of a climate-conscious private sector. Feel free to reach out – I'm happy to chat about anything and everything! 

Schedule an Advising Appointment

Book an appointment with Lorraine Maffeo, Program Administrator

Book an appointment  with Dr. Diana Sharpe, Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies 

Senior Thesis Poster Presentations

Save the Date Friday, April 26th from 12-1:30pm 

Join us to celebrate with thesis writers and hear about their projects. HUCE 440 

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Featured News

Professor Sheila Jasanoff wins prestigious Holberg Prize

Sheila Jasanoff, the Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Harvard Kennedy School, has been awarded the 2022 Holberg Prize, among the world’s most prestigious awards for academic work in the humanities and social sciences.... Read more about Professor Sheila Jasanoff wins prestigious Holberg Prize

Public Policy

Public Policy. Playing a central role in government.

Faculty Chairs :   Jennifer Hochschild  &  Josh Kertzer  

Overview : Public policy is a vibrant interdisciplinary field in which political science plays a central role. Political science research on policy addresses both normative and empirical questions: What kind of policies should be adopted to achieve our goals and to express our values? How and why do policy makers decide which goals to pursue? Why do policies vary so widely? Under what conditions do they work well? Many faculty in the Government Department do research on policy questions and teach courses that address a wide range of policy arenas.  

Studying the politics of public policy  can help students become more effective policy makers. The Government Department’s new public policy program is designed to help students with policy interests tailor their concentration to gain a good foundation in political science while also developing expertise in a specific policy arena. It provides training useful for careers in government, international organizations, non-profits, and think tanks.  

Requirements :  Four courses out of the ten courses required for the concentration: 

• 1 course on ethics and public policy chosen from the list below. 
• 3 courses on politics and analysis related to a specific policy arena chosen from the list below. To take advantage of the diversity within political science, we encourage students to enroll in courses that take different analytical approaches to the topic—from different subfields, or that take different theoretical approaches. Some courses at the Harvard Kennedy School also count toward the program.

All four courses must be taken for a letter grade (except for courses taken during Spring 2020, when emergency satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading was in effect). 

Individual Plan of Study:  Students are asked to write an individual plan of study in consultation with their Concentration Advisers and faculty mentors. In this plan, students identify the policy focus they want to pursue, their educational goals, and the courses that will help them develop this expertise. In addition to courses in the Government Department, we also encourage them to take related courses in other fields, whether through a secondary concentration or through some of their elective courses. 

Possible Areas of Focus :  (Students can propose additional topics) 

• Social Policy: Education, Welfare, Immigration, Health Care, Criminal Justice 
• Economic Policy: Development, Globalization, Environment 
• Foreign Policy: Security, Trade, Finance, Human Rights 

Courses Approved for the Public Policy Curricular Program

Courses offered in   A Y  2024-2025 are highlighted in  bold  below .

Ethics & Public Policy Courses

• Gen Ed 1058: Tech Ethics: AI, Biotech and the Future of Human Nature. Michael Sandel
• Gen Ed 1181: Meritocracy and its Critics. Michael Sandel
• Gen Ed 1200: Justice. Michael Sandel
• Gov 94ab:   The Theory and Practice of Civil-Military Relations. Avishay Ben Sasson-Gordis
• Gov 94bh: Ethics & Public Policy. Eric Beerbohm 
• Gov 94ca: Casino Capitalism: Gambling, Finance, and the Ethic of Speculation. Michael Sandel 
• Gov 94em: Crime, Responsibility, and the Law. Gabriel Katsh 
• Gov 94gk: The Politics and Ethics of Health Care. Gabriel Katsh 
• Gov 94km: Moral Life During War 
• Gov 94ms: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Michael Sandel
• Gov 94pn: The Politics of Nature. Amy Chandran
• Gov 1033: Educational Justice. Meira Levinson 
• Gov 1041: Justice by Means of Democracy. Danielle Allen 
• Gov 1049: Ethics & Public Policy
• Gov 1029: Feminist Political Thought. Katrina Forrester
• Gov 1734: Ethics & War. Stephen Rosen 

Courses on the Politics of Policy Making & Policy Analysis:  

• Gen Ed 1052: Race in a Polarized America. Jennifer Hochschild  
• Gen Ed 1092: American Society and Public Policy. Theda Skocpol and Mary Waters
• Gov 93cj: Public Policy Practicum. Jennifer Halen
• Gov 94ach: Politics of Inequality in Latin America. Alisha Holland
• Gov 94au: Political Economy. Torben Iversen
• Gov 94bd: Fighting Poverty. Nara Dillon
• Gov 94bf: #AbolishPolice: The Politics of Public Safety in the Age of Social Media. Jennifer Halen  
• Gov 94bk:   Democratic Citizenship and Education. Katherine Bickmore
• Gov 94ek: Globalization and Private Governance. Michael Hiscox
• Gov 94ia: Sino-US Relations in an Era of Rising Chinese Power. Iain Johnston
• Gov 94nc: International Security. Jack Huguley
• Gov 94oa: Inequality and American Democracy. Theda Skocpol  
• Gov 94ol: Artificial Intelligence: Sociolegal Dilemmas and Policy Design. Ofrit Liviatan.
• Gov 94tw: Housing Policy and Urbanization in the United States. Shanna Weitz
• Gov 94wt: The Politics of Urban Inequality in the United States. Shanna Weitz 
• Gov 94hj: Technically Justice? The Politics of Technology and Criminal Justice Reform. Jennifer Halen  
• Gov 94jh: American Cyber Politics. Jennifer Halen
• Gov 94ka: New Insights into North Korea. John Park
• Gov 94na: Japan and Globalization. Nicholas Fraser
• Gov 94nb: Capital, Ideas, and Development in Latin America. Dan Epstein
• Gov 94pf: The Great Food Transformation. Sparsha Saha 
• Gov 94rg: A Revolt against Globalization? How Political Economies Change. Peter Hall
• Gov 1108: The Politics of Economic Inequality. Thomas Remington 
• Gov 1114: Law and Inequality. Alisha Holland  
• Gov 1142: Principles of Public Policy. Mireille Paquet 
• Gov 1135: Politics of Development in Africa. Pia Raffler
• Gov 1318: The Great Food Transformation. Sparsha Saha
• Gov 1368: The Politics of American Education. Paul Peterson
• Gov 1521: Bureaucratic Politics: Government, Economic, Social and Military Organizations. Daniel Carpenter
• Gov 1722 :  Politics of the Environment and Climate Change. Stephen Ansolabehere
• Gov 1735: Controlling the World’s Most Dangerous Weapons. Matthew Bunn  
• Gov 1737: Evaluating the Impacts of Public Policies: How to Design and Implement Randomized Controlled Trials. Michael Hiscox  
• Gov 1740 :  International Law. Christoph Mikulaschek  
• Gov 1754: Science, Technology, and National Security: Japan in Global Perspective. Matthew Brummer
• Gov 1759: Behavioral Insights and Public Policy: Nudging for Good. Michael Hiscox  
• Gov 1780: International Political Economy. Jeffry Frieden
• Gov 1790: American Foreign Policy. Joshua Kertzer 
• Gov 1796: Central Challenges of American National Security, Strategy, and the Press. Graham Allison  
• Gov 1982: Chinese Foreign Policy, 1949-2017. Iain Johnston
• Gov 2114:   The Politics of Health Care in Canada and the US. Antonia Maioni
• Gov 2490 (cross-listed as HKS SUP 448): Political Economy of the School. Paul Peterson
• HKS BGP 100: Business-Government Relations. Roger Porter  
• HKS DPI 122: Politics and American Public Policy. David King  
• HKS DPI 391: Race, Inequality and American Democracy. Khalil Muhammad  
• HKS DPI 415: Comparative Politics and Policy. Pippa Norris  
• HKS IGA 103: Global Governance. Kathryn Sikkink  
• HKS DEV 308: Social Institutions and Economic Development. Michael Woolcock 

Public Policy Faculty

Alisha c. holland.

Daniel Carpenter

Danielle Allen

Dustin Tingley

Jeffry Frieden

Jennifer Hochschild

Michael J. Hiscox

Nara Dillon

Paul E. Peterson

Peter A. Hall

Pia Raffler

Theda Skocpol

Torben Iversen

• Utility Menu

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Public Policy

Madison Coots

Grace finley.

Alice Heath

Eleanor Krause

Avinash Moorthy

Kadeem Noray

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Kelsey Pukelis

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• PEOPLE: HOME

PEOPLE PROFILES

• Faculty and staff (93)
• Stone Visiting Scholars (2)
• Postdoctoral Fellows (2)
• Stone PhD Scholars (51)
• Wiener PhD Scholars (7)
• Stone PhD Scholar alumni (26)
• Wiener PhD Scholar alumni (9)

Doctoral Fellows by program

• African and African American Studies
• Economics (10)
• Education (6)
• Government (9)
• Government and Social Policy (6)
• Harvard Business School (1)
• Health Policy
• Political Economy and Government (2)
• Public Policy (8)
• Sociology (10)
• Sociology and Social Policy (11)

Education Policy and Analysis

Contact Information

Connect with program staff.

If you have program-specific questions, please contact Assistant Director for Education Policy and Analysis Sarah Haas .

• Connect with Admissions

If you have admissions-related questions, please email [email protected] .

Admissions Information

• Application Requirements
• Tuition and Costs
• International Applicants
• Recorded Webinars
• Download Brochure

Gain the skills to design, evaluate, and scale the effective policies and practices critical to improving outcomes for learners — at the global, national, state, and local levels.

The Education Policy and Analysis (EPA) Program will prepare you to lead and engage in education policy development, analysis, and change in organizations and settings throughout the United States and internationally. You also will learn how to scale effective education practices and how to leverage policy in order to expand their reach. The program will provide you with the theoretical frameworks and analytic methods that will enable you to design, implement, and evaluate policies at the global, national, state, institutional, program, and project levels. Our program prepares you to work in local, state, national, and international sectors, as well as research and consulting organizations, think tanks, institutions of higher education, and policy advocacy organizations. 

"Crafting and evaluating education policy remains a critical part of ensuring better outcomes for all students, and our program leads the way in cultivating the next generation of education policy professionals. From integrating research and practice to improve public policy to identifying the best method of communicating research finding to policymakers, our program will provide you with the real-world tools you need to make a difference." Carrie Conaway Faculty Co-Chair

After completing the Education Policy and Analysis Program, you will have a deeper understanding of the following competencies that explore how to:  

• Integrate values and goals - Integrate the values and goals of your organization or community throughout the policy process, with special attention to equity as a central value in education.
• Understand the issue and context  - Define the educational problem or opportunity with an understanding of the relevant historical, social, economic, and political context, including the differing interests and incentives of stakeholders.
• Evaluate evidence and tradeoffs  - Define policy options and the criteria for evaluating them. Evaluate the quality of the available evidence and use it to compare alternatives, considering fiscal, political, social, individual, and collective consequences and tradeoffs.
• Communicate and collaborate - Communicate, collaborate, advocate, and negotiate with allies, opponents, and other stakeholders. Convey evidence and reasoning clearly and appropriately for the audience.
• Engage in the policy process - Make recommendations and implement policy under conditions of uncertainty, revising decisions as new evidence and understandings come to light. Build and share new evidence on policy implementation and impact.

Curriculum Information

The EPA Program is designed to help you gain the knowledge and practice the skills essential to developing, implementing, and analyzing education policy in a wide variety of professional contexts. A minimum of 42 credits are required to graduate with an Ed.M. degree from HGSE.

The main elements of the 2024–25 academic year are: 

• This program commences with How People Learn, an immersive online course that runs June–July and requires a time commitment of 12-15 hours per week.
• You will continue Foundations with Leading Change, Evidence, and Equity and Opportunity on campus in August. 
• Your Equity and Opportunity Foundations experience culminates in an elected course, which will take place during terms when electives are available. 

To fulfill the program requirement, students must take a minimum of 12 credits specific to EPA, including the following:

• The EPA Program Core Experience (4 credits) is a 4-unit fall semester course that introduces both practical competencies and theoretical frameworks about the policymaking process. You will survey policies across the sector and advance your learning through cases, problems of practice, and current policy debates. The experience offers exposure to a variety of education levels — early childhood, K–12, higher education, and adult learners — and settings in the U.S. and around the world. Students must enroll in their first fall semester. 
• Research methods courses (4 credits), course topics may include statistics for educational research, qualitative research methods, and program evaluation. 
• Policy-related courses (4 credits), course topics may include international comparative education policy, education finance, state and federal education policy, higher education student success, and additional research methods.
• Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE), a written submission that demonstrates application of program competencies to a real-world or simulated organization or client. The PAE may be a final project developed in a course, including the courses above, or in a field experience or internship. The purpose of the PAE is to allow you to practice, demonstrate, and reflect on the five core competencies of the EPA program. 
• The remaining credits are taken via  elective coursework , which includes the opportunity to specialize in a  Concentration . 

Explore our  course catalog . Note, a ll information and courses are subject to change.

Program Faculty

Students will work closely with faculty associated with their area of study, but students can also work with and take courses with faculty throughout HGSE and Harvard. View our faculty directory for a full list of HGSE faculty.

Faculty Co-Chairs

Carrie Conaway

Carrie Conaway is an expert on strategic planning in education, data and resource use, evidence-based decision making, and connections between research and practice.

Andrew Ho is a psychometrician whose research aims to improve the design, use, and interpretation of test scores in educational policy and practice.

Peter Q. Blair

Emmerich Davies

Sarah Dryden-Peterson

Elizabeth Dawes Duraisingh

Susan Dynarski

Hadas Eidelman

Jarvis R. Givens

Thomas Kane

James S. Kim

Irene Anastasia Liefshitz

Joseph McIntyre

Luke W. Miratrix

Sebastian Munoz-Najar Galvez

Gabrielle Oliveira

Fernando Reimers

Paul Reville

Laura A. Schifter

Eric Taylor

Emiliana Vegas

Martin West

Career Pathways

The EPA Program prepares you for a variety of career pathways, including: 

• Policy analyst 
• Policy associate  
• Local, state, or federal government professional  
• Research associate or director of research  
• Senior research portfolio manager  
• Institutional research analyst  
• Data analyst  
• Program/project coordinator
• Program/project manager
• Community organizer
• Policy consultant  

Cohort & Community

As an EPA student, you will be joining a community bound by a shared passion for improving education outcomes, opportunities, and systems through policy. The EPA cohort is comprised of learners from diverse professional backgrounds and levels of experience; from P–16 educators and leaders to policymakers and business executives; from the U.S. and diverse countries abroad; and from early childhood through postsecondary and adult education. Our community engages in shared learning inside and outside the classroom, including informal policy debates with faculty during brown bag lunches, panels with senior policy analysts who share advice on career pathways, and cohort-wide opportunities to learn about and from your peers.

Introduce Yourself

Tell us about yourself so that we can tailor our communication to best fit your interests and provide you with relevant information about our programs, events, and other opportunities to connect with us.

Program Highlights

Explore examples of the Education Policy and Analysis experience and the impact its community is making on the field:

HGSE Honors Master's Students with Intellectual Contribution Award

HGSE Students Tackle Pandemic-Related Issues in Education

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• Universities /

Harvard Public Policy PhD: Eligibility, Tuition Fees, and Acceptance Rate

• Updated on  
• Feb 6, 2024

Harvard University’s Harvard Kennedy School offers a PhD in Public Policy (PPOL) program. This course provides the advanced graduate training required to launch yourself into a research or related post in government, academia, the private sector, or a nongovernmental organisation. 

Keep reading this blog if you want to learn about the pursuit of a Harvard Public Policy PhD. We will discuss the various aspects of this degree. You will learn about the Harvard Public Policy PhD acceptance rate, eligibility, fees, and more. So, let’s talk about this world-class program without any further ado. 

This Blog Includes:

Prepared for the real world, acquire high-in-demand skills and knowledge, amazing placement scene, tuition fees and duration , harvard public policy phd acceptance rate, eligibility , application process, why pursue harvard public policy phd.

Studying at the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School positions you for a bright career. Here are the major reasons why you should pursue a Harvard Public Policy PhD:

The graduates of PPOL enter the workplace equipped with skills to teach, conduct research, and make a profound impact in academia, multinational organisations, NGOs, etc. After completing this program, you are fully prepared to thrive as a professional. 

The Harvard Kennedy School provides you with the opportunity to immerse yourself in the study of administration, public policy, and leadership via its courses. The knowledge and skills offered here allow graduates to have productive careers in multinational organisations, think tanks, academia, NGOs, or the private sector. 

Harvard Kennedy School’s Class of 2022 saw 91% of graduates getting employed and 6% running for office, launching new ventures, or continuing their studies by the end of October 2022. 

Also Read: University of Cambridge Admission Requirements: Eligibility Criteria and Application Process

The average annual tuition fee for the Harvard Public Policy PhD is $10,799, and the duration of this course is 5 years. This is lower in comparison to the average annual fee of the whole of Harvard University, which is $57,261. 

The acceptance rate of Harvard Kennedy School is 20%, making it a competitive school to get into. However, this should not discourage you from applying for admission to this prestigious institute. You can get into Harvard Kennedy School with the right qualifications and determination. 

Also Read: Harvard University PhD in Physics: Application, Stipend, Acceptance Rate, Requirements and Deadline

Now that you know the Harvard Public Policy PhD acceptance rate, let’s look at its eligibility criteria. So, here are the requirements you need to meet to be deemed eligible to pursue this program: 

• You need to have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree is not necessary. 
• Moreover, you must score a minimum of 80 on TOEFL IBT.
• You also have to submit the following documents:
• Three letters of recommendation,
• The Harvard Griffin GSAS online application and application fee,
• Official transcripts for all colleges or universities attended,
• Internet-based TOEFL or IELTS scores (for those for whom English is not their first language),
• Valid GRE general test scores,
• A valid passport,
• A student visa,
• Writing sample of no more than 20 pages, which must be single-authored and written in English, and 
• Statement of purpose. 

The application process for the Harvard Public Policy PhD can become confusing. Fortunately, Leverage Edu can assist you in your application and make it easier. 

Here is how we can aid you in your admission process: 

• Our AI Course Finder can help you in selecting the program.
• Then, our experts will begin the application process on your behalf for your opted institute. 
• Your application has to include IELTS, SOPs, TOEFL, LORs, essays, and some other necessary documentation. 
• So, please ensure that you gather and prepare all the needed documents for the application beforehand. 
• After this, the Leverage Edu team will commence your application for housing, scholarships, and student loans after you are done with all the necessary paperwork and application. 
• Then, just wait for your offer letter, which you typically get within 4-6 weeks.

Relevant Reads:

Ans: You can apply to the PPOL PhD program if you have a bachelor’s degree, and a master’s degree is not required.

Ans: Harvard University is a private institute, founded in 1636. 

Ans: The acceptance rate of Harvard Kennedy School is 20%, making it a difficult institute to get into. However, it is not impossible to gain admission here with the right qualifications and determination. 

So, this was all about pursuing the Harvard Public Policy PhD. Many Indian students dream of pursuing education in foreign nations due to the exposure and career growth they offer. Consider joining a free counselling session with Leverage Edu if you plan to study abroad .

Abhishek Kumar Jha

Abhishek Kumar Jha is a professional content writer and marketer, having extensive experience in delivering content in journalism and marketing. He has written news content related to education for prominent media outlets, garnering expansive knowledge of the Indian education landscape throughout his experience. Moreover, he is a skilled content marketer, with experience in writing SEO-friendly blogs. His educational background includes a Postgraduate Diploma in English Journalism from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Dhenkanal. By receiving an education from a top journalism school and working in the corporate world with complete devotion, he has honed the essential skills needed to excel in content writing.

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• Share This: Share Mo Torres ’23, PhD, Sociology on Facebook Share Mo Torres ’23, PhD, Sociology on LinkedIn Share Mo Torres ’23, PhD, Sociology on X

Mo Torres ’23, PhD, Sociology

Assistant professor of sociology and public policy.

Department or Degree Program? PhD, Sociology

What are your post-graduation plans? Starting a post-doc and working as an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Master in Public Administration in International Development

Join the next generation of global development leaders in this two-year, economics-centered program

Key Program Information

Program Length: Two years (varies for students pursuing joint or concurrent degrees)

Degree Awarded: Master in Public Administration in International Development

Admission Application Deadline: December 2024

Financial Aid Application Deadline: January 2025

Contact the MPA/ID Program

79 John F. Kennedy Street Rubenstein Building, Rooms 122, 124, and 126 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

Be a leader in global development

The Master in Public Administration in International Development Program combines rigorous training in economics and quantitative methods with an emphasis on policy and practice.

The Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) Program offers unparalleled training for a professional career in development. The mix of theoretical rigor with practical approaches has proven to be a powerful combination. Our graduates hold influential policy, advocacy, and management positions at international organizations, national governments, non-governmental organizations, and private sector companies.

The right fit

The MPA/ID Program may be the right fit for you if you:

• Demonstrate commitment to solving the economic, social, or political problems facing low-income communities, regions, or nations 
• Work in the development field, whether in government, nonprofits, central or regional banks, international development institutions, research organizations, or the private sector
• Want to deepen and broaden your understanding of development problems and acquire the analytical tools and global perspectives to design and implement effective solutions

“The MPA/ID Program expanded my perspectives and equipped me with a set of analytical tools to make the impact I seek to have in the world.” — Jiawen Tang MPA/ID 2021

About the MPA/ID Program

Training for development practitioners.

The MPA/ID Program is a rigorous, economics-centered program designed to train the next generation of practitioners and leaders in the field of global development.

Within a multidisciplinary core curriculum,  you will take advanced economics and quantitative methods sequences  with an emphasis on key policy applications to development. You will also complete core courses in economic development, politics, political philosophy, and management—integrated with the theory and practice of development.

In your second year, you’ll choose from elective options at HKS, at the other graduate schools at Harvard—such as  Business ,  Design ,  Education ,  Law , and  Public Health  as well as the  Faculty of Arts and Sciences —and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Core Curriculum

• Advanced Microeconomics ( API-109 ,  API-110 )
• Advanced Macroeconomics  ( API-119 ,  API-120 )
• Advanced Statistics and Econometrics ( API-209 ,  API-210 )
• Economic Development: Theory and Evidence ( DEV-101 ,  DEV-102 )
• Applications and Cases in International Development ( DEV-401 )
• The Politics of Development ( DPI-410 )
• Political Philosophy for Development ( DPI-411 )
• Getting Things Done: Management in a Development Context ( MLD-102 )
• Second Year Policy Analysis Seminar ( DEV-250 )

You will gain professional expertise through the case workshop and speaker series, a required summer internship , and an integrative capstone paper .

Second Year Policy Analysis : Using Your Toolkit 

The Second Year Policy Analysis (SYPA) serves as the capstone experience for the MPA/ID Program. You will choose a current development issue of interest to you; select your faculty advisor; and draw on the tools of economics, management, and political analysis to define the problem, analyze the evidence, develop alternatives, and provide specific policy recommendations for a concrete development problem.

Summer Internships : Out of the classroom, into the field

During the summer between your first and second year, you will engage in a development project, typically in a low- to middle-income country other than your own. This field experience allows you to apply the skills you’ve acquired during your first year and explore a new organization, substantive area of interest, or part of the world.

STEM Eligibility

The MPA/ID Program is a designated STEM-eligible program (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Students with F-1 visas may apply to work in the United States for two additional years  beyond the standard 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT)  following graduation.

Degree Requirements

The MPA/ID Program consists of four semesters of full-time coursework in residence at HKS. The coursework includes the core curriculum, a minimum of six electives (24 credits), a development-related internship, and the Second-Year Policy Analysis.

To graduate, you must:

• Matriculate as a full-time, in-residence student and take 12-24 credits per semester
• Earn at least 76 credits, which must include the required courses, SYPA, and electives
• Finish with a GPA of B or better
• Earn a B- or higher in all required MPA/ID courses

Combined Degrees

You might consider  pursuing a second degree jointly or concurrently  if you’re interested in how the world’s challenges can be addressed at the intersection of international development and business, law, medicine, design, or other fields.

Pursuing a joint or concurrent degree reduces coursework and residency requirements and makes it possible to earn two degrees in a shorter amount of time.

Joint Degrees

As an MPA/ID student, you can pursue a  joint degree —either an MBA at  Harvard Business School  or a JD at  Harvard Law School —that involves carefully crafted and integrated coursework.

Concurrent Degrees

You can pursue a concurrent degree in business, law, medicine, design, or another field—as long as it is:

• A professional degree (for example, an MBA, MD, or JD; not a PhD or an academic master’s degree)
• At least a two-year program
• Completed at a partner school

The concurrent degree program allows you to pursue degrees at HKS and at a partner school; however, the coursework is not as closely integrated as the joint degree program. As a concurrent degree student, you are responsible for weaving together the two halves of your learning experience.

Faculty & Research

Where ideas meet practice.

Our faculty members are changing the ways in which poverty and underdevelopment are analyzed and approached.

MPA/ID faculty members are scholars  and  practitioners working with governments, international organizations, and NGOs. They are  diagnosing economic woes and helping develop cures , bringing  real-world development and political experience  to bear on complex challenges, and helping people  escape poverty  by understanding what hinders development progress.

MPA/ID Faculty Research

Why taxes are vital to development

Economist Anders Jensen has long been intrigued by differences in state capacity and the role of public finance in building and boosting capacity. 

Looking at the world through a wider lens

The thread running through Professor of Public Policy Eliana La Ferrara’s work is an unwillingness to limit herself to traditional microeconomic models.

Diagnosing economic woes and helping develop cures

Professor Ricardo Hausmann’s Growth Lab is training students and practitioners to develop prescriptions for economic growth.

Bringing real-world experience to bear

Juan Jimenez MPA/ID 2010 has returned to HKS to share valuable wisdom gained from high-level development policy positions in the government of the Dominican Republic.

MPA/ID Core Faculty Members

Dani Rodrik

MPA/ID Faculty Chair; Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy

Matthew Andrews

Edward S. Mason Senior Lecturer in International Development

Arthur Applbaum

Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values

Luis Armona

Assistant Professor of Public Policy

Jeffrey Frankel

James W. Harpel Professor of Capital Formation and Growth

Jeffrey Cheah Professor of South-East Asia Studies

Ricardo Hausmann

Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy

Anders Jensen

Associate Professor of Public Policy

Juan Jimenez

Lecturer in Public Policy

Asim Khwaja

Director, Center for International Development;  Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development

Eliana La Ferrara

Professor of Public Policy

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy

Celestin Monga

Adjunct Professor of Public Policy

Gautam Nair

Carmen Reinhart

Minos A. Zombanakis Professor of the International Financial System

Federico Sturzenegger

Our alumni do development differently

Around the world, MPA/ID graduates are in pivotal roles, leading development.

Inside governments and traditional development organizations, and outside the box in startups and social enterprises, MPA/IDs are changing the way development is done.

Our graduates hold influential policy and management positions in a wide range of international organizations, national governments, central and regional banks, nonprofit and research organizations, and private sector companies. 

Where do MPA/ID graduates work?

Learn more about how MPA/ID alumni are shaping development.

Dalia Al Kadi MPA/ID 2011

Dalia Al Kadi MPA/ID 2011 is a Senior Economist in the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the World Bank, Dalia worked as a Project Manager at the Abu Dhabi General Secretariat of the Executive Council.

Abdulhamid Haidar MPA/ID 2021

Abdulhamid Haidar MPA/ID 2021 is the founder of  Darsel , a non-profit aimed at bridging the digital divide. In Haidar’s words, “The [MPA/ID] curriculum, faculty, and incredible student community all played an integral role in Darsel’s development and its positive impact on education in developing countries.”

Katherine Koh MPA/ID-MBA 2008

Katherine Koh MPA/ID-MBA 2008 is the Principal Investment Officer and Global Climate Lead for Infrastructure at the International Finance Corporation (IFC).  In  Putting Climate at the Heart of IFC Infrastructure Business , she describes “the transition to a low-carbon and resilient global economy—and the need for climate-smart infrastructure solutions—(as) among the most urgent and important issues of our time.”

Johannes Lohmann MPA/ID 2017

Johannes Lohmann MPA/ID 2017 is an Executive Director at Pollination.  Johannes advises a range of public and private sector clients on their transition to net zero, and on decarbonization and nature positive strategies. Previously, Johannes worked as Head of Work and Financial Behaviour at the Behavioural Insights Team, advising public and private sector partners on topics such as green jobs and sustainable pensions.

He “Charlie” Tian MPA/ID 2015

He “Charlie” Tian MPA/ID 2015 is a Senior Professional/Project Team Leader at New Development Bank in the Project Sector Department. He joined the New Development Bank a few weeks after its establishment in 2015. Since then, he has worked on projects in renewable energy, green transportation, and social infrastructure, totaling $5 billion of the Bank’s investments.

Information sessions

Mpa/id at a glance.

*Statistics are based on a five-year average.

Featured MPA/ID stories

A mission to develop equality.

Economist Ganchimeg Ganpurev MPA/ID 2021 was moved to shift her focus by the startling inequality she saw in her homeland.

Complementing economics with soft skills

Isidro Guardarucci MPA/ID 2018 adds soft skills to his economics toolkit.

Delving deeper into development

A desire for more grounding in economic theory led Zainab Raji MPA/ID 2022 to  the HKS/HBS joint degree program.

“Every day is an opportunity to weave together economic theory and development practice using the insights from my professors and classmates’ own professional and personal experiences.”

Miguel ventura mpa/id 2024 (philippines), applying to the mpa/id program, what we look for, career focus.

Most students admitted to the MPA/ID Program have at least two years of development-related work experience in government, nonprofits, central or regional banks, international development institutions, research organizations, or private businesses. Usually at least some of the work has been in developing countries.

Quantitative Analysis

We also look for applicants who are interested in applying quantitative analysis and economics to development policy design.

Prerequisites

To apply to the MPA/ID Program, y ou must have:

• A bachelor’s degree with a solid academic record, including strong grades in economics and mathematics courses
• Completion of at least one university-level course each in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and calculus through multivariable calculus (usually part of a three-course college sequence). Applicants may satisfy some of these prerequisites after submitting an application as long as they are completed before the program starts. Statistics and linear algebra courses are desirable, but not required. 

How to Apply

A complete application to the MPA/ID Program includes: 

• Online application
• Three letters of recommendation
• GRE or GMAT required; in general, you are most competitive for admission if your quantitative section score is 160 or above on the GRE, or 48 or above on the GMAT.
• Non-native English speakers who did not earn an undergraduate degree conducted in English must submit TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge English exam results. We recommend an overall TOEFL score of at least 100 on the iBT or an overall band score of 7 on the IELTS.
• Academic transcripts
• $100 application fee or waiver

Read more about how to apply .

The application for the 2025-2026 academic year will be available in September 2024. There is one admission application deadline and one start date for each degree program per year. You may apply to only one master’s degree program per admissions cycle. 

Tuition & Fees

The cost of attendance for the 2024-2025 academic year is outlined in  Funding Your Master’s Education  to help you plan financially for our master’s degree programs. Living expense costs are based on residence in Cambridge. The 2025-2026 academic year rates will be published in March 2025. HKS tuition and fees are subject to change without notice. 

Financing your education is a partnership—we are here to help guide you. You are strongly encouraged to explore all funding opportunities .

Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program

The MPA/ID Program is a  participating program  of the  Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program  (JJ/WBGSP). The scholarship provides tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, health insurance, and travel allowance. The JJ/WBGSP is open to citizens of certain  developing countries  with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their countries’ development efforts.

Learn more about the HKS community

Center for international development (cid).

CID is the intellectual home of MPA/ID students and faculty members. It seeks to advance the understanding of development challenges and offer viable solutions to problems of global poverty.  Learn more from its director, Professor Asim Khwaja , and read about the work and perspectives of those in the CID community.

Student Life

Student stories, admissions & financial aid blog.