doctorate programs education

Residential Master's in Education

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The residential Master’s in Education (Ed.M.) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education prepares educators and aspiring educators — like you — with the knowledge and skills to change the world through education. 

With world-class faculty as your mentors, a lifelong network of innovative colleagues and friends, and a community that encompasses boundary-pushing research and a deep commitment to social justice, the HGSE residential Master’s in Education will help you pursue your goals and establish an impactful, rewarding, and successful career in education.

An Immersive Experience

HGSE’s  on-campus master’s degree is a one-year, full-time, immersive Harvard experience . You'll apply directly to one of its five distinct programs, spanning education leadership and entrepreneurship, education policy, human development, teaching and teacher leadership, and learning design and technology. 

The residential Ed.M. curriculum has two other key pillars: Foundations and Concentrations. Together, our Programs, Foundations, and Concentrations — as well as a dynamic assortment of electives and co-curricular experiences — will prepare you to create transformative learning at every level and in every role, from teacher to district leader, policymaker to entrepreneur, learning designer to nonprofit leader. 

To start your master's experience at HGSE, you'll choose and apply to one of our five Programs, where you'll develop expertise in a specific area of education practice that aligns with your professional aspirations.

Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship

Cultivates the skills you need to become an effective, strategic, and innovative leader.  Offers the School Leadership Pathway and Principal Licensure Strand.

Education Policy and Analysis

Provides you with a deep understanding of what works in education and how to leverage policy to generate solutions.

Human Development and Education

Prepares you to understand and support the development of learners of all ages and their communities. Offers the School Counseling Licensure Pathway.

Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology

Offers you the opportunity to create technological innovations and evolve the science of learning to improve student outcomes.

Teaching and Teacher Leadership

Equips you with the skills needed to transform learning, advance social justice, and make a difference in the lives of all students.  Offers the Teaching Licensure Strand.

Licensure Options

The following programs offer licensure pathways:

Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship: School Leadership Pathway and Principal Licensure Strand

Human Development and Education: School Counseling Licensure Pathway

Teaching and Teacher Leadership: Teaching Licensure Strand

Foundations

You’ll launch your master's program with  Foundations — four distinctive courses that give you knowledge and capacities that every educator, in every setting, needs to possess. Leveraging the expertise of HGSE’s faculty, along with novel instructional approaches and real-world applications, Foundations will prepare you to understand, evaluate, and address the challenges and rapidly changing circumstances facing students, families, and communities. You'll draw on that foundational knowledge over the rest of your HGSE coursework and throughout your career.  

What to know:

• You’ll start with How People Learn , an immersive online course that runs in June and July and requires a time commitment of 10-15 hours per week.  
• You’ll take Leading Change , Evidence , and Equity and Opportunity on campus in August, plus one additional Equity and Opportunity elective during the year. 

Concentrations

Deepen your knowledge in a particular context or area of education by choosing an optional Concentration — an area of specialty that can be combined with your Program to create customized pathways and expertise. You'll foster connections with peers who share similar interests, and lay the groundwork for your career. Note your interest in a Concentration on your application, and officially declare after enrollment. Concentrations require 6-12 credits of coursework.

Arts and Learning

Helps you explore the integral role the arts play across art forms, age groups, and learning environments.

Early Childhood

Prepares you for a variety of roles within the early childhood education sector.

Global, International, and Comparative Education

Enables you to gain experience addressing education inequalities in low and middle-income countries.

Higher Education