The Master in Public Policy Program provides you with a conceptual toolkit rooted in the social sciences and adapted for action.
A defining feature of the Master in Public Policy (MPP) Program is its commitment to practice. Take what you learn here and apply it right away—through capstone exercises, case studies, experiential learning opportunities, and optional internships—to deliver lasting results.
At the heart of the program is a cross-disciplinary core curriculum that exposes you to the analytic methods, conceptual frameworks, and habits of mind that empower you to craft solutions for real-world public problems.
“At HKS, my professors taught me valuable quantitative skills, strategies on working multilaterally with different stakeholders in different sectors, the power of storytelling, and how to build an effective organization.”
—Sebastian Agignoae MPP 2022
The MPP curriculum will broaden your perspective and sharpen skills to prepare you for a successful career in public service.
The first year of the MPP Program focuses on the cross-disciplinary fundamentals of policy design, analysis, and implementation. You will take core courses to develop professional competencies in:
As a complement to the MPP core curriculum, you will also choose a Policy Area of Concentration (PAC) in one of five areas:
While it isn’t a formal requirement, most MPP students take on a policy-oriented internship during the summer after the first year. You’ll apply what you’ve learned in class to gain deeper insights; use new skills; and face challenges in different professional areas, policy fields, or parts of the world.
Most first-year MPP students take 38 credits, which consists of 18 core course credits in the fall and 16 core course credits credits in the spring. Many students also begin taking elective courses in the spring of their first year.
The first-year MPP curriculum culminates in the Spring Exercise, a two-week simulation that applies the tools and concepts of the first-year core to a real-world, real-time policy issue.
During the Exercise, you are assigned to a five-person team tasked with forging solutions to a deliberately tough challenge. You’ll conduct research, attend sessions and presentations that link the topic to your core courses, and work with your team to prepare a package of policy and management recommendations.
The Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) is the capstone of the MPP experience.
The PAC Seminars familiarize you with key issues and policy debates in your particular area and guide you through the PAE writing process. Once you declare your PAE topic, you will be assigned a faculty advisor with the expertise to help you succeed.
During the PAE, you develop solutions for a policy or management problem that your client—a public or nonprofit organization—is grappling with. You and your client work together to scope the problem, examine the context, gather data, formulate and evaluate options, and make actionable recommendations. The final analysis—usually around 40 pages or 10,000 words—gives you the opportunity to integrate the technical skills and specialized knowledge you have gained from the MPP curriculum while also helping your client organization create public value.
The MPP Program consists of four semesters of full-time coursework in residence at HKS.
To graduate, you must:
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 public policy 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.
As an MPP 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.
You can pursue a concurrent degree in business, law, medicine, design, or another field—as long as it is:
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 members at HKS aren’t just teachers. They are global experts who shape public policy, advise governments, and help run major institutions in the United States and abroad. Learn more about our core MPP faculty members.
