Public Administration

The MPA curriculum is designed to be flexible, allowing students to create a 16-credit study plan – or 12 credits for students pursuing a concurrent degree – that reflects their academic interests, and their personal and professional aspirations. Students complement their study plan by taking two electives in a Policy Area of Concentration, and one credit in each of these areas:

• Economics and Quantitative Analysis
• Management and Leadership
• Political Thought and Institutions

While at HKS, a number of MPA students choose to pursue concurrent degrees in business, law, medicine, or other professional fields either at Harvard or at approved partner institutions. The concurrent degree option gives MPA students the opportunity to earn two degrees in a reduced amount of time.

Over four semesters, students can take classes across academic disciplines at HKS and cross-register into courses at other Harvard graduate schools as well as at MIT Sloan School of Management and The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

MPA-2 students take a minimum of 16 credits to graduate, including two electives chosen from one of the Policy Areas at HKS, and at least one credit in each of the following three distribution requirements:

• Economics & Quantitative Analysis
• Management & Leadership
• Political Thought & Institutions

Program Eligibility RequirementsEach of the Harvard Kennedy School master's programs has a different character. Part of that character is the background and experience of the students admitted into each program. Please review the prerequisites for academic and work experience below to discover the program best suited for you.Academic PrerequisiteBachelor's degree required and substantial graduate-level coursework similar to required core MPP courses or a relevant master's degree (see notes below).Work Experience3 years full-time professional work experience at time of application.Please note, you will not be considered for admission if you do not meet boththe academic and work experience requirements. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 TOEFL iBT® test: 100

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Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• Flexible study schedule
• Experienced teachers
• Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Harvard Kennedy School offers a limited number of competitive fellowships and scholarships each year to domestic and international students who meet certain eligibility criteria such as country of study area, country of citizenship, or gender. To be considered, applicants will need to apply for merit-based fellowships and need-based scholarships during the HKS admission process. There are very few opportunities for students to apply for fellowships and scholarships once they are admitted to HKS.

Learn more about HKS, HKS-affiliated, and Harvard University fellowships and scholarships for domestic and international students as well as work-study options, student loans, and how to apply for financial assistance.