Public leadership starts here.
Public leadership starts here.
World-class education. Groundbreaking research. Real-world impact. Apply today to make your mark on the world.
Our Impact
Read about how our students, alumni, and faculty are driving change in the world.
Governors’ chiefs of staff explain what the job entails
Brandon Tatum, Fagan Harris, and Kate Cook discussed leadership, ego, and decision-making at a recent Harvard Kennedy School Taubman Center event.
Field notes: Community engagement
Louise Engohang MPP 2027 and Katherine Izzo MPP 2027 reflect on their summer internship experiences in community engagement.
A police chief explores innovative ways to make his community a better place to live
American Service Fellow Patrick Daley MC/MPA 2027 hopes to take what he learns at HKS back to Norwich, Connecticut, where he serves as chief of police.
A Foreign Service Officer’s opportunity to recalibrate—and then get back to service
American Service Fellow Siena Fleischer MC/MPA 2027 spent 15 years as a Foreign Service Officer at USAID. Now at HKS, she is recalibrating and then getting back to service.
Research & Insights
The ideas that shape the future often start here. HKS experts translate insight into impact — in city halls, capitals, and communities. Here’s what they are finding, and what it means for the world.
Describe or feel? A simple choice that exposes the limits of empathy
Research by Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor of Public Policy Lotem Bassan-Nygate explores the outgroup empathy gap.
Featuring Lotem Bassan-Nygate
“There is no textbook, and there are no old-timers” when it comes to AI governance
Harvard Kennedy School faculty member and computer scientist Stephen Casper explains how AI safety goes far beyond a technical problem—and says anyone can get informed.
Featuring Stephen Casper
Does the top of the ticket influence down-ballot races?
Research indicates that top-of-the-ticket candidates may not influence how voters view down-ballot candidates as much as conventional wisdom suggests.
Featuring Benjamin Schneer
Discover Programs That Fit Your Career Goals
Whether you want to get a graduate degree or take a course that helps you further your career, we have the right program for you.
Master’s Programs
One- and two-year master’s degree programs in public policy or public administration prepare students to lead.
Executive Education
Short, intensive open-enrollment and custom programs, on campus and online, that equip public leaders to tackle urgent challenges, build new skills, and drive change.
Doctoral Programs
Full-time PhD programs in public, health, and social policy prepare candidates for careers in academia, research, or policymaking.
Public Leadership Credential
A series of online courses that builds leadership and policymaking skills, with the potential to serve as a pathway to a future master’s degree.
American Service Fellowship
The American Service Fellowship offers a full scholarship and a partial living stipend for U.S. public servants to enroll in the one-year, on-campus Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) Program at Harvard Kennedy School.
The Latest
Insights & Analysis
“A love letter to the foreign service and to USAID”: Fictional and real-life diplomats compare notes
Featuring Samantha Power, Nancy Gibbs
Midterms, Texas politics, voting and gerrymandering: HKS political scientists weigh in
Featuring Justin de Benedictis-Kessner, Benjamin Schneer
Explainer: Is voting safe in the United States?
Featuring Stephen Richer
Events
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