By Katie Kelsall, Assistant Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
Harvard Kennedy School offers four master’s degree programs for students interested in fulfilling our mission to improve public policy and leadership so people can live in societies that are more safe, free, just, and sustainably prosperous.
It is often easy for prospective students to determine whether the MC/MPA or MPA/ID aligns well with their interests and backgrounds, but differentiating between the MPP and MPA can be more complicated. When meeting with prospective students, we are often asked, “What is the difference between an MPP and an MPA? Why should I choose one over the other?”
While both programs are valuable for anyone interested in a career public service, there are several key differences. When comparing our MPP and MPA Programs, prospective students should keep the following components in mind.
Admissions Criteria & Prerequisites
Both the MPA and MPP Programs require students to have a bachelor’s degree with a strong academic background.
Students may apply to the MPP without work experience or graduate-level coursework.
Conversely, students must fulfill additional degree program prerequisites to be eligible for admission to the MPA Program. These prerequisites include three years of professional work experience and at least four graduate-level courses similar to those in the MPP core curriculum. In fact, many MPA students come in with another graduate degree such as an MBA or as concurrent degree students. Given the MPA Program’s flexible curriculum (covered more in the next section), we want to ensure that students entering the program are prepared to succeed in a rigorous academic environment from day one.
Curriculum
The MPP Program has a structured core curriculum designed to develop students’ skills in economics, financial management, policy design and delivery, quantitative analysis, and more. This core curriculum equips students to analyze complex public problems and craft concrete policy solutions.
On the other hand, the MPA curriculum is much more flexible, allowing students to focus on their policy interests from the beginning of their graduate program. MPA students often take courses focused on leadership and management, though MPA students can choose from a range of disciplines and study under virtually any