Make an Immediate Positive Impact with Harvard

Accelerate Growth
Grow your career as a leader wherever you are.

Designed by Harvard
Created by renowned Harvard Kennedy School faculty.

Flexible and Inclusive Courses
100% online and self-paced, each course requires only 10-12 hours per week of coursework.

Affordable Learning
An affordable way to learn from Harvard Kennedy School faculty experts.
Upcoming PLC Dates
Looking for more information on the Public Leadership Credential?
The Public Leadership Credential team offers exclusive one-hour information sessions and 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” sessions. These sessions are an opportunity to learn more about the PLC and ask any questions you have leading up to the registration deadlines.
Why choose the vlog Public Leadership Credential?
Whatever your goals for change in your community, job, or industry, the Public Leadership Credential offers a series of courses to help you improve your decision-making, leadership, and policy-making skills. Whether you register for one course or complete the entire credential, you will develop a toolkit of skills to take immediate action while you learn. The fully online program is a reflection of Harvard Kennedy School’s mission of improving public policy and public leadership to create societies that are safer, freer, more just, and more sustainably prosperous.
“Thanks to the PLC program, I now have the knowledge and the tools I need to do that kind of analysis and create change that is for the benefit of all.”
Discover What the PLC Can Do For You
PLC by the Numbers
How It Works: Six Courses Across Three Focus Areas
The PLC consists of six six-week courses in three curricular areas: Evidence for Decisions, Policy Design and Delivery, and Leadership and Ethics. Each curricular area includes two online courses and offers engaging, collaborative educational experiences similar to those in our degree programs. PLC courses are staffed by a team of subject matter experts who convey the instructional presence of our program's expert faculty.
Start with an A course in the curricular area of your choosing. After completing an A course, you can either continue your learning with the B course in the same curricular area or register for an A course in another curricular area. Upon successful completion of all six PLC courses, the next step is to complete the capstone.
This cumulative online capstone project combines the tools and concepts gained across all your leadership training in the PLC, empowering you to apply your knowledge in real-world scenarios. It is the last requirement you must fulfill to receive your Public Leadership Credential.
The PLC Experience
Earn a credential

Take all six courses plus the capstone
By completing all six six-week courses plus the capstone you will earn the credential.
Other ways to further your learning

Take one “A” course in any of the three focus area
- Evidence for Decisions
- Policy Design and Delivery
- Leadership and Ethics

Take both courses in one focus area
You can also register for an “A” course in another curricular area to work towards your credential.
PLC Alumni Stories
The Public Leadership Credential A and B Courses will be offered April 1-May 13, 2025