Master in Public Administration/ International Development

“Never before in history has the dream of eliminating global poverty been so attainable, yet seemed so elusive. We live in a world where the reach of technology and markets are global, and yet more than a billion men, women, and children live in abject poverty, devoid of their benefits. How can that possibly be? In an age of plenty, what deprives people of adequate food, shelter, clean water, education, good health and enough income to live on with dignity? What can governments, international agencies, and non-governmental organizations do to make the dream a reality? The study of international development is about finding answers to questions like these.”

– Dani Rodrik, Rafiq Hariri Professor of International Political Economy

The two-year Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) Program, Harvard Kennedy School’s newest degree, is designed to prepare the next generation of leaders in international development. It is an economics-centered, multi-disciplinary program, combining rigorous training in analytical and quantitative methods with an emphasis on policy and practice.
Each academic year, a class of about 68 students enrolls in this selective program. Although the MPA/ID curriculum is intensely rigorous and provides a solid foundation for applied research, the program is geared to future practitioners in the field of international development rather than future academics.
In the MPA/ID Program, three-quarters of our students and many of our faculty come from countries other than the United States. We especially encourage applications from citizens of developing and transitional economy countries. Applicants must demonstrate competence in economics and quantitative analysis and the potential for leadership in international development. The MPA/ID Program rarely accepts applicants directly from undergraduate colleges and universities; most admitted candidates have at least three years of development-related work experience in government, central and regional banks, international development institutions, non-governmental organizations, or private businesses.

The MPA/ID Program has course prerequisites to ensure that students will be adequately prepared for the rigor of the core curriculum. The prerequisite course requirements are one university-level course in each of the following: • Microeconomics • Macroeconomics • Multivariable calculus (usually the third course in a university-level calculus sequence)

For more information on prerequisite course requirements and admissions criteria, please visit the MPA/ID Admissions pages.