Academics
HBS-HKS Joint Degree Programs: Mission and Curriculum
Combining Expertise and Leadership: MBA/MPP and MBA/MPA-ID Programs
I n 2007, Harvard Business School (HBS) and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) created two joint degree programs in business and government: the Master in Business Administration/Master in Public Policy (MBA/MPP) and the Master in Business Administration/Master in Public Administration-International Development (MBA/MPA-ID). The first cohort accepted to these joint degree programs matriculated in fall 2008.
The HBS/HKS joint degree programs serve a growing need of critical importance to global society: Their mission is to develop leaders, skilled in management and the shaping of innovative public policy, who will assume positions of influence spanning business, government, and nonprofit organizations, through which they will contribute significantly to the well-being of society.
By participating in the HBS/HKS joint degree programs, structured to be completed in three years, candidates will have demonstrated exceptional aptitude in the complementary areas of policy expertise and cross-disciplinary management. Graduates will be prepared for complex issues that call for the collaboration of the public, nonprofit, and private sectors — and for leadership effective in each.
These new programs replace the concurrent degree program previously offered by HKS and HBS.
Curriculum Overview
The MBA/MPP and MBA/MPA-ID are three-year programs that combine the core curricula of the HBS MBA and the HKS degrees with a wide range of elective options from both schools. The two joint degree programs are structurally similar and differ largely in the HKS courses required and in the elective options the final year.
The curriculum includes three courses that are exclusive for students in these two programs: the HBS-HKS Joint Degree Seminar (first two years); the Business-Government Integrative Course (fall, third year); and the Capstone Exercise (spring, third year).
Participants complement their required and elective studies with two summer internships: either a policy-related or international development-related internship in the first summer, and a business-related internship in the second summer.
A typical candidate will follow the sample schedule outlined below.
MBA/MPP Curriculum
Year 1 at HKS
Harvard Kennedy School
Fall Term
Markets and Market Failure
Quantitative Analysis & Empirical Methods
The Responsibilities of Public Action
The Strategic Management of Public Organizations
One HKS Elective Course
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HBS faculty
Spring Term
Economic Analysis of Public Policy
Empirical Methods II
Mobilizing for Political Action
Spring Exercise
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HBS faculty
Summer
Policy-related or international development-related summer internship (recommended)
Year 2 at HBS
Harvard Business School
Fall Term
Financial Reporting and Control
Finance I
Marketing
Technology and Operations Management
Leadership & Organizational Behavior
FIELD (Field Immersion Experience for Leadership Development)
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HKS faculty
Spring Term
Business, Government, and the International Economy
Finance II
Strategy
Leadership and Corporate Accountability
The Entrepreneurial Manager
FIELD (Field Immersion Experience for Leadership Development)
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HKS faculty
Summer
Business-related summer internship (recommended)
Year 3 at both HKS and HBS
Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School
Fall Term
3 Elective Courses
Business-Government Integrative Course
Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Seminar and Exercise
Spring Term
4 Elective Courses (two of which must be at HBS)
Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) Execution
MBA/MPA-ID Curriculum
Year 1 at HKS
Harvard Kennedy School
Fall Term
Advanced Microeconomic Analysis I
Advanced Macroeconomics for the Open Economy I
Advanced Quantitative Methods I: Statistics
Getting Things Done: Management in a Development Context
Applications and Cases in International Development
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HBS faculty
Spring Term
Advanced Microeconomic Analysis II
Advanced Macroeconomics for the Open Economy II
Advanced Quantitative Methods II: Econometrics
Economic Development: Theory, Policy & Evidence
Democratic Governance Elective (5 course options available)
Applications and Cases in International Development
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HBS faculty
Summer
International development-related summer internship (required)
Year 2 at HBS
Harvard Business School
Fall Term
Financial Reporting and Control
Finance I
Marketing
Technology and Operations Management
Leadership & Organizational Behavior
FIELD (Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development)
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HKS faculty
Spring Term
Business, Government, and the International Economy
Finance II
Strategy
Leadership and Corporate Accountability
The Entrepreneurial Manager
FIELD (Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development)
Joint Degree Program Seminar taught by HKS faculty
Summer
Business-related summer internship (recommended)
Year 3 at both HKS and HBS
Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School
Fall Term
2 HKS Elective Courses
Getting Things Done: Management in a Development Context
Applications and Cases in International Development II
Business-Government Integrative Course
Democratic Governance Elective (if not taken previously)
Second-Year Policy Analysis (SYPA) Seminar
Spring Term
4 Elective Courses at HBS
Second-Year Policy Analysis (SYPA) Execution
