Get the HKS deadline here. Know what HKS is looking for in applicants. I’m not talking about years of work experience or prerequisite coursework. (That will be covered later.) I’m talking about the qualities that HKS looks for in applicants. Here are some of the qualities valued by the Adcom:
- demonstrated leadership abilities (at work, school, and in community service)
- experience working on and leading teams
- experience living and/or working abroad
- a demonstrated commitment to public service (in your full-time job and/or extracurricular/out-of-work activities)
- openness to providing and receiving feedback
- ability to handle challenging coursework
- the ability to analyze a problem or situation and draw conclusions and make decisions
- a high degree of ethics and integrity
Know which degree program you are applying to. It can be a little confusing keeping all of HKS’ degree programs straight. There’s the MPP, MPA, MC/MPA, MC/MPA Mason Fellows, MPA-ID, and PhDs. Whew! So what’s the difference? First of all, I’m only going to focus on discussing the Master programs, because that’s who I primarily work with. The MPP, the most popular degree, is the Master in Public Policy. It is a 2-year program with one full year of core classes (one elective each semester) and then all electives the second year. The MPA (the degree that I have) is the Master in Public Administration. It is also a 2-year program, but is all electives, and primarily for non-Harvard joint-degree students and/or established professionals. The Mid-Career MPA is an all-elective one-year program for professionals with extensive work experience. The Mid-Career MPA Mason Fellows program is for established professionals from developing and transitional economies. The MPA-ID is intense and highly focused on (you guessed it) international development and economics. I had friends in every program, and while we are all students at the same school with access to almost all of the same courses, you can have very different academic experiences depending on your degree program. Some helpful hints on figuring out if you should apply to the MPP or MPA progam at HKS:
- If you have 0-7 years of work experience, you’re probably looking at the MPP.
- If you have 0-7 years of work experience and you’re applying to a joint degree at Harvard, you’re probably an MPP applicant.
- If you have 0-7 years of work experience and you’re applying to a joint degree at another school, you might be an MPA applicant.
- If you have 7 or more years of work experience, look into the Mid-Career MPA program.
- If you are an economics genius, look into the MPA-ID (I kid, I kid, but know that it is hard).
Obviously, you should read up on each of the degree programs yourself and decide which one is right for you. Know and meet the prerequisites. Each degree program has its own list of prerequisites for admission. For example, for the MPP the pre-requisites are a Bachelor’s degree and some knowledge of college-level economics, statistics, and calculus is preferred. They also prefer 2-3 years of full-time professional work experience, but there’s no hard line saying that you absolutely must have full-time professional work experience. If you are currently in college and think you want to pursue an MPP in the future, I suggest you take the aforementioned classes. If you have already finished college, you can take supplemental courses online or at your local community college before applying. The prerequisites for the other degree programs are more detailed, so be sure to know what they are and give yourself enough time to meet them. Click here for a list of prerequisites for Harvard Kennedy School degrees. Submit all required materials. Having missing materials is not only annoying to the Adcom, it could mean the kiss of death. Get organized and make sure you have all the necessary parts of the application. The requirements for all applicants to HKS are:
- a submitted online application,
- payment of the $100 application fee,
- essays,
- three letters of recommendation,
- official academic transcripts, and
- standardized tests: GRE, GMAT, TOEFL (requirements vary; see online application instructions for details).
Pitch yourself to the Admissions Committee. In your essays and resume, make it very easy for the Adcom to understand why HKS is a great fit for you academically, personally, and professionally. Connect your academic background to the coursework you’ll take at HKS. Explain the preparation you’ve had thus far that will help you be successful at HKS, the gaps in your education that you plan to fill at HKS, and cite specific courses at HKS that you plan on taking to gain the knowledge you need to move forward in your career. HKS has a collegial and tight-knit culture. Research the extracurricular activities of the school, and learn about some of the activities you plan to engage in (especially if you plan to be a leader in one of the clubs), and discuss how those will be an important part of your experience if admitted. Most importantly, discuss your professional experiences thus far and how they have prepared you for making the most of your time at HKS. Have a clear and compelling vision for your career. HKS is a professional school. This means that its primary purpose is to prepare people to be leaders in their respective professional fields. The goal is not to pump out a bunch of academics (besides the PhD candidates). Therefore, you need to be able to articulate clearly why you need to attend HKS at this time to achieve your professional goals. You need to have a clear vision for your career and a map for how HKS can help you achieve that vision. If the Adcom can’t figure out what you want to be after leaving HKS, it’s hard for them to give you one of the spots in the class. Show that you have done your research on the school. Read about the research centers, classes, extracurricular activities, leadership programs, and fellowship programs. SO FEW PEOPLE DO A GOOD JOB OF THIS. If you take the time to read about and understand the various research centers, career resources, courses, and extracurricular activities available at HKS, and then identify the ones that are good fits for you in your application, connecting them all together with your career vision, and your past experiences, you will present a compelling and cohesive case for why you should be admitted. For example, below is a little information about my specific experience at HKS. Each HKS-specific resource is highlighted in bold. (Note: This is NOT a sample essay or anything like that. I am just showing how many resources there are at HKS to motivate you to do some research.)
While at HKS, I was involved with a number of extracurricular activities and really loved my classes. Some of my favorite classes were Arts of Communication, Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector, Public Narrative, and Followership. While I was not required to do a thesis to graduate, I did complete a Reading and Research project about Black women and digital entrepreneurship which also tied in nicely with my course Leadership for a Networked World. I was a Women in the Oval Office program participant, which was offered by the Women and Public Policy Program. I also learned a tremendous amount and really enjoyed being a George Leadership Fellow, which is a part of the Center for Public Leadership. I was active in the African and African Diaspora Collaborative (AADC), and attended many of the speeches held in The Forum by the Institute of Politics.
That’s just a taste of the many, many resources at HKS. Show the Adcom that you really intend to go to HKS if admitted, and let them know about the kinds of things you’ll be involved in. Here is a list of HKS courses. Here is a link to the many centers and programs at HKS. Choose your recommenders wisely and make sure they are prepared to write you great recommendations. Make sure your three recommenders are well-equipped to write you a stellar recommendation. For MPP applicants, I recommend you having 1-2 professional recommendations, an academic recommendation, and perhaps a recommendation from someone who has supervised you in a public service / volunteer / nonprofit capacity. Make sure your recommenders know what your degree program is, what qualities HKS is looking for in a candidate, and that they are able to cite specific examples and stories to back up their recommendations of you. Attend an admissions event. Throughout the year, HKS admissions officers will travel around the country providing information about the school and the application process. Check to see when they are coming to your area and be sure to attend. The Adcom members do remember people, and it’s an opportunity to make an impression, get some great information, and meet other people in your area who are applying. Here is the calendar for the admissions events. Research and apply for financial aid and fellowships. Graduate school is expensive! HKS has lots of fellowship money available, but lots of people get admitted with only loans as their financial aid. Make sure you keep your student debt as low as possible by applying for as many fellowships as possible that you are a good fit for. Here is the website for Harvard Kennedy School financial aid for incoming students. Whether you’re working through the process alone, with a friend, or with a consultant, you want to be well prepared in putting together your application to Harvard Kennedy School. If you liked this article, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter so you don’t miss any of my free tips!
This is excellent information, Kaneisha.
Thanks for this excellent information…Kaneisha
Thanks for this excellent information…Kaneisha
Thank you for your insight…
You are welcome, Ahmad! Best of luck on your HKS application!
Thanks for this great advice! I’m looking to apply to HKS in the coming years and this will greatly guide my strategy in compiling the best application.
Hi Derek, you are welcome! Thanks for commenting!
Hi Kaneisha,
My husband is planning to apply to HKS’s MPP. I think you would be a great person to speak with. Is it possible for us to connect via phone sometime? My email address is noted in this form. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you for all your help.
Hello! I don’t offer free consultations via phone, but he’s welcome to sign up for a Deep Dive! More info here: http://artofapplying.wpengine.com/dive
Hi Kaneisha!
This is great information!
I was wondering if you would be so kind to assist me on a question I’ve been wrestling with. I am applying for the MPP program this year and had a question on the recommendation letter. I’m about 2.5 years out of school and my strongest letters of recommendation are from supervisors at the two jobs I’ve been in. The online application does state that at least 1 academic recommendation letter is desirable however I do not have strong relationships with my professors. I do, however have one strong letter from a graduate student instruction who I interacted with closely and who even helped provide advice for a student run course I ran. I’ve heard that it is a big no-no to use letters from graduate student instructors – but what are your thoughts here? Should I:
1. Opt to have 3 professional letters
2. Do 2 professional letters and 1 graduate student instructor letter?
3. Do 2 professional letters and reach out to a completely different professor for a decent but not stellar recommendation letter?
Let me know- your thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Hi Kevin,
Considering how recently you graduated from college, I highly recommend you submit an academic letter of reference. If you really think you can’t get a strong letter from at least ONE of your professors, then go ahead and do Option 2 and use the graduate student instructor. You may want to address why you didn’t get a letter from one of your professors in your optional essay. Best of luck!
Hi Kaneisha,
Would it be okay to get 3 letters from professional supervisors if I’ve been out of school for 5 years? I realize having an academic reference is helpful for the admissions committee, but since I’ve been out of school and working professionally for that long, I feel like having professional letters of recommendation would make more relevant sense. Please let me know–many thanks!
Hi Sammy, I would not recommend three professional letters. Can you not get one of your letters from one of your community, volunteer, and/or leadership experiences? Three professional letters isn’t an application killer but it’s not ideal. Thanks for your question!
Wow! Thanks. This just puts everyone on a different level playing field altogether. Interesting!
You’re welcome, Sukirti!
Hi Kaneisha,
Thank you for the wonderful source of information for the applicants. I had one question though – how important is prior public service work experience for getting into Mid-Career MPA program.
I have 9 years of work exp but all of it has been in private sector (management consulting). Will my application still be considered?
Hi Nalin, you are welcome! It is totally fine for all of your work experience to be in the private sector. However, you will need to demonstrate a commitment to public service through your extracurricular activities and community work as well as make a compelling argument in your essays why you need a policy degree to move forward in your career. Thanks for your question!
Hi Kaneisha,
Thanks for the great source of information! I’m struggling with choosing between the MPA2 program and MPP program – I have a Master’s degree in a related field that fulfills the MPA2 core, and 27 months of directly-related professional experience, in addition to 7 months as a a full-time international ESL teacher scholarship, and about 8 months of full-time professional internship experience at state government. Any insight from your perspective would be invaluable! Thanks!
Hi Rob, this is a question best asked of HKS admissions as you are really on the edge of having enough full-time work experience for the program. If your 7 months of full-time ESL teaching was after you graduated from college, I would count those toward your 27 months of professional experience. If your 8 months of internship experience is BEFORE you graduated from college, I wouldn’t necessarily count that as full-time work experience. My best recommendation to you if you can’t get an answer from HKS this close to the deadline (if you’re applying this year), is to just wait a year to apply when you will be undoubtedly qualified for the MPA2! I did the MPA2 program and really enjoyed the flexibility.
Hi, thanks for your information about HKS. i got 7.5 in IELTS . But I just got 6.5 in writing part, which does not meet the requirement of MPP this year. They require 7 in every subsection. I want to know whether they will still consider my admission based on my condition now.
Thanks for your attention.
Hi Catherine, this is a question best asked directly to HKS admissions. My advice is that you wait until you have the minimum IELTS score on each section before submitting your application. It is better to wait and apply when your application is strongest than it is to submit an application that does not meet minimum stated requirements and then have to reapply. Remember, those are application requirements; not suggestions. Best of luck in making your decision!
Thanks Kaneisha.
I am submitting my application in a couple of days. Your website has been a really useful tool. So I just want to thank you for all the useful information.
Best.
Hi Chun, I am so happy to hear that you’ve found my website such a useful tool! Best of luck on your application and please do let me know how it turns out!
Hi Kaneisha,
I am about to graduate from my university and would like to apply for the MPP program at the Kennedy school in the near future. It is clear to me that work experience is extremely important, but will someone be competitive if they apply with only one year of experience?
Hi Juan, there are people admitted every year (including some of our clients) who have 0 or just 1 year of full-time work experience. You will be much more competitive for admission (and for fellowships) with more work experience, but you can still be admitted with only one year of experience. I recommend you wait until you have 2-4 years of work experience before applying.
I am a qualified woman willing to apply to the Mason MPA program at HKS with ten year professional experience behind me in the non profit sector. Which financial aid could I apply for ? What is the process ?
Loved your article. I was wondering if you offered any consultation services and strategies for getting in the joint MBA/MPP program?
Thanks for the support, Shelley! I am Noah, a consultant with The Art of Applying. Hopefully, this is still helpful for you and someone else in that situation.
Yes, we do offer consultation services and strategies for joint degree MBA/MPP programs! The following is a link to a recent Case Study of a former client who entered MBA/MPP program. When clients join our Application Accelerator, each person has an Assessment Call with our team. We listen to them to help create a list of potential schools that cater to their previous experiences and goals. In addition, we provide our clients with minimum, goal and target test scores to be sure they are competitive for their schools. We offer hourly coaching as well.
While we don’t provide free 1:1 advice via our blog, we’d love to chat more with you about your application process, and how we can help. Here is the link to continue the conversation.
Hello Kaneisha,
I’m giving serious consideration to potentially persuing a degree from HKS (leaning towards MPD-ID).
I have achieved a satisfactory position of where I want to be in life at this time from various aspects (social, economic, etc.) and want to create a pathway for a new journey.
My motivation is now more so to give back and I believe HKS could be a good conduit in helping me to most leverage my desire as such. I prefer the Middle East/Asian Arenas – I could most effectively use my strengths in these parts of the world.
Question, my GPA is almost non existent from a competive comparison. However, I can run circles around most in business. I can obtain REAL attested letters of Rec from a past Fed Senator, VP, and a Kennedy Family member (specifics giving details and examples – not a rubber stamp) of all my talents and accomplishments.
Would this more than compensate for my GPA issue?
Best Regards,
Jeff
Hey Jeff! We apologize for the delay in our response. That’s great that you’re considering a MPD-ID from HKS! Unfortunately at this time we do not offer free advice through our blog. We do however suggest that you join our free Facebook group which has a community of individuals who are both applying to grad school as well as those who have already been accepted. We encourage you to ask your questions there and wish you the best of luck on your applications!