Program Overview

Introduction to the Harvard Graduate School of Education

The Harvard Graduate School of Education offers a range of programs designed to prepare leaders in education. These programs are tailored to meet the needs of professionals seeking to advance their careers in education leadership, policy, and practice.

Degrees and Programs

The Harvard Graduate School of Education offers several degree programs, including:

• Master’s in Education (Ed.M.)
• Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.)

Master’s in Education (Ed.M.)

The Master’s in Education program is designed for professionals seeking to advance their careers in education leadership, policy, and practice. The program offers several concentrations, including:

• Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship
• Education Policy and Analysis
• Human Development and Education
• Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology
• Teaching and Teacher Leadership
  • Teaching Licensure Strand
  • Teaching & Leading Non-Licensure Strand
  • Harvard Fellowship for Teaching
• Concentrations
  • Arts and Learning
  • Early Childhood
  • Global, International, and Comparative Education
  • Higher Education
    • President-in-Residence Program
  • Identity, Power, and Justice in Education
  • Literacy and Languages

Online Master's in Education

The Online Master's in Education program is designed for working professionals seeking to advance their careers in education leadership. The program offers two pathways:

• PreK-12 and Higher Education
• International Education Policy and Management

Curriculum

The curriculum for the Online Master's in Education program is intentionally designed to meet the professional needs of working educators. The program includes:

• Foundations Courses
  • How People Learn
  • Leading Change
  • Evidence
  • Equity and Opportunity
• Professional Pathways
  • Higher Education
  • PreK-12
• Elective Coursework
  • Coaching for Equity
  • College Admissions and Strategic Enrollment Management
  • Leading a School through Challenge and Crisis
  • Inclusion Through Learning, Teaching, and Leadership
  • Why Can’t Higher Education Change?
  • Writing Workshop

Higher Education Pathway

The Higher Education Pathway is designed for education professionals seeking to advance their careers in higher education leadership. The pathway includes courses such as:

• Creating the Future of American Postsecondary Education
• Higher Education Leadership & Governance
• Student Development in Context: Promoting Success and Well-being in Higher Education

PreK-12 Pathway

The PreK-12 Pathway is designed for education professionals seeking to advance their careers in preK-12 education leadership. The pathway includes courses such as:

• Strategic Leadership in the PreK-12 Ecosystem
• Creating Conditions for Effective School, Family, and Community Partnerships
• Leading Learning

Program Faculty

The program faculty includes:

• Francesca Purcell, Senior Lecturer on Education
• Irvin Leon Scott, Senior Lecturer on Education
• Liya Escalera
• James P. Honan
• Karen L. Mapp
• Timothy Patrick McCarthy
• Mary Grassa O'Neill
• Alexis Redding

On-Campus Experience

The program includes an on-campus experience, which provides an opportunity for students to form deep relationships with their cohort and learn together with faculty and advisers.

Career Pathways

The Master's in Education Leadership Program prepares students to advance to senior leadership roles in a variety of career pathways, including:

• Higher Education Pathway
  • College or university senior administrator
  • Academic affairs
  • Admissions and financial aid
  • Development
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Institutional research
  • Student affairs
• PreK-12 Pathway
  • Education entrepreneur
  • Executive director for an education nonprofit
  • Principal or head of school
  • Program officer for a foundation
  • School department head
  • School district or network leader
  • Teacher leader

Program Highlights

The program highlights include:

• News: What Happens When You're Living in a Food Desert?
• News: Students From 32 Countries Begin New Master’s Pathway

Additional Information

For more information, please download the Master's Viewbook or visit the Admissions & Aid page.