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On Campus
Session Date-Application DeadlineProgram Fee$25,800Faculty ChairProgram DirectorSession Date-Application DeadlineProgram Fee$25,800Faculty ChairProgram DirectorSession Date-Application DeadlineProgram Fee$26,600Faculty ChairProgram Director
Program Fee: The program fee includes tuition, housing, curricular materials and most meals.
Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public Leadership and Public Policy concentrations. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications. -
Online
Session Date-Application DeadlineProgram Fee$18,600Faculty ChairProgram Director
Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public Leadership and Public Policy concentrations. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.
Program Overview
In today's dynamic environment, effective management requires more than expertise—it demands leadership. The Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard Kennedy School equips you with the skills to build coalitions, drive results, and lead organizational change. This four-week immersive program is tailored for senior executives from the public sector, military, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, providing a framework for strategic problem-solving and leadership development.
Senior Executive Fellows is the unparalleled professional development program for executives who want to sharpen their leadership and managerial skills. It's designed for GS-14/GS-15 federal employees and their corporate sector, international, non-profit, multi-lateral, and military counterparts.
Led by renowned Harvard faculty and expert practitioners, this immersive four-week executive leadership skills program will provide you with a framework for problem-solving, conditioning you to ask the right questions and find the most strategic approach to your challenge. You'll immediately take on a leadership role in the classroom and gain the tools necessary to look at issues from a new perspective.
This leadership skills program incorporates the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for Senior Executive Service (SES). Many government agencies offer it as part of their Senior Executive Services (SES) Candidate Development Programs (CDPs).
Program Curriculum
The Senior Executive Fellows ' curriculum covers critical leadership issues, including cooperative versus competitive interactions with government agencies, political appointees, and the media. Through case studies and interactive discussions, you'll gain insights into real-time leadership challenges and develop strategic approaches to address them effectively. Through analysis of the experience and interactive discussions about the critical choices made by key players along the way, you'll gain valuable insights, training and practice in making challenging leadership decisions about actual situations in real time.
Learning Objectives
The Senior Executive Fellows program aims to help you:
- Identify and analyze the challenges and opportunities facing your organization—and master them both politically and technically.
- Develop strategic plans of action using communication, negotiation and coalition-building skills.
- Manage the tensions between long-term policy goals and short-term political pressures.
- Create an organizational environment that is responsive to change, but also true to its purpose and tradition.
Application Information
The Senior Executive Fellows program is ideal for senior-level managers and executives aiming to enhance their leadership capabilities.
Recommended applicants include:
- Top managers from the U.S. federal government (GS-14 and 15)
- Senior military officials (O-5 and O-6)
- Corporate and nonprofit executives
- International leaders from similar backgrounds
The typical composition of a cohort is 70-80% U.S. federal government and military; the balance comprises leaders from the corporate and nonprofit sectors, state and local governments and those outside the U.S.
The intensive online program provides a more flexible format where you can apply concepts directly to your work while experiencing the rigor of Harvard remotely. Through an array of online modalities, you will be immersed in the curriculum and make progress on your individual challenges, while connecting with your peers and developing a robust network of colleagues that will last a lifetime. Access a sample online program schedule.
The on-campus program is an immersive and intense learning experience on Harvard’s historic Cambridge campus. During the week, you’ll experience lectures firsthand and connect with peers both in and outside of the classroom. The fee includes tuition, housing, curricular materials, and most meals. Access a sample on-campus program schedule.
What Participants are Saying
“I gained the tools I needed to become the kind of leader I aspire to be, plus a new network of brilliant professors and peers I can turn to for advice.”