fbpx Concurrent Degrees | Harvard Kennedy School

You see a future for yourself in public service, and want it to be informed by business, law, medicine, design or another field.

You feel an inner need to study both, now.

As an MPP, MPA/ID, or MPA student at Harvard Kennedy School, you can pursue a concurrent degree in business, law, medicine, design, or another field—as long as it is:

  • A professional degree (an MBA, MD, or JD; not a PhD or an academic master’s)
  • At least a two-year program
  • Completed at a partner institution (see our list below)

Typically, you study at HKS and your other school throughout your degree program, with the only requirements being that you complete at least three semesters at HKS and that you do not complete the requirements for one degree before beginning coursework for the other. Either way, you’ll have reduced coursework and residency requirements, but the number and type of courses will depend on your degree program.

As an MPP or MPA/ID student, you will spend a full academic year at HKS completing your core curriculum during either the first or second year of your combined program. After then, you split your final year studying at HKS and your other school. As an MPA student, you make the decision to split your first or final year at HKS—if your first year, you must be in-residence at HKS for the fall semester.

Paying It Forward

Elorm Avakame MPP/MD 2018 says fighting for underserved populations is an aspiration and an obligation. 

“I wanted to explore issues beyond the boundaries of health and health care... In medical school, we are all training to be doctors, but here at the Kennedy School, people are training for so many different walks of life."

Partner Institutions

As a concurrent degree student, you pursue your second graduate degree and determine your coursework at one of our 19 partner institutions either at Harvard or at others listed below.

Harvard

For the HKS/HDS or HKS/GSD concurrent programs, you spend a full year at each school in the first two years and one semester at each school for your final year. As an HKS/HMS or HKS/HSDM concurrent student, you spend a full academic year at HKS. After that, you are in-residence at HMS or HSDM for the rest of your time at Harvard, and will cross-register into HKS for courses you will need to complete your MPP, MPA/ID or MPA degree.

Designing the Future of Cities

Jorge Silva MPA/MUP 2018 focuses on the role of housing policy to create cities that thrive.

"I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of economic and political issues that relate to my interests in urban policy. I worked for four years as a public official in developing and implementing public policy, and wanted to expand my approach to urban issues—I had always looked at them from a design perspective."

Other Partner Institutions

Business
  • MIT Sloan School of Management
  • Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
  • Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Law
  • Berkeley Law, University of California
  • Columbia Law School
  • Duke University School of Law
  • Georgetown Law
  • New York University School of Law
  • Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
  • Stanford Law School
  • University of Michigan Law School
  • University of Pennsylvania Law School
  • Yale Law School
Medicine

United States-based Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited schools. See the school list here.  

If you are interested in pursuing the concurrent degree track, you must apply and be admitted to both HKS and a partner institution. 

More about the concurrent degree track
Read our guide on pursuing a concurrent degree.
Combined Degree Guide

How to Apply

Are you ready to answer the call to public service? Learn how to apply for our master's degree programs.

Admissions Events

Join us for virtual information sessions, discussions, and events to learn about the HKS student experience and application process.