Education Policy & Management

Curriculum

The Education Policy and Management Program (EPM) is designed to prepare graduates to assume challenging policy positions in a variety of governmental, intermediary, non-profit, school and other educational organizations.  The program introduces students to the world of policy and the intergovernmental system that provides “public education” in the United States.  Students grapple with strengths and weaknesses of policy as a tool for school improvement.  They delve into contemporary policy issues utilizing research skills and evidence, political analysis and organizational knowledge.  The EPM program aims to equip graduates to understand, participate in, and ultimately lead complex initiatives involving policy and practice.

For many experienced educators and education activists, the EPM program opens the door to a world of new professional opportunities for influencing policies and practices which ultimately impact schools and the lives of children.  Graduates of the EPM program work in federal, state and local government, national foundations, advocacy organizations, professional associations, policy “think tanks,” school improvement organizations, and in local schools and districts.  They fill many, diverse roles, enjoying success as leaders, advocates, policy analysts, consultants, researchers, planners, educators or philanthropists.

Coursework is largely self-designed but requires work in educational policy, research and organizations.  Students have access to the full range of courses in the Graduate School of Education, and many opt to take related courses elsewhere in the University, such as in the Kennedy School of Government or the Harvard Business School. The EPM program is a one-year, full time Master’s program.

Students thinking about a career as a policy analyst or advisor in a governmental unit, or an organization that conducts studies on behalf of government, will probably want to take at least two courses in policy and, depending on prior grounding in statistics and research methods, two in research and evaluation. Students leaning toward working in a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to schools, or operates at the community level on behalf of children and youth, will probably want to consider taking two or more courses in management.  However, students choose the EPM Program for a variety of reasons, and these recommendations may not be equally relevant for everyone. For instance, students who plan to go directly into classroom teaching or return to the classroom will probably have a different course selection strategy.  The EPM faculty and staff are available to help students design their course of study at HGSE to make the most of their time here.

Many EPM students participate in HGSE's Internship program, the Field Experience Program.

There are education-related courses offered at the Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, which may compliment your course of study. To learn more about cross-registration opportunities, please see below under "Cross-Registration."

EPM Requirements and Courses 2007-08:

Students are required to take eight courses, of which five must be classes that begin with an "A" or "S" from HGSE.  Furthermore, EPM students are required to take a minimum of one course from each of the three categories listed below: Policy, Research and Evaluation, and Management; courses from these three categories can be part of the 5 A or S classes. There are no exceptions or substitutions for these courses.  Your elective courses can be taken either at HGSE or other Harvard Schools.  Students need a minimum of 32 credits to graduate.
Additionally, EPM students are STRONGLY encouraged to take at least one of the following courses: A100: Introduction to Education Policy (fall 2007), A110: Issues in Education Policy (spring 2008), or A350: Urban School Reform: Challenges, Policies, and Implementation (spring 2008), core courses that are designed to immerse students in the world of contemporary educational policy in the United States. All three courses provide a broad introduction to the intergovernmental system in education and to the major policy issues confronting today’s education leaders at all levels of government.  They also introduce students to the roles played by the wide variety of nongovernmental organizations that dot the education landscape.  Students with little or no prior experience in education policy are especially urged to take one of these core introductory courses. 

Policy:
A-024: Politics, Policy-Making, and Political Action in Education * (fall)
A-100: Introduction to Education Policy (fall)
A-110: Issues in Education Policy (spring)
A-112: Students with Disabilities in School (fall)
A-113: Urban Education (spring)
A-114: Schooling and Society (spring)
A-120: Federal K-12 Education Policy and the Achievement Gap (spring)
A-144: Education and Organizing (fall)
A-350: Urban School Reform: Challenges, Policies and Implementation (spring)
A-713: The Role of Policy in College Access and Success * (spring) 
AH-120: Public Policy and Child Development: US and International Perspectives (spring)
AT-107: Curriculum Controversies (spring)

Research and Evaluation:
S-005: Introduction to Educational Research (fall)
S-011: Understanding Today's Educational Testing (fall)
S-012: Empirical Methods: Introduction to Statistics for Research (fall)
S-015: Survey Design (fall)
S-030A: Intermediate Statistics: Applied Regression and Data Analysis (spring)
S-030B: Intermediate Statistics: Applied Regression and Data Analysis (spring) 
A-119: Race, Class, and Educational Inequality* (spring)
A-162: Portraiture in Social Science (fall)
A-164: Program Evaluation (spring) 
A-205A: Microeconomics: Policy Tool for Educators (fall)
A-205B: Microeconomics: Policy Tool for Educators (spring)
A-306: Data Wise: Using Assessment Data to Improve Instruction (yearlong/fall)
A-801: Education Policy Analysis and Research in Developing Countries (fall)
AH-125: The Science of Learning, Behavior, and Health: Implications for Social Policy (spring)
AT-113: Educational Effectiveness: Examining Influences on Student Achievement (spring)
H-203: Low-Income Children and Families: A Developmental Perspective (spring) 
T-506: Evaluation for Informed Decision Making (spring) 
T-545: Engagement and Learning: Technologies that Invite and Immerse (spring)
Management:
A-021: Leadership in Organizations * (fall)
A-027A/B: Managing Financial Resources in Non-profit Organizations (fall, spring)
A-029: An Introduction to Education Finance and Budgeting (fall)
A-122: The Why, What, and How of School, Family, and Community Partnerships (fall)
A-124: School Reform from the Outside In: The Roles of External Partners and Funders (fall)
A-213: Schools and the Law (fall)
A-312: Systemic Reform in Urban School Districts and Schools (spring)
A-320: Building a Democratic School: Pilots, Charters, and Alternatives to Traditional Schools (spring)
A-506: Teachers' Unions and School Improvement (spring)
A-605: Leading and Managing Organizations: Part I (fall)
A-608: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning (fall)
A-606: Leading and Managing Organizations: Part II: Making the Impossible Possible (spring)
A-804:  Monitoring and Evaluation for Improving Education Systems (spring)
AT-105: New Professional Roles for Teachers (spring)
T-205: Professional Education of Teachers (fall)
* = limited enrollment course; permission of the instructor required

Cross-Registration

Many HGSE students choose to take courses at other Harvard graduate schools (aka, cross-registering), including the Harvard Business School (HBS), the Kennedy School of Government (KSG), and the Harvard Law School.  Harvard's schools operate on different schedules. Therefore, remain mindful of school's individual calendars and deadlines: start of classes, vacations, and exams.
For more information about cross-registering at other Harvard schools, please visit: https://crossreg.harvard.edu/

HGSE Course Catalog

For more information about HGSE course offerings, view the entire HGSE course catalogue.