Doctoral Programs

Teachers

School Leaders

Entrepreneurs

Policy Experts

Researchers
 As a doctoral student
at HGSE, you’ll become
part of an exceptional
community of scholars
and education leaders.

TRANSFORMING
EDUCATION THROUGH
LEADERSHIP
AND INNOVATION
DEAR PROSPECTIVE
APPLICANT:
The doctoral experience at the Harvard Graduate School
of Education (HGSE) is truly remarkable. The two
interdisciplinary doctoral programs — the research-based
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.) and the practice-
based Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) — propel
our students into high-impact careers in research,
practice, and policy.

At HGSE, you will have supportive classmates who become

trusted colleagues and work with outstanding faculty
members who become invaluable mentors. You will join
a collaborative community of people who are diverse in
background, philosophy, and focus, but united in tackling the
most pressing challenges in the field — from early childhood
through higher education — with passion and purpose.

We hope you will join us.

BRIDGET TERRY LONG

Dean
Saris Professor of Education and Economics
Harvard Graduate School of Education
WORLD-CLASS FACULTY.
SCHOLARLY RESEARCH.
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY.
A doctoral degree from HGSE enables you to change the world through
education — whether you seek to become a system-level leader or a
transformative researcher who generates knowledge to drive policy
and practice. We offer two distinct programs — a Doctor of Education
Leadership (Ed.L.D.) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.) —
so you can select the program that best fits your professional aspirations.

Our next doctoral enrollment cycle is for Fall 2022.

Learn more at gse.harvard.edu/doctorate.
 DISCOVERING
REAL SOLUTIONS
TO URGENT
CHALLENGES
From leadership positions that cultivate
real-world success to education research that
generates policy reform, HGSE’s doctoral programs
allow you to make a lasting impact on the field.

Bringing together the interdisciplinary strength

of Harvard University, our degree offerings equip
you with firsthand knowledge of learning and
development, public policy, and organizational
management, as well as a broad array of academic
disciplines — empowering you to address today’s
complex education challenges.

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IMPACTING THE
FIELD THROUGH
IDEAS AND
INNOVATION
Through groundbreaking research and
advancements in education practice, HGSE
faculty and alumni continue to look for ways
to generate better outcomes for all students.

Our faculty members have worked across the

country and around the globe to create initiatives
and research studies that impact school programs,
education policy, and classroom performance.
HGSE alumni bring this same sense of dedication
and innovation to their post-graduation endeavors
as they advance the field through leadership
positions at nonprofits, school systems, and
education departments, as well as through careers
as researchers, academics, and policymakers.

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 CONNECTING
RESEARCH,
POLICY, AND
PRACTICE
As a student in one of our two doctoral programs, you’ll work with
faculty to explore the connections between research, policy, and
practice — seeing firsthand how they lead to development of solutions
to address the challenges faced by our education system.

You’ll also become part of HGSE’s dynamic and influential intellectual

community — lending your voice and vision to our century-long tradition
of innovation. HGSE was the first school to offer a doctorate in education,
the first to create a doctorate in education leadership, and the first
Harvard professional school to admit women.

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TWO DEGREES,
TWO DISTINCT PROGRAMS

DOCTOR OF DOCTOR OF
EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY
LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION
(ED.L.D) (PH.D.)
• Three-year, full-time, practice-based degree • Five- to seven-year, full-time,
• Designed to nurture transformative, research-based degree
system-level leaders in the following sectors: • Designed to train cutting-edge
preK–12 public education, state and federal researchers who generate knowledge
policy, nonprofit, social entrepreneurship, to drive policy and practice
and philanthropy and foundations • Offered jointly with the Harvard
• Leveraging faculty from HGSE, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Business School, Harvard Law School,
and the Harvard Kennedy School

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 DOCTOR OF
EDUCATION
LEADERSHIP
(ED.L.D.)
Our Ed.L.D. Program is designed to create transformative system-level
leaders who have the capacity to lead complex organizations, navigate
political environments, and create systemic change in the field of
education. The Ed.L.D. offers you a deep understanding of teaching and
learning and prepares you to work across the sector to improve outcomes
in American preK–12 education.

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CULTIVATING LEADERS,
CREATING SYSTEMIC CHANGE
Core Curriculum + Tailored Electives + Paid Residency

YEAR 1
Our highly integrated core curriculum focuses on the
YEAR 3
During your third year, you will take part in a 10-month paid residency
following four areas: at one of our partner organizations — an experience that is unique
among doctoral programs. There, you will work on a high-priority
• Learning and Teaching strategic project before developing a capstone — a reflective, analytical
• Leadership and Organizational Change account of your project contributions and leadership. Our program
• Politics and Policy prepares graduates to work in five distinct sectors, and we organize our
residency sites around these areas. We have included these sectors,
• Personal Mastery
along with recent residency examples, here:

YEAR 2
In addition to a second-year seminar that will deepen your
• PreK–12: New York City Department of Education, Los Angeles
Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, Boston Public
Schools, New Mexico Public Education Department
• Nonprofits: Big Picture Learning, Leadership Academy
understanding of the core curriculum, you will have an opportunity
to create a tailored learning experience with elective courses • Foundations/Philanthropy: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,
drawn from any of Harvard’s professional schools, including: New Profit
• Policy: Education Trust, Massachusetts Department of Elementary
• Harvard Graduate School of Education and Secondary Education, Texas Education Agency
• Harvard Business School • Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation: IDEO, The Teachers
• Harvard Kennedy School Guild, The Learning Accelerator
• Harvard Law School

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 DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY IN
EDUCATION (PH.D.)
Our Ph.D. Program trains cutting-edge researchers who work across
disciplines, generate knowledge, and translate discoveries into transformative
policy and practice. The program provides you with full access to the
extraordinary resources of Harvard University and prepares you for a high-
impact career as a researcher, academic, policymaker, or educational leader.

Curriculum
As a Ph.D. student, you’ll complete two years of coursework and design
original research in close consultation with your HGSE faculty adviser
and dissertation committee. Additional curriculum components include
a Ph.D. proseminar, doctoral colloquia, apprenticeships and fellowships,
comprehensive exams, and an oral defense.

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WHERE CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH
MEETS EDUCATION PRACTICE
Concentrations + Coursework + Research
Concentrations — Within the Ph.D. Program, you will align with one of three
primary concentrations, which will act as a lens as you explore your research topic.

CULTURE, INSTITUTIONS, EDUCATION POLICY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT,

AND SOCIETY (CIS) PROGRAM EVALUATION (EPPE) LEARNING AND TEACHING (HDLT)
In CIS, you’ll study how these structures The EPPE concentration enables you to As you explore HDLT, you’ll examine how
and contexts shape educational processes research the design, implementation, biological, cognitive, and social processes
and outcomes across the lifespan. and evaluation of education policy in the influence learning and development.
United States and internationally at the
• Sample elective courses local level and large-scale, using incisive • Sample elective courses
— Institutional Change in School research methods. — Applying Cognitive Science to
Organizations, Systems, and Sectors Learning and Teaching
• Sample elective courses
— Education in Armed Conflict — Topics in Educational Psychology
— Politics and Education Policy
in the United States
— Methods of Educational
Measurement

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 DOCTORAL FACULTY MAKING
AN IMPACT IN THE FIELD

Meredith Rowe Fernando Reimers

Saul Zaentz Professor of Early Learning and Development Ford Foundation Professor of Practice
in International Education

As the head of a research program at HGSE, Meredith Recognized for his expertise in global education, Fernando
Rowe concentrates on understanding the role of parent Reimers concentrates his research and teaching around
and family factors in children’s early language and educating children and youth so that they are prepared
literacy development. Her work examines how different to live and work in the 21st century. He is the director
early communicative environments contribute to of the Global Education Innovation Initiative — a research,
language development in children, which she translates policy, and practice collaborative based at HGSE that
into intervention strategies for low-income families. supports public education improvement and advancement
Her research findings are published in leading education of 21st-century competencies.
and psychology journals.

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Deborah Jewell-Sherman Jal Mehta
Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Practice Professor of Education
in Educational Leadership

Deborah Jewell-Sherman is the first woman professor Jal Mehta’s research examines how different forms of
of practice at HGSE, serving as the director of the Urban knowledge impact major social and political problems,
Superintendents Program and core faculty for the Doctor with a focus on problems related to human improvement.
of Education Leadership Program (Ed.L.D). Formerly the He recently co-authored In Search of Deeper Learning:
superintendent of the Richmond, Virginia public school system, The Quest to Remake the American High School,
she was named as Virginia’s Superintendent of the Year a six-year study of 30 high schools that identified
in 2009 and received HGSE’s Morningstar Family Teaching examples of powerful learning. He received HGSE’s
Award in recognition of teaching excellence in 2015. Morningstar Family Teaching Award in 2014.

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 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT,
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
As a doctoral student at HGSE, you’ll gain critical insights and
perspective through classroom discussions, small-group sessions,
and research projects. Yet we also recognize the importance
of learning that occurs outside of lecture halls — learning that
takes place within your cohort, via alumni networks, and through
co-curricular experiences on the broader Harvard University
campus and in the Boston/Cambridge community.

COHORT CONNECTIONS ALUMNI NETWORKS

Peer-to-peer learning plays a Our global alumni base of 28,000+
significant role at HGSE, and you professionals will serve you
will have the opportunity to engage throughout your career by providing
with members of your cohort during connections, collaborations,
in-class discussion opportunities and mentoring opportunities.
and through co-curricular experiences.

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CO-CURRICULAR
OPPORTUNITIES
Learning continues far beyond your in-class academic experience,
and HGSE offers an array of programming, including:

BEYOND THE DIVERSITY TEACHING

CLASSROOM AND INCLUSION AND LEARNING
Events, collaborative LEADERSHIP Events that highlight
learning experiences, and Fellowship programs, and promote innovative
professional development advisory committees, teaching and
opportunities and funding opportunities learning strategies

HARVARD ADVANTAGE BOSTON/CAMBRIDGE

As an HGSE student, you’ll also During your graduate study, you can
experience a range of benefits, experience all the Boston/Cambridge
resources, and opportunities available area has to offer — from history
across the overall Harvard University to innovation to culture. You’ll find
campus, including cross-registration renowned institutions, championship
options with other graduate schools sports teams, performances and
and open access to the world’s lectures, bookstores, restaurants,
largest library system. and more.

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 RESEARCH MENTORS,
CAREER ADVISERS
Our outstanding faculty members represent a key strength
of our Ed.L.D. and Ph.D. programs. These world-renowned
scholars and education leaders will play a critical role
in your career development — as research colleagues,
system-level leaders, mentors, and career advisers.

As you pursue your Ph.D., members of your faculty committee

will help ensure that your dissertation not only makes a valuable
contribution to the field but also meets the career criteria
necessary to secure a position in academia, or in the nonprofit
or private sectors. Upon completion of your Ed.L.D., HGSE’s Career
Services Office can provide job-search assistance as you prepare
to make a deeper impact as a policymaker, school system leader,
or nonprofit administrator.

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ACCELERATE YOUR
CAREER ASPIRATIONS
Whether you seek a research- or practice-based career, our HGSE
doctoral programs are designed to position you for success and ensure
you reach your career objectives. Sample positions secured by alumni
from both programs include:

ED.L.D. GRADUATES: PH.D. GRADUATES:

• Executive director, Big Picture • Founding faculty, London
Learning, Providence, Rhode Island Interdisciplinary School
• Secretary of Education, New Mexico • Assistant professor of education
Public Education Department policy, Boston University,
• CEO, Leadership Academy Wheelock College of Education
• Superintendent, Monterey Peninsula • Researcher, Mathematica
Unified School District, California • Postdoctoral fellow, UCLA
• Director of national education strategy,
Raikes Foundation, Washington
• CEO, High Tech High

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 DOCTORAL ALUMNI MAKING
AN IMPACT IN THE FIELD

Ventura Rodriguez, Ed.L.D.’15 Miho Kubagawa, Ed.L.D.’19

Massachusetts Department of Elementary Partner, NewSchools Venture Fund
and Secondary Education

When Ventura Rodriguez looks back on his days at HGSE, “The Ed.L.D. Program changed my life,” says Miho Kubagawa,
he remembers that the Ed.L.D. Program helped him who credits the program for providing her personal and
“develop the confidence to lead.” He works as the senior professional growth, a trusted community of advisers,
associate commissioner for strategic initiatives at the and motivation to continue her quest for educational equity.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary She’s currently a partner at NewSchools Venture Fund,
Education. He began working for the department during his where she leads the process to select high-quality, diverse
Ed.L.D. residency, where he helped create a turnaround teams who are designing and launching new, innovative
program for under-performing middle schools. public schools.

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Clint Smith, Ph.D.’20 Catherine Asher, Ph.D.’21
Author and staff writer, The Atlantic Asst. research scientist, Youth Policy Lab, University of Michigan

Clint Smith’s work with adults sentenced to life in prison As a Ph.D. student, Catherine Asher’s research centered
embodies his deeply held belief that “education is a human on treatment effect heterogeneity, which explores how the
right deserved by all.” Through his research and dissertation effectiveness of a policy can be impacted by different contexts
on the purpose of prison education, he also explores larger and student populations. Her goal has been to encourage
issues around racism and inequality. In addition to The Atlantic, researchers to think about this factor when designing research
his work has appeared in The New Yorker, and his recent book, studies to help increase the effectiveness of programs and
How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of interventions. Catherine currently works at the University
Slavery Across America, was published in June 2021. of Michigan’s Youth Policy Lab.

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READY TO
CHANGE THE
WORLD THROUGH
EDUCATION?
HGSE brings together people who are committed to making a transformative
impact through education — people who demonstrate leadership, dedication,
curiosity, a sense of mission, and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The steps below will help you learn more about our doctoral
programs, application process, and funding, as well as prepare
you for Fall 2022 enrollment.

ADMISSIONS DOCTORAL
Step One PROGRAM FUNDING
Introduce yourself by filling out an All Ed.L.D. students receive:
online form at hgse.me/hgse-intro • A full-tuition package for three years,
including student health fee funding
Step Two • A combination of stipend and/or MORE TO EXPLORE:
Explore and connect with us via upcoming campus-based work opportunities
events and digital recordings at MASTER’S PROGRAMS AT HGSE
for years one and two
gse.harvard.edu/admissions/events • A paid residency with a partner As you consider the degree that will
organization in the third year best serve you professionally, you
Step Three also may want to explore our master’s
Apply online beginning August 2021 All Ph.D. students receive: (Ed.M.) programs, which will help you
• Tuition and fees, paid in full for establish a long-term, impactful career
Ed.L.D.: Begin your application to HGSE
years 1 through 4 plus the dissertation in education. The following programs
at hgse.me/application
completion year will prepare you to create transformative
Ph.D.: Candidates will submit your learning at every level and in every role.
• Living stipend during years 1 and 2
application through the Harvard
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences • Paid teaching fellowships and/or research • Education Leadership, Organizations,
at gsas.harvard.edu/apply assistantships during years 3 and 4 and Entrepreneurship
• Summer research funding after each • Education Policy and Analysis
Deadline of the first four years
• Human Development and Education
Submit your online application • Living stipend during the dissertation
and materials by completion year • Learning Design, Innovation,
and Technology
Ed.L.D.: December 15, 2021
• Teaching and Teacher Leadership
Ph.D.: December 1, 2021
• Online Master’s in Education Leadership
International students can find additional
admissions information at hgse.me/hgse-intl Learn more at hgse.me/hgse-masters.

For more information, visit gse.harvard.edu/doctorate.

ADMISSIONS OFFICE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
118 Longfellow Hall G049 Longfellow Hall
13 Appian Way 13 Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138 Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-3414 617-495-3416
gseadmissions@harvard.edu finaid@gse.harvard.edu
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