Concentrating in Social and Urban Policy allowed me not only to pursue my health policy studies with the field's leading scholars and students, but also to learn from my peers in other policy areas that shape and interact with my own.
Cornelia Hall MPP 2017
As an MPP student, you have the opportunity to specialize in Social and Urban Policy (SUP). SUP focuses on policy domains—health, education, labor, poverty, crime, housing, urban planning, and economic development—that help improve and sustain the well-being of all members of society, especially those living at the margins.
The policy domains central to the SUP concentration are relevant around the world. Some social policies—particularly in health, education, public safety, and housing—focus on ensuring a basic level of opportunity for all. Social policies in areas such as labor and social insurance are designed to protect individuals and families from catastrophic events such as disability, unemployment, major illness, or poverty in retirement. Other policies are meant to improve society’s overall welfare and extend an important share of the benefit to the most vulnerable.
Urbanization constitutes one of the most crucial trends of our time. As a SUP concentrator, you’ll examine how the simultaneous pursuit of prosperity, sustainability, equity, and high quality of life for all poses unique governance challenges in large urban areas.
A number of centers and programs at Harvard Kennedy School conduct research relevant to the SUP concentration, including: