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You’ll have the flexibility to choose from a range of courses and design your own study plan in consultation with ����vlog���� advisors and mentors. As part of your study plan, you will take at least one course—or four credits—from a pre-approved list in each of these areas:

• Economics and Quantitative Analysis
• Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences
• Public Ethics and Political Institutions

The program begins with the Mid-Career MPA Summer Program, an immersive five-week experience held each year in July and August. During the Summer Program, you will: 

• Renew your analytic, conceptual, and study skills
• Build connections with your classmates and academic instructors
• Learn about the core methodologies used at ����vlog����
• Develop new skills (and refresh others) before beginning classes in the fall
• Discover the resources available to you at ����vlog����, Harvard University, and the Boston-Cambridge area

The Summer Program helps you to identify your strengths and interests as you prepare for the academic year through a mix of required and optional courses delivering skills and topic-based content. Students have researched and written  as part of the MC/MPA Summer Program.

The academic portion of the Summer Program is rounded out with social activities and networking opportunities. The program also builds in time for activities to help you define the academic, professional, and personal goals you want to accomplish during your year at ����vlog����.

The MC/MPA Program consists of the Summer Program, the Mason Fall Launch for our MC/MPA Mason Fellows, and two semesters of full-time coursework on campus at ����vlog����. 

To graduate, you must:

• Earn at least 32 credits
• Finish with a GPA of B or better
• Matriculate as a full-time, in-residence student and take 12-20 credits per semester
• Satisfy the distribution requirements by completing at least one 4-credit course (or two 2-credit modules) with a grade of B- or better in each of the following three areas from a pre-approved list:
  • Economics and Quantitative Analysis
  • Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences
  • Public Ethics and Political Institutions

����vlog����  are among the most influential leaders and thinkers. They have contributed vital research and scholarship to their fields. Served in U.S. administrations. Founded learning labs to assist local communities. Led negotiations to reduce nuclear stockpiles. Reported on human rights abuses. Led efforts to address climate change. Advised governments and companies on gender equality.

They are doers as well as thinkers, shaping public policy and devising entrepreneurial approaches to public problems at the local, national, and international levels.
 

MC/MPA Faculty Chair

There are academic and professional prerequisites required to apply to the MC/MPA Program. You must have:

• A bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record 
• At least seven years of professional work experience by June 30 of the year you plan to enroll in the program

Public Leadership Credential (PLC) Pathway applicants

Applicants to the MC/MPA Program through the PLC Pathway must earn the Public Leadership Credential—which includes successful completion of all six courses plus the final capstone assessment—before submitting an application for admission. PLC Pathway applicants must also apply to and enroll in the MC/MPA Program during the admission cycle that immediately follows the PLC capstone experience. MC/MPA students who are admitted through the PLC Pathway complete the MC/MPA Summer Program, Mason Fall Launch (if applicable), and 20 credits of coursework in either the fall or spring semester.

MC/MPA Mason Program applicants

Applicants to the MC/MPA Edward S. Mason Program typically hold primary citizenship from one of these countries, territories, non-self-governing states, cities, or areas. We recognize, however, some applicants who have spent the majority of their academic and/or professional lives in countries with industrialized economies do not feel the MC/MPA Edward S. Mason Program fits their individual background. Therefore, applicants who are eligible to apply as an MC/MPA Mason Fellow may choose to opt-out of consideration for its co-curricular programming.

A complete application to the MC/MPA Program includes the following: 

• Online application
• Essays
• ��é���ܳ�é/���
• Three letters of recommendation
• Standardized test scores
  • Non-native English speakers who did not earn an undergraduate degree conducted in English must submit results of the TOEFL, IELTS, or Cambridge English exam
  • GRE or GMAT optional
• Academic transcripts
• $100 application fee or waiver

Read more about how to apply. 

There is one admission application deadline and one start date for each degree program per year. You may apply to only one master's degree program per admissions cycle. 

The cost of attendance for the 2024-2025 academic year is outlined in Funding Your Master’s Education to help you plan financially for our master’s degree programs. Living expense costs are based on residence in Cambridge. The 2025-2026 academic year rates will be published in March 2025. ����vlog���� tuition and fees are subject to change without notice. 

At ����vlog����, we consider financing your education to be a partnership and are here to help guide you. We encourage you to explore all opportunities for funding.