Harvard Mid-Career MPP

[itsmegan]

I am still waiting to hear from them but am curious if anyone has an opinion on Harvard's one-year Mid-Career MPP vs. a two-year MPP program from somewhere else. Do employers view a one year degree differently? Does the fact that the degree is from HKS help? Is this program as competitive as their two-year program or as any other top school's program? Say Georgetown or Johns Hopkins?

[dino88]

I did a one-year MPP. No, employers do not view it differently. You'll interview during your first or second semester. Be prepared. Usually, mid career people want to spend less time in school. In my experience, one-year MPP people had more career experience and received better offers than two-year MPP students, but didn't have the full two years to figure out what they really wanted to do. Harvard is very competitive, yes. It is at least in the top five. You can't go wrong. Georgetown/JHU are near DC which helps for jobs after, but Harvard will definitely make up for that difference. It is about an 8 hour drive from DC. I'd go HKS, but if Georgetown or JHU had a great offer/scholarship, you really can't go wrong. The work you do in the masters is more important than the name itself, but the name surely helps out.