I'm just finishing up my first year of a two year master's degree in public administration and international development at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Though it has its faults, I feel pretty strongly that it's one of, if not the best, programs in international development out there.
Caveat: that statement only applies if you are a very quantitative and
analytical person (I studied physics and engineering
once upon a time). If you don't like math, I promise you will hate the MPAID.
What's so great about it? It teaches us how to engage with economists, who have a strong voice in development today. The first year is basically equivalent to a first year economics PhD. The entire class is enrolled in the same courses of the core curriculum: two semesters of advanced micro economics, two semesters of advanced macro economics, and two semesters of econometrics. So now I can basically read any academic paper and understand what it's talking about.
The general gripe is that there's just not enough development in the first year, and I concur. The issue is that we spend so much time cranking out problem sets (3 a week,which can take up to 8 hours each) that we just don't have the bandwidth or mental energy to step back and put things into context. But I'm pretty convinced we will appreciate this training when it comes time use the tools we've been learning.
Over the summer we are strongly encouraged to do out internship in a developing country (I am headed to Liberia in June to work in the Government with the newly formed Philanthropy Secretariat coordinating work with private foundations).
The second year we have an abundance of flexibility and can take courses at HBS, Sloan, MIT, Tufts, and in the yard. There are generally three tracks: macro policy, public sector development, and private sector development and regulation. We also have to write a second year policy paper, I am hoping to turn the work I do in Liberia this summer into my thesis.
We are a small class of 60-70 students, 75% of whom are international, 50% from developing countries. I highly endorse the program and am happy to talk to any interested students.
