Kennedy School Offers Graduate Studies Program in Public Policy

The Kennedy School of Government will offer a new program of graduate studies in government service and public affairs next year.

The School has admitted 21 students for the first year of this experimental program--the Public Policy Program. They will be candidates for two new degrees, Master in Public Policy, which they may earn independently or in combination with degrees at the Law and Medical Schools.

The program's purpose is to educate students to be "better equipped to carry on the tasks of modern government," according to Don K. Price, dean of the Kennedy School. The curriculum is designed to give students an ability to analyze practical problems in public affairs as well as an understanding of the political environment in which they will work.

Starting this Fall the students will take a prescribed curriculum consisting of four core courses. The courses are being designed by teams of Harvard Faculty and will cover the areas of analytical methods, economic theory, statistical methods, and political analysis.

A Colloquium designed by William M. Capron, associate dean of the Kennedy School, will accompany the courses, allowing for discussion and practical application of course material. There will also be a program of summer internships arranged through the Institute of Politics.

The second of the program will allow students to concentrate in a specific area of public policy such as welfare, education, or housing, according to their interests. Only one core course will be required during the second year.

"A program of higher education is badly needed that will let a student combine qualifications for a private profession with an understanding of the way in which it can be applied to the broader problems of public policy," said Price.

The Public Policy Program is directed by an 11-man committee appointed by President Pusey. The committee is chaired by John T. Dunlop, professor of Political Economy, and includes Derek C. Bok, dean of the Law School, and Dr. Robert H. Ebert, dean of the Medical School.

Bok, speaking of the value of the program to the Law School, said, "law-years may be seriously hampered in making a contribution in public service unless they possess the ability to understand... the more sophisticated methods of policy analysi