New Kennedy Degree Focuses on Developing Countries

Students at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) can now apply for a two-year degree program that focuses on the developing countries of the world.

A group of 59 students at KSG have just begun their second semester in the first year of the new plan of study--a master in public administration/international development (MPA/ID).

Students take a look at diverse issues facing the developing world from public health to law, which all affect the economy of the nations.

"The degree program trains people to become practitioners in international development," says Jeffrey D. Sachs '76, Stone professor of international trade at KSG and co-chair of the MPA/ID degree program.

Adding a new degree program is not an everyday occurrence at KSG, according to Carol J. Finney, program director of the MPA/ID degree program.

According to officials at the school it has been at least 25 years since KSG added a new degree program. But the new offering is an extension of a two-year master in public administration (MPA2) that has been offered since the school's founding.

First of its Kind

The new MPA/ID is unlike any other offered either by Harvard or by other universities.

Its heavy focus on economics and quantitative analysis coupled with an interdisciplinary focus on problems facing developing countries differentiates it from other programs, according to Dani Rodrik '79, Hariri professor of international political economy at the KSG and the other co-chair of the MPA/ID degree program.

He says that there are existing programs that deal with one or the other of these areas separately, but never the combination of both.

"We've set our sights considerably higher than any other program in this country or anywhere else," Rodrik says.

Students in the program say the new program is unmatched at other institutions.

"I haven't found a similar program anywhere else," says MPA/ID student Geogr Mende.

Other degrees offered by KSG, such as the MPA2 or Masters in Public Policy (MPP) are much more general in focus.

"This is a departure for us at the Kennedy school having a masters program in a specific field," says Rodrik. "Our courses can be much more fined tuned to specifics in [international development]."

Catering to Diversity

The new program has drawn students from all parts of the globe.

International students make up more than two-thirds of the first MPA/ID class. Students from developing countries account for 50 percent of the class, and an additional 18 percent are from industrialized countries outside the United States.

"It really adds a lot to have people from all those countries," says Finney.

Program administrators place students in diverse study groups in an effort to encourage students to learn from their different experiences.

Mende says the geographic mix of the student body did have some downsides at first, creating a hurdle students had to overcome in order to bond together. But most agree that the students have now become a tight group.

The World Bank is aiding KSG in its efforts to create a class of students from around the world. The organization is sponsoring 15 students from developing countries in each incoming class, paying for these students' tuition in the school and giving them a monthly $1200 stipend for living expenses. These students must then return to a developing country after graduation.

According to Finney, many of the students from developing countries would be unable to attend the program without this aid.

The Basics

All say the MPA/ID program is a rigorous undertaking.

Students in the program agreed that the first semester was extremely challenging academically. They say their workload is heavier than that of their colleagues at KSG.

In the first year, students must take a core of six specific courses each semester. These courses are new offerings at KSG and were designed specifically for the degree program, Rodrik says.

Second-year students have much more freedom in their academic plan, with some required courses and four elective classes each semester that focus on chosen specialties within international development. Some of these elective classes can be offered by other faculties in the University. Students must also write a long paper, similar to a thesis, in their second year before graduation.

In addition, students are asked to participate in international development internships over the summer between their first and second year. Students who are not from developing countries are required to complete these internships in a developing country.

"We're going to spread around the world this summer," says Marilene S. Da Costa. She says that she expects the students will come back to Cambridge next fall as changed people and with plenty of new knowledge and experiences to share with one another.

Finney says she expects students graduating from the program to scatter in many different areas dealing with economic development of developing countries.

She says she thinks a number will go into government agencies in developing countries, such as ministries of finance, central banks, or the offices of prime ministers. Others will go into non-governmental organizations, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, or other less known ones. Some will work on the donor end of international development, with governments such as the United States and Japan. Finally, she expects a few will go into private consultation.

"We hope that most students will go into nonprofit or government-type jobs," says Finney.

Regardless what jobs the MPA/ID program graduates get, Finney says, the students "will have a worldwide network of colleagues."