HKS Elective Courses in Management, Leadership, and Decision Sciences

The HKS Courses below qualify towards The MLD Certificate

Current HKS students should visit my.harvard for detailed schedule information.
Syllabi are openly available during the shopping and registration period on Canvas course websites, or via Harvard’s Syllabus Explorer.
Core required courses, e.g., MLD-220M are not listed below as they do not count towards the MLD Certificate.
Click here for details about review and approval of NON-HKS courses that may be credited towards the MLD Certificate
Last update: 12/03/2024

Leadership

Negotiation & Decision Sciences

Leadership Development

MLD-201-A         Exercising Leadership: The Politics of Change (Chipungu)
MLD-201-B         Exercising Leadership: The Politics of Change (O’Brien)
MLD-201-C         Exercising Leadership: The Politics of Change (O’Doherty)
MLD-202M         Leadership from the Inside Out: The Personal Capacity to Lead and Stay Alive-Self, Identity, and Freedom (Chipungu; 4-credit version with Heifetz not offered AY25)

MLD-215        Negotiation and Leadership: Essential Theory and Practice for Enhancing Your Personal Effectiveness (Wilkinson)
MLD-250        Bridging the Divide: Issues, Culture and Leadership (Foxx)
MLD-260M     Being Human (Ganz and Robichaud)
MLD-326       Principles and Politics When Running for Office (Patrick)
MLD-355      Public Narrative (Ganz)
MLD-617M         Effective Implementation: Learning from Effective Implementers (Hartmann & Butler)
DPI-202        Moral Leadership: Ethics in Public Life (Risse)
DPI-208       Moral Practice for Public Leadership (Robichaud)

Leadership Studies

DPI-115           The American Presidency (Porter)
IGA-125           Reasoning from the Past: Applied History and Decision Making (Logevall)

Decision Sciences


MLD-304         Science of Behavior Change (Rogers)
MLD-308        Leadership Decision Making – From Individuals to Institutions (Lerner)
MLD-310        Behavioral Science for Inclusive Organizations (Bohnet; Not offered AY25)
API-222         Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics (Saghafian)

API-302         Analytic Frameworks for Policy (Zeckhauser)
API-303         Game Theory and Strategic Decisions (Dogan)

API-305         Behavioral Economics, Law and Public Policy (Sunstein)
API-318         Thinking Analytically in an Uncertain World (Levy)

 

Negotiation and Conflict Management

MLD-215        Negotiation and Leadership: Essential Theory and Practice for Enhancing Your Personal Effectiveness (Wilkinson)
MLD-223         Negotiating Across Differences (Hong)

MLD-234M    Conducting Negotiations on the Frontlines: Advanced Techniques for Crisis Situation (Bruderlein)
MLD-257M     Why won’t you listen to me? Understanding People, Conflict, and People in Conflict (Minson)

MLD-280        Advanced Workshop in Multiparty Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (Mandell)
IGA-353M       Frontline Negotiation Lab: Strategic Planning for Complex Engagements (Bruderlein)

IGA-455        Climate Leadership: Persuasion, Advocacy and Negotiation (Wentworth: Formerly titled “Environmental Politics: Building Power Through Leadership, Persuasion and Negotiation”)

Organizing for Social Change

Strategic Management

Government and Civic Innovation

MLD-618        Leadership, Social Change, and its Challenges: Boston as a Case Study (Winship & Jackson; Not offered AY25)
MLD-620M
      The Data Smart City: Driving Innovation with Technology (Goldsmith)
DEV-320M      Scaling Up and Systems Change for Development Impact (Guerrero Pulgar & Walton)
DPI-662M        Digital Government (Roy)

Organizing Civic, Political, and Social Action

MLD-340M        Power and Influence for Positive Impact (Battilana)
MLD-370        Social Movements: The Art and Science of Social Change (McKenna; Not offered AY25)
MLD-375        Creating Justice in Real Time: Vision, Strategies and Campaigns (C. W. Brooks)
MLD-377        Organizing: People, Power, and Change (Ganz; Note: the previously offered modules MLD-377M + MLD-378M have been combined into MLD-377 for AY25)

DPI-312          Sparking Social Change Through Arts and Culture (Cels; Not offered AY25)

DPI-376M   Queer Nation: LGBTQ Protest, Politics, and Policy in the United States (McCarthy)

IGA-385      Strategizing for Human Rights: Moving from Ideals to Practice (Johnson; Not offered AY25)
IGA-453      Reweaving Ourselves and the World: New Perspectives on Climate Change (Henderson)

 

 

Social Enterprise

MLD-802M       Nonprofit Management and Leadership (A. Brooks)
MLD-820       Strategies for Social Impact (Lee)
MLD-830          Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Private and Social Sectors (Cavanagh)
MLD-831         Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Private and Social Sectors – Business Plan Workshop (Cavanagh) 
MLD-836M        Social Entrepreneurship/Social Enterprise Deep Dive: How to Operationalize & Scale for Social Impact (Bildner)
BGP-235M        Private Capital for Public Purpose: Impact Investing and Its Siblings (Wood)

Strategic Management

MLD-102         Getting Things Done: Management in a Development Context (Andrews;  Note: MLD-102 is eligible only when taken by non-MPA-ID students, i.e., as an elective.]
MLD-103M      PDIA in Action: Development Through Facilitated Emergence (Andrews; Not offered AY25)
MLD-111        Critical Pathways: Leadership Dilemmas in U.S. Transportation (Foxx)

MLD-113M       Strategy and Decision (Zimmerman; Not offered AY25)
MLD-125          What Works in Public Sector Management (Linos)
MLD-381          Mitigating and Managing a Crisis (Kayyem)
MLD-385M          Leading through Public Crises: High-Stakes Decision-Making in Chaotic Events (Patrick; 2-credits in January 2025; The 4-credit version not offered AY25)
MLD-615M       Mixed Methods Analytics for Leaders and Policy Makers  (McKenna; Not offered AY25)
MLD-630        Government Turnarounds (Liebman; Not offered AY25)

MLD-634M       Managing the Private Delivery of Public Value (Donahue)

MLD-636         Managing Transformations in Healthcare (Glynn; Not offered AY25)
MLD-802M       Nonprofit Management and Leadership (A. Brooks)
MLD-820       Strategies for Social Impact (Lee)

 
Financial Management

MLD-401M        Financial Analysis of Public and Nonprofit Organizations (Iammartino)
MLD-411M       Introduction to Budgeting and Financial Management (Bilmes and Iammartino)
MLD-412        Greater Boston Applied Field Lab: Advanced Budgeting, Financial Management and Operations (Bilmes; Not offered AY25)
MLD-427        Strategic Finance for Nonprofit Leaders (Honan)
API-141          Finance (Deep)
API-148          Advanced Risk Management and Infrastructure Finance (Deep)
DEV-209         Management, Finance, and Regulation of Public Infrastructure in Developing Countries (Lee)
DEV-210         Public Finance in Theory and Practice (Rosengard)

 

Managing People and Your Career

MLD-316M    The Power of DEI: Harnessing Talent and Opportunity for Enduring Success (Koehn)
MLD-502       Developing People (O’Brien)
MLD-515M    Serving the Public Good: Planning for Career and Life (Freeland)

 

Operations and Performance Management

MLD-601        Operations Management (Fagan)
MLD-605        Systems Thinking and Supply Chain Management: Climate, Poverty and Human Rights (Fagan)

DPI-678M       Product Management and Society: Building Technology in the Public Interest (Pham)

List here is accurate as of Aug. 6, 2024. Catalog updates may occur through the start of fall classes.

Click here for details about review and approval of NON-HKS courses that may be credited towards the MLD Certificate