Program Description

Left to Right: Doctoral Graduates - Anthony Pope, Andres Alonso, Robert Peterkin, Sheila Polk, Traci Teasley.

Left to Right: Masters in Passing Graduates - Jen Cheatham, Nikolai Vitti, Robert Peterkin, Darienne Driver, Lisa Pilaski, David Lussier.

Established in 1990, the Harvard Urban Superintendents Program (USP) is recognized as the nation's premier program for preparing individuals to lead urban school districts. For twenty years, USP provided innovative training for aspiring superintendents, enrolling its last cohort in Fall 2009. Building on the tremendous success of USP, HGSE will launch the Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) program in Fall 2010. The new Ed.L.D. Program builds upon the skills, knowledge base, and relationships with school systems and leaders developed in USP. The program will maintain USP's strong focus on urban school leadership while expanding to include students preparing to lead a broad range of organizations including non-profit organizations, mission-based for-profit organizations, and government agencies. Individuals interested in pursuing careers as urban superintendents should visit the Ed.L.D. program for more information.

Students enrolled in USP complete 12 months of coursework in full-time residency at Harvard, a full-time, six-month internship in the field, and the research and writing of a qualifying paper and a dissertation, an endeavor generally requiring more than 24 months of work.