Management Development Program (MDP)

Gain critical skills and strategies that can help you navigate complex higher education landscapes – particularly as you assume new leadership responsibilities.

Overview

Higher education managers face a wide array of leadership and managerial challenges — from planning and implementing strategic action to allocating financial resources and enacting the vision of senior leadership. To succeed, administrators need skills that enable them to work throughout the institutional hierarchy while staying true to their own personal and professional identities.

The Management Development Program (MDP) held on Harvard’s Cambridge, Massachusetts campus helps higher education managers acquire the knowledge and insight needed to think more strategically, balance competing demands, and engage in more forward-thinking leadership.

Program Details

Designed for early-career leaders, MDP provides participants with the critical skills and mindsets needed to navigate complex institutional environments. Topics will include leadership effectiveness, negotiation tactics, fiscal decision-making, equity and inclusivity, ethics, and strategic planning. 

A combination of case studies, small group discussions, interactive presentations, and immersive experiences will help you learn how to incorporate broader strategic considerations into your management decisions.

Throughout MDP, you will have the opportunity to learn and network with a diverse and dynamic cohort, deepen your working relationships through regular roundtable discussions, and continue these connections through a post-MDP participant webinar.

For travel planning purposes, the MDP program will start on Sunday, June 4th, at 2 p.m. and end on Friday, June 9th at 2 p.m.

Learning Goals

• Develop the capacity for you and your team to build greater individual and group effectiveness
• Learn the frameworks, tools, and skills to manage negotiations effectively
• Navigate fiscal decision-making by becoming familiar with higher education financial structures and economic concepts 
• Take proactive steps to transform colleges and universities into truly inclusive institutions, foster success for all students, and support faculty and staff from a range of backgrounds
• Explore characteristics of effective and ethical leadership
• Gain skills for planning, implementing, and evaluating a strategic direction for your department or unit
• Establish connections and develop a lasting network with peers from around the world and throughout the United States

Who Should Attend

• Early-career college and university administrators responsible for the strategic direction, administrative management, and local leadership of their respective departments and areas, including: 
• Deans (also associate/assistant deans)
• Department chairs
• Program directors
• Managing directors

Fees & Policies

Full tuition is due by the indicated payment deadline, which you may find above or on the program’s community page. While a purchase order confirms enrollment, full payment is still required by the payment deadline. Please note that failure to pay by the payment deadline will result in your withdrawal from the program. Click here for more information on payment, refund, and withdrawal policies.

Tuition includes all instructional materials required for participation in the program. The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion. The school is not responsible for any planning expenses incurred.