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*This program is being offered as a pilot through the HGSE Unbound Initiative. The $450 fee reflects a significantly reduced rate from our regular program fee of $1,500.
**Space is limited to a small, high-fit cohort (maximum 25 participants). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so early submissions are encouraged.
Millions of children experience disrupted learning due to conflict, disaster, and fragility around the world. For these marginalized and vulnerable children, education provides protection, stability, and hope and an opportunity to continue their learning journey. Yet sustaining and scaling high-quality learning opportunities for often diverse populations in such challenging environments requires strategic leadership, systems thinking, and the capacity to drive innovation across complex humanitarian and development architectures.
This live, cohort-based certificate program is designed for experienced professionals who are currently–or interested in–leading education responses in emergencies, protracted crises, and fragile settings. Building on your prior field, program, and policy experience, the certificate program helps you deepen advanced skills in strategy and program formulation, systems strengthening, and adaptive leadership so you can improve learning outcomes for crisis-affected children at scale.
Across six interactive online sessions, you will:
You will join a global community of experienced practitioners and leaders who are shaping the future of education in crisis contexts and advancing the right of every child to learn.
This program is designed to help you step back from day-to-day crisis response and sytematically strengthen how you develop and lead large-scale interventions. You will:
You will leave with a clearer theory of change for your own work, practical tools for your team, and a peer network you can draw on beyond the program.
Six live, online sessions combine research, case work, and peer learning. Each session centers on an evidence-informed, practice-oriented theme, with application to your own context.
Session 1: Navigating and Influencing the Humanitarian System for EducationExplore how global and national humanitarian architectures shape education responses. Map key actors, mandates, and decision spaces, and identify leverage points to advance education outcomes for crisis-affected children.
Session 2: Leading Strategic Planning, Financing, and Adaptive Monitoring in EmergenciesExamine tools for strategy, budgeting, and results frameworks that can withstand volatility and uncertainty. Learn how to align financing and adaptive monitoring with evolving needs and constraints in emergencies and protracted crises.
Session 3: Designing Systems-Level Support for Learners Across Critical TransitionsDesign approaches that protect continuity of learning as children move across grades, schools, displacement settings, or back into formal systems. Consider pathways, transitions, and coordination mechanisms that reduce dropout and learning loss.
Session 4: Embedding Whole-Child, Inclusive Approaches in Crisis-Affected Education SystemsIntegrate social-emotional learning, protection, gender equity, disability inclusion, and psychosocial support into large-scale programs. Reflect on how to adapt whole-child approaches to highly constrained, rapidly changing contexts.
Session 5: Operationalizing the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus in EducationTranslate the "nexus" from concept to practice, Explore how to link emergency responses with system-strengthening and peacebuilding goals, align with government plans, and navigate trade-offs between short-term delivery and long-term reform.
Session 6: Driving Innovation, Evidence Use, and Learning Ecosystems in EiEBuild strategies to generate, use, and share evidence in real time. Consider how to foster learning ecosystems within and across organizations, identify and scale promising innovations, and retire approaches that are not delivering for children.
Each session includes brief faculty inputs, case discussions, peer consultation, and guided reflection on how to apply insights in your own organization.
This program is designed for mid-career to senior professionals who:
It is particularly relevant for:
This is a live, online, cohort-based program.
You will:
The estimated time commitment is:
Active participation in the live session is expected to ensure a high-engagement experience for you and your peers.
This program is designed for mid-career to senior-level professionals who are already working on education responses in emergencies, protracted crises, or fragile settings. Participants typically hold leadership, management, or technical roles in NGOs, UN agencies, ministries of education, donor agencies, or related organizations.
Yes. The program is geared toward experienced practitioners who are already deigning, managing, or funding education interventions in crisis-affected contexts. It assumes familiarity with humanitarian or development systems and focuses on advanced, practice-oriented leardership and strategy.
The program is designed to be manageable alongside full-time professional responsibilities.
You should plan for:
In total, the program requires a modest but consistent commitment across the program dates, with active participation in the live sessions as a central expectation.
Because this is a cohort-based, highly interactive program, live participation is expected.
The richest learning will come from real-time interaction with faculty and peers, so we strongly encourage you to protect the session times in your schedule.
You will need:
We recommend joining from a quiet space where you can participate actively in discussions and breakout sessions, with your video turned on when bandwidth allows.
The program fee is $450 USD. This fee covers access to all live sessions and program materials.
This program is being offered as a pilot through the HGSE Unbound Initiative. The $450 fee reflects a significantly reduced rate from our regular program fee of $1,500. No additional scholarships or discounted rates are available at this time.
To ensure an interactive, high-engagement learning experience, enrollment is limited to a small, curated cohort (target 15-20 participants, with a maximum of 25).
The program is delivered in English. Participants should be comfortable reading, writing, and engaging in group discussions in English.
To be considered for this program, please complete a brief online application using the "Apply Now" link on this page. You will be asked to provide:
We will review applications for:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and all applicants will receive an admissions decision within two weeks of submission. Because the pilot cohort is small and expected to fill quickly, early applications are strongly encouraged.
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate of completion from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Successful completion includes:
No. This is a professional education certificate program and does not carry academic credit or result in an academic transcript. It is designed for working professionals seeking to deepen their skills and apply new tools directly.
You will complete brief assignments and a final reflection and may receive feedback from faculty and/or teaching staff, but these are not graded and no academic transcript is issued.
Lecturer on EducationFaculty Co-Chair, Global, International, and Comparative Education ConcentrationFaculty Co-Chair, International Education and Policy Management (IEPM) PathwayFaculty Affiliate, Harvard Center for International Development
Former Global Director of Education, UNICEF
Robert Jenkins brings over 30 years of experience in international development and humanitarian programming in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Prior to his current appointment at HGSE, he served as the global director of education and adolescent development for UNICEF from 2019 to 2024. He joined UNICEF in 1995 and served as the UNICEF representative, Jordan, from 2014 to 2019, and deputy director, Division of Policy and Strategy in UNICEF Headquarters from 2009 to 2014. From 1995 to 2009, Jenkins served with UNICEF in program and management positions in Uganda (1995-1997), Bangladesh (1997-2000), Myanmar (2000-2003), India (2003-2006), and Mozambique (2006-2009). Jenkins earned a doctor of education degree from University of Bath and a master's degree from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.
Enrollment is limited to a small, high-fit group of mid-career and senior professionals.